Empire of Two: The Dawn of Unity

The fire had died down to glowing embers, casting faint orange light over the clearing. I sat near Wiktor, both of us quiet for a while, listening to the soft rustle of the forest around us. My stomach growled, breaking the silence.

"How long do you think it's been?" I asked, glancing at Wiktor.

He shrugged, poking the embers lazily with a stick. "Not sure. You were out for maybe five hours, give or take."

I frowned, the dryness in my throat becoming impossible to ignore. "We need to find water and food. Like, now."

"Yeah," Wiktor replied, his tone flat but laced with a hint of annoyance. "I've been thinking the same thing. I'm starving."

"Alright, let's get moving," I said, standing and dusting off my clothes.

Wiktor followed suit, and we began walking, the forest stretching endlessly in every direction. The early morning light filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. After what felt like forever, a faint sound reached my ears—a soft, rushing noise.

"Do you hear that?" I asked, stopping in my tracks.

Wiktor tilted his head, listening. "Yeah. Sounds like running water."

Without another word, we quickened our pace, moving toward the sound of salvation. As we pushed through the thick underbrush, I spotted something up ahead—a small stream trickling between rocks, its water clear and inviting. But there was something else.

I froze. A goblin, crouched by the edge of the water, was drinking from the stream. Its jagged teeth were visible as it lapped at the water, unaware of our presence.

"Bro, don't move," I whispered, holding out my hand to stop Wiktor from advancing further. "There's something drinking from the water."

He squinted through the trees, then cursed softly under his breath. "Oh damn, it looks like a goblin."

"Yeah," I nodded. "Let's wait for it to leave."

We stepped backward slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. But just as we thought we were in the clear, Wiktor stepped on a dry branch. CRACK!

The goblin's ears twitched, and it whipped its head around. Its eyes locked on us, and in an instant, it grabbed a crude wooden club and started charging at us.

"Damn! RUN!" I yelled, turning to bolt.

But before we could take more than a few steps, Wiktor was already moving, his hands held out in front of him as though he were pulling something from the air.

"Wiktor, what the hell are you doing?!" I shouted over my shoulder, adrenaline pushing my legs faster.

He didn't respond, his eyes focused ahead. His fingers twitched and moved, as if weaving something in the air, and I could feel the atmosphere around us shift. For a moment, it felt like the air itself was bending, thickening.

I stopped, my feet skidding in the dirt, eyes wide as I saw what was happening. Wiktor wasn't running from the goblin—he was preparing to fight it. His palm glowed faintly with a flickering light.

"Wiktor, no—!" I started to call out, but my words cut off as I saw the air shimmer around his hand. Then, with a sharp crack, something ignited in the air.

It wasn't fire, not in the traditional sense. It was a spark—an ignition, a controlled burst of energy.

Wiktor's eyes narrowed in concentration as he shaped the flames with his thoughts. But what happened next was something entirely different.

I watched as he imagined a reaction, the process of combustion, visualizing oxygen bonding with carbon and hydrogen molecules from the surrounding air. His magic was like science in action—he saw the world in terms of chemical reactions. The ignition of atoms, the bonds breaking, and then the release of energy in the form of heat.

The air around his hand flared up, and before I could even blink, a swirl of fire shot toward the goblin. It wasn't wild or uncontrolled—it was precise, as if Wiktor had calculated every detail in his mind. The fire hit the goblin square in the chest, and it screamed in pain, its club falling to the ground as it stumbled backward.

I stood frozen, watching as the goblin writhed, struggling to escape the intense heat. The flames spread in perfect harmony with Wiktor's thoughts, creating a barrier of heat that kept the goblin from advancing.

The air crackled with energy as Wiktor's hand glowed brighter. He was channeling the very forces of combustion, controlling the chemical bonds in the atmosphere, all through sheer imagination. With each passing second, the fire grew more intense, pushing the goblin further back.

"Stay back!" Wiktor yelled, his voice steady as he maintained the control. "This is how I do it—using the chemical reactions I visualize. I control the bonds!"

The goblin, now panicked and burning, turned and fled, its legs stumbling as it tried to escape the flames. Wiktor's hand dropped, the fire fading into a soft glow, and the forest fell quiet once more.

I stared at him, my heart still racing from the shock. "What… was that? How did you—"

Wiktor took a deep breath, letting his shoulders relax. "It's how my magic works. It's not just fire. I can control chemical reactions in the environment—oxygen, carbon, hydrogen—visualize how they interact, and then manipulate the bonds. Like chemistry, but... with magic."

I blinked, trying to process what he said. "So you... you made that fire by imagining the chemical reaction?"

"Exactly," Wiktor nodded, wiping his brow. "I see the world in a different way now. It's not just about casting spells. I understand the reactions that happen all around us and can shape them."

I couldn't help but gape at him, the possibilities of his abilities sinking in. "That's... insane, man. You just controlled fire with chemistry."

"Yeah," he said, giving a tired grin. "And we just survived that goblin encounter."

I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "That's one way to put it."

But just as the tension began to dissipate, Wiktor staggered slightly, his face turning pale. He gasped, clutching his chest.

"KURWA, WHAT'S GOING ON?!" he exclaimed, his breath coming in short, frantic bursts.

I rushed to his side. "Wiktor?! What's happening?!"

"I think… it's because it's the first time I've used magic," he panted, his voice strained. "It's... straining me. I need water. Now."

"Alright, hold on!" I said, quickly taking his arm and guiding him back to the stream. We knelt by the water, both of us drinking in desperate gulps.

"Better now, man?" I asked, keeping an eye on him as he drank.

"Yeah... thank you, Joshua," he replied, his breath steadying, though still shaky.

I nodded, helping him to his feet. "Let's take it easy for a bit. You did some crazy stuff back there. Glad you're alright."

Wiktor managed a small smile, though he still seemed winded. "Yeah... me too."

"Yo, I see smoke in the distance. Let's head there—most likely a village."

"Sure, let's get moving."

I ran to pick up the goblin's club just in case we needed a weapon. We then started walking toward the village.