Fire Magic

As the group spent more time with Grey, they quickly grew to like him. His straight forward personality and lack of pretense made him easy to be around.

What truly surprised them was his intelligence and talent. Talking to him felt like conversing with an adult or someone far older, who possessed a deep understanding of people.

Aurelia, the phoenix on their team, turned to him with curiosity. "So, Grey, what's your favorite type of magic?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with interest.

"My favorite magic?" Grey said, locking eyes with Aurelia.

He didn't hesitate. "I love every type of magic," he said, as if stating a simple fact.

Aurelia tilted her head, confused. "You like every type of magic?"

"Yeah," Grey replied.

"But there must be one you prefer more," Aurelia insisted.

Grey nodded. "The one I prefer the most is ancient magic."

"Oh! Ancient magic," Aurelia exclaimed. "It's the hardest and most complex type of magic, requiring a deep understanding and knowledge."

Talking with her, Grey suddenly got an idea. He looked at her with his shining oceanic blue eyes and asked, "Can you please tell me more about magic?"

Aurelia saw the pleading in his eyes and smiled. "Okay, I can teach you about magic, but my specialty is fire magic, so I can't tell you much about other types."

She continued, "The way we magical beasts use magic is different from humans, so there's not much I can explain beyond fire magic."

"But you can ask Draven and Thalorin," she said, pointing towards their other teammates.

Aurelia leaned in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, Grey, tell me—what do you think is the essence of fire magic?" She asked with genuine interest, her voice carrying the weight of someone truly eager to understand his perspective.

Grey pondered for a moment and then said, "To me, fire is a blaze that can be both useful and destructive."

Aurelia leaned in with interest. "How can it be both useful and destructive? Elaborate."

"Well," Grey began, "fire is used for lighting, cooking, and warmth, but it can also harm the environment, indirectly harming us."

Aurelia smiled. "That's a great answer. The essence of fire magic is that fire is not merely a tool of destruction but a force of profound transformation and creation."

She paused, raising her right hand with her index finger pointing upward. A flame suddenly sprouted at the tip of her finger.

"To wield fire magic," she continued, "you must understand and respect its dual nature. Fire can bring light and warmth, driving away the cold and darkness, yet it can also consume and devastate if left unchecked."

"Absolutely," Grey agreed. "Balance and respect are crucial when dealing with something as powerful as fire."

Aurelia nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Those principles are at the core of mastering fire magic."

Curious, Grey asked, "How do you personally use fire magic?"

Aurelia smiled, her eyes gleaming with pride. "Well, I'm a phoenix, a being born from fire. For me, using fire magic and its spells is as natural as using my hands and legs."

Grey's eyes widened with fascination. "That must be incredible," he remarked. "Having fire as an extension of yourself."

Grey settled into his meditative position, feeling the weight of expectation from those around him.

With closed eyes, he let his thoughts wander to the essence of fire—its power, its dangers, and its beauty.

"Fire," he murmured softly to himself, recalling their discussions about its dual nature, its ability to both create and destroy, and the delicate balance required to wield it responsibly.

As he raised his hand, a sense of determination washed over him. "Control fire as if it's an extension of my body," he whispered, his focus unwavering as he prepared to harness its energy.

Grey's hand suddenly became engulfed in fiery red and orange flames. With precision, he directed the fire to the tip of his index finger, forming a pointed flame.

Grey then orchestrated the flames to levitate, creating a ring of fire that encircled his finger.

His control over the fire was exact, bending it effortlessly to his will. Sculpting a human figure from the flames, he commanded it to perform various movements with finesse.

This process was repeated numerous times, altering the shape and size of the fiery creations as they danced around him.

Finally, Grey opened his eyes, gazing upon the magnificent flames before him. They appeared even more potent and radiant than before, pulsating with energy and beauty.

Everyone at the sight was completely shocked and stood in silent awe at the control displayed by the boy.

Aurelia looked at Grey with her striking ruby eyes, her red hair cascading down her face. Her eyes widened as she asked, "Grey, tell me, how well could you control your fire magic before today?"

Grey, still engrossed in his magic, replied, "Not even close to ten percent of what I did today."

"What!? Less than ten percent? How is that possible?" A surprised cry escaped her lips. "You improved this much in just this short period of time?" Aurelia asked, just as dumbfounded as everyone else who had heard what Grey said.

"Well, yeah. How old do you guys think I am?" he responded. "I'm just seven years old. When I started training, I rarely used magic because I had no one to guide me, so I focused on improving my combat skills instead," Grey explained, curious about their reactions.

Every single one of them was dumbfounded to hear him. "Who would believe him when he said he had never trained with his magic before?" someone murmured. It was as if he had spat in their faces, considering they had spent years learning what he could do naturally.

Grey and Aurelia kept their conversation going. Grey asked her many questions, and Aurelia was very happy to answer all of them. "You have such unique questions and logic," she remarked, "you think so differently from others."

The group was very lively, with everyone talking and sharing their stories with each other.

Grey, who was busy discussing fire magic with Aurelia, suddenly stopped and moved his gaze towards the side.

After that, everyone except the four other kids moved their heads in the same direction. The space started trembling, and a large space portal appeared.

The beautiful pair of Lyra and Luna appeared in front of them. Both had a majestic and beautiful presence that attracted everyone's attention.

"Hey everyone! Welcome back," Lyra called out excitedly.

"Hey Luna, you're as energetic as ever," said the elf Elara, sister of Thalorin.

"You too are still as beautiful as ever, Elara. And you, Aurelia," said Lyra.

"Thanks, Lyra. It's good to see you again after so much time," said Aurelia.

Luna, who was beside her, just nodded and smiled. Everyone nodded and smiled back at her.

Grey raised his hand a little and waved at them.

Lyra looked towards Grey, who was beside Aurelia, waving his hand. "Oh, my little Grey!" Lyra exclaimed. "I missed you so much!" She leapt towards Grey and embraced him tightly.

Grey found himself in heaven. He felt very comfortable and warm when Lyra hugged him like that.

Having difficulty breathing, Grey cast a spell on his throat so he could breathe easily. "Well, it was only about three hours that I left your company, and you already missed me?" he said.

"Of course I missed you! You're so cute that I want to keep hugging you," said Lyra, increasing the force of her hold.

"Yeah, yeah, but could you please let me go, or are you planning to kill me by hugging me in your arms?" Grey joked.

Grey and Lyra kept up their banter, making everyone laugh. Luna looked around at the group.

"Alright, let's get to the place. We've got everything ready," she said.

Everyone nodded and started packing their stuff. Luna, Lyra, and Grey helped out.

One girl, however, kept glancing at Grey. She was a beautiful little elf with green eyes and green hair. Her eyes always seemed to find the boy who was three years younger than her.

As everyone finished packing and was ready to go, Luna opened a space portal directly to their destination. Even though the realm space was complicated, Luna could keep the portal open for a long time.

Everyone started entering the portal one by one. Grey, Lyra, and Luna stood beside it, watching as the only girl who hadn't gone inside yet lingered. Elysia looked at the three of them, mainly at Grey. She seemed like she wanted to say something but then stopped and went inside the portal.

"Is something wrong with her?" Lyra asked, tilting her head.

"Maybe," Grey shrugged.

"Don't waste time, go in," said Luna, giving them a nudge.

Lyra and Grey stepped into the portal, with Luna bringing up the rear.

The moment the portal vanished, the spot they had just left behind turned desolate.

There wasn't a single living soul around. The place that had been buzzing with activity moments ago now felt eerie and downright creepy.