ORIGIN

Demonstrating cycles worth of honed magic to a crowd carried a distinct amount of pressure, particularly when it was for the official, as well as unofficial, judgment of strangers. Stir in the fickleness that accompanied coaxing such power into compliance, the danger lurking within failure to maintain control, and even a confident, growing mage such as Fahl could find his nerves ajitter. It didn't help matters that the previous performer's finale was seared into his mind, the prone feline thrust aloft by a rebellious spike of her own making. He was no close acquaintance of Tourmaline, but it hadn't been too long ago that she'd sheltered him and others from a volcanic assault. Seeing how easily her element speared its wielder was a cruel reminder of how easily his could immolate him if willpower slipped even the slightest.

And now it was his turn. The audience awaited. To be succinct about the emotional turmoil squirming over his hide in bright hues of orange and yellow, a single phrase sufficed: oh shit.

Of course, he couldn't verbalize it. If it were any other situation, any place with less eyes upon him, the sentiment would've been more easily expressed. Here, though, presentation trumped his feelings. Letting the last monumental mishap affect him so visibly might ruin the assured image he needed to present. His throat still mending from past burns, what others saw mattered more now than ever, as his words would have to be effective and few. Therefore, narrowed focus forced the shifting patterns upon scales to calm into uniform black and gold stripes while he stepped forward.

Dragged along by his teeth was a branch, thick and sturdy, that he'd acquired for the show. Considering the nature of fire and the equally destructive tendencies his newly discovered native element of energy possessed, using this was preferable to subjecting a Lesser to a horrific and drawn-out fate. He placed it into center view and backed away a few paces in an attempt at achieving a safe but noticeable distance, then rasped out his brief introduction.

"Observe... But do not dare draw too close. What I destroy... cannot be well repaired."

Fahl's silhouette vibrated for a few seconds before his form seemingly split, a duplicate body peeling away from the original. Touch, sound, and smell would give away its phantom nature, but the doppelganger strode over to the branch, imposing itself over the inanimate object. There would be no true victim in his spellcasting, but that didn't mean he couldn't fabricate one. Hopefully, the fresh impaling wouldn't render his already planned act too insensitive in its wake.

Done was the false imitation of life he wished the audience to buy into for momentary immersion. Next came the most difficult aspect of the performance to achieve. Much as he prided himself on bending flames to his intentions, the excursion into the dungeon had proven well how much transcendence had weakened the foundation he'd built over many long and grueling cycles of practice. Should that understanding of fire's temperamental tendencies be too lacking, the following days would not only be spent nursing the usual internal burns, but also ones painfully external. An especially awful stumble could end up leading to the stench of cooking flesh and the renewed terror of his stone smothering him in a pale prison to heal and emerge again.

A steady paw swept out, magic tingling within claws, and pointed to the fake Fahl in everyone's midst. Exhaling a measured breath held within jaws, he abruptly jerked the appendage ceilingward. Where nary a spark existed, a tremendous blaze burst into being, simultaneous to this gesture. It enshrouded the iguana doppelganger, and his mirror image writhed inside its agonizing grip.

Such a brutal yet simple display for observers to behold. If he really desired to impress upon those surrounding him the strength he harbored, Fahl would need to push a little further and increase the flashiness beyond a mere show of someone burning to a crisp. His timing would have to be exact so he could manage this extra bit of flare before the flames died out. Keeping a calm face, he surged into his claws more of the magic he was most familiar with and curled them slowly, dramatically inward.

What'd been ever-shifting tongues of flame began to acquire a deliberate shape. They stretched, holes were pierced into their length, and unmistakable chain links wrapped themselves around the imposter he'd created. Well-bound and unable to escape his torment, the illusion opened his mouth in a final silent scream as he struggled against the scorching bonds.

Fahl opened his suspended paw. The spectacle was consumed in a sudden twisting inferno. Unrestrained at last and free to consume without being held back by a mortal master, this lasted a few seconds at most. When it died out, no victim remained. Only a pile of smoldering ash lay, all that was left of the wooden fuel his blaze had so swiftly and greedily devoured.

He allowed the audience a heartbeat or two, enough time for them to fully absorb his work. Once satisfied they'd taken it in, Fahl forced out a sentence in order to make a proper exit. "Thank you... for your... consideration."

Damn it all. Even that small statement caused his throat to throb once more. He swallowed hard against the growing pain and, with a wide sweeping arc of his finned tail, slunk back into the press of the gathered masses.