The morning began normally enough—Sharanya directing servants, Isha running around with a spoon like a royal weapon, Aaryan checking barrier nodes with half a frown and full authority.
But Arav knew the moment he woke up:
The aether was in a bad mood.
It buzzed.
Not loudly.
Just… rudely.
Like a toddler poking his shoulder when he was trying to sleep.
He rubbed his temples. "Not today, please…"
Of course, today was exactly the day it would misbehave.
---
Training—Attempt #1
He stood in the courtyard, stretched, breathed slowly—
And the aether rushed in like a friend who didn't understand personal space.
His vision brightened.
Heat curled around his palms.
A small flame appeared.
Good.
The flame grew.
Not good.
It wobbled.
Very not good.
WHOOMF—
The flame expanded in a swirling spiral and shot straight upward like a tiny fire-tornado that hadn't read safety instructions.
Aaryan appeared instantly, hand slicing through the air, severing the excess aether. The spiral collapsed in a harmless puff.
Arav blinked. "I didn't even do anything!"
Aaryan rubbed his forehead. "Son… that's the concerning part."
Isha gasped dramatically.
"Bhaiya became Flame Fountain!"
"No," Arav muttered. "The aether became Flame Fountain. I am innocent."
Isha patted his shoulder solemnly. "You tried your best."
Arav was four, but somehow he felt like a tired parent raising energy problems.
---
Training—Attempt #2
He tried again, focusing harder.
Slow breath.
Gentle pull.
Warmth into chest.
Smooth through arms.
The flame formed—calm, steady, beautiful.
Sharanya smiled proudly—
And then Arav's aether-sight triggered on its own.
The world brightened.
Threads multiplied.
His vision swam.
His balance dipped.
The flame didn't flare this time.
It shrank.
It flickered down into a dim ember, struggling to survive.
Aaryan caught him before he tipped forward.
"Easy. Eyes closed."
Arav obeyed. His breaths came shallow and shaky. The overload lasted only a moment, but it left him pale and irritated.
"I can't control when it turns on," he muttered.
Sharanya pressed her hand over his. "Your body is adjusting. Your sight is ahead of your age. You mustn't force it."
"But it forces itself!" Arav complained. "I'm not even the boss of my own eyes!"
Aaryan coughed into his fist, trying not to laugh.
He failed.
---
Training—Attempt #3 (Disaster Version)
Aaryan stepped back.
"One last try for today. Don't think. Just breathe. Let your body guide the flame."
Arav inhaled deeply.
The aether followed.
But this time… it didn't behave like fire.
It behaved like lightning.
A faint crackle snapped at his fingertips.
Arav's eyes widened.
"Uhhh—Dad?"
Aaryan's head snapped toward him.
"What did you—"
ZAP—!!
A tiny bolt of silver shot out of Arav's hand and struck the training dummy.
The dummy smoldered.
Then the dummy fell over.
Aaryan froze.
Sharanya froze.
Isha applauded.
"Bhaiya learned THUNDER!"
Arav stared at his hand, horrified.
"I DID NOT LEARN THUNDER! It wasn't me! I didn't call that!"
But the truth hit him:
It wasn't thunder from him.
It was… resonance.
Someone else's awakening wavelength had synced with his.
His body was reacting.
The system confirmed it.
[Warning: Resonance fluctuation rising.]
[External entity pulse detected. Source distance: Far.]
Arav swayed.
Aaryan caught him again, but this time the father's face hardened.
"This is getting worse."
Sharanya placed a hand on her husband's arm.
"We knew the world would respond. We knew the other awakening would stir. But at this age… it may be too soon for him."
Aaryan exhaled slowly.
"We'll tighten formation coverage again. He cannot afford a public slip."
Arav sank into Sharanya's arms.
"Why is this happening?" he whispered.
Sharanya stroked his hair.
"Because fate doesn't care how old you are, little flame."
---
— POV: Elder Varun —
Varun reviewed the earlier night's readings and frowned.
Flame surges?
Predictable.
Aether-sight bursts?
Expected.
But resonance spikes matching two separate children?
That was… unrecorded.
"Two prodigies in the same generation…" he murmured. "The world is shifting."
He traced the readings with a fingertip.
One flame signature.
One thunder signature.
Perfect opposites.
Perfect mirrors.
Perfect disasters waiting to collide.
Varun leaned back in his chair.
"I pity the world when these children meet."
---
— POV: Thunder Child —
Lightning danced lazily across the boy's fingertips as he sat alone in his room.
He wasn't practicing.
The lightning came on its own—whenever the flame far away stirred.
He tilted his head, watching sparks crawl across his knuckles.
"It's happening again…" he whispered.
The resonance pulsed.
Like a distant heartbeat that wasn't his.
He smiled—not with arrogance, but with quiet challenge.
"Let's see who grows faster."
---
Back to Arav
That evening, Aaryan gathered the household.
"Flame rooms are sealed. Outer nodes are strengthened. From today forward—Arav does not train alone."
Sharanya nodded firmly.
Guards bowed.
Isha raised her spoon.
"I volunteer as babysitter!"
"No," three adults said together.
Arav lay on the mat later, staring at the ceiling beams.
His body felt like a container filled too quickly.
His thoughts felt too loud.
The world felt too close.
"Resonance," he whispered.
He didn't want competition.
He didn't want danger.
He wanted… peace.
But the flame inside him beat steadily.
And far away, thunder answered again.
The world was no longer quiet.
And neither was Arav's destiny.