I chuckled, standing my ground as I stared at Aqualad, whose entire posture now screamed serious.
"This is gonna be fun."
As the words left my mouth, flames slowly ignited across my body. They started as faint wisps before seamlessly flowing over my skin and clothes like a living aura, dancing without burning so much as a thread. The air around us shimmered as the temperature steadily climbed, the dry heat beginning to contest the moisture Aqualad had gathered.
Then...
A wonderfully crazy idea took hold of my mind.
"Sai, open template. Assess Kurono, a.k.a. the Ashen Reaper."
"Seriously?" Sai sighed. "You know another simulation could overload your mind."
Even so, she obeyed.
"Relax. That only happens if the power is mentally taxing or the person behind it is ridiculously complicated. Trust me, I doubt Kurono is that deep to understand... nor is his ability that complex."
[Template Initiated...]
[Target: Kurono Yūichirō - "Ashen Reaper"]
[Primary Ability: Black Smoke Manipulation / Weapon Solidification]
[Synchronization... 12%]
A strange sensation spread through my head, like countless pieces of a puzzle clicking together all at once. Memories that weren't mine flashed behind my eyes.
The smell of ash.
The weight of smoke.
The absolute certainty that black was more than just a color.
[Synchronization... 34%]
"...Huh."
My own shadow stretched unnaturally beneath me.
Tiny strands of black smoke escaped from the flames covering my body, twisting together before dispersing into the air.
So that's how it works...
It wasn't smoke created by fire.
It was the fire.
Fire that had burned past orange... past red... until nothing remained but black ash and suffocating heat.
"Interesting..." I muttered.
Across from me, Aqualad narrowed his eyes.
"You changed."
"Perceptive."
The black wisps began circling my arms, mixing with the crimson flames coating my body. Instead of cancelling each other out, the two energies fused together, creating an eerie contrast that made even the surrounding air feel heavier.
Sai's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Warning. Two active templates detected."
"I know."
"Current synchronization is stable... for now."
"See? Nothing to worry about."
"...You're smiling."
"I am?"
"You only smile like that when you're about to do something incredibly reckless."
I couldn't even deny it.
Because she was right.
If Kurono's abilities worked the way I thought they did...
Then I had just found the perfect counter to an opponent who relied on controlling water.
[Synchronization... 67%]
The black smoke thickened around my right hand.
Without thinking, I reached into it.
My fingers wrapped around something solid.
Slowly...
A pitch-black blade emerged from the smoke, its edge jagged like cooled volcanic glass. Flames licked across its surface while ash drifted from the weapon without ever disappearing.
"...Whoa."
Even I had to admit—
That looked ridiculously cool.
I couldn't tell what kind of face I was making, but a gut feeling told me I was wearing that stupid grin.
The same one I had the day I finally gained enough strength to escape the lab.
...Damn it.
Now I was beginning to see the consequences of overloading my brain.
I wasn't just excited.
I felt... high.
Not the kind from drugs, but the intoxicating rush of holding power that wasn't supposed to be mine. My heartbeat quickened as countless possibilities flooded my mind, every instinct urging me to test just how far this new ability could go.
"Man, you didn't say anything about weapons forming!"
I vaguely registered Wally's voice cutting through my thoughts, but I barely paid him any attention.
My focus remained entirely on the weapon in my hands.
It felt... natural.
Almost disturbingly so.
As if I had spent years wielding it instead of mere seconds.
The blade dissolved into black smoke the moment I willed it to.
"Huh..."
The smoke swirled around my arms before gathering once more.
This time, it condensed into something much larger.
The weight shifted.
The balance changed.
A massive two-handed warhammer materialized in my grip, its head formed from condensed black smoke hardened into something resembling volcanic rock. Crimson cracks glowed faintly beneath its dark surface, pulsing like a heartbeat as flames curled around the edges.
My grin widened.
"Oh... that's awesome."
I gave the weapon an experimental swing.
BOOM!
The hammer didn't even touch the ground.
The sheer pressure behind the swing displaced the air, creating a violent shockwave that ripped across the training field. Dust, loose gravel, and scattered puddles exploded away from me, forcing everyone watching to shield their faces.
"..."
"..."
Silence.
Even I blinked.
"...Okay."
I slowly looked down at the hammer.
"I definitely put way more strength into that than I meant to."
Across from me, Aqualad had abandoned his relaxed stance entirely.
Water surged around him instinctively, forming a defensive barrier before settling into a constant orbit around his body.
His eyes never left the hammer.
"...That wasn't part of your fire abilities."
I rested the hammer on my shoulder, black smoke lazily drifting off its surface.
"Technically... I did mention it had something to do with heat."
Aqualad frowned, clearly unconvinced.
"Before you ask again," I continued, resting the warhammer over my shoulder, "just know I can't explain the science behind it... yet."
That wasn't me trying to be cryptic.
I genuinely had no clue.
Sure, Sai could probably dump a fifty-page explanation into my head involving thermal energy, molecular states, dimensional templates, and whatever other nonsense genius scientists came up with...
...but I'd probably get a migraine halfway through.
As far as I was was concerned?
Heat did weird things.
Apparently, one of those weird things was letting me summon oversized weapons made of black smoke.
Good enough for me.
"..."
"...That has to be the worst explanation I've ever heard," Wally muttered from somewhere behind me.
"I know, right?"
"You're saying that like you're proud of it."
"I kind of am."
Aqualad let out a slow breath before lowering his center of gravity.
"...Whatever it is, it's dangerous."
Water gathered around both of his arms once more, denser than before, swirling fast enough to produce a low humming sound.
I mirrored his stance, tightening my grip on the warhammer.
Black smoke rolled off its head in lazy waves, mixing with the flames surrounding my body until the two became almost impossible to distinguish.
Neither of us moved.
For a brief moment...
The entire training field fell silent.
Then, at the exact same time—
We vanished.