Chapter 6

Bird of Embers (Part 1) is the sixth chapter of the The Journey of a Dark Elf with Fading Powers manga series, written & illustrated by Daisuke Itabashi. It is apart of Volume 2 and released on May 19, 2026.

Plot

Chapter 6 starts off with the stranger from the end of chapter 5 introduces herself. She is Tierlith, Chancellor of the Kisaro Academy of Sorcery, and she greets Amira warmly as her dear Omnipotent Caster. Lilicena presents her as the supreme head of the academy and prompts Amira to introduce herself, but Amira only stares. Her first words are a question about whether Tierlith is an angel, which earns some teasing about whether a dark elf who knows all and sees all is truly meeting an angel for the first time. Amira then loses all composure, gushing over how cool Tierlith is, asking about the ring above her head, pointing out that her wings are not even connected to her body, and wondering aloud how they must feel. Lilicena scolds her for being rude. Amira apologizes, introduces herself as a former sorcerer who once held sway over most types of magic, and offers a wide grin and a handshake. The three settle in for a picnic together. Tierlith apologizes for not visiting sooner and admits that Omnipotent and Time and Space are the superstars of her generation, so she was never going to dismiss them out of hand. Amira mentions that she toured the workshop the other day and went ahead and made a staff of her own. Tierlith examines it and can see the magic force flowing in it, calling it quite impressive for a first attempt, and Lilicena confirms she tested it herself and it worked without issue. Tierlith remarks that with Professor Lilicena's stamp of approval, Amira may even find someone who would want it. Then, without warning, Tierlith strikes. Amira reads the attack and evades cleanly, and Tierlith observes that while Amira may be out of magic force, her skills have not lost their luster one bit. Even so, Amira should not expect Tierlith to believe her yet. Lilicena protests that this is going too far and worries about what could happen to Lady Amira, but Amira tells her to relax, since an attack of that level means nothing to her. Tierlith clarifies that she doubts neither of them, not their strength and not their knowledge. What matters more to her is what lies at Amira's core, and that is the one thing she remains unsure about. She levels her staff and proposes that Amira show her the true nature of an Omnipotent Caster. The standoff never gets its fight. A roar splits the sky and something enormous crashes down in the distance, shaking the land. Zorvan surfaces from a nearby pool to report that the only thing he was able to perceive was something very large falling from the sky. Waves of heat begin rolling over the area, and Tierlith warns that the fire may threaten school grounds before long. She needs to investigate the cause and asks Professor Lilicena to join her. Lilicena agrees, equally concerned, and Amira invites herself along, asking to catch a ride. They arrive over a burning forest, and Amira recognizes the culprit immediately. A Bird of Embers. The creature is a colossal molten bird dripping liquid fire, and even at a distance the heat is dangerous. Amira warns that misjudging the range of its hot blasts could be life threatening, and Lilicena adds that this heat is beyond merely hot, it is painful. When Tierlith asks whether they both know what it is, Amira answers that she last saw one probably over a millennium ago. Lilicena supplies the lore. It is an ancient creature called the Queen of the Distant Skies, residing at altitudes of nine miles and up. She used to see them traversing continents all the time, and people rejoiced at their night journeys, calling them living comets. Their numbers dwindled over time, and they were declared extinct around 950 years ago. Amira dryly notes that there is apparently still at least one left. Zorvan returns with a full situation report. The fire is proving devastating, already within 500 feet of the nearest town and about 800 feet from the academy. The magic firefighting team is devoting its full effort to stopping the spread, and students are en route to attempt to put it out. But the bird itself is growing more agitated and the temperature keeps rising, to the point that it threatens to boil the very earth. Zorvan warns that this will do more than burn up the vegetation. The land itself may very well die. Lilicena is troubled by the larger question. These creatures are normally harmless and never set foot in this ecosystem, so something must have caused it to touch down. But there is no time to ponder it. As things stand they have no way to stop the wildfire, and until the root cause is eliminated, the flames are guaranteed to reach campus. Zorvan presses the Chancellor to make a decision and offers that, with her permission, he will send the creature back to the stars in a single, completely painless instant. Tierlith, unable to weigh the creature's life on the scales against her students, gives the order. Zorvan unleashes his magic, magical tears at absolute zero, forming a colossal barrier meant to surround and freeze the bird. The bird slashes straight through it. Zorvan is stunned that his magic was vanquished, and a second shock follows. Lilicena has interceded, overpowering his spell in one shot to halt the kill, and she asks him to wait on that decision. Zorvan can hardly process what he witnessed, all that power with no casting time, and wonders if this is the force of a special grade sorcerer. Lilicena insists there are still things they can try. That is Amira's cue. She announces that she is going to pay the bird a visit. If she learns what is causing all of this, she might be able to convince it to leave. Zorvan thinks she must be joking, since the heat is enough to melt the land itself and surviving it is impossible. Amira only grins. Impossible is the one word that riles her up the most. Lilicena casts a defensive barrier over her, warning that it can curtail the temperature but some of it will still reach her body, and asks her to please be careful. Amira tells her not to worry, since she trusts in her too, and steps off toward the inferno with a simple promise that she will be back. Zorvan insists she will never survive, while Tierlith silently watches. Amira walks alone through the boiling wasteland toward the bird. She has heard the word impossible plenty of times, but that is not how her mind works. She intends to keep pushing. The chapter ends with on her face as she calls out to the creature, trying to save it.