By dusk, the forest glowed with the last embers of day.
Elyon stood at the edge of a wide clearing she hadn't seen before - blackened earth, scorched stumps, air thick with the scent of smoke. The faint warmth that pulsed through the soil made it feel as if the ground itself remembered burning.
Roran was waiting at the far end, his crimson cloak stirring in the heat. A great brazier burned beside him, its flames swirling higher than her head.
"Finally," he said when she approached. His voice was rough, like stone dragged across steel. "I was beginning to think the river swallowed you."
"I made it back," Elyon said quietly.
He eyed her for a long moment. "We'll see if you stay that way."
Elyon frowned. "What does that mean?"
Roran's hand moved - quick as a striking snake. Fire leapt from his palm and arced across the air toward her.
Elyon barely had time to throw herself aside. The fire hit the ground where she'd stood, leaving a smoking scar in the soil.
She scrambled to her feet. "What are you doing?!"
"Teaching," he said simply. "Fire doesn't wait for permission."
He raised his hand again, and another burst of flame shot toward her - hotter, faster. Elyon threw up her arms instinctively, and a golden shimmer flared around her like a shield. The fire broke against it, scattering into sparks.
Roran's lips curved in the faintest smile. "Good. You defend. But defense is a coward's refuge."
Elyon's jaw tightened. "I'm not-"
"Then prove it."
He stepped forward, the ground crackling under his boots. Flames curled up from the earth around him, swirling into a cyclone that roared to life.
Elyon could barely see him through the heat. The fire rose like a wall, spinning faster until it closed around her in a circle.
"Roran!" she shouted. "Stop this!"
"Stop yourself," came his voice from the flames. "You want control? Earn it!"
The heat grew unbearable. Elyon's lungs burned. Panic clawed at her throat - then anger followed close behind, sharp and bright.
She thrust out her hand, and a burst of energy shot from her palm, breaking part of the ring. But for every flame she struck down, three more rose in its place.
"You can't fight fire with fear!" Roran's voice roared over the blaze.
"I'm not afraid!" she shouted back - but her voice cracked, betraying her.
The flames tightened around her. The air itself shimmered with heat. Sweat poured down her neck, her heart racing.
"I said," Roran thundered, "you can't fight fire with fear!"
Something in her snapped.
The light that burst from her was blinding - not gold, but white-hot, like lightning turned solid. The flames around her recoiled, shrinking back as though the forest itself had taken a step away.
Elyon's scream turned to a roar as the air exploded outward, scattering embers into the night sky. When the smoke cleared, she stood in the center of a blackened crater, her hair loose, her eyes glowing faintly.
Roran stood at the edge of it, unmoved, though his cloak now smoldered at the edges.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then, he gave a single nod. "Better."
Elyon glared at him. "You could've killed me."
Roran shrugged. "You'd have died if you were weak. You didn't. Lesson learned."
"That wasn't a lesson," she hissed. "That was a test."
"Same thing."
She took a step toward him, fists trembling. "You said you wanted to teach me control, not break me."
"And I did." His tone sharpened. "Control isn't about silence or restraint. It's knowing how far you can burn before you turn the world to ash."
Elyon stared at him - furious, shaken - and yet part of her understood. The power still thrummed in her chest, not wild but steady, a heat that waited for command.
Roran watched her closely. "You've got fire in you, girl. But you're too soft. Fire doesn't apologize."
"I'm not going to become like you," she said.
He grinned, a fierce flash of teeth. "Good. The world can't handle two of me."
For a moment, a flicker of respect passed between them - reluctant, but real.
Roran turned toward the brazier. "Next time, you'll strike first. Until then, don't thank me."
Elyon said nothing. But as she watched the flames in the brazier sway and bow toward her, she realized something - they no longer frightened her.
They answered her.