Shi sat beside Xei under the whispering trees and said, "Let me tell you a story about your mother, before she vowed to never use the Hell Flames again."
He stared into the distance, lost in memory.
"At the age of six, she got her flame powers. She never trained for them. They just came. And they came like fire sent from the worst parts of the underworld. The flames burned her alive. She screamed day and night for six days straight. I had to leave—search for answers, for help.
"I traveled across kingdoms, climbed frozen mountains, and sailed cruel seas, looking for anything. Until I found a man holding a strange book. Something told me to speak with him, so I asked: 'Why does my daughter feel this pain?'
"He answered, 'Because she has the blood of her ancestors.'
"I shouted, 'But she did nothing wrong! She's just a child!'
"The man agreed. 'Yes, she's a kind child. But the blood is ancient. Heavy. Dangerous.'
"I begged him, 'Help me. Help her.'
"He looked into my soul and said, 'Then recite these words to her: Flames from Hell, why do you burn your master? She held you. You protect her. Flames of Hell, stop burning the child.'
"I thanked the man, told him I had nothing to offer, but I'd return with something in time. He nodded and said, 'I will wait.'
"I ran back home. It took me three days. When I arrived, her screams had stopped—but three flames still clung to her body, burning endlessly.
"I recited the words. The flames vanished. My daughter collapsed, exhausted. Months passed. Then one day, the flames returned—not to hurt her, but to protect her. She found them beautiful. She played with them.
"And one day... she burned our village to the ground. People screamed. Animals died. Our family was destroyed. She was only six. Only I survived. She cried until no more tears could fall.
"That day, she vowed to never use her flames again."
Shi continued, his voice calm but heavy:
"Pain doesn't fix you. Power doesn't fix you. You must fix yourself. Your mother did that. She never forgot what she did. She still believed she was a bad person. But she never let that break her."
Xei looked down. "But I've done worse."
"Xei," Shi said firmly, "you were brainwashed. Your mother wasn't. She killed over a thousand people. And I know\... she heard every scream in her sleep. Every single night. So please... heal yourself. You're close. But still far."
Xei slowly stood. "Master... I will try. And I will succeed."
Back at the lava mountain, Amal had had enough.
"Master!" she shouted, limping up to Trasam. "I'm tired of this training! I'm hurt! I know I've improved, but I can't take this anymore. Please, give me something else."
Trasam raised an eyebrow. "Sure."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Amal said joyfully.
Trasam clapped once. Sai stopped firing. Tai paused.
"You all have improved. I'm proud," Trasam said. "So now, new training. Tai and Sai, you will train together. Share knowledge. Fight each other. Tai, you're allowed to use your true form."
He turned to Amal. "You, Amal, will stay in the Forest of Outcasts. It's known for beast theft, human trafficking, and exiles who eat human meat."
Amal's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
She turned to run, but Trasam caught her with ease and teleported.
With a flick, she was dropped into the forest
At Xei's side of the mountain…
He stood in front of a completed wooden house.
Sweat rolled down his forehead. But he looked stronger—calmer.
Shi walked up behind him.
"Xei," he said, "it's time. Tell me how you got this strong."
Xei's face darkened as he searched his memories.
"In the castle… the king trained me brutally," he said quietly. "He hired knights, martial artists… masters from everywhere."
Shi listened without interrupting.
"They made me run around the entire kingdom for four months. I failed—again and again. But I kept going, and I finally finished."
Xei continued, "Then, they made me work on every farm in the poor villages—helping the people. One farm at a time. It took me three years."
Shi's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
"After that… they sent me into the wild. Told me to live with animals. Be one of them. I stayed four months. I learned how they fought… how they survived."
He took a breath.
"And then… they told me to fight the enemy king's army. Alone. I almost died."
Shi was stunned.
"That's… that's brutal," he said. "But I have a plan."
Xei raised an eyebrow.
"Oh no…"
Shi smirked.
"We'll run around this mountain—four times a day—for two months."
Xei blinked.
"Then we build a full farm right here. One month."
Xei looked suspicious.
"And after that?" he asked.
Shi grinned.
"We move the mountain."
Xei stared at him.
"Wait. What?!
At Amal
Amal looked up.
"He really left me here..."
She clenched her fists. "I'll grow strong here. And when I do, I'll kill him."
Determined, she found the tallest tree, punched holes into its bark, and climbed to the top. There, she made a nest of leaves.
"It's getting dark," she said. "I better prepare for tomorrow."
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Deep in the woods, chaos reigned. Wild beasts and criminals fought.
A bloodied, half-blind beast limped through the brush, looking for shelter. It smelled warmth above.
A hole in a tree.
It crawled toward Amal's hiding place...