CHAPTER 51: THE FIRST FLAME

"Urgh..."

Alaric let out a low groan, his muscles aching as he tried to sit up.

Sari immediately reached out and helped him, her hands warm against his slick skin.

"Easy," she said, guiding him up until his back leaned against the bedpost.

Once he caught his breath, she asked, "Do you... feel anything? Any changes?"

Alaric shut his eyes.

At first, there was silence, only the quiet rhythm of his breathing.

Then he murmured, "Yeah... I can feel something."

His brows furrowed slightly.

"It’s like, there’s something inside me now. Like a current flowing. Like fire in my veins, but not burning me. But just, there."

Sari’s lips parted slightly as she watched him. Then, without a word, she stood.

"Come," she said.

"Huh?"

"Sit on the floor."

Alaric blinked. "The floor?"

She nodded.

He gave her a suspicious look but didn’t argue.

With a grunt, he pushed himself off the bed, wincing slightly, and crossed his legs as he sat down on the wooden floor.

"Now what?" he asked, one brow raised.

"Remove your shirt."

Alaric blinked. "I... what now?"

"Just do it." She spoke in a firm voice, leaving no room for argument.

He stared at her for a second, brow raised in disbelief, but then gave a short breath and peeled off his damp shirt.

The cloth clung to his skin before slipping off, revealing his lean, sweat-glazed back.

The strange warmth still simmered under his skin, but it no longer felt overwhelming.

Sari stepped closer and lowered herself behind him, her movements were quiet and smooth.

Then without any hesitation she placed her both palms on his bare back.

Her touch was warm and steady.

"Close your eyes," she said.

"And breathe."

Alaric obeyed.

"Now listen carefully," she continued, voice calm but commanding.

"What you’re feeling inside you is raw, formless Essence. It’s like a wild river with no direction. If you want to use it, truly control it.

Then you need to shape it. Mold it."

Her fingers shifted slightly on his spine, and a faint pulse of her own Essence slipped into him, like a soft nudge of heat in the middle of his back.

"What you need now is to form your Essence core. That’s the foundation of everything. Your path, your power, it all begins with the Essence Core."

Alaric’s breath hitched slightly as the warmth inside him stirred, responding to her presence and her guidance.

"Don’t force it," she whispered.

"Just feel. Imagine your body as a vessel. Now, gather that flowing energy, and pull it to your center. Right below the navel. That’s your dantian."

He focused, following the heat inside him.

The warmth rose from his limbs, from his blood, from the depths of his bones.

It trembled inside his chest, spiraling downward slowly, like liquid fire being drawn by invisible threads. Sari’s presence behind him sharpened his focus.

"Good," she murmured. "Keep breathing. Let it collect. Steady. Steady."

His heart thudded in rhythm with the gathering force inside him.

Then, suddenly, something clicked.

The energy coiled tightly within, spinning slowly in a single, molten point.

A pressure built up, right in the pit of his core, as if something was beginning to condense.

Alaric grit his teeth.

"It’s... tightening..."

"That’s it," Sari said.

"It’s forming. Don’t resist it. Let it happen."

Alaric gritted his teeth.

The pressure swelled, and just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore—

Boom!

A silent shock rippled through his body.

Then it all stilled.

The energy no longer raced, it pulsed.

[Ding!]

[Essence Core Formed!]

[Congratulations, host.]

Alaric’s eyes flew open.

Sari slowly pulled her hands away from his back, and whispered in a quiet voice.

"You did it."

Then she stood up, dusted her skirt lightly, and took a step back.

"How are you feeling right now?"

Alaric slowly let out a breath and closed his eyes again.

He sat still for a moment, as if listening to something inside him.

Then he spoke, in a low and steady voice.

"Like something’s changed."

He placed a hand on his chest, then over his stomach, just above the navel.

His fingers lingered there.

"It’s like there’s... a fire inside me. Not wild like before, but steady. Contained. Burning slowly."

He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers.

"My body feels... lighter. No, not lighter—aware. Every breath feels deeper. Like I’ve been holding back all this time without knowing it."

A beat passed, and his lips curled into a faint, almost bewildered smile.

Sari gave a small nod.

"Good. Now your Essence Core is fully stabilized."

With that, she pulled a nearby chair and sat down, letting her gaze drift to the window where the last slivers of twilight were melting into night. Her tone softened, thoughtful yet practical.

"Though if it had been another day, we would’ve done this in the morning. But since tomorrow we’re heading out for that task Lady Selene assigned... there are a few things you need to know."

She turned her eyes to him again, her posture upright and tone a little firmer now.

"You’ve now awakened your Elemental Path, which is Flame. That means, even without formal training, you should be able to use a few basic spells by instinct."

"The flames doesn’t come from outside, Alaric. It comes from you. From your core. Channel your Essence from your center, just below the navel. Guide it through your veins, and call the fire to your hand. Not with brute force, but with intention."

Alaric listened closely and nodded once, and then closed his eyes.

He inhaled.

Focused.

Pictured the warmth in his belly, that ember he had described earlier, and tried to will it up through his arms to his palm.

But...

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes with a flicker of frustration.

"Again."

He tried once more, brows furrowed, body tense, a grunt escaping his lips as he exhaled sharply.

But...

Still, nothing.

Sari sighed and shook her head lightly.

"We’ll do this tomorrow. Your core’s formed, but it’ll take time before your body fully syncs with the flow."

She stood up, brushing off her skirt as she turned away.

But just as she did—

Flick!

A sudden warmth sparked in Alaric’s palm.

He glanced down, and there it was.

A flicker.

A faint glow.

And then—

Boom!