The flames snapped and hissed softly, the only sound in the hush of the mountain night. Shadows stretched tall behind them, swaying like guardians in the dark.
Lira watched the sparks float skyward. "I thought the wind would take me," she admitted in a whisper. "For a moment… I almost gave up."
Renkai poked at the fire with a stick, eyes glinting amber in the glow. "But you didn't. That's what matters. Trials don't ask for perfection—they ask for heart."
She tilted her head, his words sinking deep, like roots finding soil.
Thalanir's voice came gently, lower than usual, as if speaking into the quiet of her soul. "Do you know why the mountain tests you? It's not to break you. It's to show you what lies hidden within. Tonight you found your shield. Next time, you'll find something greater."
Lira drew her cloak tighter around her, smiling faintly. "Then maybe… I'm not as clumsy as I thought."
Renkai chuckled, his laugh short and warm. "You're still clumsy. But you're learning."
