Chapter Thirteen — Awakening Flames
Clang.
Metal scraped against metal as Sam set the final piece into place.
The mana-storm had left the chamber in chaos—shattered glass littered the floor, loose equipment lay scattered, and half the workstation had been flung across the room. Somehow, the shelves of books had remained protected beneath their barrier, relatively untouched save for a few stray shards that had made the journey.
So while waiting for Serena, Sam took it upon himself to restore some order—with ATLAS assisting, of course.
The AI had only finally calmed down after watching Sam with unnerving focus for the past thirty minutes.
Which also happened to be exactly how long they'd been cleaning.
Sam bent down to pick up another fallen tool.
At the same moment, ATLAS froze.
The lens pivoted with a slow mechanical whirr toward Serena's tank.
Sam too. His eyes fell on Serena who was beginning to light up.
Her feet glowed first.
A faint red light bloomed beneath her skin, crawling upward in steady waves. It spread through her calves, her thighs, her torso—until even her raven-black hair began to shimmer with heat.
Within seconds, her entire body was lit from within, veins of fire tracing beneath her flesh.
Sam straightened slowly.
"Huh…? Is she finally waking up?"
And then—
Vhrom.
Flames erupted across her form.
Burning with an intensity that made Sam instinctively step back, Serena's flames filled the tank with blinding light. He couldn't even begin to guess the temperature—the containment field surrounding her blurred the worst of it.
Then something happened.
Something that had never happened with him—probably because there was no chance. The barrier shimmered for a moment, then lowered.
At the same time, the tank's entrance slid open with a soft hydraulic hiss.
Serena's body drifted forward, carried by residual energy, gently expelled from the tank—its work was done.
"Serena—!"
Sam lunged.
He caught her just before she hit the floor, the remaining flames peeling away from her skin like evaporating embers.
Her body was warm in his arms. No longer burning—just warm. Her skin looked soft and radiant in a way no skin therapy treatment could replicate.
A moment passed and her eyelids fluttered.
Suddenly—
Whoosh.
She sucked in a sharp breath and bolted upright, gasping.
Sam barely had time to loosen his grip before she pulled away, eyes wide and frantic as they swept across the ruined chamber.
The first thing she noticed was ATLAS—its auxiliary arms still deployed, frozen mid-cleanup.
Then the bartered walls. The displaced equipment. The glittering glass fragments on the floor.
Her gaze drifted past the half-arranged workstation—and finally landed on the shattered tank.
The one meant for Sam.
Her eyes lingered there only briefly before dropping to her own body. The image seemingly not registering in her mind.
She blinked.
Then blinked again, slower this time.
"I'm back…" she murmured, mostly to herself.
Finally confusion crossed her face—then realization.
Her gaze snapped once more to the destroyed tank.
"Sam."
Her voice wavered.
Seeing the state of the wreckage—compared to how her's was looking—her throat tightened.
She drew a breath, forced herself steady, then lifted her head toward ATLAS.
"What the hell happened here?" She asked, "Where's Sam?"
Her tone sharpened to the end, controlled—but fear still slipped through the edges.
Before ATLAS could answer—
"I'm here." Sam spoke from directly behind her.
She jumped.
"Ew—Sam! What the hell?!"
She spun around with a very ungraceful yelp, glaring at him, one hand flying to her chest.
"What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?!"
Sam deadpanned. Black lines practically formed over his head.
This girl…
He sighed, turning away.
"Go ahead and get dressed."
Freeze.
Serena opened her mouth to continue yelling—then abruptly realized.
Her eyes dropped. Her brain finally caught up.
Crimson rushed from her neck to the tips of her ears in seconds.
She turned stiffly away.
"…bastard," she muttered under her breath.
—————————
A few minutes later.
Sam and ATLAS had just finished putting the last thing into place.
Serena rejoined him, tugging lightly at the sleeve of her jacket as she finished adjusting her clothes. Her movements were a little stiff, embarrassment still lingering beneath her composure.
Sam let out a slow exhale.
"Alright. ATLAS—show us the remaining items."
"Understood," ATLAS replied. "Please return to the main chamber."
The lights ahead brightened, illuminating the path forward.
"Let's go," Sam said as he took a step forward, but Serena interrupted.
"Wait."
He paused.
Serena looked up at him.
"Aren't we going to check our status first?"
Sam turned.
She gestured vaguely toward the tanks behind them.
"The tanks—whatever was inside—it was supposed to push our talents to their limits, right?"
Her gaze drifted briefly to her own hands.
"Apart from looking prettier than I already was—which I low-key thought was impossible by the way—I'd like to see what else had changed."
Sam studied her for a moment.
Her narcissistic comment about being prettier did not surprise him in the slightest.
She had always been like that—it was just that since the apocalypse began, that side of her had been buried beneath shock, fear, and panic for survival.
He gave a small nod.
"Fair." Then he glanced towards atlas. "Hold on a bit."
ATLAS's lens dimmed slightly in acknowledgment.
Sam closed his eyes and focused inward.
"Status."
A familiar translucent screen unfolded before him.
[STATUS]
Name: Sam Burn
Age: 20
Race: human (common)
Rank: F (0 / 100%)
Talent: Soul Devour (Transcendent++ / Unique)
[Attributes:]
Strength: 8
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Mana: 2
Mental: 2
[Skills:]
True Devour (—)
Description: …..
——————
Sam spent exactly one minute scanning every line of his status. When he finally looked up, the only words that left his mouth were a sharp, stunned whisper:
"…no way..."
—————
[A/N:
I made some changes to the status screen. I would make sure to update it across all other chapters.]