Morning in Emberveil always carried a soft glow, as if the entire city rested atop sleeping embers left behind by a primordial flame.
Light filtered across the stone paths, catching on fire-etched murals and drifting through hovering aether lamps that dimmed with the rising sun.
Arav walked between his mother and Isha, his fingers tucked securely into Sharanya's warm hand. On his other side, Isha bounced with the chaotic energy of a moonbeam that had escaped its orbit.
"Look! Look! That building is glowing!" she chirped.
"It glows every day, Isha," Sharanya replied gently.
"I know! But today it's glowing extra."
Arav smiled despite the unease quietly humming beneath his ribs.
The moment they passed through the Ashvathar estate gates, Emberveil City opened before them—a vast sprawl of flame-kissed stone architecture shaped in elegant curves. Aether lamps hovered lazily, giving the streets a gentle orange hue. Vendors wheeled carts through the lanes while scholars hurried toward the Academy spires.
Aetherians in light flame armor practiced morning drills in open yards; others tended to firesmith forges or prepared for their Rift patrols. Every structure, every person seemed to pulse faintly with fiery aether.
But Arav's attention wasn't on the city's beauty.
It was on the distortion.
A subtle wobble in the air.
Like reality hiccuping.
Again…
It's happening again.
Sharanya looked down. "Little flame? You seem distracted."
Arav hesitated. Before he could answer, Isha leaned so close her nose nearly touched his cheek.
"Bhaiyaaaa," she whispered dramatically, "the air feels funny."
Arav froze.
She felt it too.
That wasn't good.
A soft system chime echoed behind his eyes.
[Aether Disturbance Detected.]
[Source: Rift residue — 40 meters.]
[Warning: Host proximity may trigger Reality Recoil.]
Great.
Perfect.
Exactly what he needed on a peaceful outing.
---
As they rounded the next corner, the source came clearly into view.
A controlled Rift stabilization zone.
A narrow plaza ahead was marked by a shimmering pillar of pale light, fluctuations rippling through it like a heartbeat out of rhythm. Four armored Aetherians stood around it in tight formation, ash-steel armor humming with embedded runes.
The formation beneath them pulsed, stabilizing the Rift's dormant residue.
Sharanya paused mid-step; her posture shifted subtly—protective, alert.
Isha tugged her mother's sleeve. "Mama… the wobbles are VERY loud here."
Arav's chest tightened.
A guard turned his head toward them—
And the pillar flickered violently.
Aether pulsed outward in a silent shockwave.
A banner hanging above a shop fluttered without wind. Pebbles rattled across the street. Even the aether lamps overhead dimmed briefly.
The guard captain barked,
"Stabilize the resonance!"
Runes flared.
The pillar steadied.
The ripple faded.
Sharanya instantly shifted directions.
"We're taking another route."
Her voice was calm, but her aura wrapped around both children like a shield.
Arav didn't argue.
He didn't trust his own presence here.
---
The Emberveil Market was a vivid chaos of color and sound—vendors shouting offers for ember-apples, rune-artists weaving flame shapes into the air, sizzling street foods radiating spicy warmth.
Isha gasped at everything.
Which only added to the chaos.
"Mamaaa! That aunty made a bunny out of flames!"
Indeed, a street performer waved her fingers, shaping a small flame-bunny that hopped across her palm.
Until it turned its head.
Toward Arav.
Its fiery ears drooped unnaturally.
Its little body frozen mid-hop.
The performer blinked. "Eh? Why did it—why did you stop? Oi! Don't embarrass me right now!"
Arav looked away, pretending he didn't exist.
I swear I didn't do anything… probably…
Sharanya certainly didn't believe that.
---
At a fruit stall, Sharanya examined ember-apples while the vendor—a plump man with extremely expressive eyebrows—bowed repeatedly.
"Lady Sharanya! Special discount today—for the little moon and the young master!"
Isha gasped. "Uncle, your apples glowed at me!"
The man blinked. "…They did?"
Arav suppressed a smile.
Isha had two modes:
1. Adorable
2. Chaotic Adorable, Supercharged Edition
The vendor turned toward Arav.
"And you, young master? Want to try a—"
A sudden thump interrupted him.
A fiery pear rolled off the counter, bouncing away.
"Aiyyo—come BACK!" the vendor shouted, lunging after it.
Sharanya reached out to help.
Arav instinctively extended his small hand—
And reality bent.
Aether warped around him in a tight ripple.
The rolling pear froze mid-bounce.
Shadows twisted sideways like someone tugged at them.
Isha squeaked and clutched his arm.
"Bhaiya! Your flame did a boing!"
Sharanya inhaled slowly.
Too slowly.
Arav jerked his hand down.
The pear resumed its path and slammed into a crate.
The vendor, still chasing runaway fruit, noticed nothing.
Sharanya, however, noticed everything.
Her voice was soft. Which meant dangerous.
"Arav. Come here."
He obeyed immediately.
"We're going home," she said warmly—warmly in the way that meant there will be no discussion.
Isha widened her silver eyes.
"Are you gonna explode, bhaiya?"
"No."
"You BETTER not," she declared. "My moon can only fix small explosions."
Arav groaned internally.
---
On the way home, Isha hummed moon songs and swung their hands together. Each note from her seemed to smooth the jagged friction in his chest.
Sharanya walked beside them, still smiling but watching him far too closely.
Finally, she stopped and knelt to meet his eyes.
"Arav," she murmured, "are you feeling different today?"
He hesitated.
He couldn't lie.
He couldn't tell the truth either.
So he said the only honest thing he could.
"I'm… trying to understand it."
Sharanya's expression softened—not because she understood, but because he was trying so hard to.
She placed a warm hand on his cheek.
"We will understand it together."
Isha immediately tackled him in a hug from behind.
"I'll moon-fix you always!"
Arav laughed—a real, light-hearted laugh.
For a heartbeat, the distortions felt far away.
A system chime echoed faintly.
[Host's emotional stability improving.]
[Moon Spirit presence — Reality Recoil dampened.]
Arav looked at his little sister.
You really
are my miracle.
They reached the estate gates.
But far above, beyond the layered skies of Astraeon, something ancient flickered—slow, amused, attentive.
The Origin Flame had begun to notice him.
Whether Arav was ready or not.