Physics or magic?

[Naraseren]

"Melting -- Your dragon will be able to melt things from the inside out. Starting out, it will be small things like ice, and at the higher end, they will be able to melt even things like granite."

"Heat -- A basic ability, this simply enables your dragon to control the heat of the air and object. They start out by making the air around them hotter, and work their way up through temperature of water and eventually objects. They can increase the temperature of objects without melting them; that is a separate ability."

Above are quotations from the catalog as reference

My question: Surreal outcomes using Heat

All solids have a point of heat which if they reach, they melt.

Does Heat:
-Physically heat the object, meaning even if not directly melts the object, it melts as a side effect when it's temperature reaches that certain point?
or
-It ignores any degree of melting, it's temperature rising beyond normally possible, yet it maintains it's original structural properties? This can result in such things as a searing hot shard of ice or a piece of metal that is red hot yet it can't be smithed as it is as hard as if it was cold.

I guess the latter one applies*, just I make sure how to construate it exactly.

*It's also the more awesome one

[( thrika )]

Yes, you're viewpoint on the Heat ability is exact. The ability to heat solids without melting. Although if it was tried on liquid, such as water, it could cause them to come to a boil, as liquids are easier to make into gases than solids into liquids. And also, whereas the Melt ability applies only to inanimate objects/elements, Heat can be used on living creatures, to make them feel the effects of a severe fever.