Chapter 5: Summoning 2
Jack and Aeris, along with the knights who maintained their firm hold on Jack, found themselves frozen in place as they witnessed the seal consumed by blue flames.
For about ten minutes, it burned little by little until it turned to ash as the fire began to dim.
Everyone sighed in disappointment except Jack, who was still waiting for the fire to stop completely. He knew best not to believe something was dead just because it appeared dead. Even a little fire could cause a catastrophe.
Aeris motioned for the knights to escort Jack out, but before they could act, Jack smiled and told them to wait. When they turned to see what he was watching, the flames had found the magic circle. What began as a slow burn from the middle exploded outward through the scattered ashes, sending everyone diving for cover as the fire scorched the ceiling.
"How?" Aeris whispered, her gaze darting between Jack and the roaring flames. The fact that Jack remained unfazed by the inferno was more unsettling than the fire’s brutal intensity—and she’d never witnessed a magic circle erupt with such ferocity.
Hell isn’t all that hot... but where is the familiar?— Jack mused as fire consumed the structure around them, yet nothing else materialized from the flames.
Out of nowhere, the flames turned dark and blazed even more fiercely, as if something else had been added to make them burn hotter. This time, it was too much even for Jack, forcing him to block his face from the searing heat.
"Dark flames?!" Aeris gasped, her voice joining the knights’ horrified chorus as terror painted their faces.
Jack turned slightly toward them, confused by their terrified reactions. In that instant, the flames stopped abruptly. Given their fierce intensity just seconds before, the abrupt stop was unsettling.
They all turned toward the magic circle as charred fragments of the ceiling crashed to the floor. Within the circle sat a little white dragon. It seemed barely a year old.
Aeris slapped her forehead in frustration and disbelief as the knights groaned in unison.