The Fire Within

He was no dragon. It was something he knew was whispered when he was absent. He carried himself with pride. He carried himself with a sense of assuredness that made many question if he had not taken his second breath already. Yet he was only a mortal. For some it quenched the fire in them. For the boy, it stoked the flames.

He was not strong. It was something he simply knew to be true. He was graceful, but not strong. His prowess of arms was acceptable, but even still it was nothing to have pride in. He could not run long distances or carry heavy weights. His strength was in his mind. His strength was in his will.

He was not patient. The fire in him raged. It consumed him all too often. Always forward, never back. Never ashamed, always proud. Never afraid, always ready to die. Dragons could wait. Mortals could not. Life was too short for a mortal. To be great, you had to seize every moment. Fight tooth and nail to push yourself forward. He forsook those around him, save a few. After all, the fire within him could burn others just as easily as it burned himself.

He was not a great man. He was a child, desperately craving respect, recognition, rewards, any thing to validate his existence. He could not be satisfied with existing, with merely being great. He strove for excellence. He strove for perfection. Even at the cost of his own joy, his own emotions, his own sanity. The fire in him was hungry, and it consumed whatever he fed it. Joy? Love? Peace? All trifling concerns to the fire. Glory. Respect. Those were eternal.

Others saw the fire. He never tried to hide it. When they spoke of it, it filled him with pride. He was no dragon, but he had a fire of his own. When they spoke of it, he never considered the way it changed him. When he took his second breath, the fire's hunger grew with his own power. He would never be satisfied with his former ambitions. Fame within his family would not be enough. Fame in his homeland would not be enough. Fame across the world, would not be enough. The fire in him hungered for the world. And the boy would not hesitate to feed the world to that fire.

If the fire's hunger was fed even for a moment, then it would be enough. Then he would be satisfied.