The bitter smoke stung Natalia's nose and throat until she coughed uncontrollably. She could hear nothing but the roar of flames.

There was nowhere to run.

"Run, Red!" Her brother's voice cut through.

She stood and cried, rooted to the spot "Lionel, I… I didn't do it. It wasn't me," she lied. If Mum and Dad found out, she would be in huge trouble.

"Nat, come on!" Lionel sounded panicked now.

Through the smoke she found him, face smeared with ash and sweat as he shouldered through burning wreckage. Relief washed over her when he reached her and wrapped them both in a wet towel.

He lifted her easily. "You're safe. You're with me, sis. You're safe."

His face brightened as they reached the door. Then the ceiling beam crashed down.

Natalia gasped as her eyes snapped open. She sat up in her bed, her hospital gown clinging damply to her trembling body.

A dream. Just a dream. A memory that should have stayed forgotten.

Natalia glanced around the room. In the window's amber light stood Eydis, the setting sun at her back. Even behind thick glasses, those piercing amber eyes locked with hers.

Eydis remained by the window, making no move towards the bed. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, picking at the corner of the white sheet. "Have you… have you told them?"

"Colette and Birgit? Gossip isn't my style. Besides, keeping up with messaging apps is tedious." Eydis's voice softened. "You alright, Natalia?"

Natalia gathered herself, or at least, she tried to. "I'm fine."

"Are you?"

Natalia veered off to a safer topic. "Yea… but, I'm just… Tiffany's back. And this time, she has powers."

"I see," Eydis said. "But that's not the only thing weighing on you, is it?"

Natalia flinched. "Aren't you worried? What if she—"

"We'll deal with Tiffany later. Right now, focus. What is it you really want to tell me?"

Natalia opened her mouth, stopped herself, then sighed shakily. "There's something else… something I haven't been completely honest about." Her eyes shimmered. "I just… I need to say it out loud."

"I'm listening," Eydis said softly.

"I wasn't honest about why I hid my abilities." She drew a deep breath and forced herself on. "My power—it wasn't a gift. It was a curse."

"You might think it's stupid. Privileged, even, to say something like that, but—"

"It isn't foolish, Natalia," Eydis said gently.

"It started when I was eight. He saved me, but the flames—" Tears broke free. "They took everything. His football career, his scholarship. I never wanted this. I wanted the people I love to be happy. Instead, I ruined my brother's life."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Eydis crossed to her and brushed away a tear with her thumb. "Family love is a curious thing for one such as me. Logically, he chose you."

"But what if I lose control again? What if I hurt someone I love…again? What if I—"

"Then you learn to control it. Embrace it. It's a fundamental part of you," Eydis whispered, "as essential as breath or heartbeat. To reject it is to deny yourself."

She flicked Natalia's forehead.

"Ow! What the hell?" Natalia yelped, scowling.

"Overthinking leads to wrinkles," Eydis teased, smirking.

"But… what if that's all I am? Just fire and destruction?"

"Fire? Yes, Natalia, you are that," Eydis murmured, unreadable. "Do you understand what magic truly is?"

Natalia shook her head. All this time, hate had blinded her to any deeper understanding. Could she have been so wrong?

"Magic is not bloodline or destiny," Eydis said. "It is not a prize for the good or a punishment for the wicked. It simply is. A mirror that reflects who you are."

Natalia drew in a sharp breath. Eydis grinned. "At least, that is what Tweeter claims."

Lightness bloomed in Natalia's chest. "So you're saying…"

"Let's see. Well, fire burns too hot, jumps into things without thinking, and tends to make a mess."

Natalia groaned. "Wow, just keep going."

Eydis's smirk softened. "But also brave, passionate, and fiercely loyal. Sound familiar?"

"I—Brave?"

"Yes. The girl who stood up to bullies when no one else did. Twice. Nearly lost her life doing it. I think you know who she is."

Heat rushed to Natalia's cheeks, something more than embarrassment. "Thank you." Before she could stop herself she blurted, "Can I hug you? Wait—no, forget it."

"Gratitude received. Physical affection is inadvisable. Praise is a rare currency, and I would not want you greedy."

Natalia let out a tired laugh. "You and your words. Sometimes I wonder… are you secretly ancient?"

"Ancient? How rude. Clearly, you need etiquette lessons, dear handmaiden."

"D-dear what?!"

"Rest now," Eydis said over her shoulder. "I suppose even fire needs to breathe."

Natalia was left with a growing fire in her chest. Eydis was right. Trying to hold her power down was like plugging a volcano.

No more.

She refused to be powerless again. She shut her eyes and reached inward, finding fire not only as a weapon but as an extension of herself, of her will. Strength, loyalty, passion. The flames would be more than destruction.

They would protect.

As heat surged within her, she wondered if Eydis were Gifted, what would her power be?

Light. It had to be light, didn't it?

Eydis flung open the door and nearly collided with Astra, who was apparently deep in a silent strategising session with the wall. Her crimson eyes widened before narrowing with barely concealed irritation.

"Didn't expect to find you practising your brooding warrior pose against the door." Eydis said playfully. "Though, I confess, didn't know you could swing it that way."

Astra looked as if caught between a scowl and the need to question reality.

"Eydis. What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

Eydis shrugged. "Your sword. Is that not the term for deflecting dark energy with a wooden stick? Although a fly swatter might suit that particular gnat."

For a heartbeat Astra looked stunned. Then her arms relaxed. Amusement flickered in her eyes, so brief it might have been a trick of the light.

Eydis blinked. The sight unsettled her. Perhaps not in a bad way; perhaps she simply did not know why.

"Has Natalia woken up?" Astra asked softly. Clearing her throat, she schooled her features back into their usual stoicism.

"Stable, but the healers say she needs rest." Eydis watched tension visibly eased off from Astra.

For all her icy demeanour, Astra cared more than she let on. Defrosting that personality, though? Perhaps an industrial-strength heat lamp and a lifetime supply of therapy hot chocolate would not hurt.

"Doctors," Astra corrected automatically, the word bouncing harmlessly off Eydis' preoccupied mind.

Eydis's gaze returned to the infirmary's glass door, where Natalia sat frozen on her bed.

"Why did she push herself so hard?"

"She cares about you," Astra said. "And the power Tiffany used, it felt…" She frowned.

"You recognised it?"

"It is… complicated," Astra said, and turned away down the hall.

Eydis inhaled and forced down the unease as the duel replayed in her mind, the dark tendril lancing towards Natalia.

Tiffany again. About as surprising as a cockroach infestation in a bakery. At least roaches were easier to exterminate.

Human nature fascinated Eydis. Her social scrolling was not born of boredom alone. Puppy videos were passable, but it was the ocean of humblebrag and ignorance that held her attention.

This world, no matter how many AI filters they slapped on their reality, could not hide the ugliness that mirrored her own. Same old human drama: the powerful trampling the powerless while singing hymns of freedom and democracy. Cute.

Eydis would not be hunted. If Tiffany wanted a fight, so be it. The game was on, and it would end on her terms.

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