Chapter Three — The Lesson
The Weaver's ring looked different when Kael was supposed to be there not unlike when he was just there watching.
Morning light spilled over the training yard, catching on the chalk lines and scorched patches from yesterday's practice. The air was cooler now, the smell of smoke faint but familiar. A few early trainees moved in their own corners, but most of the yard was quiet — except for Arwen Seris.
She stood in the center of the ring, one hand on her hip, the other lazily spinning a small flame over her palm like it was nothing more than a coin. Her braid hung over one shoulder today, tied with a strip of dark cloth. She wore light training armor fitted leather reinforced with flexible plating the kind that hugged close enough to move easily but still turned blades.
Kael stopped a few steps from the ring, suddenly aware of how small he was compared to her. She looked up, smirked.
"You're late," she said.
"It's not even the start bell yet," Kael protested.
"That's late in my book," she replied, tossing the flame into the air and catching it without looking. "Rule one: when your teacher says early, you get here before she does."
Kael frowned. "Did you get here before sunrise?"
"Of course," she said with a grin. "I like to watch the Voidtouched train. They make me feel lazy."
" I'll just asked my parents to build me a camp here so I'll be early" Kael exclaimed
" That would be good.." Arwen jokingly replied.
Darius was leaning on the fence just outside the ring, arms folded. "Don't let her scare you, Kael," he said. "She's just cranky without her morning tea."
Arwen shot him a sideways look. "And here I thought you'd be busy throwing boulders around with the rest of your muscle-head friends."
"Already did that," Darius said with a shrug. "Now I'm here to see if my son burns himself again."
Kael groaned. "You're going to watch?"
"Of course," Darius said. "This is a family event."
Arwen clapped her hands once, drawing Kael's attention back to her. "Alright, firebug. Yesterday you made an explosion. Impressive for a first try, but explosions are messy. Today, we're aiming for a clean flame one you can control."
She stepped closer, raising her hand so the morning light caught on the faint gold shimmer that traced her fingertips. "Veyra flows where you tell it to. The sigil isn't just a shape — it's a path. Draw it wrong, and the Veyra will get confused… and then boom."
"I noticed," Kael muttered.
She smirked. "Good. Hold out your hand."
He did, and she placed her palm lightly over his. Her skin was warm, steady. "Feel that?" she asked.
Kael frowned. "It's… hot."
"That's my Veyra brushing against yours," she said. "Talk to it. Lead it where you want it to go."
"I don't think fire listens to me," Kael said.
"That's because you talk like a six-year-old," she teased, stepping back. "Now — watch."
⸻
She drew the sigil in the air, slow enough for him to see every motion. Loop. Line. Release. The gold lines flared to life, and a sphere of fire appeared between her hands. It didn't flicker. It didn't spit. It just was — solid and warm, like a miniature sun.
Kael's eyes widened. "How do you keep it still?"
"By not thinking about what could go wrong," she said, closing her fingers and letting the flame vanish. "Your turn."
⸻
Kael drew the first two shapes easily. It was the release that betrayed him again — the Veyra in his palm surged forward, and the sphere burst into a short-lived puff that singed the air.
"Better," Arwen said. "Messy, but better."
From the fence, Darius called, "It's rounder than yesterday's disaster. That's progress."
Kael gave him a look. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me," Darius replied. "Thank your teacher for keeping the laundry intact."
⸻
They tried again and again. The first few attempts wobbled or fizzled. Once, the flame shot upward like it was trying to escape, forcing Kael to duck while Arwen laughed.
"Not bad," she said. "If you ever need to light the ceiling on fire, you're set."
By mid-morning, Kael's arms ached, but his control had improved. His last attempt of the day was a small flame, steady enough that it hovered in place for several heartbeats before winking out.
Kael beamed. "Did you see that?"
"I did," Arwen said. "And tomorrow, we'll make it bigger."
⸻
When training wrapped up, Arwen crouched again so they were eye level. "You've got the spark, Kael. That's rare. But fire is greedy. It'll take as much as you give it, and if you're not careful, it'll take more. There are other elements tha you can master, fire is just the start, some people start with wind or water but because of the incident yesterday let us start with it."
He nodded, though her tone made something cold curl in his stomach. "I'll be careful."
"Good." She ruffled his hair. "Same time tomorrow. And if you're late, I'm doubling your drills."
⸻
As Kael left the ring, Darius fell into step beside him. "You did well," he said.
"You mean 'you didn't burn the place down' well?" Kael asked.
"That too," Darius said, smiling — but for just a moment, the smile faltered. The shimmer in his eyes caught the light, too bright for comfort, and his hand tightened briefly on Kael's shoulder before he let go.
Kael frowned. "You sure you're okay?"
Darius blinked, the expression smoothing over. "Always."
⸻
That night, Kael sat on the balcony again, this time with a small, shaky flame hovering above his palm. It wasn't perfect. It wobbled in the breeze. But it was his.
He thought about Arwen's words: fire is greedy. He thought about the brief, sharp grip of his father's hand.
And for the first time, he wondered if some flames didn't burn outward at all — but inward, until they hollowed you from the inside. noy