The cafeteria buzzed around me. Students laughing, arguing, practicing quirks quietly — it felt normal. Almost peaceful. Almost.
Taiyashè was halfway through his sandwich when I noticed the boy and girl at the next table. They were arguing again. Sparks and ice threads flickered across the table, harmless but noisy.
I frowned. School.Order.Focus.
"Stop fighting," I muttered under my breath, barely louder than a whisper. "You're in school."
I didn't even mean it. It was just… a thought.
And then, almost instantly, the arguing stopped.
The boy froze mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open. The girl blinked rapidly, her ice threads wiggling and retracting. Both glanced at each other, confused, then slowly gathered their trays and sat down — at different tables.
Silence hung around them for a moment.
Taiyashè nearly choked on his food. "Did… did you just—?"
I shook my head. "I… I don't know. I didn't do anything. Right?"
But my hands tingled faintly. Warmth, not fire. A subtle pull. Something I couldn't explain.
The boy mumbled quietly, "Why… why did we… stop?"
The girl shrugged, still confused. "I… I don't know…"
I blinked. Heart racing. Fire sparked faintly in my palm, almost reflexively, but I clenched my fist to hide it.
Taiyashè leaned closer. "Ren… what did you just—?"
"I… didn't do anything," I said again, but my voice sounded uncertain, even to me.
A part of me… a tiny part… wondered.
Could it be the other thing?
I shook my head. No. Just coincidence. They probably realized it wasn't worth arguing in front of everyone.
But deep inside, something hummed quietly. Observing. Waiting.
Lunch continued around us. Conversations resumed, laughter returned, and sparks flickered again — normal. But I couldn't shake the thought.
I said something. And they listened. Without question.
Something inside me was changing. Something inside me… was stronger than I realized.
And for the first time, I wondered:
What exactly can I do?