The sun beat down on the clearing, and with it, a wave of frustration. Kiyoshi stood alone, sweat stinging his eyes as he stretched out a hand. A flicker of mana—the same power that had frozen his room solid—sparked at his fingertips, only to dissolve into the air like mist. He clenched his fist, the memory of the nightmare a cold stone in his gut. *Control. It's all about control.*
A familiar, prickling sensation danced down his spine. He wasn't alone. He'd ignored it for days, chalking it up to paranoia, but today, the feeling was a constant, silent pressure. He'd had enough.
Letting out a sharp sigh, he scanned the treeline. "I know you're there," he called out, his voice cutting through the humid air. "Are you going to keep watching, or are you going to show yourself?"
For a moment, there was only the rustle of leaves. Then, Celosia stepped from the shadows, her calm demeanour betrayed by a faint, awkward smile. Her white hair seemed to capture the sunlight itself as she approached.
"I wasn't lurking," she said, her voice quiet but steady. "I was... observing."
Kiyoshi crossed his arms, not buying it for a second. "You've been 'observing' for days. Why?"
She met his gaze for a heartbeat before looking away, toward the distant mountains. "Ceng-tae mentioned you. I wanted to see for myself."
"And?" he pressed, his stance relaxing slightly despite himself. "What's the verdict?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, her eyes—a startling, deep emerald—seemed to look through him. "I think you're powerful," she said finally. "But there's a storm in you. I can feel it."
The statement was so direct it left him winded. *How much could she sense?* His mind raced, conjuring images of the nightmare's backlash. Was it the leaked magic she felt? Or the 800-year-old ghost hiding in his amnesiac shell? He quickly shoved the thoughts down.
"What's it to you?" The words came out sharper than he intended, a defensive reflex.
Celosia tilted her head, her expression softening into something that looked like pity, and it irked him. "You just seem... alone. And alone is a dangerous thing to be when you're a storm."
Her words disarmed him. The tension seeped from his shoulders. She wasn't threatening him; she was... understanding him. The guilt he felt was immediate.
"You didn't make me uncomfortable," he said, the lie feeble even to his own ears. "I just didn't understand why."
A faint, genuine smile touched her lips. "Well, now you know. I'm just... curious." An awkward silence settled between them before she cleared her throat. "You must be hungry after all that... concentrating. I made extra stew. If you'd like to join me?"
Kiyoshi blinked, surprised by the offer. He hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to retreat to the safety of Ceng-tae's hut. But the thought of another silent meal alone suddenly felt unbearable. "...Yeah. Dinner sounds good."
Later, he followed her to a sturdy stone-and-timber house nestled in the heart of the village, its thatched roof woven with living vines. Stepping inside, he was struck by the scent of dried herbs and old paper. Shelves were lined with books and jars of preserves, a stark contrast to Ceng-tae's sparse dwelling. The air was rich with the smell of herbs and simmering broth.
His stomach growled loudly in the quiet space.
A soft laugh escaped her. "I'll take that as a yes."
As they ate, the last of the tension melted away. Celosia, once she started speaking, was surprisingly easy to talk to. She spoke of her own struggles with magic.
"I wasn't always good at it," she admitted between bites. "It took years of practice. Water doesn't respond to force. You have to guide it. Feel its flow and become a part of it." She looked at him, her gaze knowing. "It's the opposite of fire, which is all about raw power. You can't dominate a river; you have to dance with it."
Kiyoshi listened, captivated. It was a completely different philosophy from Ceng-tae's brutal "leash" and his own desperate attempts to command his power. Hers was a lesson in harmony, not control.
By the time the meal was over, a strange sense of ease had settled over him. As he stood to leave, he realized it had been a long time since he'd felt so... normal.
"Thanks for dinner," he said, pausing at the door.
"Any time, Kiyoshi," she replied, smiling as she saw him out.
He nodded. "Maybe I will."
Stepping out into the cool evening air, he felt lighter. Her calm presence, her kindness—it was a balm he hadn't known he needed. But as he walked, the feeling was chased by a familiar, chilling dread. The questions were still there, louder than ever. And the comfort he found with her only made the storm inside him feel more dangerous.
He wasn't sure if he was ready to face what was coming. But for the first time, he wondered if he might have to.
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