SYSTEM ASCENSION

No matter how Coco ran, her trail kept going cold. She had heard news and gotten directions on where Rowen had gone, but she only met his aftermath every single time. He was constantly on the move.

She burst through another side of the mountain and met a fight scene. Some black empire guards, along with Lane, and Anya, facing off some enemies. She observed the scene for a while, red eyes narrowing thoughtfully. It didn’t look like they were losing or needed help, so she just moved on.

She broke into the forest path throbbing under the branches to avoid sunlight. Then, a faint sound of giggle waffled past her hearings. She paused and looked around.

The sound came again, then following it was the sound of something crashing. A tree in the distant shoot.

”Bingo.” She dashed off in that direction.

She got to the tree, and saw someone — or at least the remnant of someone. The person had been burned to a crisp.

”It’s not Sir Rowen then?”

She narrowed her eyes.

”Tyler, Tiana or a black empire fire user.”

---

The giggling sound came again. She abandoned the corpse and dashed off, following the sound. It came from the mountain side. As she moved, she continued to see corpses burned into crisp. Somehow, it terrified her. Even with regenerational abilities, burning had never been a great experience.

The baby giggled again. This thing she got the location. Occasional sounds of grunts and cries of battle were going on, which made her wonder what was so funny that the damn child was giggling.

She peeped out into the clearing, and her mouth dropped. She had expected Tiana or Tyler, or some unknown fire user in the battle field. Instead, she saw the same person reportedly known for his teleportation ability, using fire ability.

”Sir... Rowen?”

He was facing off a lot of them, carrying little Authur with one hand.

She narrowed her eyes.

”Did he have two abilities? Wait... domain ability?!”

”Are you going to come out or you’ll just sit still?” He suddenly asked.

---

She flinched. It was stupid to think he hadn’t spotted her. She quietly creeped out. While the attackers became wary of her, they didn’t go after her. They kept trying to snatch the baby.

Coco didn’t join the fight immediately. Instead, she watched his steps. It was mostly basic. An inch dodge. Casual jab with fire. He wasn’t fast. He was fighting at his own pace. He never needed help from the start. It was more of an insult to the attackers of the way he handled them with a single hand.

She finally came back to her senses when the face of the last one was being crushed in his grip, melting with a flame hotter than she had ever seen.

”Thanks for your help.” He muttered.

”Oh... Sorry... sir...”

Her eyes caught a mark like roots on his left cheek. It was red and blazing along with the fire he wielded. She narrowed her eyes. Although she was never familiar with him, she had seen him on this trip, enough to confirm that he never had the mark from the start.

He walked up to her, the baby giggling like everything happening was a freak show.

”Hold him.” Rowen passed the child to her.

”Oh.” She took little Authur, holding the boy for the first time, before looking back up at the man.

She couldn’t hide her surprised expression. The mark was gone, faded from his face.

”Th—at...”

He glanced at her. ”What?”

”The mark is gone.”

He raised a brow. ”Mark? oh—mark.” He shrugged and touched his cheek. ”Well... yeah.”

She frowned. He clearly wasn’t interested in talking to her, and that pissed her off because she was older than he is.

”Hmm?” He looked up. ”Is it hot?”

She scoffed, but didn’t let it show. ”Sir, you just finished using fire.”

He didn’t reply. He just kept looking around.

At that moment, she realised that it was indeed hot. Too hot, even. The atmospheric temperature was rising drastically.

”It is hot.”

”Follow close.” He turned around and dashed off, following the direction that was hotter.

She gasped. ”But sir, won’t the baby... get—”

She realised that the boy giggling minutes ago was now asleep.

”Hot...” She followed behind.

This time, he used the ability she was familiar with, and teleported a very long distance in a blink.

”He should have carried me with him.” She grumbled. ”Luckily, the sun had subsided.”

Her speed increased. She vaulted from tree to tree. As she got closer, the atmosphere became hotter until it became hard to do the basic thing like breathing.

”Urgh!”

She came out in a clearing but couldn’t advance further. Shock made her scuffle back.

”Lava?!” There was a large round barrier of fire. The whole of the ground had melted. She also noticed the people standing, unable to do anything.

”Guys?”

They glanced at her.

”You got the baby.” Fayera and Tiana chorused.

”What’s going on here?”

”Tyler] had lost it.” Davon replied. He pointed up at Kael who was flying, using his flute force to breathe rocks to counter the liquid fire.

”I never stood a chance.” Davon muttered.

Quil narrowed his eyes. ”I was waiting for someone to say it but it seems I am the only one who saw headmaster Rowen burst into that Lava.”

”What?!” They chorused. ”He went past us?”

”Yep. Into the flame.”

”Isn’t that a bit too absurd even if he’s an S ranker?” Coco asked. ”The ground literally melted!”

Kael landed beside him, wings burning from the heat.

”Mr Rowen went inside the flame.”

”Do we help?” Coco asked.

”Lead the way.” He replied.

”But we have to do something?! I mean, how do we expect him to stop his rampage—”

The fire barrier suddenly spun twice as fast, before shattering. They finally got a view. Tyler lay limp, unconscious in Rowen’s arm. Coco’s eyes immediately caught it. The same mark on Rowen’s face earlier was fading from Tyler’s hand.