The city of Berbeign slept under the shimmer of its twin moons, the sound of distant music fading into the cool night breeze.
But one person wasn't asleep.
Milly crouched behind a fence, peeking through the slats at a wide, torch-lit field. Wooden dummies lined one side, and on the other stood a gleaming training ground surrounded by mana pylons. A sign on the gate read:
BERBEIGN CITY GUARD TRAINING SECTOR – NO TRESPASSING.
Milly squinted. "No… tres… passing?"
She tilted her head, then smiled innocently. "Well, I'm not passing. I'm staying!"
With a silent hop, she landed inside the field, her boots making the faintest crunch on the gravel.
She rolled her shoulders and stretched her hands out, remembering the crimson spark that escaped earlier that day.
"Alright… that fire thing again. Just… small this time. Like, tiny fire."
A faint glow flickered in her palm.
Then exploded into a column of flame that shot five meters into the air.
She shrieked and flailed backward, hitting the dirt.
"Okay! Okay! Too much tiny fire!"
The flames quickly vanished, leaving a smoking crater and a few scorched dummies. She coughed and fanned the smoke away, glaring at her own hand.
"Let's try that again. You can do this. Focus, Milly. Calm… fire is your friend."
She raised her hand again.
This time, the spark fizzled, then died.
She sighed. "Now it's too small. Great. So I can either make a volcano or a candle."
Unbeknownst to her, the nearby academy dorms overlooked the training field.
A half-asleep student looked out his window, saw a mysterious girl setting dummies on fire, and blinked twice.
"...I really need to stop drinking mana tea before bed," he muttered, and shut the curtain.
Milly sat cross-legged on the ground, took a deep breath, and whispered to herself.
"Okay… one more time. Don't think. Just feel."
The third attempt was different.
The glow rose slowly soft red flames that danced calmly around her hand like a living thing. The fire didn't burn; it pulsed with warmth, responding to her heartbeat.
Her eyes widened in awe. "Oh… I did it."
For a moment, she forgot everything the fortress, her missing memories, even her reason for leaving. It was just her and the quiet night, illuminated by a gentle red glow.
She smiled faintly.
Maybe… she was finally learning something about herself.
In the shadows beyond the fence, a small orb floated Simni's drone again, quietly recording.
And back at the fortress, Simni's mechanical eyes dimmed as she watched the footage.
"She's improving. Faster than expected."
Basei's voice came from behind her. "Of course she is… she always did learn by breaking rules first."