One-Eyed Monster

”Is it really appropriate to do this now?” Kadi was evidently wary of Igor’s proposal.

Kadi felt that inside the carriage was certainly not the right place to summon the Blue Flame, especially since he wasn’t very familiar with it to begin with.

”Why not? When we’re desperate for answers, releasing a Blue Flame for study—isn’t this the perfect time?” Igor’s reasoning was convincing, and he seemed determined to persuade Kadi despite his reluctance.

”We’re in a carriage!” Kadi replied in horror. He was a bit afraid of Igor’s current attitude; he didn’t want to be nagged to death by him!

”Summon a Blue Flame for me to feel!” Igor persisted, clearly fascinated by the Devouring Power Kadi possessed.

”No way!” Kadi refused decisively.

”Why not? What’s so difficult about it?” Igor was quite puzzled; it seemed like such a great opportunity, why not try it?

”It’s hard!” Kadi hesitated, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

”Earlier, during the battle, you controlled it smoothly!” Igor scratched his head, finding it a bit unbelievable.

”That was during a battle; I had nothing to worry about. I could act freely without any constraints!”

”So now, can you do as you please?” Igor asked curiously. He thought Kadi was being overly cautious—it was just summoning a flame; why would it require a specific state?

”You don’t understand, during battles, I don’t need to think much, but now I can’t just summon the flame. I don’t want to burn a hole in the carriage!”

”Is it really that terrifying?” Igor covered his face with both hands, unable to foresee this outcome.

”Yes, a small hole would just be a minor issue. The whole carriage might get burned.” Kadi painted a picture of doom, as if summoning the flame inside the carriage would lead to a very bad situation.

”Why would that happen?” Igor asked, still not understanding the situation. He thought summoning the flame once shouldn’t burn the whole carriage.

”Because this Blue Flame is very mischievous, it seems interested in everything!” Kadi answered truthfully.

”Aren’t you able to control the flame? Is it difficult?” Igor remained perplexed. From his impression, Kadi was a master of the Blue Flame during battles, performing incredibly well.

”That’s in battle!” Kadi emphasized again.

”This...” Igor was puzzled by Kadi’s explanation.

”Well, let me put it this way, I can’t control the flame for now. During battles, since I need to defeat the opponent, I act without care, freely. But asking me to control the flame, I—can’t do it!” Kadi honestly admitted his flaw, a confession he had hesitated a long time to make.

”If you can’t control the flame, how can you use it in battle? It’s unbelievable. If you can’t control it, won’t it harm you in battle?”

Igor’s worry was reasonable. If you can’t control something, would it not inevitably turn against you when you try to use it?

”It won’t!” Kadi answered firmly.

This answer surprised Igor. He thought Kadi would at least weigh the question, but Kadi gave a direct response.

Igor’s head-scratching became more frequent.

Because this conclusion was truly beyond his comprehension.

”I can’t explain it, the flame can burn many things, but it just doesn’t harm me!” Kadi explained.

”Oh...” Igor gained a new understanding of the Blue Flame that Kadi carried.

”Once we find an open area, I can release the Blue Flame for you to study.” Kadi suggested to Igor; he felt now was not the time to release the flame.

Igor was even more curious about the Blue Flame, wondering if it could burn him.

Previously, the Spirit Book had mentioned that the Devouring Power oppressed some Spirit Entities but had no significant effect on special ones. He really wanted to know if the Blue Flame could burn him.

Of course, doing so posed considerable risk, and Igor felt he needed to make a detailed plan.

”In a battle state, can you freely release it?” Igor asked Kadi, feeling the need to understand the scenario clearly to plan thoroughly later.

”Yes, the Blue Flames seem to erupt from my body continuously, unstoppable!” Kadi repeated to Igor, illustrating that the Blue Flame was a unique existence on him, something he hadn’t figured out yet.

”Are those flames self-generated?” Igor had witnessed it several times, but had previously assumed they were conjured by Kadi.

”Yes, just like sweating when it’s too hot, sometimes these flames appear automatically.”

”What situations cause them to erupt?” Igor showed interest, noticing this aligned with what the Spirit Book mentioned!

”I’m not sure, there’s a feeling, and once it comes, they appear, like a mouse’s instinctive reaction to a cat. You ask for a precise situation, I can’t really say.”

Igor didn’t press Kadi further, as such instinctive reactions were hard to articulate. However, Igor now understood that the Blue Flame was indeed unique to Kadi.

”Alright, when the carriage stops, let’s spar a bit. I want to see if I can invoke your flame, and whether I can withstand it!” Igor shared his thoughts, but hadn’t yet figured out how to avoid getting hurt.

The carriage creaked forward, and without realizing it, they had entered Bistal’s territory, getting closer and closer to Lord Bern, the circus’s puppet master!