(Kaisel, POV)
I turned 5 this spring. Elira's has kept me on a short leash the past few years but I hope this year I can learn more of the world.
Most people in the estate treated it like nothing special—another year, another Ashencrest child learning to walk the halls without falling. But to me, every day felt like discovering a new world.
Maybe that was because I'd lived a life before this one.
Or maybe the world here was just big. Really, really big.
Four months ago, my little sister was born.
Yunai
Soft hair, bright eyes, and a gentle heat that always reminded me of a warm sunrise. She glowed literally whenever she giggled. I wasn't jealous. I thought it was pretty.
She was sitting on the floor of Mother's sitting room, chubby legs kicking as she tried to grab one of the drifting paper lanterns. Each time she missed, she laughed so brightly the lantern flames swayed toward her like flowers leaning into the sun.
I leaned against the doorway, watching her.
Some days she felt like a tiny sun.
Other days like a wind-up toy powered entirely by joy.
She spotted me instantly.
She shrieked, waving her arms as if trying to launch herself into the air.
I couldn't help smiling. "I'm here. I'm here."
She crawled at high speed across the carpet, bumping into my knee and grabbing my pant leg triumphantly, as if she'd just conquered a kingdom.
Her warmth was gentle. Soft. Comforting in a way that didn't feel like fire at all.
More like… home.
She lifted her arms up, waving them up and down demanding to be picked up, reaching toward me with absolute faith that I would comply.
So, I lifted her into my arms. She immediately curled in like a happy cat, humming against my chest. Being awakened since birth I was stronger than most those twice my age. So, my mother was ill concerned that I would drop her.
Yunai looked into my eyes.
There was no fear.
No hesitation.
No sense that fire could ever harm her.
Just trust.
And something inside me softened — the tight knot I carried around my ribs relaxing.
I whispered a thought.
"System… show me Yunai's status."
A soft chime.
A warm, ember-colored window appeared above her head.
──────────────────────────
[STATUS — YUNAI VON ASHENCREST]
Age: .2
Tier: 1 – [Observer] Rank 1 [Seeker]
Concept: None
Attributes:
Vitality: 1Strength: 1Agility: 1Focus: 1Will: 1
Innate Concepts:
Radiant Spark [Locked]
Innate Traits:
Charming Empathy Those around the user will gravitate toward them in social situationsGrants the user the ability to observe and identify emotions of those around them
Titles:
N/A
──────────────────────────
I skimmed the lines, eyes widening at her absurd Innate Trait: Charming Empathy.
"Of course," I muttered under my breath. "That tracks."
She reached up and poked my cheek. She tilted her head as if asking if I was ok.
"Yeah," I said softly. "You're amazing, you know that?"
She grinned, all tiny teeth and sunshine.
My gaze drifted down the window again, this time to her concept: Radiant Spark
Both harmless, gentle, healing. Much like our Mothers.
So different from mine.
My chest tightened a little.
I had True Fire—a concept that shook the estate at my birth, a flame I couldn't fully control, one that made even the strongest adults wary.
She had warmth.
Light.
Joy.
I pulled her closer without thinking.
"I hope my fire never hurts you," I whispered.
Yunai blinked. Then she pressed her tiny forehead to mine—
a baby's version of a promise she didn't understand but felt anyway.
I closed the status window with a thought.
Some things didn't need numbers or stats to be precious.