The Debut of Little Flame!

After a moment of contemplation, Ethan turned to 7744, who was holding an umbrella for him, and ordered, "Take this man with you later and assign him to the D-Class combat unit under Coulson's supervision."

Though Ethan couldn't forcibly contain Thor, he wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. Odin wanted Thor to understand love and the heart of a protector? While love might not be the Foundation's strong suit, when it comes to protection, the Foundation was second to none.

Sure, this might seem like using Thor as cannon fodder, but surely Odin would understand, right? After all, having a spare piece in play could prove crucial in the future.

As for the high casualty rate in the cannon fodder unit, what if Thor accidentally dies? Well, since the unit is managed by Coulson, who isn't even part of the Foundation but a SHIELD agent, any casualties wouldn't really be the Foundation's responsibility, would they?

7744 took a thoughtful glance at the rain-drenched Thor, then nodded in acknowledgment.

Back at the New Mexico base, Ethan reminded the doctor, "When Coulson and his team arrive, have them set up a temporary base outside. We mustn't expose this location."

In the face of such a weather-altering weapon, not only Hydra but even the U.S. government might become interested. So, the New Mexico base must remain secure, free from any infiltration.

...

In a Small Town in New Mexico...

A group of people held hands, dancing around a bonfire in celebration. This was their annual festival, known as the Fire Worship Festival.

On this day, the entire town gathered together, singing and dancing around a bonfire, celebrating the joyous occasion.

Amidst the revelry, an unusual flame emerged from the bonfire.

This flame was more lively, more vibrant than the others.

Taking advantage of the crowd's distraction, the little flame jumped away from the bonfire and towards a nearby tent.

The moment it landed on the tent, the entire structure was engulfed in flames.

"Quick! Put out the fire, there's a fire!"

Panicked cries came from within the tent as a young couple, half-dressed, stumbled out in terror.

By now, the tent was completely ablaze.

Rather than rushing to extinguish the fire, the people around merely laughed and teased the unlucky couple whose tent was burning.

"Hey, Jack! Looks like your tent is the MVP of the night. The flame seems to have a special liking for you!"

"I bet it's because you two were getting too hot in there, raising the temperature inside the tent too high."

"Jack! Wanna use my tent instead? But no starting any fires in there!"

Despite the jests, Jack's expression remained serious as he watched the flames devour his tent.

As the victim, Jack knew something wasn't right.

Even though he had been in a dazed state of passion, he was sure he had seen a lively flame jumping into his tent before it caught fire.

Just as the banter continued, a girl's voice suddenly rang out.

"Look! The flame is jumping!"

The girl pointed excitedly at the strange flame.

"A jumping flame? You've had too much to drink!"

The boy next to her chuckled in disbelief.

But when he followed her gaze, his laughter quickly died.

For there it was—a flame, indeed jumping around.

"Oh, crap! That's where my tent is!"

The boy hurriedly ran over, desperate to save his tent.

"Whoosh!"

The tent was instantly set ablaze.

The speed at which it burned was unnerving, and now, everyone realized something was wrong.

If this were a normal fire, it would have spread slowly from one part of the tent to another.

But this was different—the entire tent was engulfed in flames within seconds, not even 30 seconds had passed.

"This... could it really be the manifestation of the Fire God?" Jack muttered in disbelief as he watched his tent burn.

The boy, equally unfortunate, angrily retorted, "Bullshit! This is a fire demon! The Fire God wouldn't burn our tents!"

By now, the little flame had grown to about 30 centimeters tall.

It continued to dance around, searching for more flammable materials.

Jack, now realizing the danger, grabbed a nearby bucket of water and charged at the flame, which was making its way to the next tent.

"Quick! It's that weird flame, we have to put it out!"

The flame was smart; seeing Jack charging at it with water, it didn't wait around. Instead, it leaped directly at Jack.

Unprepared for the flame's move, Jack was hit squarely by it.

His clothes ignited instantly, and within half a minute, Jack became a human torch, screaming in agony as he burned.

"Help! Somebody help!"

But instead of rushing to aid, the crowd descended into chaos.

"Run!"

"The fire demon is killing people!"

Panicked screams filled the air, turning the festive gathering into a scene of disaster.

Everyone was only concerned with escaping, eager to distance themselves from the danger. No one thought to extinguish the fire or stop its spread.

As more tents caught fire, the flames grew higher, and SCP-457 began to take on a more human shape.

Twenty minutes later...

A small fireman, about 60 centimeters tall, had burned through all the flammable materials in the camp and was now heading toward a nearby forest.

What awaited there... would be a catastrophe!