The dawn sun crept softly across the village of Namrah, its warm light doing little to thaw the chill that had taken root in people's hearts.
A girl had emerged from the flame — not a child, not an infant — but a young woman, eighteen years old, fully formed, with eyes like molten amber and an aura that pulsed with heat.
Bobby stood beside her by the village well. She watched birds in wonder, sunlight threading through her fiery hair. Wrapped in a shawl, she seemed unsure whether she belonged here… or anywhere.
> ROOP (softly):
"Why does the air feel... different from the dream?"
> BOBBY (gently):
"Because this is the real world. But maybe we can make it feel like a dream again."
Villagers passed slowly, staring. Some nodded with forced smiles. Others whispered behind hands. The fire from last night still haunted them.
---
Inside the Village Council Hut
The council chamber smelled of smoke and nerves. Elder Sarin leaned forward at the head of the table, his weathered hands folded tightly.
> ELDER SARIN:
"She appeared from nowhere. Eighteen. Grown. With flames surrounding her. That's not birth. That's an arrival."
> MAATI (thoughtfully):
"Or a rebirth. The flame didn't just create her... it remembered her."
> JAI (tense):
"You saw what she did. The sky lit up. The trees bent like wind in a storm. What if she doesn't stay calm next time?"
> SARIN:
"She emerged from an immortal fruit! We must be cautious."
> BIRAA (gently):
"But she's with Bobby. He calmed her. He protected us."
> JAI (accusing):
"Or he summoned her. Do we really know what that boy is hiding?"
The room grew cold with silence.
> MAATI (firmly):
"Bobby is not our threat. He's our bridge. And right now, he's the only one Roop trusts."
> SARIN:
"Very well. Watch her. Watch both of them. If danger rises, it must be answered."
---
On the Village Path
Roop walked barefoot beside Bobby, eyes locked on the horizon. Everything was new. The dirt beneath her toes, the rustling trees, the laughter of children... the wary glances.
> ROOP:
"They're afraid of me."
> BOBBY:
"They're afraid of fire. It's burned them before."
> ROOP:
"And you're not?"
> BOBBY (smiling):
"I've lived in the cold long enough."
She looked at him curiously. Then, a flicker — literal and emotional — danced across her palm. A sudden spark.
> ROOP (startled):
"It just... it happened on its own!"
> BOBBY:
"Then we'll learn how to control it. Together."
---
That Night – Inside Bobby's Hut
The flame in the hearth cracked softly. Shadows danced across the wooden walls. Bobby sat sewing an old cloth. Roop stared at the fire, her knees hugged to her chest.
> ROOP (quietly):
"Why did I come out like this?"
> BOBBY:
"Like what?"
> ROOP:
"Eighteen. Not a baby. No memories. No childhood. Just... this body and this strange power. What kind of monster is born already grown?"
> BOBBY (setting down the cloth):
"You're not a monster."
> ROOP:
"I could've burned the whole forest. I still might. I don't even know what I am."
She looked at her hand as faint embers crawled across her skin like veins.
> ROOP (voice trembling):
"What if I was made to destroy?"
> BOBBY (softly):
"Then we'll rewrite the story. One step at a time."
She looked up at him, eyes shimmering.
> ROOP:
"Why do I feel like I already knew you… before I was even born?"
> BOBBY (gentle smile):
"Maybe because you did. Maybe our souls remember things our minds forgot."
She let out a shaky breath.
> ROOP (half-laughing):
"You're either the kindest person I've met... or the craziest."
> BOBBY (grinning):
"Maybe both."
> ROOP (quiet):
"Will you stay? Just tonight."
> BOBBY:
"I'll stay until the flames forget how to burn."
They sat there, two flames — one flickering in the hearth, the other resting in Roop's chest.
Outside, the villagers whispered.
Inside, a bond formed quietly in the shadows — one that would soon decide the fate of planets.