Night had fallen over the forest, quiet and cool. Stars glittered above the trees while the wind rustled gently through the leaves. The fire crackled in the center of their small camp as Rael let himself drop onto the grass with a long sigh.
"How much longer till we get to Kathelyn?" he asked.
Sela, unrolling a thick blanket from her pack, replied casually, "About a day or so. If we keep the pace tomorrow, we'll make it."
Rael blinked as she laid the blanket down. "Wait—where'd you get that?"
"From the carriage. Duh." She flopped onto it.
"I never got one! The heck?" Rael muttered.
Sela smirked. "You've got fire powers. Warm yourself up, silly."
Rael muttered something under his breath and laid on his back. After a moment of silence, he sat up, clearly restless.
"Nadia, small question."
She looked over at him. "Yeah?"
"What's your constellation?"
Nadia tilted her head slightly. "Why are you asking?"
Rael shrugged. "I don't know, really. I'm bored. And I kinda wanna spar."
Nadia hesitated, then said, "Ignara."
Rael blinked. "What's that?"
Sela chimed in, eyes half-lidded. "It's the constellation of fire. Same as yours."
Rael's eyes lit up. "Really? No way. That's awesome! Nadia—wanna spar?"
Nadia looked unsure at first, but slowly stood up. "Fine."
Rael grinned and jumped to his feet. "Alright, give us some room."
Sela stepped aside, arms folded, watching with an amused look.
Rael cracked his knuckles. "I've been trying something new."
Flames swirled around his arms, forming crude fiery gauntlets around his fists. Before Nadia could even brace herself, Rael vanished—appearing behind her with a burst of flame and swinging.
Whack!
Nadia spun and kicked him straight in the face before he could land the blow. Rael hit the ground with a groan.
He sat up, rubbing his cheek. "Dude... what was that?? Have you ever fought before?"
Nadia exhaled, slightly flustered. "Not really."
Sela just sighed.
Rael stood and walked back over, rubbing his face. "Okay, serious question—do you even know how to use your fire?"
Nadia looked down. "No... I never had anyone to teach me."
Rael folded his arms. "Then how do you know your constellation?"
"I used it once, but I haven't been able to control it since."
Rael sat down cross-legged, motioning for her to sit as well. "Okay. Sit. Breathe. The flame isn't something you yank out of yourself. You call it. Feel it. It's already part of you."
Nadia tried, closing her eyes and focusing—but nothing happened.
Rael frowned. "Alright, I suck at this. Sela?"
Sela walked over, raising a hand with a light sigh. A small flame bloomed in her palm—soft and calm, like a flickering candle.
Nadia's eyes widened. "Yours is... gentle."
Rael muttered, "Yeah, not flashy like mine."
Then he turned to Sela with narrowed eyes. "Wait, how do you have fire powers? I thought your constellation was Earth or something."
"It is," she replied. "Ignaterra."
Rael blinked. "That doesn't explain anything."
Sela rolled her eyes. "Ignaterra is the daughter of Ignara and Gairos. Fire and Earth. So I can use both."
Rael squinted. "So like... a dual element?"
"Exactly," Sela said. "But my fire isn't as strong as yours, because I wasn't chosen by Ignara directly."
Rael let out a low whistle. "Still cool."
Rael turned back to Nadia. "Alright. One more time. This time, don't force it. Don't imagine a flame—just feel it already there. Let it rise."
Nadia nodded slowly, closing her eyes once more. After a few seconds, a faint warmth appeared on her fingertips. A tiny flicker—like the beginning of a spark—danced briefly in her palm before fading.
Rael smiled. "There it is."
Nadia opened her eyes, surprised. "I... I did it."
Sela nodded, crossing her arms. "You've got it. Just keep practicing."
The fire crackled gently beside them as the forest night wrapped around their camp. And for the first time in a while, they all felt the beginnings of something more, a little bond of flame.