‘Lex, this is Bindu, we’re in position.’ Alex grimaced at the interruption, knowing how taxing it would have been for her to link him into their web without being physically near. Through his panting breaths he sent a thought, hoping it didn’t feel as weak as he did.
‘Targets were in the banquet hall. Estimation fifteen Vampires. Watch your six.’
‘Guards?’
‘None. Tess found no additional life signatures when she hacked the sensors on their systems.’
‘Ah, so that’s Tess.’ Bindu’s mental tone suggested their paths had crossed. ‘Okay, we’re coming in. Do you need any help? It’s looking pretty hot up there.’
‘I have six Tabus close. We’ll be bringing them through the front door, assuming the staircase is still standing. Be careful, Bindu, this isn’t ordinary fire.’
‘You don’t need to tell me, Lex. Holler if you need anything.’
Alex turned his focus back towards Conrad, noticing that at some point his grip had released. He glanced over his shoulder, a curse weakly playing upon his lips, to see nothing behind him but fire and smoke. There was nothing he could do now but press on. Conrad had made his choice.
Flames licked his arms, leaving blisters that caused his essence to stir. Glowing shards of distorted and bubbled mirrors lined the broken and shattered hallway, casting back haunting reflections as his other-self fought to emerge. He knew he had no choice, not if he had any hope of reaching her. The flames were too hot, too hungry. Even for an ifrit, this fire was unbearable, but not as much as the thought steeling his mind. If he didn’t reach her, she too would be consumed.
He cried out in anguish as the heat became too much, causing his blood to burn and his other-self to emerge in response to his need. The sweat cascading down his blistered skin turned molten as the air surrounding him became saturated with the scent of sulphur. Vibrant blue flames licked the air around his growing aura as his essence expanded in a visually mesmerising display. Vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds erupted from within, pouring from his essence as every part of him became aflame. It was a display that put the majesty of a volcanic eruption to shame. The lava flowed, mingling with the fires of Phlegethon that spewed forth from his very being, coating his every fibre and building upon him, forging him into his other-self. His shell grew and pools of vibrant colours swirled tumultuously below the darkening skin, as his once-toned body became the enormous form of an ifrit, a being forged from fire and Phlegethon.
Seeing himself within the shattered shards of mirrors as he advanced, his monstrous claws swiped angrily, fracturing horrific images, sending another glass wall crumbling to the ground only for several more reflections to taunt him with his grotesque appearance. His enormous horns rose like jagged thunderbolts, cutting the air with their blazing brilliance, making him appear like a demon stepping straight through the gates of Hell. The heat was suffocating, causing beads of blazing magma to force their way free, creating minute eruptions upon the surface of his flesh, their intense shades tracking his form like sweat until finally cooling and becoming part of his darker shell.
His alteration was a thing to behold. He, like all elementals, did not change and alter like shifters. His ifrit essence simply bled from him, building a new body upon his old one like a protective covering, and yet every fibre remained him. Every part resonated within; they were his giant clawed hands, his monstrous features and enormous torso, they were just another aspect of who he was. This form held his true power and he needed every ounce of it to reach Ashley. ‘I’m coming,’ he thought, begging her to hold on, to be strong, to wait for him.
His resolve almost faltered as he recalled how Rei had reacted to his form—how, after seeing it, the only looks he received from her were those of hatred and fear. But his vanity didn’t matter now. All that was important was making sure Ashley survived. At the rate she was consuming her magical essence, she would burn out too quickly. ‘Hold on, I’m here, I’m coming.’
He hurried, his thundering steps grinding the glass to dust beneath his massive clawed feet. He could hear her screaming, two voices, a woman and a bird, shrieking and crying as one. Minute volcanoes continued to erupt upon his flesh, sealing and renewing at speed, a warning his core was becoming too hot, that there was no protection from the damage he still endured. There were but two fires hotter than his own and both had been forged from the eternal flame. The first was the fiery breath bestowed by the gods to the dragons, and the second was the Phoenix, whose form was first born from the fire itself.
He could see her now, across the collapsed floor. She was magnificent. Her body was nothing more than a humanoid sea of fire, her arms outstretched with phantom wings of flame extending behind her. The heat roiling from her was unbearable, even to him. Each breath he drew was laboured, unsatisfying, unbearable. But bear it he would. He would save her, even if it cost his life. Her survival was all that mattered.
He fought through, avoiding the licking, hungry blaze as he picked his way across partially devoured supports, aware of their damaged structure
