The soft hum of the flying boat filled the silence as clouds drifted lazily by, lit by the silvery glow of the moon. Ronan sat cross-legged near the edge of the deck, his sword resting beside him, eyes closed in meditation. A faint flame flickered above his palm, gently dancing in the wind but never fading. His thoughts were calm, but a part of him remained alert—an old habit.
"Oi, oi, Ronan!" Sylphie called out, skipping over with a mischievous grin on her face. Her eyes sparkled under the moonlight. "C'mon, make Fira come out! Look what I got!"
She held a few flame cores of different beasts, each glowing with a unique hue. orange and purple flame.
Ronan opened one eye and sighed. "She doesn't listen to words anymore."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sylphie tilted her head.
Before Ronan could answer, Kael had already wandered over, arms folded, curiosity piqued. Garrick and Darius soon followed, intrigued by Sylphie's flame display.
"These are monster cores?" Garrick asked, examining them. "You sure you should be handling these so casually?"
"Relax," Sylphie said. "They're stable ones. But right now, I just want to see if little Fira reacts to them."
Ronan chuckled dryly. "She probably won't. I tried calling her earlier, but nothing."
But the moment the cores glimmered in Sylphie's hand, a sudden warmth stirred in Ronan's chest. A soft light pulsed. To everyone's amazement, a tiny figure emerged—no bigger than Ronan's palm. She floated just above his chest, her hair a flowing cascade of flickering fire, her eyes glowing with gentle curiosity.
"You... you little—" Ronan pointed at her, mock-scowling. "You don't answer when I call you, but now you come out because someone else has shiny toys?"
Fira looked at Ronan, blinked slowly, and without a word, turned and drifted toward Sylphie's hand. She hovered above the flame cores, tilting her head, then gently touched the Orange one. The firelight swirled around her, and her hair subtly shifted to an orange.
Kael let out a breath of awe. "Did she... just express annoyance?"
"She does that a lot," Ronan muttered.
Sylphie, Garrick, and Darius lit up with excitement and moved away from Ronan, eager to play with the little fire spirit. Fira let them gently pass the flame cores around, absorbing their hues and shifting her appearance. Her hair went from crimson to orange, even swirling with dual tones.
Sylphie chuckled, holding her finger up so Fira could perch like a little bird. "And the most interesting part," she added with a grin, "Fira isn't even hot, so she won't burn anything. But she is a little warm to touch."
Ronan remained on the deck, watching them from afar. A hint of a smile touched his lips, but it faded when Kael stepped beside him.
Kael's expression was serious. "Ronan. I want to ask you a few questions. Will you answer honestly?"
Ronan turned, brow furrowed. "Sure. What's going on?"
Kael spoke quietly, his voice barely above the wind. "Other than us, who knows about Fira?"
"Just you four. I thought about showing her to Samantha or Kairos, but like I said, she never comes out when I want her to."
Kael nodded, then asked, "Do you know what Fira really is?"
Ronan shook his head. "I've been trying to figure that out. Looked through the Academy's library. Didn't find anything. Still have a few books left to check. Why? Do you know something?"
Kael hesitated, then asked his final question. "When did Fira first start acting on her own?"
Ronan leaned back and exhaled. "Hard to say. I never told anyone this, but I used to talk to my magic. You know, just... to keep myself boosted when I am angry or sad. I think I first saw her form when I was around Novice Tier Two or Three. Just a little flame, nothing more. But it wasn't until Adept Tier Two that she started taking action on her own."
Kael looked deeply at Ronan. "Then it's true. Fira is the consciousness of your magic. A spirit born from your bond with your magic. I've only read fragments about this—a power said to be granted to those blessed by the gods. I also saw this phenomenon before when I was little.
Ronan blinked. "You serious? I am sure I am not blessed by the gods."
"Dead serious, the 'blessed by the gods' part is just folklore, but I did see this phenomenon," Kael said. "She's still childlike now, but she'll grow. Her intelligence will likely surpass yours one day. And your magic core... it will change with time."
Ronan glanced at Fira, who was now braiding her hair into a flame-colored twist, while Sylphie clapped in amusement.
"Then why hide her?" he asked.
Kael leaned against the flying ship's rail and looked up at the night sky, his eyes darkened by a storm of memories. "Because the world is full of greedy people. This type of magic core can enhance one's magic power beyond common understanding. And I'll tell you why I hate my family so much... why I want to leave the Flamecrest State."
Ronan turned toward him fully, sensing something heavy.
"My uncle," Kael began, "was like you but different. Blessed by the Fire Goddess. He had a spirit like Fira. He was a prodigy and the pride of our family. Then one day, he returned from a mission, barely alive. He'd completed it, but the injuries he sustained... they crippled his ability to use magic. The healers said he wouldn't die, but he might never cast magic again."
Kael's voice tightened with rage. "Do you know what the Flamecrest elders did? They forced him to undergo a forbidden ritual. They extracted his flame core... and implanted it into someone else—another member of the family who 'had more potential.' They tore it from him while he was barely conscious. I was five. I still remember his scream."
A heavy silence followed.
"He survived," Kael whispered. "But he left. Disappeared. We don't know if he's alive or not. And no one in the family even talks about it. They acted like he never existed."
Ronan clenched his fists. "That's... horrifying."
"So now you understand," Kael said firmly. "Fira must remain a secret. Never show her to anyone. Not even us, if it can be helped."
Before Ronan could respond, the others returned. Fira now had swirling Orange and Silver hair, and Darius laughed heartily.
"Why the grim faces, huh? What'd we miss?" Darius asked, nudging Kael.
Sylphie and Garrick followed, giggling from their time with Fira. But the mood shifted when Kael turned to them with solemn eyes.
"I have a request," Kael said. "And I hope none of you will question it. I want you to swear an Oath. Never speak of Fira to anyone. Not even our closest allies."
They froze.
Darius blinked. "An Oath? That's not something you just throw around. If we break it, we could die."
"I know," Kael said. "But Fira isn't just some rare creature. She's a living embodiment of Ronan's magic. If the wrong people find out, he won't be safe."
Sylphie's smile faded. She looked at Fira, then at Ronan. "I didn't know it was that serious... I'll swear."
Garrick followed. "Well, I already like the little flame ball, and I don't want Ronan to get hurt. I'm in."
Darius hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But if anyone tries something like what you said... they'll have to go through me."
Ronan looked at them, his heart heavy but warmed by their loyalty.
But then he stepped forward and said quietly, "There's no need for an Oath. I can trust you all."
Kael turned, his expression stern and commanding. "This is not yours to decide. This is an order, not a choice you can make. Don't make the same mistake my uncle made."
Under the serene night sky, Kael stood still, gazing at the stars before breaking the silence. His voice was calm but heavy with meaning.