The next morning, the forest was quiet.
Birds chirped. Sunlight streamed through the trees. But Kael wasn't thinking about beauty.
He was thinking about control.
He sat across from Serin, a small campfire between them. The emberstone rested in his hand, warm and glowing.
Serin poked the fire with a stick. "We begin your training now."
Kael nodded. "What do I do first?"
She pointed to the flames. "Start small. Try to make the fire bigger. But only a little."
Kael took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, focused on the warmth in his hand, and whispered, "Grow."
The fire jumped—too high!
Serin snapped her fingers, and a gust of wind put it out before it could spread.
Kael groaned. "I'm sorry."
"You're not failing," Serin said. "You're learning."
They practiced all day.
Kael learned to call fire to his hands… to light a branch… to heat a rock.
He couldn't hold the power for long, but each time, it got a little easier.
Serin taught him breathing, balance, and how to feel the emberstone instead of forcing it.
By sunset, Kael was exhausted.
They sat by the river. Kael dipped his sore hands in the cool water.
"You're a good teacher," he said.
Serin looked at the sky. "I've had practice."
"Were you always a mage?" Kael asked.
Serin hesitated. "No."
Kael waited.
Finally, she spoke. "I was a noble. In the Windspire Palace. My family was rich. Powerful."
Kael blinked. "Then why are you out here?"
"Because they betrayed me," she said. "They gave me to the Whisper King… in exchange for gold."
Kael's chest tightened. "I'm sorry."
"I escaped," she said. "Barely. The wind saved me. Now I help others escape."
Kael looked at her with new respect. "You don't just carry wind. You are the wind."
Serin smiled softly. "And you… will be fire. Not just a flame. A blaze."
That night, Kael dreamed.
He stood in a burning field. A great crown floated in the sky—broken into five glowing shards. One shard flew into his chest.
Voices whispered.
"The fire has found its path…"
He woke up, heart pounding.
The emberstone was burning hot in his hand.
Something was coming.