30 When Water Meets Fire
The living room of Venhorst Castle was like the beating heart of an ancient beast. Black marble columns rose to a crystal-studded ceiling, reflecting gold and violet hues as the sun died beyond the arched windows. Tapestries hung like veils of memory, woven with scenes of conquest and legend long forgotten. The air was warm, filled with the scent of subtle incense and the soft sound of wind blowing against the stained glass.
Catarina sat beside the fire, her fingers clasped together in barely concealed tension. The flickering light of the flames cast dancing shadows across her face—a tired but serene face, like that of someone who had cried until there were no more tears left and now simply watched.
Felicia, on the other hand, looked like a living statue, her pupils fixed on John with a strange intensity. She didn't blink. The grimoire in her lap was closed, but her fingers remained on the cover as if they felt a still-pulsating vibration, something only she could hear.
John stood in the center of the room, dressed in new clothes—simple but finely woven. His eyes, once shy, now held something different. There was focus. There was firmness. But most of all, there was weight. The kind of weight that comes not from muscles but from what you carry inside.
Victoria stood on the right side of the room, leaning against the windowsill. Her gaze was lost beyond the stained glass window, staring at the reddish twilight sky. But every now and then , her eyes would return to John. And each time she did, it was as if she were searching for something—a silent confirmation that what she had seen days ago had really happened.
Fernando moved away from John with slow steps. His man dragged lightly over the marble floor, making a soft sound. As he stopped in front of his son, he looked him up and down. His eyes looked at John's soul, not just his transformed body.
— Son, now you are a real man — he said, his voice hoarse with fatigue, but firm as a sword stuck in the ground.
John kept his eyes on his father, trying to control the trembling in his fingers. His heart was beating fast. It wasn't fear. It was pent-up emotion, reverence… and maybe a quiet trace of pride.
Catarina spoke slowly. Her teary eyes shone in the light of the fireplace. She walked over to her son and, without saying anything, simply hugged him. A strong, almost desperate hug. As if she were trying to anchor herself to him, as if she feared that it was all a dream about to disappear.
John closed his eyes. And for a brief moment, everyone was silent.
Fernando moved once more, his firm expression barely hiding the hint of pride that vibrated in his eyes. With an envious smile, he placed his hand on his son's shoulder and patted him twice—the first one friendly, the second one with a bit of exaggerated force, making John's shoulder tremble slightly.
Then I took something from the inside pocket of his robe. It was a ring.
— Now you can use this. It's a gift for your evolution — he said, handing it over with a ceremonious gesture.
John held out his hand, and the ring rested in his palm. It was beautiful, a dark metallic hue that gleamed silver in the light of the flames. Sinuous, almost living lines traced its surface like ancient tattoos. He placed it on his finger with a certain reverence, but when he felt its static weight and lack of magical reactions, he frowned in slight confusion.
— Dad, thank you for the ring. It's very beautiful — he said, unable to hide a slight tone of doubt.
Fernando gave a short laugh, which echoed in the room like the crackling of dry wood in a fire. Then he gave John one last slap on the same shoulder—this time with deliberately exaggerated force, enough to make him take half a step to the side.
— What a "beautiful" thing. Drop a drop of your blood there and use your sonar. Then tell me if it is or isn't really beautiful.
John rubbed his shoulder, feigning a grimace as blood throbbed beneath his skin. With a slight incision on his fingertip, he let a drop fall onto the ring. The instant the blood touched the metal surface, the patterns on the ring glowed like runes awakening from a long slumber.
A pitch-black holographic screen floated before him. Instinctively, John reached out. And the unexpected happened: his hand sank into the screen as if through a veil of liquid. The sensation was cold, almost numbing.
Concentrating, he used his sonar. His consciousness penetrated the ring as if plunging into a second world. Inside was an empty space—vast, silent, and so pure that not even the sound of his own breathing was there. It was the size of a football field, and it seemed to be made only of absence: absence of air, of heat, of time.
—So this is a space storage ring… — John muttered as he returned.
Fernando laughed heartily, his chest heaving with laughter.
— Did you like it, Junior?
— Yes… I was curious to know how they worked. I never thought it would be like this. How do you use them? How do I put things inside?
Fernando reached across the table and picked up a glass cup, handing it to John with a mischievous smile.
— You just need to wish for the object to go into the ring. And to take it out, just imagine it in your hands.
John held the glass tightly, closed his eyes for a moment, and wished. The glass glowed faintly—and disappeared.
The floating black screen now turned blue, revealing the image of the cup stored within that ethereal space. John repeated the process mentally, and the cup materialized in his hand with uncanny precision.
"Now you can put your things away," Catarina said in a soft voice that carried with it the maternal relief of someone watching their son take another step towards maturity.
"Very convenient," John replied, turning the glass in his fingers, still in awe.
— Now it's me — said Catarina, approaching with calm steps.
From her own ring, she withdrew a data crystal. It floated for a moment between her fingers before being handed to John. He received it respectfully. His eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what it was.
The twilight streamed through the tall, pointed windows, casting amber on the marble columns and crimson velvet carpets. The scent of pine incense still hung in the air, mingling ‑with the gentle warmth of the fireplace. In this tranquil setting, the data crystal glowed in John's hand, almost breathing its own light.
He held the crystal to his forehead. As he activated the sonar , a chill ran down the back of his neck. Snow-cold data invaded his frontal lobe, swirling in complex spirals. For two full minutes, blue symbols danced before his inner vision: it was the Polar Star Magic Art, a mid-level ice technique. When the flow ended, the silence within his mind sounded vaster than before. He exhaled, and his breath seemed to leave a trail of invisible ice.
John's eyes shone, reflecting the fire in the fireplace.
— Mom, thank you for the gift.
Catarina smiled. The corner of her lips trembled, as if trying to contain an emotion that overflows into silent pride.
Felicia clapped her hands. A maid entered carrying a small cage covered in purple cloth. She placed it on the oak table and stepped back silently. Felicia pulled the cloth aside with her fingertips, revealing a golden hummingbird with gleaming feathers; tiny sparks of light danced with each quick beat of its wings, almost soundlessly, like a shimmering secret.
At the same instant the bird raised its head, and its tiny topaz eyes fixed ‑on John with unexpected intelligence.
Felicia handed her nephew a piece of soft parchment.
— Put a drop of your blood here.
John frowned.
- What is that?
Catarina stepped forward, her voice low and firm.
— It's a master and servant contract. Your aunt is offering this little beast as a slave companion. In the future, it might save your life.
John hesitated, fingers brushing the surface of the parchment. Then, within the Soul Sea, the Oni's voice rang out, cold as night wind over still water:
"Put a drop on the parchment… and another in the bird's mouth."
A chill ran down his spine, but he took a deep breath. A small incision in his finger brought forth a living ruby. The first drop fell onto the parchment, which shimmered in silvery lines. The second dripped onto the hummingbird's beak. The bird trembled; its feathers ruffled, reflecting particles of light that looked like miniature stars. In an instant, a thin thread of energy connected John's heart to the little animal, as if they shared, for a breath, the same beat.
The hummingbird landed on John's forearm, light as a thought. Then it lowered its head in acceptance.
Catarina observed every detail, hands clasped against her chest. Felícia leaned forward, satisfied as if completing a successful ritual ‑. Vitória, at the back of the room, let out a curious gleam in her eyes; it was the first time she had seen a blood contract sealed so closely.
John raised his arm. The small golden creature flapped its wings with a soft hum, hovering before his face. And for the first time, John felt something new: a bridge between two lives.
Without hesitating any longer, John held his breath and let another drop of blood flow. The sound seemed to disappear around him as the red liquid touched the parchment—which glowed brightly before dissolving into two beams of light. One of them plunged into John's chest, as if piercing straight through his soul. The other enveloped the tiny body of the golden hummingbird, making its feathers vibrate.
Then, unexpectedly, the hummingbird began to struggle. At first, just small spasms. But soon he was flinging himself from one side of the cage to the other as if he were being electrocuted by invisible lightning. His golden feathers danced in the air like living blades.
Everyone present froze. Catarina raised her hand as if to intervene, but hesitated. Felicia narrowed her eyes. Victoria put her hand to her chest and murmured:
— Is he dead?
The young princess wasn't the only one to think so. They used sonar one by one, trying to capture the little being's vitality. Their expressions ranged from perplexity to disbelief. Their eyes turned to John like inquisitive blades.
— What did you do?
John raised his hands, shoulders hunched, eyes wide.
— I… didn't do anything.
Then the hummingbird made a strange sound—a low, muffled hum—and began to excrete a thick, viscous liquid that soon covered its entire body. Everyone looked at each other, and a wave of commotion ran through the hall.
— It can't be…
— He is…!
— It's evolving! — Catarina exclaimed , open-mouthed.
John could not believe what he saw. Instinctively, he plunged his consciousness into the sea of the soul and called out mentally:
"Oni?"
The answer came as a hungover, lazy, irritated whisper:
[I ejected a large amount of crimson energy into the blood you put in the bird's mouth. Thank me later. I gave too much. Now I'm exhausted. Don't bother me for a week, or I swear I'll make you dream about mathematics.]
Before John could even react to the strange threat, the hall was filled with dry cracks.
Crack.Crack.CRACK .
The sap cocoon glowed brightly before cracking open. With a final sharp crack, the hummingbird burst from its prison, snapping the bars of its cage as if they were made of paper. A crimson figure flew through the air, leaving a trail of glowing red particles in its wake. With an elegant, almost silent flight, it landed gently on John's shoulder.
Everyone was stunned. The bird was no longer the same. Its feathers had turned a deep red, with brilliant hues that resembled a bloody aurora borealis. Its wings sparkled with tiny streaks of pure energy, almost like miniature lightning bolts. Its eyes, which had been small, were now large, round, and expressive—full of life and intelligence. It looked… cute. But also dangerously mysterious.
Vitória broke the silence with the question everyone wanted to ask:
— How did you do that?
John looked at her, the crimson bird still on his shoulder. He forced a smile, as if trying to hide his own confusion.
— I think it was… luck?
— I don't know... I didn't do anything, I just signed a contract and this happened — John said, looking away.
He lied. But it was necessary. After the spectacle of the evolution ritual, after the manifestation of the Oni… revealing that there was a dark entity inhabiting his soul and that it could alter the vital essence of a magical beast would be the same as shouting "I'm a freak" to the entire kingdom.
Felicia, noticing the discomfort in the air, immediately intervened:
— It must have been a coincidence. John signs the contract at the same time the beast begins to evolve. A rare coincidence, but possible.
Catarina agreed with a quick nod.
— That must have been it.
Victoria, still looking enchanted at the crimson bird, frowned:
—But why did it change color?
Fernando, who had been watching in silence until then, responded in an almost mechanical tone:
— Maybe… it's a mutant golden hummingbird. It can happen in rare bloodlines.
Victoria approached, her eyes shining with tenderness.
— He's so cute.
He tried to touch the little hummingbird, which had remained motionless on John's shoulder. But the moment his hand came closer...
[PIL PIL PIL]
The bird made a shrill sound and disappeared in a crimson blur, moving away in a swift, graceful zigzag . Victoria froze, her hand suspended in midair.
— He… avoided me?
"He only allows me to touch him, apparently," John said, with a slight, embarrassed smile.
Victoria lowered her hand and, with a resigned sigh, removed three small green vials from the enchanted pouch she carried attached to her waist. She handed them to John with a noble but friendly gesture.
—Here it is. My gift to you: three superior-grade healing potions. They are rare… very effective.
John tilted his head slightly.
— Thank you, young princess.
He stored the vials into his spatial storage ring. He was sincerely grateful—the gifts he had received that day were true treasures, one after another.
But even with a crimson hummingbird on her shoulder, magical art engraved in her mind, and powerful potions stored away, the shadow of sadness slipped into her eyes. A look that did not go unnoticed.
Felicia noticed him first.
— What's wrong, John?
— You didn't like the gifts? — Catarina asked, bowing slightly.
—It's not that—he replied. —I liked everything very much. I'm really grateful.
Fernando, observant as ever, took a step forward.
— So what is it? You can tell us. What 's bothering you ?
John took a deep breath, lowering his eyes. The image of a persistent girl, with messy hair and a determined expression, appeared in his mind.
— It's Íza .
Silence fell.
— Now that Alex and I have evolved… she 's been avoiding me . I promised I would take her to the Institute. That I would help her evolve too. But… now I really don't know how. She feels left behind, even if she doesn't say it. She's avoiding me because she doesn't want me to see the sadness in her eyes. She's… pulling away.
John's tone was measured, but heavy. It wasn't just guilt—it was helplessness. It was the weight of a promise made from the heart, now threatening to crumble in the face of reality.
—... and it's also compatible with your secondary affinity, so I thought it was appropriate — Felicia added, handing over the sword with an almost maternal glow in her eyes. — As for the parchment... it's a more valuable gift than you can imagine, Junior.
John gripped the golden sword in both hands. It was heavy, but not uncomfortable—in fact, it felt… alive . As if it pulsed with a deep echo from the earth. The metal still bore a few black cracks, traces of past damage, but an aura of raw resilience enveloped its blade.
As for the parchment... that was another problem.
John held it up again, rereading the Babona Tongue characters, some of them still trembling before his eyes. The technical text described complex ritual structures like the oxinal pentagram and the overlapping patches , arcane formulas he couldn't even draw from memory. Furthermore, the materials listed were nonsense.
Swamp mosquito?
Calala tree bark ?
Essence of the entire animal kingdom?
He frowned and looked at Felicia.
— This… is for Íza ?
Felicia smiled, but there was something dark beneath that smile.
— It is for you to fulfill your promise.
Fernando shook his head, crossing his arms.
— Daughter, this parchment is a hole in time and in your pocket. There are two hundred materials. Two hundred! Where do you expect him to get all this from?
Felicia ignored him completely, as she always did when she was convinced of something.
— Listen, Junior. I know this seems impossible right now. But if you really want to keep your promise… then start here. Study the ritual. Understand the circles. Identify the easiest materials to find. Make a plan. And don't talk about giving up anymore .
John swallowed. Part of him was relieved—he was no longer lost in the dark. Part of him, however, felt the crushing weight of a new responsibility, even heavier than the sword in his hands.
"This… will take time," he said, almost in a whisper.
"Of course you will," Catarina murmured, raising an eyebrow. "Everything worthwhile goes with it."
Victoria, who had been watching in silence until then, stared at John.
— Are you really going to go through with this? Collect all the materials? Prepare a full ritual for someone who may have already left you behind?
John didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked up, still holding the parchment.
His fingers were steady.
His gaze, lit.
— She didn't leave me. She's just lost. And if I'm really her friend… then I'll find her again.
Felicia clicked her tongue, crossing her arms with that look of someone who was enjoying the drama , but with no intention of intervening.
— Look at that… — he said, with a half-mocking smile. — The charitable princess buying off a personal debt. How romantic.
— Aunt… — John tried to protest, but she just raised an eyebrow, and he immediately shut up.
Fernando snorted.
— If you're going to make deals, at least the boy should understand what he's signing. A princess's favor can cost more than a master-level ritual...
Catarina, in turn, watched everything in silence. Her gaze was neither one of disapproval nor of acceptance. It was the gaze of someone who understood that her son had just taken another step towards adulthood — with all the dubious choices that this implies.
Victoria shrugged, unconcerned, as if she had just bought a sweet at a magic fair.
— I like to invest in potential… — he said, twisting a golden ring on his finger. — And honestly, if you can help that girl evolve with this scroll, then I will start to believe that you are someone of value, John.
The teasing came with a delicate smile, but there was something fierce in her eyes. As if she was testing John's limits with elegance and calculation.
He swallowed hard. The debt was paid.
— Okay. I'll keep my promise. And I'll repay my favor too — he said, trying to keep his voice steady, even with the nervousness hammering inside his chest.
Felicia let out a low, almost ironic laugh.
legitimate turtle shell supplier , and a pact with the Wild Kingdom's fauna, at the very least.
— And maybe a miracle, if you want all this before graduation — added Fernando, laughing for the first time.
John just took a deep breath. One step at a time. He had a plan—or almost. Now he had the scroll, the sword, and the financial backing of a princess. That was enough to get started.
Four days passed. During that time, the Oni slept without stopping, and John could not access the soul sea.
Leonel Albert had not yet left his room. The young princess had contacted her allies in the capital, and soon the Isa ritual would be ready as well. John, however, did not tell her—he wanted to surprise her.
Now, John, Alex, and Princess Victoria were outdoors, on the vast plains, where John had been being trained by Ferdinand and Felicia.
"Show me what you're capable of," Victoria said with a smile on her face.
Victoria closed her eyes. She calmly began to regulate the flow of her elemental power. With each breath, her aura decreased: middle realm level 2, middle realm level 1, base realm level 3, base realm level 1, primary realm level 7, level 4, level 2... until she reached level 1.
"I have temporarily suppressed my evolution realm to the same level as yours. Now, you and I are both level 1 primal beings ," the young princess declared.
"All right, here I go!" John shouted .
He charged forward with a war cry, delivering a cross blow with his right fist. Unfortunately for him, Victoria dodged it easily. John tried again, throwing hooks from both the right and left, but she avoided all his attacks with ease and precision.
John took a deep breath and decided to be more aggressive. He increased the speed of his punches, one by one, but they were all blocked easily.
"I'm going to counterattack," warned Victoria.
John stepped back and tried a kick, which was promptly blocked. Victoria caught his foot in the air and tripped him. John fell and rolled on the ground, but in the next second he was back on his feet.
He went on the attack once more, this time more cautiously. He feigned a side punch with his right fist, preparing a hook with his left hand. Vitória, alert, took two steps back and elegantly avoided the blow.
"Use your sword," she said.
—Okay—John replied.
He reached out his hand, and from his storage ring a sword jumped straight into his dominant hand.
— Creation Magic: Flaming Sword — Victoria intoned in the Babble language.
A blade made of pure fire appeared in her hand. The sword burned brightly, and the heat around it distorted the air. Wasting no time, Victoria charged forward.
Clang ! Clang ! Clang ! Clang !
John managed to block the attacks, but he pulled away soon after. An uncomfortable numbness ran through his hands. Victoria gave him no rest.
Clang ! Clang ! Clang !
With each blow she landed, John fell back further and further. He was being pushed back as if he were fighting a raging current.
— You must fight using your elemental power! — said Victoria in the midst of the attacks. — Don't forget: you are no longer a Primitive being. Use your power!
—How do I use elemental power in my strikes? — John shouted , panting.
— Use your evolution core to release the power! Drive the elements around you, and those produced by the core, with your sonar! Like this! — explained Victoria.
She stepped forward again.
This time, his speed doubled. An aura of flames covered his body, and the flaming sword roared like a living beast.
Clang ! Clang !
John could barely bear the force of the blows. His hands were throbbing. He stepped back, briefly closing his eyes to try to concentrate—and when he opened them, the tip of Victoria's sword was already touching his neck, less than a millimeter from the skin.
— You must never close your eyes in battle! Or you will end up dead — Victoria reprimanded firmly.
—But you said to use sonar! — John retorted , frustrated.
Victoria let out an exasperated sigh.
— To use sonar, you don't need to close your eyes. You just need to concentrate. Like this —
She activated her sonar in a flash. A subtle wave of awareness pulsed around her, as if the entire world was breathing under her command.
— Concentrate and try — suggested Vitória.
She pulled the sword away from John's neck. He took a deep breath, letting the spiritual energy flow through his brain; his eyes glowed, and his sonar activated.
— Let's start over — said Victoria.
—Okay—John replied.
His core mobilized elemental power and, guided by sonar, attracted the water present in nature. A liquid aura enveloped his entire body.
— Very good, you have formed your aura. Now, attack — instructed Vitória.
John felt his body lighten. He ran around the princess and struck a vertical blow. Victoria blocked it. He kept going with several cuts; each blow was parried, but this time John was not pushed back.
Clang ! Clang !
The blades clashed at a fierce pace. John was no longer purely defensive: he launched attacks of his own and successfully defended Victoria's counterattacks.
She took a step back. The flaming sword extinguished ‑in midair.
—Fire Creation Magic: Flaming Bow—he intoned.
A flaming bow appeared in her hands. Victoria ran her fingers along the glowing strings; a fiery arrow formed ‑and shot out like lightning.
Woxim !
John dodged, but before he could steady his stance, two new arrows flew toward him.
Clang ! Woxim !
He blocked the first one with his sword and avoided the second one with a sideways jump. When he stepped forward to counterattack ‑, three flaming arrows were already roaring at him.
Woxim ! Clang ! Clang ! Good!
The first arrow went narrowly past; the next two were parried. But the fourth—hidden in the glare—struck ‑him in the side. The impact threw John backward; his body hit the ground hard, and dust rose around him before he had time to recover.
Woxim !
A fifth arrow sliced through the air toward John. He had n't yet risen from his previous fall—there was no way he could block it in time. In his desperation, he remembered one of the shorter incantations he had learned from Catarina.
— Water Element, guess what ... Water Ball!
He hurriedly raised his hand. A tiny sphere, the size of a grain of sand, took shape and rushed toward the arrow. Unfortunately, the tiny ball evaporated the instant it touched the flaming projectile—and the arrow struck him again.
— Cough , cough , cough ... — John coughed , standing up in tattered clothes and exhaling smoke over his shoulders.
— Concentrate. Magic requires absolute focus, and the incantation must be chanted well. If these requirements fail, the magic fails with it — Victoria explained firmly.
—You are not yet ready to use magic in combat. Use the art of a warrior instead, she suggested.
—But there's no way I can get close with that bow of yours! — John grumbled , wiping the soot from his face.
Victoria smiles mischievously.
— Can't we use long-range attacks?
John thought for a moment. The Sea Splitting Sword 's first form was a long-range attack… But he had never used the full art, only the basic technique. In any case, the situation couldn't get any worse. Maybe it was time to take a risk.
— I have — I replied firmly.
— So... show me — Vitória teased.
She removed the bowstring, and three flaming arrows instantly formed. In one fluid motion, they shot toward John with even greater speed than before.
Seeing that, John didn't hesitate.
—Sea Splitting Sword, First Form: Surging Waves! — he shouted.
He swung his sword in succession. Its core released a torrent of elemental power; it shone brightly, and a beam of blue light took the form of a powerful wave that rushed toward the flaming arrows.
Boom!
The arrows were swallowed by the wave. The wave, without losing strength, continued towards Vitória.
— Flame Creation Magic: Fire Wall! — she chanted quickly.
A flaming wall stretched out in front of him, expanding like a burning shield to halt the wave's advance.
BOOM !
The Rising Waves crashed into the glowing wall. The water boiled, evaporating in an aggressive hiss, until John's technique was completely dispelled by the fire.
"Not bad," Victoria said, smiling with genuine appreciation.
Continued...
Author's Note
Hey there, survivors of the flame and the wave! If you've read this far, it's because your heart also vibrates with the sound of swords and the whispering of incantations!
In this chapter, John proved that having power isn't enough — you have to know how to use it. Victoria showed that she is a princess trained in the art of war and, honestly, she carried the fight on her back without breaking a sweat! But our protagonist... oh , he's still going to shine. That was just a flash.
Now, I need you. Your comment is like the core of this work's evolution — without it, nothing grows. Tell me what you thought, what surprised you, what you want to see in the next chapters. Of course, don't forget to vote. The stars illuminate the story — but the one who lights it is you.
See you in the next chapter!— The Author, still alive after being hit by a flaming arrow in the ego.