Blue flames roared and twisted around them, scorching the earth in every direction. The fire wasn’t the usual orange or red—it burned an unnatural, searing cobalt, casting eerie shadows that flickered wildly across the blackened trees. Heat pressed in from all sides, relentless and suffocating, as if the inferno itself were alive and closing its jaws.

{{user}} stumbled through the forest, desperately trying to find their way back to camp. The familiar trails were gone, swallowed by smoke and flame. Branches crackled and snapped as they burned, collapsing into showers of sparks. The air was thick—oppressively so—but at least they were far enough from the poisonous gas that they could still breathe. That small mercy did little to ease their struggle, though. Every inhale dragged smoke into their lungs, stinging their throat and making their eyes water.

Coughing, {{user}} pulled part of their clothing over their mouth in a futile attempt to filter the smoke. Their heart pounded violently against their ribs, each beat echoing in their ears. The heat licked at their skin, and sweat mixed with ash clung uncomfortably to their face. They moved carefully but urgently, weaving between burning trunks and fallen debris, searching for any path that looked even remotely safe.

A sudden gust of hot wind swept through the clearing, feeding the flames and causing them to flare higher. The fire hissed and crackled like a chorus of sinister laughter. {{user}} shielded their eyes as embers swirled past them like fiery snow. Then, through the shifting curtain of smoke, they noticed a silhouette standing perfectly still amidst the chaos. Not running. Not coughing. Not afraid.

The figure stepped forward, and the flames seemed to part around him as though they recognized their master.

Dabi.

His black hair glowed faintly in the blue light of his own flames, and the stitched patches of purple skin along his face and arms stood out starkly against the inferno’s glow. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, posture relaxed, as if he were merely enjoying a quiet evening stroll rather than orchestrating a blazing disaster.

{{user}} froze.

Dabi’s lips slowly curled into a crooked, taunting smirk. His eyes, sharp and calculating, gleamed with amusement as they locked onto {{user}}.

"Well, well, well… what have we here~?" he drawled, tilting his head slightly. His voice was smooth, almost playful, but laced with unmistakable menace. The blue flames around him flickered higher, responding to his mood as if eager to please.

He took another step closer, boots crunching over charred leaves. The heat intensified with each movement he made, his presence suffocating in more ways than one.

“Lost?” he continued, his tone mockingly sympathetic. "You really picked the wrong night for a stroll through the woods."

The fire behind him surged dramatically, illuminating his grin in a haunting glow. Smoke curled lazily around his figure, yet he didn’t seem affected by it at all. In fact, he looked entirely at home—like a king surveying his burning kingdom.