Chapter 545 Battle of Wills

I raised the fire elixir higher, letting the liquid pour into my mouth. It hit my tongue like liquid flame, burning its way down my throat in a way that was nearly unbearable. Nearly.However, the moment the elixir reached my stomach, everything changed.

It felt like a bomb had detonated inside me. Heat surged from my core, spreading outward with such intensity that I staggered, barely able to stay upright. My vision blurred, and the world around me seemed to warp as though caught in a heatwave. My body wasn't just burning - it was literally on fire. Flames began seeping from my skin, licking at the edges of my clothing as though trying to consume me.

The fire wasn't just energy; it felt alive, a raging force with a will of its own, fighting to escape the confines of my body. The strain was overwhelming. I collapsed to my knees, unable to summon the strength to stay standing. Every ounce of my willpower was focused on containing the inferno tearing through me.

To make things worse, every breath I took felt like inhaling molten air. Each gasp scorched my lungs, leaving me choking and struggling as the fiery storm inside threatened to overwhelm me entirely.

I forced myself to stay upright while digging my fingers into the ground as I clenched my teeth, refusing to yield to the raging force of nature within me.

The fire surged again, wilder and more relentlessly this time. It wasn't content with being contained. It wanted to consume, to destroy, to reduce everything to ash.

A guttural growl escaped my lips as I wrestled for control, refusing to lose this battle of wills.

My skin began to glow with veins of fiery red tracing patterns along my arms and chest. The heat intensified, and I realized I was burning away the grass beneath me as well as scorching the earth in a wide circle - a circle that was widening even further with every passing moment.

My clothes gave the fight up, catching fire. I was forced to wrestle my way out of them, becoming buck naked in the process.

"Quin!!" Aurora cried as she began rushing up to me.

I couldn't speak using my bodyparts, so I had no choice but to converse telepathically.

My declaration had its intended effects; Aurora stopped in her movements while eyeing me with a great deal of worry etched across her lovely features.

'You're not the one in charge here. Know your place!' I shouted inwardly while mounting a new offensive to control the rampaging invader in my body.

I understood that a mortal should've long since fallen in this battle of wills. I didn't have innate fire resistance among my repertoire; I took just as much damage from a fire spell as a mortal with the same Vitality stat and armor would. However, in this instance, my primordial body greatly assisted me in overcoming this strange force, giving me a significant natural resistance against whatever this power was.

The force of nature rampaging inside me didn't appreciate my rapidly strengthening resistance. It pushed harder in an attempt to overwhelm me, but I pushed back with everything I had. I focused my mind and called upon all of my willpower, my experience - my very essence as a primordial.

The struggle felt like it lasted for an eternity. My body trembled from exhaustion while my sweat evaporated the moment it appeared. My muscles screamed, but I didn't let go. Slowly, inch by inch, I forced the fire back, caging it within me. It didn't go quietly. It fought tooth and nail, clawing at the walls of its prison, but I held firm.

When I finally managed to stand, the flames surrounding me had receded, though faint embers still danced across my skin. My breathing was ragged, my body exhausted, but I had done it. The mysterious power of the elixir was contained - barely.

When I say contained, I don't mean that the calamity was overcome, merely held back. It required a constant effort on my part to keep it restrained - a momentary lapse in my concentration would result in it breaking free, ready to wreak havoc in me once again.

Furthermore, I didn't feel any positive change as a result of my consuming this elixir. I didn't suddenly become better at manipulating the fire element. Something was greatly missing, but I didn't know what.

"You dummy! I knew drinking it blindly was a bad idea!" Aurora reprimanded. She quickly rushed up to me now that she saw the situation was somewhat under my control.

I would've loved to reply, but not only were my insides messed up, I couldn't afford to concentrate on our conversation for fear of losing my hold on this strange power.

I muttered with great difficulty, but my reliable ally reacted instantly. Aurora reached into her pouch and quickly found what she was looking for. She placed the vial on my lips, and I drank its contents greedily.

The healing potion allowed my internal injuries a chance to rejuvenate, or at least stop bleeding. This allowed me to exert even more force.

I settled down into a meditative pose, closed my eyes, and focused on gaining firmer control over the fire-like power.

The next few hours were spent as such, and to my great relief, I managed to reach a state where I didn't need to dedicate as much of my focus as previously to not combust into a primordial torch. I could now cast spells and move around normally, but a small fraction of my brain remained in a state of constant battle, containing it. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

Well, this was most certainly not what I was hoping for when I decided to consume the elixir. Before heading out, I wanted to gain access to a quick power-up, knowing I'll need all the help I can get in the upcoming conflict. My hasty decision almost ended up in tragedy.

At least now I know I can't blindly trust my intuition even though I became the member of an OP race. I should've patiently waited and asked my mothers and the others in the primordial dimension what they thought about these elixirs before consuming them.

Though there's an argument to be made that my intuition didn't betray me. After all, I managed to more or less contain the elixir before disaster struck. Who knows, maybe it just needs some time to be absorbed into my cells, after which I might reap immense benefits.

Anyhow, it was not the time to philosophize.

Before going to Braedon to participate in the meetings, I had one more thing to do.

My fifth woman, Jasmine, was a member of the Consortium as well. It was time to send her home, but there was one more thing I wanted to learn about her.

"Thank you, Aurora. Also, apologies for the scare." Searᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I mouthed the words after finally parting my eyelids that remained closed throughout my meditation. I was in no shape to conjure a for her, thus she was forced to remain here. With that said, even if I did manage to cast the spell, she would need to be dragged away by force before she would leave me alone in my perilous state.

Her curious visage welcomed the parting of my eyelids. She was kneeling a very short distance away from me with numerous potions laid out in front of her.

What a lovely girl. She remained in a state of constant alert, ready to help me to the best of her abilities with all of her potions should I fail at my undertaking.