novelraw Chapter 38 : The Spark That Shouldn’t Be Touched
Chapter 38 : The Spark That Shouldn’t Be Touched
The fields still smelled faintly of smoke from my last “accident.” But that didn’t stop me from waddling back out, fists clenched, determination burning brighter than my tiny body could hold.
“Today… I’ll try it.”
Lyra followed a step behind, silent as ever, her eyes sharp. She didn’t ask where I was going—she already knew.
I stretched my palm forward, calling on the HUD.
[Skill Available: Vermillion Spark (Locked)]
[Casting Guidance Available – Display?]
“Yes!” I whispered eagerly.
The HUD shimmered, and for the first time, the steps unfolded before my eyes. Arrows, diagrams, and glowing red notations hovered in the air like an instruction manual only I could see.
I raised my hand. Mana surged.
The fire that gathered wasn’t the orange flicker of a candle or the bright red of a battlefield blaze. It was deeper—like molten metal, like the heart of a forge. A flame so heavy it seemed to bend the air.
[Mana Circulation Path: Complete]
The Vermillion flame swelled in my palm, far denser and hotter than any spell I’d ever seen.
I pinched my fingers, just as the HUD instructed. Instantly, the flame condensed, rushing to the tip like a thousand rivers forced into a single droplet. My breath caught—it was beautiful, terrifying.
And then the screen flashed.
[WARNING: Critical Condition Detected]
[Low Body Constitution – Heavy internal damage upon release.]
[No Fire Resistance Skill – Body will burn from backlash.]
[Insufficient Mana Capacity – Overconsumption will cause irreversible neural collapse.]
[Cumulative Result: Certain Death upon unleashing Vermillion Spark.]
The words struck harder than any blow.
My tiny hands trembled. The fire flickered, unstable, begging to be released.
I… I’ll die?
“ROOGA!”
I flinched, breaking focus. The flame sputtered violently, then winked out, leaving only smoke curling from my fingertips.
Mama stood at the edge of the field, her eyes wide with confusion and dread.
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“What… what was that flame? That wasn’t Violent Spark. I’ve never seen it before.”
Her lips pressed tight, her hands trembling faintly. “Even with Greater Fireball, I never reached something like that. How do you—”
But I couldn’t answer. My chest still heaved, my little body buzzing with lingering heat. And the HUD’s final line echoed in my head like a death knell.
[Caster will die upon unleashing Vermillion Spark.]
I looked down at my small hands.
Hands too weak to hold the power sleeping inside of me.
“Rooga.”
Mama’s voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp as daggers. She had been staring at me ever since the flame earlier.
“That wasn’t Violent Spark. How did you know it? Who taught you?”
I froze. The HUD still glimmered faintly in my vision, the warning etched into my mind. Can’t tell her. Not about the HUD.
So I forced a small smile. “I… dreamed it.”
Her brows furrowed. “A dream?”
“Mm.” I nodded, trying my best to look innocent. “In my dream, the fire looked… different. So I tried it.”
Silence stretched. Then, slowly, Mama exhaled and crouched to my level.
“Show me.”
My chest tightened. “Huh?”
Her eyes narrowed. “If you can dream such a spell… then teach me, Rooga.”
I swallowed hard, then held out my hand. A flame gathered, swelling into a sphere of bright orange-red.
“First, you put fire on your hand.”
Mama’s lips quirked faintly. “Ah… a Greater Fireball, balanced in the palm. Hm.” She tilted her head, her expression softening into something that almost looked like a smile. “You look like a child teaching his mother how to walk.”
I puffed my cheeks but continued. “Now… hold it on your fingertip. Like this.”
I concentrated, shifting the flame toward the edge of my finger. It wavered, heavy and hot, but I pinched it just like the HUD had shown me.
“Then, cast Violent Spark at the same time.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Fireball and Spark… together?”
“Yes.”
She hesitated only a moment before obeying. She raised her hand, focused, and the Greater Fireball pulsed with violent heat. Then, as she forced the spark through it—
The flame shifted.
It condensed into a single droplet of vermillion, shimmering brighter and heavier than anything she had ever seen.
Her smirk faltered.
“…Rooga.” Her voice was a whisper now. “This… this isn’t just magic.”
Without another word, she stood.
“Stay here,” she said, her voice tight. “Protect Rooga for me.” Her eyes flicked to Lyra, who straightened immediately.
Then Selene strode past the shattered wall, out into the corrupted fields beyond.
For a few heartbeats, there was silence.
Then the earth itself roared.
The ground shook like an earthquake, stones rattling, dust rising. And then it came—the sky split open with light as a colossal pillar of vermillion flame erupted in the distance, stretching high enough to scorch the clouds.
The shockwave rattled through the land, even making the broken wall groan.
When the firestorm finally receded, Selene emerged. Her silver hair was disheveled, parts of her clothes singed, her face pale with exhaustion. But her eyes still burned with power.
She stopped in front of me, crouched low, and whispered with a tired smile:
“Next time you dream about a new spell, Rooga… show it to Mother first.”
I swallowed hard, nodding quickly.
Then she turned her gaze on Lyra. “Watch him closely. If he ever does something strange again, call me. Immediately.”
Lyra bowed her head deeply. “Yes, my lady.”
The HUD flickered faintly in my vision:
[Skill Passed: Vermillion Spark]
[Note: User Constitution Far Above Minimum Threshold]
[Result: Successful Casting Possible]
I glanced at Mama again, her shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.
For the first time, I truly understood.
Even among monsters… my mother stood at the top.