Three different colored flames danced around a flame crown. The twin moons' light was affected by the sudden black mists that 'graced' Lorcan Pyrite's estate, darkening the room inside the highest tower. His natural sun flames brightened up the area in response. They highlighted Lorcan's golden skin, almost olive skin, and short, cropped, graying hair.

Near the Sun Tyrant's favorite flame pad to peer into the Concepts with were two of his better talented children. This sealed training room encompassed the sunlit furniture he tended to enjoy. Flame wisps marched along in the air. Roiling flames blanketed the ceiling under Lorcan's command, scorching the already blackened crystal and marble construction. A presence at their golden gate interrupted his strategic planning for the Tide.

Well aware of the ruckus that man below had caused around his family's interests, Lorcan surmised internally. The water novice came to bare his fangs at my home? Welcome to the inferno, masked lesser. Do not mistake my temporary lenience for inability, as you will soon find out.

Without a word from him, the other two tier 3 nearby offered to act. Rousing from their previous positions. An ember-lipped woman with raven black hair, dressed in red leather, said, "Patriarch, that Rune fool I've garnered reports on showed up to our front door, shall I dispose of him? Just say the word. We confirmed he's an Expert in Water Elementalization and likely a variant spell sword. The usual guards won't be able to stop him."

A towering man stood on Lorcan's other side, clad in red-scarred flame plate, a tower shield strapped to his back. He set his gaze to the outside through the floor-to-ceiling window that shone down on the entry gate, picking up a detail the woman missed.

"Father, young Calista and Chander are returning from the auction. They should run into the intruder at any moment. What are your instructions?"

At the thought his favored grandson could be under harm's way, Loren's sunlit flames rose to the ceiling before settling back down to a simmering calm. The inner fire flared out over his dark gray scale and cloth armor. The two nearby already suffered from streaming sweat. He uttered, "The Fourth Pyre, Calista. Inform her to dispose of the threat to my family. Auren, secure Chander. Audrey, trail after Calista if the invader runs off. Don't interfere, this is a test for her."

Accepting the order, Auren put a fist against his chest in acknowledgment, already on his way to do as commanded by the Patriarch. Audrey motioned to leave, but Lorcan made a gesture for her to stop. Audry stilled, her dueling saber tapped against her thigh. Giving a tight, practiced smile, she said, "Any other commands, Patriarch?"

Lorcan summoned a miniature sun, tinged with gray. He flicked it to Audry. "Auren will see to Chander. Use that condensed Flame Concept to interfere if Calista fails to slay the lesser hunter. As Veyron is out on business with the Gorrids, it falls to me to secure the estate. Morgana has taken great pains before to draw me out. Treat the sun as insurance for execution. Fail, and punishment awaits in the deepest circle of the Ember grounds."

A faint tremble shook Audrey's body, transforming the negative emotion into a wider smile than she usually did. She bowed to Lorcan. "For the fire, I'll see it done, Patriarch."

"I expect no less. Go."

Audrey turned into a mix of ash and embers, near the gate in seconds, keeping veiled. Lorcan oversaw the conflict, about to summon Sunlit Dominion when the lunatic sliced into his grandson's eye. Auren protected the boy, his abilities working to reverse the damage. Lorcan shifted his ancient body. The inner fire desired to blaze out and act. Wisdom said to wait and watch. Neither the Miel Matriarch, his equal, or Ophelia Cyrn would openly allow him to wreck the city to slaughter a common tier 1 hunter on loan to the Defiers guild.

When he confirmed Calista trailed after this lesser-born hunter, he strode to a stack of documents in a sealed box, keyed solely to his blood signature. On it were hundreds of names, each a promised reward for their relocation. Lorcan allowed himself a thin smile.

At this rate, in a number of months, he should have the materials needed to reverse the curse effect for invoking the forbidden ritual that ascended him into a hollow tier 4. A necessary decision to protect the family at the time, now nothing but a hindrance preventing a total victory over the Miel family.

Whatever the cost, the Pyrites would become the fourth great noble family within the Duchy. Lorcan followed that doctrine ever since becoming a man. Use any means for greater power, as nothing else ensured survival in this world ruled by monsters masquerading as gods. The ignorant could pin him as a devil, anything to return glory to the Pyrite line.

It would be his burden to bear.

Searing flames trailed after Calista as she tracked Rune. The man's elemental water mists interfered with her constantly, but he couldn't shake her off that easily. A tingle at the back of her neck whispered that maybe he allowed her to follow.

Nonsense, even if Rune was an Expert in Water Elementalization, as her family's information network indicated, his life was forfeit. While that murky aura around him seemed off, its quality was undeniably tier 1. She'd never heard of someone overcoming a two tier chasm, so she diligently followed after Rune, trying to predict where he was taking her.

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At this rate, she'd close the gap, but needed another minute, perhaps two. Charging Blazing Edge, an ability of hers, she imbued multiple bolts readied for Heenmaris and held back from firing another Comet Shot at Rune. Despite her patriarch's orders, she preferred not to needlessly destroy the Western Quadrant. Rune managed to dodge at this distance every time, earning confounding respect from her.

But respect wouldn't change the man's fate.

Infusing tier 3 aura to her vocal cords, she sent a whisper toward Rune, "Run with all your might, Rune the Insane, I'll follow you to the ends of Ludus."

The man kept silent, using both of his swords to deflect the occasional potshot from her crossbow. He bounced from ceiling to ceiling at an astounding speed that put any other tier 1 she'd ever seen to shame. Only the fastest in tier 2 would match him, the extreme specialists edging past that.

To her, however, all it would do is make him modestly more annoying to capture. She was faster. Calista stopped the hubris. At one key moment, that man used some other method for extreme speed, beyond even her at tier 3.

Guards stationed in the watch towers shouted warnings, ignored by both civilians going against the city ordinance. "Cease your actions, or we'll be forced to subdue the both of you."

Never wavering, Calista saturated flame element in her golden eyes. She'd been stuck at the peak of Adept for years now. Rune would have an advantage in that one area. Not enough to be an actual threat. With the addition of the flame, Rune's mists lightened considerably, their perception ruining effects withered.

The city guard stationed in the nearest watch tower asked their tier 2 captain for orders. "Captain, insurgents refuse to follow instruction, your orders?"

Face grim, the captain fetched a sigil stone with the city emblem on it. He spoke softly into the communication device, "Yes, Commander Jordis? We have eyes on Calista Pyrite and Hunter Rune. They are clashing within city limits, outside of the arena realms."

Moments later, the captain received his instructions, gesturing for his men to stand down. Confused, one asked the meaning of the odd order.

"Captain? Why are we…"

"Jordis said she would come herself."

A more brash guard whistled. "Those two poor bastards will be in for a hell of a time."

Zooming past the temporarily neutered city guard, Calista sneered internally.

Send your favorite watchdog. She can't stop the outcome either.

A heatwave followed after the flare hunter, causing the denizens nearby to break out in sweat. She stepped onto a particularly tall rooftop, vaulting over it. Rune must've used that tiny break in line of sight to move again. It took Calista half a second to find him, extending the distance as a byproduct.

Clever. She scanned the direction Rune continued to rush in. Going to Ilinal Lake connected to the docks? Let it be your grave.

Flames continued to stack, shrouding her body and weapons. She evaporated the remnant mist trail Rune left behind. At the edges of her thrice ascended senses, the Flare Hunter pinpointed a different tier 3 aura coming from the Silver Black Tower. Jordis.

A hint of confusion seeped into her spirit at the next scan, however, as she began to close in on Rune. Four different tier 3 beings left the Defiers guild. All definitely headed in her direction. She wrote it off, occasionally beings like them liked to watch when drama of this scale blessed the city's night. It wasn't the first time a tier 3 got into conflict with someone else despite city rules, and it wouldn't be the last either. She Flame Dashed to forcibly close most of the gap Rune created earlier.

Another alarm bell went off in her head when she saw how effortlessly Rune stood upon the water. It rippled under his feet. Calista, up to this point, had battled other Experts in Elementalization. While they were exceedingly rare, enough existed for you to eventually get used to their methods. Rune chose the best environment in the local area for his element, and one that would naturally suppress her own.

Part of her commended the man for trying to use the terrain against her. The other part laughed at the naivety. She expanded out the Flame Domain while pouring Adept Fire Elementalization into it. It still wouldn't dominate Rune's superior mastery, she knew that, but it would maximize her own advantages. Only a fool held back in a real fight. Calistia was a confident woman, not ignorant.

Embers sparked at her feet, steam rose from underneath. She aimed Heenmaris at Rune. She said, "Done running?" Her Flame Domain encased the entire lake, halting a few feet away from the docks.

"Done setting the stage," Rune answered, posturing his ethereal blade defensively, while the shorter white one grew slick with black water. The mists swirled around him as the water beneath began to bubble. The aura density within him thickened. The sheer quantity of water controlled defied Calista's understanding.

She internally assessed. Did he become a Master recently? No Expert I've seen manages control of this scale. And his mists are damn hard to burn away—too hard. He's hiding something, I'll treat him like I would a fellow tier 3. Anything less might give him a chance to survive.

Firing off charged shots from Heenmaris, three Comet Bolts seared toward Rune. A faint Phoenix echo connected them. A visible heat wave rushed underneath—crushing pressure tried to shackle Rune in place. Making the Sun Orb revolve close, Calista used Ash Step in an attempt to trick Rune's vision and land a fatal blow while her shots pulverized him. Her raw fists were as much a danger as her arrows.

Calista's heart stopped in place for a second.

She, by all intents and purposes, should be invisible, yet that man's eyes. They followed her every step. An aura of wisdom emanated from one of the two orbs hanging from his neck. Like he could see every intent, and understand her next move. The three Comet Bolts pounded into Rune; at least she thought they did. But a lack of impact kept Calista on guard.

That dreadful disembodied voice washed over her again, coming from the bottom of a newly formed whirlpool in the lake. "A true tier 3. I'll thank you in the future for this experience, Calista."

Furious, she jumped back as three torrents of water threatened to usurp her position. Runes' way of mocking her attempt at stealth. Her flames licked at the surface of the lake, extinguished by black water moments later. Her Domain expanded downward, pushing away the hostile water by force. Calista summoned a defensive Inferno Shroud in anticipation, a reddish wall of fire embodied by a flame spirit. Heenmaris naturally sucked in part of the flame to empower it, one of its weapon abilities.

"Thank me? The dead say no words."

"I beg to differ. You're the next step to extinguishing the corrupt flame."

Calista grimaced. Rune rose slowly from the whirlpool, harmed, but a fraction of what she expected.

This scoundrel, is he using an aura suppressor? He has to be tier 2, Master at Elementalization at the minimum. Otherwise, only a…

Her eyes widened, multiple presences settled outside her Flame Domain overlaid on the lake. One, from her family, and three from other forces. For now, they seemed content to watch.

Cracking her neck, Calista charged up Heenmaris again. Very well, enjoy the show. May you all witness what a Pyrite can do. Her Sun Orb revolved around her, ready to assist as commanded.

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