Inferno Rising (IR #1)

6 | Burnt Out

Aszreal and I jumped straight back into training on Monday. Now that the weekend was over, we needed to get some work done, and fast. We’re only a week away from Daisen Higashi’s entrance exams, and although I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of my abilities, I’m definitely not ready for the pressure the exams are going to put on my body. Activating my abilities is excruciating enough. Some days it’s painful, some days it’s not, and Aszreal says that’s a problem and it shouldn’t be painful at all, and if I’m still in this state when the exams come around, she’s probably going to pull me out of them for my own safety. And it’s sad to admit, but she’s right, and I wouldn’t blame her if she held me back from the exams. If I’m not ready, then it could put my life at risk, and surviving is much better than being dead at 14.

So I’ve been training… and training… and training, my legs aching and my head pounding from the sun beating down on my face. It’s awfully hot today, and much too bright, but I’m too determined to give up. I need to keep going, I need to improve my abilities enough so I can make it through the exams. To the exams, for that matter. I’ve been praying for the last few days now that my abilities don’t flood my body and kill me before I even make it to the academy gates. They haven’t killed me yet, they haven’t even injured me, but I’m not going to jinx it. Undoubtedly, though, I’m tired. So tired. I can’t even count how many times I’ve yawned, and I’ve felt lightheaded and dizzy. The brightness of the sun is overwhelming, and it feels like my back is burning. I want to sleep, but Aszreal wakes me up at 6:00 every morning so we have “plenty of time.”

On Thursday, she taught me a trick called “fire augmentation,” the process of making a fire smaller or bigger whenever I desire. It takes a lot of thought and unwavering focus, but I was able to manage it that day and hone my skills on Friday. She walked me through how to do it and, of course, it was confusing at first, as is everything when it comes to Aszreal. But she explained it plenty of times, and eventually, it was like clockwork. Close my eyes, choose whether I want to grow the fire or shrink it, reach my hand out, and imagine myself climbing or descending the side of a mountain, like rising to the top or lowering myself to the ground. That’s how Aszreal simplified it, and I adore her for that. She’s smart, a quick thinker, and very creative. She’s gotten me this far with that mind of hers. I wonder how much more she can help me.

Today is different. Even though I’d love to keep working on fire augmentation in hopes to perfect it, she’s changing things to make sure I learn everything and practice it all. She said that, today, she’d help me with fire defense, I just needed to work out first because it was the most difficult out of the five tricks, and it’d be good if I prepared myself beforehand. So I’ve been doing sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, a few reps on the bench press, and now I’m drenched in sweat. I’ve been working out for the last 15 minutes while Aszreal finishes up a couple more papers. Finally, I’m done. I know that because she walked into the backyard with a cup of steaming tea in her hand. Typical. She hates coffee, so she makes tea instead… Every single morning.

“I told you not to exhaust yourself, Bren. Why are you covered in sweat?”

“I didn’t… exhaust myself,” I lied, hunching over my knees and breathing heavily. I definitely exhausted myself, which was a mistake, but as long as I drink some water, I’m sure I’ll be fine. “I’m alright, really. We should get started. The first day of exams is next Monday.”

“I’m surprised you remembered that,” she chuckled. “But that’s good. It’s good to know how much time we have left. Are you sure you’re going to be alright? It’s really important that we get you ready for Monday, and if you pass out or get sick, it’s going to be difficult to pull you back together in time for the exams.”

“I’m alright, Aszreal, I promise,” I took a deep breath and stood up straight. “Can we start?”

“Of course,” she put her cup of tea down and cracked her knuckles. “As you already know, I’m going to teach you fire defense today. For this one, you don’t need to close your eyes. In fact, it’s better for you to keep them open. It’s safer in this situation. But, first of all, let me explain fire defense. Obviously, it’s used to defend yourself. All of your powers are. But fire defense is a lot of different things in one. You can turn your abilities into a weapon. Literally. Like a sword, or a dagger, or even slashing a tree with a streak of fire. I’m going to teach you how to slash a tree in half, just… not an actual tree. I value my trees.