The sun hung low outside the walls of Kathelyn, casting long shadows over the open plains. A breeze ran through the trees, rustling the leaves like whispers. Under one such tree stood Sela, arms folded, back leaned against the trunk, silently watching.
A few meters away, Rael and Nadia were in motion—clashing, dodging, and weaving around each other like a dance of flame and instinct.
Rael grunted as he ducked a sharp kick, Nadia's speed pushing him further and further back. "You've gotten better."
"Four days," Nadia said through quick breaths, a grin tugging at her lips. "You sound surprised."
"I am surprised," he admitted, fending off a blazing jab. "I thought you'd still be figuring out how not to burn your eyebrows off."
"Too bad for you," she replied, spinning and sending a burst of flame at his feet.
Rael leapt back, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Okay, I'm obviously not trying—"
Before he could finish, Nadia vanished from his sight in a blink of fire.
BAM!
She reappeared behind him and smacked him straight on the back of the head.
"AGH—!"
He stumbled forward, arms flailing.
"Oh no!" Nadia gasped, hands covering her mouth. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"
Sela burst into laughter. Not just a smirk—real laughter. Her usual composed, unreadable mask cracked wide open with pure joy.
Rael blinked. He didn't even care about the sting in his head anymore—he was just… stunned. "That's illegal," he mumbled. "You're not allowed to laugh like that."
Sela wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling. "Nadia, with four days of training, making a Blaz look like a joke? That's sad, dude."
Rael shook his head, rubbing the back of his skull. "You know what? I am trying now. Nadia. One more round."
"Oh, it's on," Nadia said, smirking.
They launched at each other again. Fire surged in wild arcs as fists and feet connected. Sparks scattered through the air as the two traded blows, moving faster than before, harder than before—something pushing them both to get serious.
Sela watched silently, her amusement now faded into thoughtfulness. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Nadia's form—her movements were cleaner, sharper, more precise. It was as if she'd been training for months, not days.
---
Elsewhere, in the cold, damp stone of herene's dungeon, the air was thick with silence—until broken by the harsh sound of chains scraping against metal.
Lif was breathing. Finally.
The two guards near his cell stared at him.
"…Wasn't he dead yesterday?" one asked.
"He wasn't dead. Just… almost," the other said, squinting. "But look at his shoulders. The wounds…"
"…Healed?"
They stepped closer, confused.
"I don't like this," one muttered, getting in Lif's face. "You're not normal, freak."
Lif's head lolled slightly, then he slowly spat—right into the guard's eye.
The guard wiped it off. "…I'm into that," he muttered darkly, then kicked Lif hard in the ribs, sending him into the wall.
CRACK.
Blood splattered across the stone.
"Let's make sure he doesn't do that again," the second guard said. They both drew their swords, and with slow, deliberate slashes, they began cutting into Lif's body—not deep, just enough to make him feel it. Again. And again.
Hours passed.
"Please…" Lif croaked at last, his voice hoarse and fragile. "…Stop…"
The guards laughed. "You don't get to beg, human."
One raised his blade again, driving it just beneath Lif's chest—
And suddenly, the temperature dropped. Instantly. Like every ounce of heat was sucked out of the room.
"Wh… What the hell?" one guard whispered. Frost crept along the cell bars.
But Lif didn't feel cold. He felt… warmth.
She was here again.
The woman from the dream.
Her white hair shimmered in the dim torchlight, her pale skin glowing faintly. She sat beside him, placing a hand over his chest.
His cuts sealed. The bruises faded. His blood drew back into his veins like ink sucked into paper.
Lif looked at her. "Who… Who are you?"
She just winked—playful, mysterious. Standing up,
Then vanished.
To the guards, she was never there. Only Lif—now standing.
"No way," one guard muttered, stepping back.
Lif raised a fist—and slammed it into one of the guard's chests. Crack. Armor bent. The man gasped.
But the second guard raised his hand. The ground shook.
Vines burst up from the stone, wrapping Lif's arms, legs, even his neck, slamming him to the ground.
The first guard snarled. "I don't know what kind of freak you are, but I really don't like you."
He lifted his sword and drove it into Lif's shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Stone cracked beneath.
---
Up in the palace above, Liora paused. She was in her room, preparing her notes, but something stopped her. Something… wrong.
She didn't know why.
She just felt it.
---
Back outside Kathelyn, Rael and Nadia were still at it. Their fires collided in the air, bursting in swirling spirals.
"You've almost caught up to me," Rael panted. "That's terrifying."
"I think I already passed you," Nadia teased.
"Don't get cocky—!"
Their final clash came fast—both charging with fire blazing. But just before the hit—
Nadia's flames shifted.
From orange.
To black.
The moment her fire made contact with Rael's, it overwhelmed his completely, exploding outward. He flew backward, rolling in the grass, coughing from the sudden smoke.
Sela's eyes widened. "That… wasn't normal."
Nadia opened her eyes. "Wait—what just happened?"
Rael sat up, staring. "Your fire. It… turned black."
"I didn't do anything different," Nadia said quickly. "I swear. It just—"
"—Overpowered mine completely."
Sela was staring at Nadia now—but not saying anything. Her gaze was fixed lower. At her arms.
Nadia glanced down.
Her skin looked normal… at first.
But faintly—like shadows under her skin—there were dark veins, pulsing slowly. Crawling like ink.
She blinked. "…What is this?"
Sela didn't speak.
She just stared.