The sanctum lay in ruins, smoke curling into the sky like dark fingers. Hajar’s paws trembled, her fur singed, heart hammering so violently she thought it might burst. Her mother’s words echoed in her mind: “Don’t let his fire decide who you become.” But that fire inside her—it wasn’t hers anymore. It was something darker, hotter, something that had been growing in the shadows of her fear, her pain, her anger. It boiled up from deep inside her chest, suffocating and hungry. She rose, fur bristling, eyes glowing brighter than ever. Flames snaked along her paws, licking the ground, coiling around her tail, a swirling inferno that hissed and snapped. Every heartbeat pumped fury into her veins. “YOU TRAITOR!!!” Her roar split the air. Obsidian froze, fire flickering nervously at his paws as he turned to face her. He had never seen her like this. Never imagined that the small, trembling girl he had tormented could become a force capable of scorching the world. Hajar’s fire flared higher than his own, hotter than molten rock, bending the air with heat. She leapt, claws glowing with raw energy, and struck him. The impact ripped across his face, leaving a deep, jagged scar that ran from the corner of his eye to his jaw. He howled, staggering back, flames dancing wildly, almost losing his footing. The world seemed to tremble with the power she unleashed. Every stolen element around him quivered, threatening to shatter entirely. But before Hajar could finish him, a shadow streaked between them. Ruby, eyes like molten glass, landed with precision, pulling Obsidian from the brunt of the attack. Her paws shimmered with her own controlled fire, yet her movements were quick, ruthless, and calculated. She caught him mid-fall, preventing him from dying, but the scar on his face burned like a permanent reminder of Hajar’s wrath. Hajar froze, chest heaving, fire crackling like a living beast around her. Rage and grief warred in her amber eyes, and for the first time, she realized just how dangerous she had become—how easily her power could consume everything she loved. Obsidian glared at her, half in pain, half in awe, the scar raw and angry across his face. Ruby’s grip on him was iron, yet her gaze flickered toward Hajar with caution. “You… you’ve changed,” Obsidian rasped, voice strained. “You’ve become… like me.” Hajar’s fire roared in response, answering him without words. She wasn’t like him—not yet—but the storm inside her was undeniable. And somewhere deep in the ashes of the sanctum, the world itself seemed to hold its breath. "I will NEVER be like you!!" She spat.
All of this writing was by me with the help of a few irl friends.
