Chapter 100 THE CITY OF ASHES

Chapter 100 THE CITY OF ASHES
"Do you enjoy getting into trouble?" Darren asked, helping Xyra guide the unconscious Magnus onto the bed.

Magnus had passed out the second they crossed the threshold. It wasn't surprising; he had been through an ordeal. Bleeding out was exhausting, and even though his magic had closed the wounds, the heavy blood loss had taken its toll. Beyond that, surviving a spell of that caliber was enough to drain anyone.

"I didn't mean to," Xyra snapped, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "I was caught off guard, alright?"

"And what was the excuse the other times?" Darren offered a smug grin. "Every time you wander off alone, you end up in a mess. And who always swoops in to rescue you? Usually at a cost, if I remember right. Didn't he come back with a broken arm that one night?"

Xyra glared at him, turning her back. "It’s not like I wanted that to happen. I never asked for his help."

"Now you're just being stubborn."

Darren watched her turn further away, noticing the faint, embarrassed flush creeping up her cheeks. She clearly hated discussing it. Deep down, she knew how often Magnus rushed to her side during a crisis. The sorcerer had an uncanny knack for showing up exactly when she needed him most. Darren could tell she was grateful, but after all his teasing, her pride wouldn't let her admit it.

Deciding to let Magnus sleep, the two left the room. It was late, and a week on the road had left them all drained. Even with defensive barriers active during their journey, someone always had to keep watch, a duty that had fallen entirely on the two hunters. Both Darren and Magnus desperately needed to rest.

"See you in the morning," Darren called out, stepping into his own room and shutting the door before Xyra could reply.

Xyra sighed, heading down the hall to her own room. She wasn't entirely exhausted, but the mere thought of a real mattress after a week of sleeping on the hard, rocky ground was bliss.

She shut her door and immediately slipped under the covers of the bed by the window. As she settled in, a wave of fatigue finally hit her. She needed to take advantage of the quietness while she could. Drester was a dangerous town. If an attack broke out, she needed to be sharp, and awareness required sleep. Hopefully the night would stay peaceful, she thought. We’re only here for a day. What’s the worst that could happen?

Magnus's awakening was sudden and completely unexpected. He likely would have slept through the night if a sharp, burning scent hadn't invaded his senses. The acrid air tickled the back of his throat, triggering a harsh cough that jolted him wide awake.

He bolted upright. His eyes strained to adjust in the dim room until a bright, flickering light from the window caught his attention. He instantly wished he hadn't looked.

His breath caught, his chest tightening. Through the glass, the streets were a chaotic nightmare. People were screaming and fleeing through a sea of fire. Houses blazed, the heat splitting the wooden market stalls on the cobblestones. At first, it looked like a localized fire, but when he looked further across the horizon, reality set in. This wasn't a single street accident. Everywhere he looked, structures were collapsing into ash. The entire city of Drester was burning.

Magnus threw off the blankets and lunged for the door. He burst into the hallway but immediately choked on a thick wave of smoke. Gasping, his eyes watering from the sting, he clutched his burning throat. He forced himself forward, knowing he had to get out of the inn before he suffocated.

The main entrance was already busted open, hanging loosely off its hinges. The moment Magnus stumbled outside, he drew a deep, desperate breath. Fortunately, the magical nature of the flames caused the heavy smoke to rise straight up into the sky, leaving the air at ground level surprisingly clear.

As his head cleared, a sudden realization struck him: he was entirely alone. He scanned the panicked crowds but couldn't find his companions. Had they escaped earlier, or were they still trapped inside?

Steeling his resolve, Magnus conjured a protective barrier around himself and ran back into the burning inn. He moved down the corridors, kicking open doors one by one. Every room was empty — either abandoned or never occupied. As he rounded a smoke-filled corner, he collided hard with someone. Thanks to his barrier, Magnus stayed on his feet, but the other person went sprawling.

"Watch where you're going! Can't you see the place is on fire?!" the man yelled. It was Darren. He scrambled up, only realizing who he was shouting at when he looked Magnus in the eye. "Magnus?"

"What are you still doing here?" Magnus demanded.

"I just woke up. I was heading to Xyra's room."

"I’ve already checked this floor. She’s not here."

A loud crack echoed above them as a section of the ceiling collapsed. Flaming timber crashed onto the floor right behind Darren, sparks brushing against his clothes. He casually stepped away, completely unbothered by the heat.

"Stupid fire," Darren muttered, scowling at his sleeve. "It better not ruin this jacket."

"I'd worry more about your life than your clothes," Magnus said dryly.

"Need I remind you that I’m part dragon?" Darren swiped his bare hand directly through a patch of flames, his skin unblemished. "Besides, this isn't a normal fire. It's magic. Probably an Incineration spell."

"Is that why the smoke isn't bothering you either?"

"Please. If dragons could suffocate from a little smoke, we would have gone extinct centuries ago. We're creatures of fire, don’t you remember?"

More beams groaned overhead, threatening to bring the entire structure down. The magic-fueled flames were rapidly eating through the foundations.

"We need to go," Magnus said, turning back toward the stairs. "We have to find Xyra."

"Her room is back this way," Darren replied. Without missing a beat, the hunter vaulted over the second-floor railing, landing effortlessly in the lobby below. Magnus followed with equal grace, keeping close behind him.

As they ran deeper into the lower wing, the heat began to fade. This part of the inn was still untouched by the flames, explaining why Xyra hadn't fled. They stopped outside her door, and Darren kicked it open without warning.

Xyra was sitting up in bed, looking startled as her door slammed to the floor. When she recognized the two of them, her shock quickly turned into a sharp glare.

"What is wrong with you two?" she demanded.

"No time," Darren said bluntly. "We're leaving."

"Why?"

"Geez, maybe because the whole city is on fire!"

Xyra froze, her eyes widening. When she didn't immediately move, Darren stepped forward to pull her out, but Magnus beat him to it. The sorcerer grabbed Xyra's wrist and pulled her out of bed just as the ceiling gave way. Heavy, burning timbers crashed exactly where she had been lying, instantly igniting the mattress.

"Stay close," Magnus said, keeping a firm grip on her hand. His voice softened as he looked down at her. "The barrier will protect you."

"Okay," she whispered, visibly shaken. As they hurried down the clearing hallway, she looked closer at him, snapping back into focus. "Magnus, are you really okay? You look terrible."

His clothes were torn to shreds and heavily stained with dried blood. His cloak masked the worst of the damage, but the dark crimson patches were impossible to hide.

"I'm fine," he offered a small, reassuring smile. "Right now, let's just focus on getting out."

"I'll clear the way," Darren called out, running ahead toward the exit. A pile of burning debris blocked the doorway, but the hunter shattered it with a powerful kick, creating an opening.

They burst out into the chaotic night air. Outside, the strange properties of the magic fire became even more obvious; the smoke stayed high above the streets, leaving the ground clear but making the unnatural flames incredibly resilient. Standard water spells wouldn't even dent a fire like this.

"I'm going to take a look," Magnus said. Dropping his barrier, he cast a levitation spell and shot up into the sky before his friends could argue.

As he cleared the rooftops, he came to a dead halt in midair. His jade eyes widened in horror. The beautiful architecture, the bustling markets, the crowds — everything was swallowed by an endless sea of dancing flames.

Normal fire can't spread this fast. Even a high-tier spell like Incineration required time to consume a city. This looked as if the entire grid of Drester had been ignited at the exact same fraction of a second. It was a perfect inferno. It's just like Vekta, Magnus thought, a cold dread washing over him.

The dancing flames triggered a flood of suppressed memories from his hometown. He could almost see Vekta burning all over again. A sharp, splitting headache bloomed behind his eyes, making his vision swim. Feeling dangerously dizzy, he began a slow descent. If he lost consciousness from the pain at this height, the fall would kill him.

When his boots touched the cobblestones, Xyra and Darren were watching him with deep concern. He still had a hand pressed firmly against his temple.

"Are you alright?" Xyra asked softly.

"Yeah. Just... bad memories."

"What did you see up there?" Darren asked.

Magnus lowered his hand, his expression grim. "This wasn't an Incineration spell."

"Then what was it? I thought that was the absolute peak of fire spell."

"No. This is the work of the Egnarious."

He straightened up, the sharp pain in his head fading to a dull throb. He looked around the immediate area. Strangely, the frantic crowds had vanished. The streets were dead silent save for the roaring flames. The citizens had either successfully fled to the outer walls, or something far worse had happened. If this spell had materialized instantly, like the disaster in Vekta, many simply wouldn't have had the time to escape.

A sudden realization struck him, making his chest tighten. In his panic over the inn, he had completely forgotten someone. With his heart racing, Magnus took off into a sprint. He had to reach the shop before the fire consumed it entirely. His adoptive father was still in the city. He had to find Gareth.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced back to see Xyra and Darren keeping pace. They didn't ask questions, which surprised him given his sudden, unexplained flight, but he didn't have a second to waste.

When Magnus finally reached the magic shops district, he stopped short. The neighborhood was entirely ablaze, but that wasn't what caught his eye. A group of dark, monstrous hybrids stood right outside Gareth's shop, seemingly immune to the heat and actively enjoying the destruction.

Without a word of warning, Magnus raised his hands and unleashed a cracking bolt of lightning at the creatures. He didn't care about their motives; in his mind, anything demonic was an active threat. Their mere presence was enough to confirm it.

As the spell scattered the hybrids, Magnus leaped over the threshold into the burning shop. He didn't have to search long. The old man was lying motionless on the floor amid the falling embers.

"Gareth!" Magnus knelt beside him, hoisting the old man up and dragging him toward the exit. The support beams groaned under the intense heat, and the moment they cleared the threshold, the entire building collapsed into a heap of burning rubble.

By now, the hybrids had recovered from the lightning strike, visibly enraged by the sudden attack. Fortunately, Darren and Xyra had already drawn their weapons, stepping between the monsters and the sorcerer. With his friends holding the line, Magnus checked Gareth's vitals. The old man was breathing, but his skin was covered in severe burns and deep, bleeding lacerations.

"Gareth, open your eyes!" Magnus shook his shoulder, but there was no response.

Before he could try anything else, the distinct clang of steel echoing against the cobblestones drew his attention. Both Xyra and Darren had been thrown back, their swords knocked out of reach. As the hybrids lunged forward to finish them, Magnus quickly materialized a shimmering barrier dome over his companions. The creatures began furiously pounding against the magical shield.

Safe inside the dome, the two fighters scrambled to their feet and retrieved their weapons. Magnus kept the shield raised, his eyes fixed on the enemies.

"Keep them occupied!" Magnus yelled over the roar of the fire. "I'm going to cast something big, but I need time."

"You got it!" Darren grinned, charging out of the barrier with Xyra right at his flank.

The two swordfighters moved in tandem to keep the hybrids at bay. The creatures quickly realized what the sorcerer was doing and tried to break past the frontline, but Darren and Xyra refused to yield. Xyra utilized her khukuri, her blade flawlessly absorbing any elemental magic the monsters threw at her, while Darren's innate dragon immunity to magic made him a brick wall against their spells.

"You're almost done back there?" Darren called out, though he knew he wouldn't get an answer.

Magnus was deep in his chant, his body radiating a soft, steady blue light. Waves of pure magical energy rippled through the air around him. He stood perfectly still, eyes closed, his voice barely audible beyond a whisper. The immense concentration required was proof enough that whatever he was conjuring was devastatingly powerful.

A moment later, the chanting stopped. Magnus opened his eyes.

Xyra and Darren glanced back, expecting to see a confident smirk on his face. Instead, his jade eyes were completely vacant — dull and entirely devoid of emotion, as if this grand display of magic was nothing more than a tedious chore. The vibrant light that usually defined his gaze was completely gone.

"Igneaqua," he said flatly.

He opened his palms. Floating between them was a swirling, condensed sphere of water no larger than an orange. A fraction of a second later, the sphere detonated outward. A massive pillar of water shot directly into the upper atmosphere, shattering the heat.

Before anyone could process what had happened, the clouds opened up, and a torrential downpour slammed into the burning ruins of Drester, instantly drenching the flames.