Morning inside the Ashvathar estate felt… strange.
Not dangerous.
Not chaotic.
Just aware.
Like the very walls were listening.
Arav stepped into the courtyard rubbing his eyes, expecting another flaming rope or floating fire-orbs. Maybe Meghala hanging upside-down from a tree branch for dramatic effect.
Instead—
The courtyard was empty.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Only Aaryan stood near the training circle, hands behind his back, gaze fixed toward the eastern ridge where the estate boundary faded into a forest line. He didn't turn even when Arav approached.
Sharanya noticed and crossed the courtyard toward them, her footsteps soft but urgent.
"Someone's probing the outer ward lines again," she murmured.
Arav froze.
Aaryan finally turned.
"It's not an attack," he said calmly. "Just… curiosity. The kind that should know better."
Sharanya's lips tightened. "Council?"
"Possibly," Aaryan replied. "Possibly not."
Arav tugged at his father's sleeve. "Did I do something wrong?"
Aaryan knelt, placing a steadying hand on Arav's shoulder.
"No. Your existence is not a crime. But it draws attention. Some benevolent… some foolish."
Sharanya touched Arav's cheek.
"And some who forget this is our home, not theirs."
Arav nodded slowly, heart tight.
---
Before the conversation could go deeper, the air heated—warm first, then shimmering.
Meghala appeared behind them in a flash of Stormflame, hair crackling with faint silver heat.
She stretched lazily.
"Good morning! Who's poking your boundaries this time? Scholar? Elder? A squirrel with ambition?"
Sharanya gave her a look. "Someone with far too much time."
Meghala tilted her head, squinting. Heat gathered faintly around her fingertips, forming a thin blue-white shimmer.
"Mm. Council signature. Low-grade. Someone's trying to sniff resonance particles without stepping foot inside."
She smirked.
"Cowards."
Aaryan didn't deny it.
Arav stared between the adults. "Are they dangerous?"
Meghala squatted to his height, tapping his forehead lightly.
"They're nosy, not dangerous. Think of them as librarians who panic if someone whispers too loudly."
Sharanya exhaled. "Which is why we must stay calm. And careful."
Aaryan stood, his expression steady but edges sharpened.
"We continue as usual."
---
Training Begins
Meghala clapped once.
"All right, little ember. Lesson three."
Arav brightened. "Is it rope-walking again?"
"No."
He dimmed.
"It's cooler," she added.
He brightened again.
She spun her wrist, creating a small flickering flame—except it didn't stay flame. It shifted. Bent. Split. Moved like a thin ribbon of molten lightning.
Arav's eyes widened. "Stormflame…"
Meghala grinned. "A tiny demonstration of your heritage's fastest branch. And before you ask—yes, it is fire. Fire pushed so fast it forgets what shape it's supposed to have."
Sharanya smiled softly. "Stormflame hasn't appeared in generations."
Aaryan added, voice low, "Some believed it extinct."
Meghala flicked her hair. "Extinction is boring. Clearly I am not."
She knelt before Arav.
"Your lesson today: Follow the flame. Not control, not shape—follow."
Arav blinked. "Follow it… where?"
Meghala's grin widened dangerously.
"Wherever it runs."
The flame ribbon shot across the courtyard.
Arav chased after it.
At first, it was fun—like chasing a bright firefly.
The flame zig-zagged, looped, dipped.
Arav ran, laughing—
Until the flame suddenly shifted direction toward a shaded corner.
A distortion shimmered.
A faint pulse echoed from Arav's chest.
His breath hitched.
Meghala's expression sharpened instantly.
"Aaryan—"
"I see it," Aaryan said.
Sharanya was already stepping toward Arav.
But Arav stopped running.
He held his breath.
His inner flame trembled—responding to something else.
Somewhere far away, a crackle of thunder answered.
Not loud.
Not frightening.
Just… there. Like a heartbeat he didn't own.
Arav whispered, "It's him again…"
Meghala didn't speak. Neither did his parents.
Because the flame-ribbon—her Stormflame—unexpectedly curled back toward Arav, as if greeting a familiar friend.
Meghala's eyes widened.
"Well," she murmured. "That wasn't me."
The flame wrapped around Arav's wrist gently, like a warm bracelet, before dissolving into sparks.
Arav stared at his hand.
"What… was that?"
Aaryan stepped forward slowly.
"That, Arav, is resonance."
Sharanya knelt beside him.
"When you awaken strongly, some forces in this world respond. Some are echoes. Some are warnings. Some…"
She exchanged a quiet look with Aaryan.
"…are mirrors."
Arav swallowed. "The thunder boy?"
Meghala folded her arms.
"Most likely. Which means the Council is going to push harder soon."
Arav felt the air grow heavy.
---
SYSTEM NOTICE
[Warning: Host resonance at 2.3%. Unstable parallel signature detected.]
[Emotional-aether stability improving due to repeated exposure.]
[Recommendation: Avoid external observation during future resonance spikes.]
Arav exhaled shakily.
Meghala gently tapped his back.
"Don't panic. This is normal for people like you."
Arav whispered, "People like me?"
Aaryan placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Rare."
Sharanya added, "Brilliant."
Meghala finished, "Annoying to authorities."
Arav blinked. "Annoying?"
"Extremely," Meghala said proudly.
Sharanya rolled her eyes. "She means 'impressive.'"
"No," Aaryan said, "she means annoying."
---
POV — Council Observation Wing
A scholar frowned at the reading stone.
"The distortion pulses again. Low frequency, but unmistakable."
Another scholar adjusted the dials frantically.
"What's causing the interference? It's like someone is suppressing the source."
"Or the source is suppressing itself."
They exchanged uneasy looks.
The Council's worry grew.
---
Back at the Ashvathar Estate
Meghala dusted her hands and grinned.
"All right. Enough tension. Time for Isha to join—"
"ME!"
Isha arrived riding a broom upside-down.
Meghala pointed dramatically.
"Lesson four: never trust gravity."
Aaryan groaned.
Sharanya whispered, "We are doomed."
Arav laughed.
Somehow, the world didn't feel as heavy when they were all together.