CHAPTER 107: NIGHTMARE MONSTER

Kaedros inhaled the blistering air, his eyes narrowing as heat swirled around him. He triggered the Flow, breathing fast until it felt as if molten magma coursed through his veins.

"Let’s put it to the test, shall we?" His voice was low, edged with excitement. "Let’s see who burns the hottest."

Facing the three-headed monster, Kaedros felt a thrill pulse through his bones. This was no ordinary battle, it was spell against spell, strength against strength.

Fire against fire.

Something he’d never dared in Dragon City, where his Bloodline curse left him vulnerable to Draconic fire.

But now... a slow grin spread across his lips. "You dare?"

The creature’s flames dimmed, becoming shadow-like cloaks that rippled along its form.

"I dare," it rumbled. "And your ashes will be the proof, fool!"

It unleashed a torrent of black fire that seared the air, but Kaedros was already above it, watching in grim satisfaction as the attack tore into the ranks of lesser beasts.

Mid-air, he launched a bolt of arcing fire. The monster casually swiped it aside.

Kaedros’ eyes widened. Impossible! His fire was the hottest he had ever wielded, hotter than anything he’d seen before. Only Dragons were able to compete with Dragon fire.

"Rethinking things now?" the creature mocked.

"Never."

It lunged. Kaedros met it with a blazing sword stroke, the collision igniting the air and setting nearby monsters alight. Heat rolled through the chamber, forcing all other combat to a halt as both sides turned to watch.

From the corner of the room, Taria’s expression hardened. She knew this duel would decide whether they lived or died.

Rauk was breathing heavily. "He’d better win. I’m running on fumes....core’s almost dry."

Taria and Gold nodded grimly. They had been fighting for over an hour.

Kaedros discarded his sword and traded bare-handed blows with the creature. Each strike met with a detonation of fire,his fists wreathed in flames, the monster’s hands a solid, unnatural black.

They broke apart.

Kaedros raised a hand, palm out in a gesture to wait. A glowing formation flared under his feet, and then waves of searing blue fire burst forth, so hot that everyone in the room had to shield themselves with essence and arcane.

The monster cocooned itself in black flames, weathering the storm. At first, it seemed untouched. But as its dark fire peeled away, the truth was revealed.

The side heads sported double jaws lined with hooked fangs, while the central head was a constantly shifting mass of rotted flesh, never settling, never still.

"Nightmare," Taria whispered.

Rauk shuddered. Gold’s tone was flat. "Looks more like a fever dream."

The monster’s voice twisted like a blade. "Let me show you fire."

The side heads turned inward toward the central one. A deluge of black fire erupted from all three maws, roaring like a waterfall.

"Shit," was all Kaedros said before the flames swallowed him whole.

"He’s dead for sure," Gold muttered, starting to draw what remained of his magic into himself.

Taria stared at the unending black inferno without a word. She didn’t want to think about what she might see when it ended.

The flames finally guttered out. Smoke hung thick, hiding everything.

"Really," Kaedros’ voice came, faint but with a hint of a smile. "Your fire was indeed hot, hotter than I expected."

The smoke cleared. He stood in a molten crater, half his clothing burned away, skin scorched black in places.

"But mine..." he stepped forward, "...was hotter."

It was true—he’d be ash otherwise. Fire that burns fire.

"How?!" the monster roared. "You should be dead!"

Kaedros clenched his fist, wincing as pain lanced through his fingertips—a reminder of how close he’d come. "All I did was burn your fire before it burned me."

The creature recoiled in disbelief.

"Don’t be so surprised," Kaedros smirked. "I’m already surprised enough for both of us. Thanks to you, I believe Nyra now when she said my fire is more potent than normal. I guess it’s because I’m adding the heat from the sun."

The monster bellowed, summoning a blade of black fire and hurling itself at him with the force of a bullet.

If that hits me, I’m dead! Kaedros thought. He called upon the silver stone, feeling a sudden surge of power flood into his arm.

He didn’t meet the strike head-on. Instead, he pivoted at the last instant, his sword guiding the attack past him. As the creature stumbled forward, Kaedros’ blade flashed, shearing off a large chunk of its right head.

The Nightmare’s scream shook the room.

Kaedros stepped back, his sword hand trembling slightly. He had been right not to block that strike, at best, it would have shattered his arm.

The Nightmare bellowed and turned, its right head mangled as though something had taken a savage bite out of it. Without hesitation, it gripped the injured head with one massive hand and, with a sickening crack, tore it off entirely.

Kaedros stared in silent horror. What is this thing? Doesn’t it feel pain? His grip on his light-forged sword tightened.

"You’re skilled with that blade," the creature said. Its dark, shifting eyes wouldn’t stay still—one moment on its cheek, then its forehead, then flickering inside its mouth.

It was angry now, truly angry. If it hadn’t taken him seriously before, it did now.

Good, Kaedros thought. Let him be angry.

The black fire around the creature surged toward its shoulders, coalescing into massive, shadowy wings of flame. Heat rolled off them as they flared wide.

"I will have your head," it snarled from above.

"Let’s see you try." Kaedros grinned.

The wings flapped, sending a storm of burning spikes down like molten rain. Kaedros’ sword blurred as he struck them from the air, but too many slipped through. He hissed as some tore across his skin, his fire resistance, keyed to his Flow, only dampening the pain.

Flames licked his bare chest, forcing him back. He wished, not for the first time, that he’d learned defensive spells, but his Flow was an engine of offense, not defense. The silver stone in his chest lay dead and dull, no help there.

The Nightmare grinned, relishing his burns. It was preparing to finish him when Kaedros suddenly let his fire sword dissolve and traced a new formation.