The river was calm that morning, too calm for Kael's comfort. Its surface reflected the pale sky like a mirror, but beneath that stillness, he felt turbulence—echoes of last night pulsing through his veins. The memory of the heat he couldn't control haunted him. Fire wasn't supposed to answer his call. Fire wasn't supposed to exist inside him at all.
He walked along the riverbank, pretending he wasn't searching for her. But deep down, he knew exactly who he expected to see.
And there she was.
Emira stood at the edge of the water, arms crossed, hair blazing despite the soft wind. She didn't look surprised to see him—if anything, she looked amused. "You again," she said, her voice carrying that teasing edge that made Kael's chest tighten.
He tried to act calm, but the river betrayed him. A ripple formed behind him, swirling upward in a slow twist. Emira's eyes darted to it, then back to him. "You're not very good at hiding," she said. "Your element follows you around like a lost puppy."
Kael swallowed hard. "It's not usually like this," he said quietly.
"'Usually' doesn't matter," she replied, stepping closer. "What happened yesterday… that wasn't just water."
Heat rose beneath his skin again, sudden and sharp. He clenched his jaw, trying to suppress it. The air around him shimmered faintly. Emira watched every flicker of his expression like she was studying a rare creature.
"I don't know what's happening to me," Kael admitted.
Emira's smirk softened for a brief moment. "Good," she whispered. "Because I want to know."
Before he could react, she grabbed his wrist. Flames licked around her fingers, harmless yet warm. Instinctively, Kael braced for pain—but the fire didn't hurt him. Instead, it awakened something inside him. The river behind them surged upward, a wave rising unnaturally high.
Emira gasped. "Kael—!"
He released a breath, and the wave crashed down, spraying both of them. Emira laughed breathlessly, the sound crackling like sparks. "You're dangerous," she said. "I like it."
But her expression shifted suddenly. Her gaze moved past him to the trees behind. Kael turned slowly.
A figure stood watching—silent, unmoving. Long blue hair. Eyes like frozen oceans. Expression empty.
Kael felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The girl spoke only one word.
"Kael."
Then she disappeared into the mist as if she had never been there.