Volume 43
Writer: Sabbir Ahmed
Chapter 6: Learning the Fire Within
The outpost was hidden deep within the ravine walls, carved into the stone like it had grown there naturally.
Lina stood in a wide cavern lit by crystal lamps, their soft glow reflecting off carved symbols along the walls. She hadn't slept much since arriving. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the pendant pulse—waiting.
"Again," Kael said.
Lina clenched her fists and took a steady breath. She focused inward, searching for that pressure she'd felt since the Rift opened. At first, there was nothing. Just fear. Doubt.
Then warmth.
A faint silver light flickered around her hands before sputtering out.
She groaned. "I almost had it."
"You did have it," Kael replied calmly. "You just tried to force it."
Across the cavern, an older woman watched silently. Her hair was streaked with gray, her posture straight and unyielding. This was Mira—the outpost's keeper, and far more intimidating than Kael.
"Power doesn't answer commands," Mira said. "It answers understanding."
Lina swallowed. "So what am I supposed to do?"
Mira stepped closer and gently tapped Lina's chest, right above the pendant. "Listen."
They trained for hours.
Mira taught Lina how to feel the energy without letting it surge wildly—how to guide it like a stream instead of breaking a dam. Lina learned to create light without explosions, to push without burning herself out.
It was exhausting.
At one point, Lina collapsed to her knees, shaking. "What if I lose control again?"
Mira knelt beside her. "Then we teach you how to recover. Fear is not failure."
That word—fear—settled differently this time.
On her final attempt, Lina closed her eyes and thought of Greyfen. Of her mother. Of the sky tearing open.
The light bloomed.
Soft. Steady. Obedient.
A thin silver shield formed in front of her, shimmering but solid.
Kael let out a low whistle. "That took me months."
Lina stared at the shield, stunned. "I did that?"
Mira nodded. "And you'll do more. Much more."
But her expression darkened. "Which is why the Hunters will not stop."
The shield faded, leaving Lina standing taller than before—still afraid, but no longer helpless.
Somewhere far above the ravine, the world shifted.
And Lina's training had truly begun.