Morning came. The sparring ring shimmered with tension. The children gathered, eyes wide, each secretly praying to surprise the others with hidden strength.
Selaih stepped forward for her match. Her opponent was Brenn, a boy with untamed fire crackling around his fists.
The clash was immediate. Brenn launched fireballs in rapid bursts, his heat blistering the sand beneath their feet. Selaih dodged, her staff glowing faintly as she chanted words she didn't even fully understand.
The fire roared closer—until suddenly, her staff blazed with a light not of this realm. Symbols, glowing like stars, spun into the air above her head.
The fire dissolved before touching her, scattered into harmless embers.
Gasps filled the yard.
"That… that's—!" one of the older boys stammered, stumbling back.
Selaih's eyes widened as the symbols burned brighter, forming a constellation in midair. Her staff pulsed, no longer wood, but something radiant.
The children whispered a word they barely understood:
"Celestial…"