We were talking with the Ember Guard and their leader when suddenly a loud alarm blared. Red lights flashed across the headquarters—it was a warning. The Ember Guard was under attack. At first, we didn't understand the situation, but we immediately prepared to fight.
Eight of my friends were far stronger than the attackers, but we quickly realized this was no ordinary assault. The opponent was one of the Ten Generals of the Dominion of Ashes. Normally, the Dominion never attacked Ember Guard, believing it too weak to be a threat. But after we had killed fifteen of their soldiers, word reached the General that a powerful force was present, and he had come to finish the one responsible.
He arrived with two other members of the Dominion, yet he fought entirely alone. His power was overwhelming—lightning crackled around him as he moved faster than the eye could follow. Every strike released deadly energy, and I could feel his lightning trying to enter my body. I knew I had the potential to release it myself, but I had to wait for the perfect moment.
My friends combined all their powers to fight him, but it wasn't enough. He was too fast, too strong, and too skilled. Despite having no powers of my own yet, I noticed something—he seemed to avoid hitting me directly, as if some invisible force was protecting me. For thirty intense minutes, the battle raged on. My friends were injured and exhausted, but the General showed almost no damage.
Then he focused all his energy on me, releasing a massive lightning spell. I braced myself and, for the first time, absorbed it. Every bolt, every surge of energy, I pulled into my body, holding it tightly. When I released all the energy combined with my own, the General collapsed, unconscious. His form was still recognizable, but the lightning I had released looked entirely different from his own.
Before I could react, the two Dominion members grabbed him and teleported away. The battle was over. The Ember Guard survived, but the fight had revealed the terrifying power of the Ten Generals—and something new awakening inside me.