Page 312 of House Ignis

His gaze snapped to mine.

Before I could blink, he grabbed my face and kissed me with a possessive, soul-deep intensity.

I melted into his arms, oblivious to everything until the crowd went absolutely feral.

“UMBRA! IGNIS! PYRESON! MADDOX!” they screamed, the names of our houses and lineages clashing in the air.

Asher pulled back just enough to grin at me, his thumb grazing my lip. “I hope that answers your question, my flame.”

The ground beneath us suddenly shuddered. The air thickened, buzzing with a localized magical pressure that made my stomach clench. Dread rose in my throat.

“Asher—” I started, but then the transport magic hit.

It yanked me out of the world. My vision shattered into a thousand jagged shards, my veins feeling stretched to the snapping point as my lungs hollowed out. It was like being dragged through the eye of a needle, every bone in my body ready to splinter under the pressure.

I almost vomited on the spot.

"Darling," Asher’s voice threaded through the bond, a mix of velvet and steel that gave me something to hold onto.

His hand clamped firmly around mine, his shadows acting as an anchor against the teleportation storm.

"Breathe for me."

If not for him, I was certain I would have come apart at the seams.

Then—impact.

Solid ground slammed into my boots with jarring force. I doubled over instantly, gagging as I clutched my stomach, my whole body trembling.

My braid fell over my shoulder as I braced my palms on my knees, fighting the vertigo.

“I hate this,” I gasped, my voice thin. “Every godsdamn time.”

The air didn't just hit me; it scorched the back of my throat. It was thick with the scent of sulfur, vibrating with a dry, blistering heat that felt like a physical weight. I forced myself to stand, my boots crunching on brittle, cooling obsidian.

We were in the Fire Realm.

Jagged pillars of red rock pierced a sky choked with ash, and all around us, rivers of molten lava hissed as they carved glowing veins through the earth.

Every few seconds, a geyser of sparks erupted from the ground, raining down like lethal fireflies.

The transition hadn't even finished settling before the first scream echoed across the volcanic plain.

To our left, through the shimmering heat haze, I saw a team of second-years from Zephyrion.

They had materialized too close to a lava vent, their white silks already smoking as they scrambled for higher ground.

Above us, the barrier dome flickered, and three names flared bright red before dissolving into smoke.

Eliminated.

“Ten minutes,” Asher said, his voice cutting through the roar of the magma. He stood tall, his shadows already boiling at his feet, desperately trying to find a purchase in a world made of light and heat.

“The announcer said ten minutes per round. We just have to hold this ground.”

“Easier said than done,” I muttered, my palms beginning to glow.

The heat of this place was fueling my magic, but I could feel the familiar pain twisting deep in my abdomen, warning me not to take too much.