Charles stepped away from the group of boys, whose murmurs and laughter filled the locker room. He followed Kaira toward a wooden bench in a secluded corner, away from prying eyes.

The atmosphere was damp, with a faint smell of sweat and metal, mixing with the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead.

Distant footsteps from the servants and the muffled roar of the crowd from the arena filtered through the hallway.

Charles sat down, resting his bandaged hands on his knees, as Kaira settled beside him, folding her arms with a curious expression.

Kaira broke the silence first, leaning slightly toward him.

"How does your fire work, Rian?" she asked in a direct tone. Her red eyes studied him from top to bottom. "I've seen many use flames, but I've never heard of a Cole with a skill like yours."

Charles swallowed, feeling a knot in his stomach.

'Shit,' thought Charles, keeping calm on the outside.

In front of him was a Master of Fire, someone who could probably smell a lie from miles away.

It wasn't like tricking the apprentices or others who didn't control the element.

If he made a mistake, Kaira might suspect that his "fire" wasn't what it seemed.

Charles adjusted his posture, forcing a confident smile.

"It's… an explosive variant," he said confidently. "It's not constant flames, like yours. My power creates short but strong bursts. Like... energy explosions."

Kaira raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"Explosions...?" Kaira repeated, leaning closer. "That sounds... unusual."

She paused, staring at him.

"A while ago, there was someone like you who used fire this way, but... could you show me?"

Charles blinked, surprised.

"A demonstration? Here?" he asked, gesturing to the locker room.

He looked around, making sure the boys weren't too close.

Most were chatting in groups, although a few threw curious glances their way.

Charles looked back at Kaira, frowning.

"Hey, earlier you were worried about my hands, saying they were injured. And now you want me to use my power?"

Kaira let out a short laugh and shrugged.

"Well, you said you're fine, right?" she replied, a hint of mockery in her voice. "Besides, I want to see it with my own eyes. If it's as special as you say, I can't miss it."

Charles sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

'Great,' thought Charles.

But deep down, the idea didn't bother him.

It was an opportunity to test his new ability, the one the system had explained: now he could control the intensity of his explosions in percentages, from 0% to 100%.

He hadn't had time to practice, and doing it in front of Kaira could help him understand how it worked.

Also, if he managed to trick her, it would mean he could use this ability without limitation.

"Alright," Charles said, straightening up. "But don't complain if something goes wrong."

Kaira smiled, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I'm not easily scared," she said, resting her elbows on her knees. "Come on, Rian. Surprise me."

Charles took a deep breath, extending his right hand with the palm facing up. The bandages covered his fingers but left the palm exposed. He looked at Kaira, who focused her gaze on his hand, waiting.

With a subtle movement, he whispered:

"System, activate explosion at 1%." His voice was barely audible, ensuring no one else could hear him.

A warm sensation ran through his arm, like an electrical thread vibrating under his skin.

POP!

A tiny spark exploded in his palm, like a small firecracker, with a blue flash and faint smoke that quickly dissipated.

The sound was soft, almost insignificant, but Kaira's eyes widened, and she leaned forward.

"Was that... it?" she asked, a mix of surprise and curiosity. "It's... different. But... it was very weak. Can you make something stronger?"

Kaira couldn't believe Rian won fights with such a weak explosion.

Charles, on the other hand, smiled, relieved that she hadn't suspected anything.

'It worked,' thought Charles, feeling a wave of confidence.

The system had responded perfectly, and the 1% explosion had barely caused a slight burn on his palm—nothing serious compared to the explosions he used to make on his own.

"Of course I can," said Charles, his tone more relaxed. "But if I increase the intensity, it might hurt a little. My hands aren't at 100%, you know."

Kaira crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't play weak now," she said, a challenging tone in her voice. "I want to see what you're capable of. Turn up the intensity, Rian. I won't judge you if you burn yourself a bit."

Charles let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"Wow, just a minute ago you were worried about my injuries, and now you want me to burn myself," he said, teasing. "You're contradictory, Kaira."

But deep down, Charles was pumped.

Convincing a Fire Master with his explanation made him feel more confident.

Also, he wanted to test the limits of his ability.

"Alright, you asked for it," said Charles, extending his hand again.

Kaira leaned forward, her eyes fixed on his palm.

Charles took a deep breath, whispering:

"System, explosion at 15%."

The energy coursed through his body, more intense this time, like an electric torrent that made the hairs on his arm stand up.

BOOM!

The explosion was much larger, a burst of blue light that filled the air with gray smoke.

The shockwave made Kaira step back, and the smoke stained her face, leaving a dark mark on her cheek.

Charles felt a sharp pain in his palm, and when he looked, he saw that the skin was reddened, with small new burns.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, shaking his hand. He quickly glanced at Kaira, concerned. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to…" He stopped, worried that she might be angry, or worse, that she might want to fight.

But to his surprise, Kaira started laughing, wiping the smoke from her face with her sleeve.

"That was incredible!" she said, genuinely amused. "I've never seen fire like that in person. It's not... it's not fire, right? It's like pure explosion. How do you do it?" Her eyes were glowing with excitement, and she seemed more fascinated than upset.

Charles blinked, relieved.

"Uh... it's complicated," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Let's just say it just happens."

Charles didn't want to go into details, especially since his "fire" was actually lightning controlled by the system.

Charles looked at his hand, noticing that the burns were light, nothing compared to the damage he used to cause.

'The system is working better,' thought Charles, with a mix of surprise and excitement.

The explosion noise attracted the attention of the apprentices, who stopped chatting and turned their heads toward them.

"Hey, what's going on there!" shouted one, a mix of curiosity and mockery in his voice. "Are you guys fighting or what?"

"We want to see!" shouted another, laughing.

Kaira gave them a sharp look, and the boys quieted down, although they still watched curiously.

Charles sighed, shaking his head as a thought crossed his mind.

What if he told the system to use more than 100% of his power?

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