Blaze pointed his flaming sword at Igaris, the flames crackling and dancing around him—clear proof that he wasn’t joking.
Nina frowned, stepping forward. "Wait... how dare you interrupt our training?"
But Igaris gave her a sly smile. "Let it be, Nina. He’s an old acquaintance of mine."
She hesitated. "But you don’t have any weapon—"
Before she could finish, Igaris reached behind his back and pulled out a broken blade. It looked like it had materialized from thin air.
Gasps echoed through the surrounding trainees. Whispers followed.
"Did he just summon that blade from nowhere?"
"Is that... because of Space affinity?"
Igaris didn’t care about the murmurs. If anything, he welcomed them. It was about time people knew he wasn’t some weakling to ignore.
Nina stepped back reluctantly, still watching with concern. Blaze, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.
"You’ve changed, Igor," he said with a bitter chuckle. "Well, why wouldn’t you? You’re a Summoner now. I bet you must now want revenge... for how I treated you back then."
Igaris shook his head calmly. "No. That’s not it. You taught me how the world really works, Blaze. And for that... I’m thankful."
With a burst of speed, Igaris lunged, his broken blade clashing against Blaze’s flaming sword.
Sparks erupted as steel met steel midair. Blaze gritted his teeth and unleashed more flame around his sword, using fire as a thruster to drive Igaris back.
Igaris stumbled slightly. His blade was shorter, broken, and lacked the reach of Blaze’s—but he wasn’t done.
Suddenly, his left arm moved, launching a fireball straight at Blaze’s blade point-blank.
Blaze was forced to leap back, and Igaris was thrown too. Both of them were fire-affinity users, so the damage was limited—but the difference was clear.
As Blaze hit the ground, a realization struck him hard. He stared at Igaris, who was already on his feet, burns fading rapidly.
His regeneration... it’s unnatural.
Blaze’s hands trembled as he clenched his sword.
"H...how can I defeat this monster? I can’t defeat him. He’s so strong—physically, magically, everything. He’s already far ahead of me..."
The realisation hit him hard.
And just like that, the duel ended—not with surrender, but with the quiet weight of defeat settling on Blaze’s shoulders.
"Huh? You’re giving up this early? That’s pathetic!" Igaris taunted, his voice laced with mockery. "What happened to the mighty leader I once knew? What about that arrogance of yours—the same arrogance that led you forget empathy?"
He took a step forward, eyes cold and unrelenting.
"Stand up and fight me like a man."
Blaze clenched his jaw. Damn it... why is he taunting me ? I already admitted defeat, didn’t I? He should be celebrating. So why... why do I feel fired up instead?
His hands trembled—not with fear, but with renewed energy. Without realizing it, he stood up, gaze locked on Igaris, eyes filled with something close to defiance.
Around them, murmurs spread among the watching Summoners.
"Looks like they were old friends..."
"Igaris is trying to encourage him up again. That’s... actually pretty noble."
But Igaris only smirked darkly.
From the outside, it looked like compassion. Like he was helping an old comrade reclaim his dignity.
But that was far from the truth.
He didn’t care about Blaze’s pride. He didn’t care about encouraging anyone up.
No. He wanted to break him. Again and again, until Blaze truly understood what it meant to be powerless. He wanted him to feel despair so deep, it would burn into his soul.
He was a Dark Summoner.
Yet the illusion lingered. Among the watching crowd, whispers grew louder, their perception twisted.
"Igaris... he’s so different."
"A Summoner who inspires even his opponent? Incredible."
None of them knew the truth.
Only Evernight, watching from within his inner world, could see through the layers of falsehood.
A wicked smile curved her flawless lips. Her eyes gleamed with dark delight.
"How interesting... You’re not like the others. What is it that drives you, human? Why do you chase this power so relentlessly?"
She had no answers yet. Only curiosity.
So, for now, she watched. Intrigued. Drawn in by the growing storm within the boy named Igaris.
Just as Igaris intended, Blaze crumbled under the weight of repeated defeat. His shoulders slumped, and he left the training hall in silence, his steps heavy with despair.
The boy he once looked down on—Igor—was no longer weak. He had grown stronger, faster, and far beyond reach. Blaze couldn’t even imagine catching up now.
He had become just another stepping stone on Igaris’ path.
The other core members of the Freedom Force, however, didn’t blame Igaris. They only saw strength and resolve.
"He’s on another level."
"Igaris... he’s someone we should aspire to be like."
They branded him an honorable Summoner.
But that illusion didn’t last.
Soon, whispers began to circulate.
"He’s a Dark Summoner."
"What? No way—he didn’t seem like one at all."
"He fought fairly. He helped Blaze stand up again... how can someone like that be dark?"
Disbelief rippled through the ranks. The label clashed with the image he had projected. How could a Dark Summoner act with such strength and dignity?
Meanwhile, Igaris returned to his quarters, his body sore and worn out after a long day of training and battle.
But it had been worth it.
His strength had advanced again.
"Hey, can you give me a massage, Evernight?" he asked, collapsing onto the bed with a smirk. With a wave of his hand, he summoned her into the room.
The winged beauty emerged with her usual poise, eyes gleaming, aura calm but commanding. She stood by the bed with her wings unfurled, elegant and silent.
"I should be able to ask that, right?" he said with an innocent smile. "It’s not like I’m asking anything obscene."
Evernight sighed, but her lips curled slightly. "Fine... I’ll indulge you. Just this once, my liege. But be prepared. These hands have never served any human before."
Her voice held a strange edge—an ancient weight behind her words. Her fingers, smooth and cold like moonlight, touched his back.
The moment she made contact, a jolt ran through Igaris’ body. He gasped.
Visions hit him like a tidal wave—
Bodies. Carnage. Screams.
A battlefield littered with the dead.
A weeping witch, alone in despair. Her hands bound by invisible chains. Her body turning to stone as magic consumed her.
"What... what were those memories just now? Was that Evernight?"