Mira watched Jelo for a moment longer, her expression thoughtful and curious. Then she spoke up, breaking the brief silence. "You should practice some of your fire skills in front of me. I want to see what you can actually do now."

Jelo blinked, considering the request. It made sense. He needed to understand his new abilities anyway, and having Mira there as an observer might help him notice things he'd miss on his own. "Alright," he said. "But I'm not sure how to unlock the actual fire skills yet."

He turned his attention inward, addressing the system. "How do I unlock fire skills?"

The system didn't reply audibly this time. Instead, a new panel materialized in Jelo's vision, different from anything he'd seen before. It was sleek and organized, with a dark background and glowing text that read "SHOP" at the top in bold letters.

Below that header was a list of items—fire skills, specifically—each one displayed with a name, level indicator, and cost in Draconic Essence. Jelo's eyes scanned down the list, taking in the options available to him.

**Fire Vortex Level 1** – 20 Essence

**Flame Barrier Level 1** – 25 Essence

**Inferno Strike Level 1** – 30 Essence

**Heat Wave Level 1** – 15 Essence

**Ember Step Level 1** – 18 Essence

The list continued downward, showing dozens of fire-related abilities, each with varying costs and levels. Some were simple offensive techniques, others were defensive or utility-based. The variety was impressive, but Jelo's excitement deflated immediately when he checked his current resources.

He mentally navigated to his profile screen and looked at his Draconic Essence count.

**Draconic Essence (Ess):** 0/1000

Zero. He had absolutely zero Essence.

Jelo frowned, his mind working through the numbers. He'd gained experience points from defeating the three monsters and the scientist. 40 XP each, which added up to 160 XP total. By his calculations, shouldn't there be some Essence left over? Or at least some remainder from before the evolution? He'd been collecting fire energy from Dabba hearts for weeks now. Where had all of that gone?

Then it clicked. The system evolution must have wiped the count clean, resetting his energy reserves to zero and starting fresh with the new Draconic Essence system. It made sense in a frustrating kind of way—the old fire energy and the new Draconic Essence were probably different enough that they couldn't be converted directly. The evolution had essentially given him a completely new power source, which meant starting from scratch.

The 0 Essence meant that Jelo wouldn't be able to unlock any fire abilities right now, not until he was able to defeat another opponent and gain more Essence. Dam it.

He turned back to Mira, who was watching him expectantly. "It won't be possible for me to demonstrate actual fire skills," Jelo explained, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "I can't unlock them yet because I don't have any Essence. The evolution reset my energy count to zero."

Mira's expression fell slightly, but then she perked up again. "What about Fire Control? You said that comes naturally, right? Can you show me that?"

Jelo nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

"That'll be okay then," Mira said encouragingly.

Jelo took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to tap into whatever instinct the system had promised would be there. At first, nothing happened. He felt awkward, standing there with his hand outstretched like he was expecting something magical to occur just because he willed it. But then, slowly, he felt something shift inside him. It wasn't like activating Dragon Claw or Wing Burst, which required conscious effort and energy expenditure. This was different. Subtler. More natural.

Heat gathered in his palm, and then, suddenly, there was flame.

A small red fire flickered to life in the center of his hand, dancing and swaying as if responding to some invisible breeze. The flame was bright and vibrant, casting warm light across his face and illuminating the dim bunker around them.

Jelo stared at it in surprise. He was holding burning fire in his bare hand, and it wasn't even burning his skin. There was warmth, yes, but no pain. No scorching or blistering or any of the things that should happen when human flesh came into contact with open flame. The fire was part of him somehow, an extension of his will rather than a separate entity.

Mira stepped closer, her eyes wide with amazement. "Jelo… that's incredible."

Jelo couldn't help but smile, the wonder of what he was doing finally sinking in. He started to play around with the fire, experimenting to see what he could make it do. He concentrated, and the flame shifted, moving from his palm to cover only his fingertips. Five small flames danced at the ends of his fingers like candles. Then he made them protrude outward, extending into thin streams of fire that stretched several inches away from his hand.

He increased the size next, focusing his will, and the flames grew larger and more intense. The red glow brightened, the heat intensifying until Mira had to take a step back. Then Jelo dialed it down again, shrinking the flames back to their original size. He experimented with the variety too, making the flames flicker rapidly, then burn steadily, then pulse in rhythm like a heartbeat.

After a while of playing with these basic manipulations, Jelo decided to try something more ambitious. He concentrated, gathering the fire in his palm into a compact sphere, and then thrust his hand forward, releasing it.

A fireball shot across the bunker at impressive speed. Jelo had made sure to aim it at a clear section of the wall, away from any chemicals or sensitive equipment that might explode or catch fire. The fireball struck the metal surface with a sharp impact, scorching it black and leaving a small crater in the reinforced plating.

Mira's eyes widened even further. "Dam. The reach and speed on that was insane."

Jelo grinned, feeling more confident now. He continued shooting fireballs from both hands at the wall, alternating between left and right, getting a feel for the rhythm and flow of the ability. Each projectile hit with satisfying force, leaving more scorch marks and dents across the surface. The repeated impacts echoed through the bunker like miniature explosions.

After several shots, Jelo got bored with simple projectiles. He wanted to try something more complex, more refined. He decided to attempt forming shapes with the fire.

He concentrated, and the flame in his hand began to shift and elongate. It stretched and compressed, taking on a defined form. Within seconds, Jelo was holding a small dagger made entirely of fire. The blade was thin and sharp-looking, flickering slightly but maintaining its overall shape. He turned it over in his hand, marveling at how solid it felt despite being composed of pure flame.

Encouraged by this success, Jelo dismissed the dagger and tried something larger. He formed a flame spear next, the weapon extending to about four feet in length with a pointed tip and a shaft that he could grip comfortably. The spear felt weightless but stable, responding to his movements as if it were a real weapon.

Then he went even bigger. Jelo formed a flame sword, a full-length blade that crackled and burned in his grip. The sword was impressive, almost theatrical in appearance, casting dramatic shadows across the bunker walls.

But the spear felt more natural to him somehow, more balanced. He changed the sword back into a spear and took aim at the wall. With a fluid motion, he launched it like a javelin.

The flame spear left his hand and flew across the bunker in a streak of red light. It struck the wall with tremendous force, the impact significantly more powerful than the fireballs had been. The spear didn't just scorch the surface—it punched partially through the reinforced plating before dissipating into embers.

Jelo looked down at his hands, still trying to fully process what he was capable of now. This was just basic Fire Control, What would happen when he unlocked the actual fire skills from the shop?

Mira continued staring at the scorched and damaged wall, her mind clearly working through something. She was thinking, calculating, comparing. Finally, she turned to face Jelo directly, her expression serious and determined.

"Jelo," she said, her tone shifting to something more formal. "I want to spar with you."

Jelo looked at her, his expression blank with confusion. "Huh?"​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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