The sunset painted the sky in fiery hues as Sai and Tai stood beside Shi, who watched the horizon silently. The air was heavy, filled with the unspoken weight of choices and past battles. Amal sat next to Shi, her gaze distant, lost in her own turmoil.
"The sunset is beautiful, don't you think?" Shi asked softly.
Amal nodded. "Yes… it is."
Shi sensed a shadow of guilt in her posture. "Why, Amal… do you carry such heavy emotions?"
She hesitated. "Master… I don't know why I am strong, yet feel weak. I left…"
Shi's eyes softened. "I won't lie. You are strong—but you carry an emotion that could destroy you if left unchecked."
Amal said nothing.
"My dearest student… what's wrong? What happened?" Shi pressed gently.
Her voice trembled. "Grandpa… this power I have, it's cruel. It reminds me of how I failed to save my master, how I almost let it take over. It could have brought him back… but what hurts more… is that I left the man who showed me everything I needed to see. And I told him… I told him he was a failure."
Shi's expression softened but remained firm. "A lot is said, Amal… but understand this. Power is not cruel. It is only as cruel as the heart that wields it. Your ashes, your strength—they are not curses. They are tools. And tools reflect the soul of the one who uses them."
Amal's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "But what if my soul is already broken?"
Shi shook his head. "A broken soul still beats. A broken soul still hopes. Do you think I, or even Sai and Tai, walk without scars? We all bleed. The difference is whether we rise after the bleeding."
Amal lowered her gaze. "I told him he was a failure. And then… I left."
Shi placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "And yet, here you are. Sitting beside me. Breathing. Confessing. That is not weakness, Amal—it is the beginning of healing. You cannot undo the past, but you can choose what you become tomorrow."
Amal whispered, "But what if he never forgives me?"
"Then you forgive yourself first," Shi said firmly. "If he is worthy, he will see your heart when the time comes. If not, the loss is his, not yours."
The sun dipped fully beyond the horizon, and the first stars emerged. Amal's shoulders felt lighter, though the ash and fire within her still simmered.
"Rest tonight," Shi said. "Tomorrow, you train again. And this time, not just your power. We will train your heart too."
Amal nodded. She still felt the ash swirling inside her, but it no longer felt like chains—it felt like something waiting to be shaped.
As they approached the fire where Sai, Tai, Xei, and Trasam sat, Amal whispered under her breath, "I'll prove it… not to him, not to anyone else… but to myself."
Shi heard her, pride flickering in his eyes.
Far above, the stars burned brighter than usual, as if listening.
Tai, unable to hold back his tears, stepped forward. "That's… so sad." He hugged Amal tightly.
"When did you guys get here?" she asked, startled.
"We've been here from the start," Xei said quietly.
"Wow… Amal, you've grown," Sai added.
Amal blushed. "If any of you tell a soul, I promise… my ashes will be the last thing you see."
"Ashes?" Sai asked.
Shi smiled faintly. "I will tell you when the time comes."
"Master… how do you know about the ashes?" Amal asked.
"I am the greatest fighter known to humanity," Shi said calmly. "And you think I wouldn't know ashes?"
Sai laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. But tomorrow, we're heading out for the next beast."
"Your training is over," Trasam added.
"Master… don't you mean Grandpa?" Tai teased.
Amal turned to Tai, a smirk playing on her lips. "You're the one person I like using my power on without moving."
With a playful gesture, Amal unleashed her power, and Tai tumbled from the mountain, flailing and yelling, as everyone else laughed.