The Challenge of the Masters

⊱⊰ 50: Fire and Earth ⊱⊰

Arisa's shoes sunk on the grassy ground as she ran in the forest of giant trees. With her heart still stuck on the battle between her two childhood friends, she tried her best to focus on her quest. It hurt to leave them there and fight a deadly duel. She didn't want to see them engage in that kind of battle and she wished she could have done something. But that was their fate. There was nothing she could do. Zen was their enemy now.

She shook her head, telling herself to concentrate. She had to find the Master and leave this place as soon as possible.

She stopped and examined her surroundings for a bit. Throughout the time she had left the battlefield, she only saw giant trees of various shapes. After the boy suddenly vanished before she could seal it, Arisa wondered how she would find the boy again. She sighed, feeling unmotivated. There was no way she would find the boy after it told her it couldn't fall into wrong hands.

As she resumed her walk, feeling defeated, she thought of a way to force the boy to show itself. Her gaze met the trunks of giant trees. She blinked as an idea switched on in her mind.

She placed her lightly pale hand on one of the trunks. Maybe.

She clenched her fist. Part of her felt bad that she would have to destroy the flora and whatever was hiding there to force the Master to show itself. But she had no other choice.

Arisa gazed around. She wasn't sure if she could summon enough fire to burn a large part of the curious forest like this at once. But then, burning a single plant would be enough to spread the fire, even though that would take a little time to burn most of the forest.

She removed her hand from the trunk and walked a few steps backward. She breathed in and closed her eyes. Despite having used this attack many times before she inherited her powers, this would be the first time she would summon fire using her whole body. Part of her couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

She focused on the temperature around her, attracting all the weak heat she could sense. Even though she could summon her element without attracting heat, this was the only way that she knew she could release her power using her whole body. As she attracted even more heat, she wondered if this way could increase the impact of her element, despite the heat being weak.

Almost a minute passed as Arisa concentrated. She could feel the temperature around her rise and the orange-red streams increasing their brightness. Arisa focused for several seconds more before orange-red flames covered her figure. She jumped forward, releasing them.

As soon as she stepped on the grassy soil, burning them, Arisa could feel the temperature around her decrease as her flames swallowed every target they could reach. Orange light illuminated her surroundings as the fire consumed the flora.

Arisa coughed as the smoke took over the atmosphere. She summoned her crimson armor to protect herself. She examined her surroundings, noticing that her flames were burning only a small part of the forest, slowly spreading in other parts.

This isn't enough. Arisa walked forward. I have to burn more to call its attention.

Arisa raised her arm, summoning countless fireballs above her. She gestured with her hand, making them fall like rain as she ran deep in the forest, burning more vegetation.

Please work. Arisa kept dropping fireballs as she ran in the forest.

Orange light brightened the forest even more as her flames burned every tree and grass they met. The fire spread for a few minutes before sudden sand flowed from the sky, switching off the flames eating the forest.

Arisa stopped for a second, examining her surroundings. She only saw sand burying the flames she had summoned.

"I know you're here," said Arisa, looking around. "Please show yourself. We need you to complete our quest."