The night came quietly, wrapping the hill in silver mist. Crickets murmured beyond the wooden fence, but inside Granny's house, the air shimmered faintly with warmth — faint traces of protective runes glowing along the beams.
Aanha sat cross-legged in the courtyard, eyes closed, palms resting on her knees. A small flame hovered above each hand — steady, but trembling slightly, flickering with every uneven breath.
Granny's voice came from behind her, calm but sharp.Granny: "You're forcing it again. The flame doesn't answer to fear".
Aanha gritted her teeth.Aanha:"I'm not afraid."
Granny chuckled softly.Granny:"Then why are your hands shaking, hm?"
Aanha opened her eyes and glared half-heartedly.Aanha:"Because it's fire! It burns everything it touches!"
Granny (smiling):"Only if you believe you're separate from it. You're not the flame's master, child — you're its echo. Let it breathe with you."
Aanha inhaled slowly, then again — this time letting her mind quiet. The trembling softened. The fire steadied. A slow, glowing rhythm began to pulse between her palms, as if it finally recognized her.
Sai, leaning against the wooden pillar nearby, watched silently. The wind curled faintly around him — always ready, always listening.
After a few minutes, the flames dimmed, fading back into a warm ember glow. Aanha exhaled shakily.Aanha (quietly):"…Better?"
Granny (smiling):"For a first try? Not bad. You'll have control soon enough."
Granny turned toward Sai.
Granny:"She's getting stronger faster than expected. You've been keeping her balanced, haven't you?"
Sai just shrugged, eyes fixed on Aanha.
Sai:"Barely. The bond's volatile — too much power at once and it'll tear her apart. She's not ready for open ground yet."
Aanha frowned.
Aanha:"Hey, I'm sitting right here."
Sai (dryly):"Exactly why I'm saying it."
Granny sighed, half-smiling, then glanced toward the back room.
Granny:"Go rest, both of you. We'll need focus at dawn. The wards weaken during morning light — I'll tend to them before sunrise."
Aanha nodded, exhausted. The day's weight pressed down on her as she headed to the small guest room, the flame inside her still softly thrumming.
But even as she lay down, her mind replayed Granny's words — "You're not separate from it." The fire wasn't her enemy… then what was it trying to show her?
Back Room (Later that Night)
Granny sat at her desk, sorting glowing herbs into a small bowl. The faint blue smoke coiled upward like liquid air. Sai stood by the window, gaze fixed outside where the moonlight touched the spirit fence.
Granny (quietly):"She doesn't know about the Houles, does she?"
Sai shook his head.
Sai:"Not yet. She's already terrified of her own power. Knowing she's being tracked through it will break her focus."
Granny:"It's only a matter of time before they catch her scent again. Even the fence won't hold forever. You saw the burn marks outside?"
Sai's jaw tightened.
Sai:"Yes. They're probing the wards already. Someone's guiding them — not just Wraiths. Someone who knows the old marks."
Granny stilled, the calm in her eyes shifting into something darker.
Granny:"Then the Council's remnants are moving too."
For a long moment, the two said nothing. Only the soft hum of the protective sigils filled the silence.
Finally, Sai turned toward the door leading to Aanha's room.
Sai (low):"We'll have to move her soon. Before the next moon."
Granny nodded slowly.
Granny:"Then we train her properly. And pray she awakens the Ember Vein before they do."
The candle between them flickered once — as though agreeing — before dying out entirely.
Night – The Flame Remembers
The wind outside had gone quiet. The forest beyond the fence murmured only with the hum of warding runes. Inside, the small room glowed faintly — a single candle still burning beside Aanha's bed.
Sleep came late, heavy and restless.
Her breath slowed.
And then — the warmth inside her stirred.
The faint ember under her skin flickered to life, and suddenly the dark was gone.
She stood in a hall made of glass and gold.
The ceiling was open to a violet sky streaked with two suns — one white, one faintly crimson.
Aanha blinked, heart pounding. She could feel the heat of her own flame — but it wasn't small anymore.It pulsed through her veins, alive, answering a world she didn't recognize.
Around her, echoes of voices — overlapping, distant, yet familiar — filled the air.
"The line of light must endure."
"She carries both. The balance is not meant to exist."
"Protect her… even from herself."
Her gaze darted toward movement — soldiers in gleaming armor, running past. The air trembled with battle cries, with bursts of blinding energy clashing across the horizon.
And high above, two massive forces collided — one shining like dawn, the other black as eclipse.
The sound struck her chest — like thunder inside her ribs.She fell to her knees, clutching her temples.The heat in her hands burned white-hot.
A woman's voice cut through the roar — gentle, breaking:
"Aanha… my light and my night… forgive me."
The world shattered into fire and ash.
Aanha woke with a gasp, half sitting up. The candle beside her had melted to the base, its flame flickering wild — mimicking the same gold-violet hues from her dream.
Sweat rolled down her neck. Her pulse pounded like she'd run for miles.
She looked down.
Her palms glowed faintly — the fire wasn't gone. It lingered like a heartbeat.
The door slid open quietly. Sai stood there, eyes half-shadowed, holding a small orb that pulsed in rhythm with her glow.
Sai (softly):"...You saw something again."
Aanha swallowed hard, unable to speak for a moment.
Aanha (barely a whisper):"It wasn't a dream this time. I saw… a war. Two lights. And someone—someone called me by my name."
Sai's eyes darkened, but he said nothing.
Granny's voice came from behind him, calm but wary.
Granny:"The seal's breaking faster than I hoped."
Aanha (confused, trembling):"What seal? What's happening to me?"
Granny:"Your flame remembers. It's reaching for what you were before you forgot."
Aanha's breath hitched.
Before she forgot?
Sai stepped closer, crouching beside her. His tone was quiet but edged with urgency.Sai:"The memories won't stop now. Every time you use your power, they'll come stronger. The flame doesn't just burn — it recalls."
Aanha:"Recalls what?"
He hesitated, looking away toward the candlelight.Sai (quietly):"Everything it lost."
Granny touched the doorway rune, and the room dimmed, softening the flame's glow around Aanha's hands.Granny (softly):"Rest for now, child. What's coming needs you steady."
But Aanha couldn't sleep again.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it — the hall of gold, the warring lights, and that broken voice calling her name.
And for the first time, she wasn't sure if she wanted to remember.