The fire continued spreading through Thornveil at an alarming pace.
Flames devoured dry bark and brush with violent hunger.
Trees cracked.
Collapsed.
And burning timber thundered through the forest like distant explosions.
When the six city guards finally reached the active blaze—
They stopped immediately.
The sheer scale of destruction froze them in place.
Heat blasted against their armor.
Smoke choked the air.
And then—
A far sharper scent struck them.
Acrid.
Chemical.
Unnatural.
One guard immediately covered his mouth.
"What is that smell?!"
His voice came out strained.
"It's burning my throat!"
The others quickly followed suit, shielding their noses and mouths.
Another guard stared at the devastation in disbelief.
"What in the world could've caused this…?"
The squad leader dismounted first.
Without hesitation, she wrapped a handkerchief tightly around her face, freeing both hands.
The others copied her immediately.
Her expression hardened.
"Signal for reinforcements."
Her voice was sharp. Commanding.
"We cannot contain this alone."
A brief pause.
"In the meantime—"
She turned toward the inferno.
"Use magic."
"Stop this fire from spreading any further."
The guards answered in unison.
"Yes, ma'am!"
One stepped forward immediately.
He raised both palms.
A concentrated fireball began forming between them.
Larger.
Brighter.
Then—
He thrust it skyward.
The blazing orb soared above Thornveil's canopy—
Higher.
Higher.
Until—
BOOM.
It exploded high above the forest in a brilliant flare.
A clear emergency signal.
"The signal has been sent, ma'am!"
The commander nodded sharply.
"Good."
Then she drew her weapon.
"Now contain the fire!"
The squad sprang into action.
Water magic surged through the flames.
Fire magic redirected burning fronts.
Wind magic pushed smoke away to maintain visibility.
Together—
They fought to prevent Thornveil from becoming a complete catastrophe.
Back in the capital—
The emergency flare was seen almost immediately.
Lower-ranking guards urged immediate large-scale deployment.
But authorization stalled under noble oversight.
Thornveil was considered a low-priority zone—until reports warned the flames could threaten valuable trade roads.
Only then were limited reinforcements approved.
Deep within the forest—
Nero and the others saw the signal too.
A blazing flare through smoke-filled skies.
Nero's eyes narrowed.
"…What was that?"
Gareth's expression immediately darkened.
"This is bad."
His pace quickened.
"They called for backup."
His tone sharpened.
"Move faster."
Maria groaned, clutching her throbbing head.
"Easy for you to say."
She glared.
"Try taking a kick from this asshole directly to the skull."
Nero immediately smirked.
Then lightly poked her.
"Want me to carry you?"
Maria hissed and swatted his hand away.
"Stay the hell away from me."
Her glare sharpened.
"And who the hell kicks a woman in the head!?"
Nero's grin only widened.
"Hey."
He raised both hands defensively.
"You attacked me first."
A smug pause.
"Besides—"
"I believe in equality."
Maria stared at him in disbelief.
"…You're unbelievable."
Then scoffed.
"If Bren hadn't interfered, Gareth would've beaten the shit out of you."
Nero raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
He looked toward Gareth.
"Is that what we're calling it now?"
His smirk deepened.
"If you haven't noticed—"
"Gareth couldn't even scratch me."
Gareth immediately shot him an irritated look.
"Stop lying."
His voice sharpened.
"I landed a clean hit on your left arm."
"Straight through your ice."
Nero looked genuinely offended.
"Keep dreaming."
He pulled back his torn sleeve dramatically.
"See?"
He held up his arm.
"Not a scratch."
"No blood."
"No wound."
A smug pause.
"The only thing you damaged was my sleeve."
He looked Gareth dead in the eye.
"And this is expensive fabric."
"You're paying for repairs."
Gareth looked utterly done.
"I already paid for your inn."
"And your food."
His tone was flat.
"We're even."
Nero immediately scoffed.
"Even?"
"Absolutely not."
He gestured broadly toward the battered group.
"Your entire team tried to kill me."
"And none of you have apologized."
Sten, still visibly shaken, shot Nero a deadpan glare.
"You almost burned me to ash."
Nero looked mildly offended.
"I had it under control."
"…What?"
Nero jerked a thumb behind him.
"I'd already set a wall behind you."
Sten blinked.
Nero continued casually—
"Wall hits your legs." "You fall." "Ground sinks." "Flames pass overhead."
A smug grin tugged at his lips.
"You live."
A beat.
"Gareth just got dramatic."
Gareth visibly resisted the urge to argue.
Zeak's patience finally shattered.
"Would all of you shut the fuck up already!?"
Everyone went silent.
Zeak glared at all of them.
"We are in a burning forest."
"Guards are coming."
"So maybe—"
His jaw tightened.
"MOVE."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
Without another word—
Everyone picked up the pace.
As they pushed deeper through Thornveil, fleeing wildlife crossed their path in terrified waves.
Deer. Foxes. Small creatures scattering desperately through smoke and flame.
Above them—
Birds dropped from the sky.
Some collapsed from suffocating smoke.
Others from heat.
One struck a nearby branch before tumbling into the dirt.
Nero stopped.
He stared for a moment longer than he should have.
Sten nearly stumbled before turning back. "What happened?" "Why did you stop?"
Nero didn't answer immediately.
Instead— He knelt beside a small bird twitching weakly on the scorched forest floor.
Its tiny body trembled. Barely breathing.
Nero gently lifted it into his palm.
A small fragment of ice formed in his hand— Not enough to harm it. Just enough to cool it.
He carefully pressed the chill against the bird's body, easing its suffering.
For a moment— No one spoke.
Even Zeak stayed silent.
Maria stared. Bren blinked. Sten looked genuinely caught off guard.
Nero's voice was quiet.
"…I'm sorry."
A pause.
"I can't leave the forest like this."
Gareth studied him carefully.
Then asked—
"What are you planning?"
Nero carefully handed the recovering bird to Sten.
"I'm putting out the fire."
Sten took it instinctively, still too surprised to argue.
Gareth saw the resolve in Nero's eyes— And understood immediately.
He turned sharply toward the others.
"Maria. Zeak. Bren. Sten."
His tone shifted back to command.
"You're heading back to the capital."
A pause.
"Now."
Maria frowned. "What about you?"
Gareth drew his sword slightly— Then sheathed it again.
"Nero and I will handle the flames."
Nero visibly glanced at him.
"You're helping?"
Gareth gave a small, humorless smirk.
"My team caused this."
His eyes shifted briefly toward the inferno.
"So I'm partly responsible."
A brief pause.
"I'm not running from that."
For once— Nero gave a simple nod.
No sarcasm. No smugness.
Just understanding.
Without further argument, the others began moving again— Escaping toward safety.
Meanwhile—
Nero and Gareth turned back toward the spreading destruction.
Toward the flames.
Toward responsibility.
As they approached the inferno once more, the chemical-laced smoke thickened.
Gareth immediately covered his nose and mouth.
"That smell… again?"
His eyes narrowed as the acrid chemical stench intensified around them.
"It started after your first fire attack…"
A brief pause.
"And got even stronger after your second."
His expression hardened.
"What kind of flame did you even make?"
Nero gave him a faint grin.
"The worst kind."
His tone was calm.
"You really don't want to be hit by it."
For the first time— Gareth looked genuinely unsettled.
Inside Nero's mind, Angelo's voice surfaced.
"This is getting worse."
A pause.
"You need to move fast."
Gareth looked over the burning forest.
"So?"
He glanced at Nero.
"What's the plan?"
Nero remained silent for a moment.
His silver eyes scanned the terrain. The fire spread. The wind direction. The density.
Calculating.
Then—
"Alright."
He looked at Gareth directly.
"Can you use earth magic?"
Gareth nodded.
"Yes."
A pause.
"But not on a massive scale."
Nero's expression remained focused.
"That's enough."
He pointed toward the perimeter.
"We dig a trench around the active burn zone."
Gareth immediately understood.
A firebreak.
Nero continued—
"Then I burn everything still standing on the fire's side of the trench."
Gareth's eyes sharpened.
"Starve the wildfire."
Nero nodded.
"Exactly."
Another pause.
"And when I ignite it—"
His gaze hardened.
"Use wind magic."
Gareth blinked.
"To force the secondary flames inward…"
Realization hit instantly.
"Toward the main fire."
Nero's faint grin returned.
"Now you're thinking."
Gareth exhaled once.
"…Risky."
Then tightened his stance.
"But efficient."
Without another word—
Both of them moved.
Earth magic tore into the forest floor.
Stone and soil were ripped apart as Gareth carved a widening trench.
Beside him—
Nero advanced like a force of nature.
Preparing to burn part of Thornveil— So the rest of it could survive.