Zephyr lifted her hand, closing her eyes as the wind started howling. The water wizards trying to put the flames out stopped, “The wind is shifting with magic?” One of them mumbled, sensing the faint flicker of mana in the air.

“It’s shifting away from the forest and toward the river! A powerful wizard or sorcerer must be doing this!” Another wizard shouted with a smile on his face.

Adventurers looked around, searching for the source of magic. Their eyes stopped at Arad, standing in the middle of the river and glaring at the raging flames.

^Is that the source of the magic?^ One of the wizards thought, but the moment he blinked, Arad was nowhere to be found.

“Where did he go?” The adventurers gasped, and the soldier rushing with buckets of water stopped, sensing that the water level of the river had dropped a bit.

FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! Arad fell through the clouds, wind rushing between his clothes as he stared down, “This is high enough,” Expanding his wings, his fall stopped, and he glared down.

He could see the crimson-red patch of burning woods, the screams of animals inside echoing in his ears. “I think,” He mumbled, “As a druid, I can’t ignore this even if Isdis didn’t ask me to put it out,”

Arad lifted his arms, closing his eyes as he focused on his stomach. He could hear the gargling inside him. A massive amount of water swirled in his belly, ready to spill out.

With his arms extended out, a massive burst of water exploded forth.

***

Several minutes before and on the other side of the fire.

A water mage extended his staff forward, Water Jet A stream of water gushed out of its tip, drenching a whole patch of trees. “It’s useless!” He cried.

The embers burning inside the tree evaporated all of his water, bursting into hell the moment his water jet stopped. A wave of scorching hot steam gushed toward him, and he jumped back, “Damn it!”

Thud! A fighter lunged forth, grabbing the wizard and running away. “Hold tight!” The fighter smiled, swinging his sword at the burning trees blocking his way. CRACK!

BAM! Engulfed in flame and smoke, the fighter lunged out of the flames and landed outside the forest, dropping the wizard on the ground.

“OUCH! HOT!” The wizard cried his robe ablaze. With a single kick, the fighter dug the ground, pushing a wave of dirt off the mage and putting the flame out.

“You’re still alive?” The fighter asked, waving his sword. DING! The fighter’s sword cracked, and the blade fell off the handle to the ground, glowing bright red.

“Damn it,” The fighter sighed, “This is as far as I go, damn it fire,” He glared at the burning forest.

The fire wasn’t normal. A forest full of mana and powerful monsters, ignited by a dragon’s last breath. Of course, those flames are dangerous.

“The crimson flame of regret,” The wizard said, standing up, “The dragon must have died with unfulfilled will, and now his flames rage at that fact.”

“How do we deal with it?”

“Like any other flames, we just keep in mind it’s several times hotter and counted as magical damage.” The wizard lifted his hand and showed the fighter a burn on his forearm, “I drank two healing potions, and it isn’t healed yet.”

The fighter nodded, “Slow recovery, but I memory serves me right, magical flames are dangerous for another reason,”

“They are too hot they can break non-magic water and use it as fuel,” The wizard pointed down to some wizards standing at the edge of the forest chanting as the soldiers ran past them with buckets of water.

“They are making the water the soldiers carry a magic water by enchanting it. That way it doesn’t agitate the fire.” The wizard started walking, “Let’s go. I can’t help in the forest, so I must go chant with them,”

“You’re right,” The fighter sighed, “Without my weapon, all I can do is join the soldiers and swing buckets left and right,”

The two ran as fast as they could.

***

Inside the forest, a black Jaguar rushed across the flames, his fur burning ablaze. GROW! The animal growled, two people hanging from his jaw by the legs.

Thud! Thud! Thud! The Jaguar’s eyes flashed yellow as he leaped from one tree to the other, his paws burning.

ROAR! The adventurers outside the forest gasped, pulling their weapons as they heard the beast roar inside the flames.

PUFF! The Jaguar lunged from the flames, burning like a match, and rolled on the ground.

The adventurers pulled their weapons and surrounded the animal, “Monster! Stop it!” They cried.

The Jaguar opened his jaw and dropped the people inside, his flesh evaporating, and a kid came out, his top half almost fully burned. “A healer,” The kid gasped before falling on his face, unconscious. A wooden sword rolled beside him, glittering with magic.

“Stop! That’s warlock magic!” A wizard screamed, rushing in to check on them.

“He’s severely burned. Those two are choking on the smoke.” A paladin rushed in and carried the two men as the wizard stood with the kid in his hands and the wooden sword with him.

“Probably his parent,” The wizard looked at the kid, “You were brave, now rest,”

***

As a soldier rushed with a bucket of water, he felt a droplet of water falling on his nose. He stopped, looking around him. No one was there. He could feel his heart pounding, “OH! Gods, no!” He dropped his bucket, praying.

DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! Water droplets fell, and the soldier cried, “Please no! Gods!”

SWOSH! A heavy rainfall came down from the sky on the forest, and everyone turned pale, running away for their lives. 𝑜𝘷𝑙.𝘰𝑟𝑔

The flames crackled, breaking the water into oxygen and hydrogen. In the next second, it’s turned blue, exploding into the clouds in a hellish infernal.

Arad’s instincts kicked in the last second, and his wings flamed, moving his body out of the blast’s way. He gared forward, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.

“What in the hell?” He cried.

***

In the castle, Isdis and the twins rushed to the window, glaring out with terrified faces. “What happened to the flames?” She gasped.