The clearing they picked wasn't much.
Just a patch of soft grass where the forest thinned, letting sunlight fall like golden ribbons through the canopy. Birds chirped overhead, a lazy breeze toyed with the edge of Elias's sleeve, and nothing—not even the towering trees—seemed to realize that magical destruction was imminent.
"I want to train," Revantra said.
Elias looked up from his notes, eyes narrowing. "You want to what?"
"Train." She stood there in the center of the clearing, arms crossed, chin tilted high like she was daring the very trees to argue with her. "My powers have been acting weird since the cult basement. You said so yourself. I burned toast from three meters away."
"You did," he agreed.
"And then I nearly lit Theo's homework on fire just by sneezing."
"Well, he deserved it," Elias muttered.
Revantra raised an eyebrow.
He coughed. "I mean, yes, that's concerning."
"Point is, if I don't get a handle on this soon, something bad is going to happen. And you…" She stepped closer, jabbing a finger at his chest, "are the only person I trust not to explode if I mess up."
Elias glanced around. "I mean. I might explode."
"But you won't blame me for it."
He sighed. "Unfortunately, that's true."
Five minutes later, Elias stood a safe distance away with a slightly singed spellbook and a nervous twitch in his left eye. Revantra stood in the center of the clearing again, this time with her hands raised and a determined glint in her eyes.
The grass under her feet was already scorched.
"Okay," he said. "We're going to start with something simple. Controlled ignition. No fireballs. No lava bursts. Just… a small, stable flame. Like lighting a candle."
"I've done that before."
"Yes, but without disintegrating the furniture this time."
She scowled. "That table was rude and had it coming."
Elias bit back a smile. "Focus. Close your eyes. Breathe in. Channel your mana into the center of your palm."
Revantra inhaled slowly. Magic shimmered around her like heat off stone.
A single flame flickered to life above her palm—small, steady, beautiful.
Then it hiccupped.
And exploded.
Elias hit the ground with a yelp as the flame blasted outward in a cone, scorching a bush and a good chunk of his cloak.
"I DIDN'T EVEN MEAN TO—!"
"I'm okay!" Elias coughed, smoke curling off his sleeve. "I think. Are my eyebrows still there?"
Revantra rushed over, guilt already overtaking her earlier confidence. "I didn't mean to fry you. I swear! The flame just… sneezed."
"I didn't know flames could sneeze."
"Apparently mine can."
He gave her a look. "Maybe we skip ahead to something more deflective and less incinerate-y."
The next hour was chaos.
Every time Elias demonstrated a basic shield spell, Revantra would attempt to copy it, and something would go wrong.
A tree split down the middle.
A rock melted.
At one point, a very innocent squirrel gained temporary flight before crash-landing in a bush.
"Maybe I'm just cursed," Revantra muttered, sitting cross-legged in the ash-ringed clearing, panting.
Elias knelt beside her, still brushing leaves out of his hair. "You're not cursed."
"Then what's wrong with me? Why can't I control it anymore?"
He looked at her. Really looked.
Sweat clung to her brow. Her eyes burned with frustration. She'd grown again recently—now nearly as tall as him, her once-childlike voice layered with something deeper, steadier, though the stubborn pout remained unchanged. Her power was shifting with her body. Her memories. Her emotions. All tangled in a knot of unstable growth.
"You're changing," he said simply.
She turned to him, frowning.
"And your magic is changing with you," he continued. "That doesn't mean you're broken. Just… evolving. Like a caterpillar."
"Caterpillars don't shoot fire."
"True. That's more of a phoenix thing. But you get the point."
She snorted. "So now I'm a fire phoenix caterpillar."
"Exactly."
She laughed, and the sound lit something in his chest.
Elias stood again, brushing dirt off his knees. "Come on. One more try."
Revantra exhaled. Then stood with him.
The air around her shimmered again as she focused.
This time, her hands stayed steady.
No spark flared wild. No blast incinerated half the forest.
A gentle flame appeared. No larger than a coin. No louder than a whisper.
It hovered in her palm, warm and bright. Controlled.
"Whoa," she breathed.
Elias grinned. "You did it."
"I did it."
Then, without warning, the flame winked out.
"Wait—"
And her magic flared again.
This time, it didn't explode.
It danced.
Tiny embers lit in the air around her, swirling like fireflies. They moved in rhythm with her breath, her thoughts. Her will.
She looked up at Elias.
He was staring at her like he'd never seen fire before.
"You're incredible," he said softly.
Revantra's heart stopped.
She blinked.
Then beamed.
And promptly burst into flames.
"AH—TOO MUCH JOY, TOO MUCH JOY—!"
Elias scrambled for the emergency bucket of water he'd brought just in case. She ran in circles, arms flailing, clothes smoking but somehow not burning her skin.
By the time he managed to douse her, both of them were soaked, dripping, and laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.
"You said—" Revantra gasped. "You said I was incredible—"
"Yeah, and then you spontaneously combusted!"
"I CAN'T HELP IT IF MY BODY CONFUSES EMOTION WITH DETONATION!"
They collapsed onto the grass, wheezing, drenched and a little singed, but alive, happy and together.
Later, as the sun began to set and they lay side by side watching the clouds roll past, Revantra turned her head to look at him.
"Hey, Elias?"
"Hmm?"
She hesitated. Then: "Thanks. For teaching me. For… being here."
He smiled up at the sky. "Where else would I be?"
"Somewhere safer. Less flammable."
He reached over and gently took her hand. "Nah. I like it here. Fire and all."
She didn't reply at first.
Then quietly, she murmured, "Even if I keep changing?"
"Especially then."
She squeezed his hand.
No fire flared.
Just warmth.
And for the first time in a while, Revantra didn't feel like something broken.
She felt… like a flame finally learning how to shine.
To be continued…