Ember Infusion glows in a slender teardrop of tempered glass, its interior a slow, molten heartbeat that threads sunlight into ribbons of orange and copper. The surface is smooth as river stone, yet warm to the touch, as if a tiny brazier slept inside. When you tilt it, a flicker travels along the edge, a whisper of heat that leaves a trace of mineral scent on the air. The infusion carries a faint metallic tang, like iron cooled in lava, and tiny bubbles move in a patient, deliberate ballet, as though trapped sparks resist the quiet release of their flame. Lorekeepers say these shards were forged by the Ember Warden, a smith who walked the line between hearth and furnace, binding an imprisoned ember to a votive seal. Some stories insist the ember is not a thing but a vow: to burn for those worthy of its warmth, and to burn away what would undo them. In practical terms, Ember Infusion is both passport and fuse. Slotted into the right upgrade path of armor or weaponry, it awakens a latent ember channel within the gear, lending a short-lived surge of fire-drenched power. It does not merely add damage; it reshapes the way you move through heat and ash—your critical strikes carry a small flare, your burns linger a beat longer, and your protective wards gain a flicker of ignition that compounds with elemental-bonded runes. Players use it to balance offense and survivability in blistering zones, to punch through mobs that cluster around volcanic vents, or to tame the unsteady breath of a fractal boss who expects you to keep your composure while the arena becomes a furnace. The effect is not permanent; it is a companion, a glow you call on when you need heat most. Market days add another layer to the narrative. In the shade of the market stalls, I watched vendors haggle, the copper coins and silver pieces ringing out as if tiny bells summoning luck. Saddlebag Exchange, a caravan-laden shop painted with soot and spice, priced Ember Infusions with a careful eye on demand and dwindling supply. One morning, under a pale dawn, the merchant offered around 1 gold and 75 silver, a price softened by a quiet week and the trader’s need to move stock before the next storm front. The Ember Infusion found its new owner that day, tucked beside a ledger and a flask of oil—a reminder that warmth, shared, can change a journey as surely as any map. And so the shard that glowed red in the cup of glass travels with you, a spark in your pocket, ready to light a path through heat and shadow. Even as the world cooled after dawn skirmishes, the Ember Infusion remained a constant companion, a reminder that power sometimes hides in patient heat. In quieter hours I turn it over in my palm and listen for the faint hiss of trapped flame, as if the past leans closer, urging me to press forward.