The morning sun poured over the city, casting long shadows over Westwood High. Kazunai leaned against the front gate, his usual scowl softened by the presence of Amy beside him. They walked through the crowded halls, side by side, her laughter melting the edge off his mood. Students whispered.
"Is that Kaz with Amy?"
"Since when are they... close?"
"Didn't he almost torch someone last week?"
Kaz ignored them. Amy didn't ,"Let them talk," she said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're mine now, flame boy." He smirked. "Damn right."Classes passed in a blur—math, history, combat training—but Kaz barely noticed. Amy was there, always one seat away, her presence like a calming storm. For a moment, it felt like maybe things could be normal.
Until the black car pulled up outside. Seamus waited by the door, arms folded, sunglasses hiding the unreadable look on his face.Kaz's smile vanished. "Guess date night's off."Amy gave his hand a squeeze. "Try not to kill each other."
They drove in silence, out past the city limits. Dust kicked up as the car rolled into a rocky clearing—a place only mobsters and monsters knew. "Out," Seamus said. Kazunai stepped out, the wind whipping through his hair. "So, what? You finally ready to stop treating me like a kid?" Seamus took off his jacket, flames flickering in his eyes. "No. I'm here to remind you why you still are one." Black fire exploded from Kaz's hands. "Bring it on, old man."And just like that, the earth shook—father and son, power against power, past against present.
Kazunai lunged first, fists wreathed in black flames, each step leaving scorch marks on the dirt. He swung with reckless speed, a firestorm in motion—but Seamus didn't flinch. With a wave of his hand, the shadows bent around him, forming a wall of black tendrils that snatched Kaz's wrist mid-swing and hurled him into the air.
Kaz twisted mid-flight, igniting a burst of flame beneath his feet to launch back down at his father, like a meteor crashing to earth. But Seamus was gone the ground beneath Kaz exploded as Seamus emerged from a pool of writhing darkness, slamming his son to the ground with one arm wreathed in obsidian energy. The impact cracked the earth, sending a shockwave rippling through the clearing.
"You're still thinking like a brawler," Seamus said coolly. "But dark energy isn't loud—it's calculated."
Kaz roared, fire bursting from his back as he blasted free from the crater. "Then maybe it's time I stopped thinking!"
He fired a barrage of black fireballs that curved and spiraled through the air—chaotic, unpredictable. Seamus moved like a shadow in water, his dark energy forming blades, shields, and spears mid-motion. Each strike he threw cut through Kaz's flames with precision, dissipating them with near-effortless control.
Kaz landed again, panting, but grinning. "Not bad… for a fossil."
Seamus's eyes narrowed. "I was going easy on you."
He raised both hands, and the world dimmed—literally. The shadows thickened, swallowing the sunlight as they curled upward into a massive wolf-like form of pure dark energy. Its maw opened wide, glowing faintly purple from within.
Kaz's smile vanished.
"Lesson one," Seamus said as the wolf lunged, "Control isn't about holding back. It's about knowing exactly when to unleash hell."
The shadow wolf lunged, its massive form blotting out the sky. Kaz spun backward, flames spiraling around his body in a furious cyclone.
"Lesson two," Seamus called out above the chaos, voice steady, controlled. "Power without focus is just noise. And noise won't kill your enemies."
Kaz grit his teeth. I'm not just noise…
His flames pulsed—darker now, thicker. They curled up his arms and shoulders, coalescing at his back. The air around him shimmered with heat and pressure as something new took shape.
A wing.
No—a flame-forged wing of black fire burst forth, jagged and primal, stretching wide as a demon's. Kaz's eyes flared with raw fury. The wolf leapt again, and this time, Kaz didn't dodge.
He flew straight through it, the wing slicing the beast in half like it was made of smoke. Flames trailed behind him as he soared above the battlefield, landing hard in front of Seamus, cracking the ground beneath his feet. Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Now we're talking." Kaz pointed a blazing hand at his father. "No more training wheels."
Seamus smirked, his own aura deepening into a chilling void. "Then let's see if you've finally earned the right to call yourself my son."
Their energies flared—And the real fight began.
Seamus struck first this time—his hand carving through the air, summoning a tidal wave of dark energy that swallowed the earth beneath Kaz's feet. The shadows screeched, tearing through stone and flame like teeth through cloth.
Kaz roared and launched into the sky, black flame wing flaring wide, propelling him into a spiral of searing speed. He dove straight through the attack, flames clashing against the dark wave in a thunderous explosion that split the clearing in two.
They met in the middle, fists colliding—fire against void.
For a second, time stopped. Then Kaz screamed, pouring everything he had into his punch. His flames didn't just burn—they howled, wild and relentless. The wing on his back split in two, flames curling into twin arcs of fury. He didn't hold anything back now. Not fear. Not anger. Not doubt.
Seamus staggered Just for a moment—but it was enough. Kaz's fist collided with his father's chest, sending a ripple of fire and shadow through the air, knocking Seamus clean off his feet and slamming him into the far cliff wall.
Silence.
Kaz dropped to one knee, breathing hard, flames flickering weakly across his body.
Seamus coughed once, brushing soot from his coat as he stood up, his smirk calm… and impressed. "…Now that," he said, cracking his neck, "was a damn good punch."
Kaz looked up, chest heaving, smirk curling on his lips. "Guess I am your son after all."
Seamus extended a hand, his aura finally at rest. "Yeah," he said, helping him up. "You are." ,"Well I hope you know that owe me and Amy a date" says Kaz while taking his father's hand "when since am I the one paying for your dates?" Seamus says raising his eyebrow ,"since you started ruining them" Kaz sighs.