The Ashvathar estate felt strangely quiet that morning. Not peaceful—just waiting, like the air itself was holding its breath.
Arav sensed it the moment he walked outside.
The aether looped around him, warm and restless, pushing at the edges of his senses as if demanding attention.
He sighed softly. "If you want to help, then please… behave."
The aether shimmered stubbornly.
Of course it did.
Aaryan stood near the training ground, arms crossed, gaze sharp enough to split stone.
He motioned Arav forward.
"Today isn't about strength," Aaryan said. "It's about quiet."
Arav nodded. He inhaled slowly, letting warmth settle inside his chest.
A small flame appeared on his palm—steady, obedient, almost gentle.
Aaryan's expression eased.
"You're improving."
Arav felt a tiny spark of pride.
But then a faint gust of cool air brushed his cheek—harmless, barely there.
His body reacted before he could think.
Aether surged.
The flame wavered.
The air bent.
Grass around him tilted inward as if bowing.
Aaryan moved instantly, placing a hand on Arav's shoulder.
"Break it. Now."
Arav exhaled shakily.
The distortion slipped away.
He hadn't been scared.
Not angry.
Not excited.
Just… surprised.
And surprise was enough to trigger a distortion.
Sharanya approached, worry softening her features. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," Arav murmured. "I don't want to be dangerous."
"You aren't," she said gently. "You're unstable, not unsafe."
Isha marched over and dropped a crooked flower crown on his head.
"Bhaiya is Flame King!"
Arav groaned into his hands. "Please stop making titles…"
Sharanya laughed softly and kissed his forehead.
"Then be the king of control. It suits you better."
Before Arav could respond, a guard hurried across the courtyard.
"Patriarch! A representative from the Talon Caravan seeks an audience. They claim it concerns… signs seen in the sky."
Aaryan's expression hardened.
Sharanya froze for a breath.
Arav felt something twist inside him.
Aaryan turned to him. "Stay close to your mother."
He didn't say it loudly. He didn't need to.
Aaryan met the traveler in the reception hall. The man bowed deeply.
"Lord Aaryan… three nights ago, we witnessed twin pillars of light rising in opposite directions. One flame. One thunder. The sky trembled. Even beasts fled. We traced the flame to this region."
Aaryan's eyes darkened.
"When twin lights appear," the traveler continued, "the world always shifts."
Aaryan dismissed him with a nod, but his jaw remained tight.
So the signs were spreading.
Rumors would travel.
Curiosity would grow.
Too soon.
Far too soon.
Meanwhile, Arav practiced again under Sharanya's guidance. Her hands lightly rested on his shoulders.
"Slow breath. Don't command the flame. Invite it."
Arav inhaled.
The flame formed—warm and calm.
But a whisper of thunder rippled across his senses from somewhere far away.
Barely a flicker.
Yet enough.
The flame rose suddenly, becoming a thin vertical column bright enough to peek over the courtyard wall.
Sharanya reacted instantly, closing aether around it and dimming its glow.
Aaryan arrived a heartbeat later, suppressing the flame completely.
Arav stared at his hand, trembling.
"I didn't do that…"
"You reacted," Aaryan said quietly. "Thunder stirs. Your flame answers."
Arav's chest tightened.
"I don't want to answer."
Aaryan held him firmly. "Then we teach your flame to ignore the world."
—
POV: Thunder Child
The boy paused mid-practice as lightning rolled across his fingertips.
A warm pulse touched his chest—familiar, distant.
"…He answered me?"
Lightning curled around his palm.
He smiled with bright curiosity.
"What are you doing over there, flame?"
—
Back at the estate, night settled gently. Arav sat on the grass, holding a quiet flame between his hands.
"You're not my enemy," he whispered to it. "But you need to calm down."
The flame flickered softly—as if listening.
"I'll learn," he whispered. "For my family. For me. So I don't scare anyone."
The system chimed in his mind.
[Emotional clarity detected.]
[Control affinity increased. Synchronization improved.]
Arav exhaled.
The world was loud.
The rival was rising.
Rumors were spreading.
But he had decided—
He would master himself.
Before the world made that choice for him.