Dark flames appear in your hand. The flame remains there for the duration and harms neither you nor your equipment. They emit no light but produce the same amount of heat as an actual fire. The flame is invisible to normal vision but can be seen with darkvision as easily as a normal flame can be seen in darkness. The spell ends if you dismiss it as an action or if you cast it again.
You can also attack with the flame, although doing so ends the spell. When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can strike opponents with a melee spell attack, dealing 1d8 fire damage. You can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you as well, making a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 fire damage.
This spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).