Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) V.A. Lewis (feel good books to read .TXT) 📖

The warm radiance quivered gently; or at least, it felt like it did. I focused on the heat, on the small blaze that stood silently alone, and I willed it to move.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. And the flames were dancing.

The flames from the torch flickered back and forth like it was in a dance. I watched it spin in circles like a ballerina, going faster and faster as I called on it. The fire began to twirl, losing its teardrop shape, forming into a ring in the air.

It was a fire dance: one where the performer spun their shining poi in the air. It continued coiling into itself, creeping closer to me with its tail end like a rope.

But it was too slow. I wanted it to move faster. So I reached for the flame—

And the fire erupted into the air. A plume of orange blaze burst out of the lone torch, its intense heat overwhelming me for a moment. Then it was gone; the fire was extinguished.

Darn, I sighed. I lost control of it, and the spell failed; I tried to force the flames to me, rather than ease it in my direction. The magic circle on my hand dissipated as I got up to inspect the torch. I shook my head. Completely burned out.

I was lucky. If it was near anything flammable, the fire would have continued to spread. But because it was just on the torch, the flames simply used up all its fuel. I got up, as I heard a voice from the side.

"Melas," Victor called out to me. "We’re leaving."

I turned to face the young man and called back. "Coming!" I strolled over to him, and he regarded me..

"I can see you’re taking your training seriously. Your control over the fire was commendable." He nodded, before pausing. "At least, before the end," he added.

"Oh." I flushed at the praise, ignoring the last bit. "Uh, thanks."

"However,"— Victor raised a finger— "fire manipulation is not so simple. Not every flame burns the same, nor does it all beckon to the same calls. The same applies for the rest of the elements; I suggest focusing on only one for now, lest you overstretch your capacity to learn."

He beckoned for me to follow him as he continued to explain, so I did.

"I believe your focus should be on controlling fire. Its manipulation is a crucial aspect of Pyromancy that is often overlooked. Understanding how natural flames work would better help one in conjuring it with magic. Furthermore, I am partial towards fire magic, so I would be better able to assist you in this regard."

I nodded along as we slowly made our way through the narrow corridors leading us to the outside.

Victor continued. "Judging by what you’re trying to do, I believe you’re reading the grimoire I gave you on the elements?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Very good," he said. "It is one of my personal favorites, and one of the first grimoires I read. Acquiring it as a youth in the Holy Xan Empire was not so easy. In fact, it would have probably been impossible if you lived in its capital city. But Xantus is not as meticulous on that as Xanderia, so I eventually managed. And I’m glad for it, as it staved me away from malpractice when I finally began actual spellcasting."

"Wait." I halted midstep and stared at the young man. "You’re from the Holy Xan Empire?" I asked, aghast.

"Indeed I am. Is that a problem?"

"No—" I hesitated. "How did you… learn magic? Wouldn’t you be taught that magic is bad since you were young?"

He snorted. "Does it matter?" he asked, cocking a brow. "Your mother herself is proof that the influence of the Church only reaches so far into a child’s development."

"I, uh, see. I was just curious. Please continue."

"Very well then." The young man took on a lecturing tone. He wagged a finger in the air as he spoke, and his words exuberated his passion in magic. I simply listened as the Dark Acolyte delved into the intricacies of fire manipulation and how it aided with fire creation.

Then, Victor paused. He put a hand over his chin, and muttered to himself. "Of course, the best way to understand this is by experiencing it yourself. But how would— ah."

At the mouth of the cave, a familiar Goblin stood holding a torch. Karna was organizing the other Goblins slowly streaming out of the cave with us, when Victor walked up to him.

"Sir, did you need something?"

"Yes, I need that for training purposes." The young man gestured at the object on the Goblin’s hand.

Karna looked at the torch, and blinked. "Of course— "

Then Victor reached over and snatched it off his hand.

"Thanks," the Dark Acolyte said without looking back at the Goblin.

That was… rude? I wanted to apologize to Karna for that, but Victor was already dragging me away; I glanced back at the Goblin, and saw him frowning with his arms folded glaring at me. Great, he hates me more now.

Victor continued talking, ignorant of my woes. "Ah, yes. This is the perfect exercise for this."

He handed me the torch, and I stared at it bewildered. "What do I do with this?" I asked.

"I saw what you did with the torch earlier. It was a small spectacle, but lasted only a minute. Not enough time to learn anything." The young man pointed at the torch, and a magic circle formed on his fingertips.

The fire blazed larger than before, and I felt its heat all the way up to my elbows. It was like I was holding a campfire in my hand. The magic circle disappeared from Victor’s fingers, but the fire did not get smaller.

"This," he