The forest was still dark when Ember led Ash deeper between the trees.
Dew clung to the leaves, and a faint mist curled along the ground—a quiet veil hiding the danger of what was about to begin.
Ash followed her silently, every step echoing the weight of the choice he had made.
1. Ember's Training Ground
They arrived at a small clearing illuminated by faint, floating sparks—embers drifting in the air like fireflies.
Ash felt them before he saw them—each one humming with the same warmth he had felt inside himself.
"Your training begins here," Ember said, stepping into the center of the clearing.
Ash crossed his arms, trying to steady the nervous energy thrumming in his chest.
"Alright," he said. "What do I do first?"
Ember looked at him with a faint smile, almost amused.
"First? You learn how to breathe again."
Ash blinked.
"That's… seriously your first lesson?"
"Yes," Ember replied. "Because your breathing is what controls the flame.
If your mind is chaotic, the fire will be chaotic.
If your heart wavers, the flame will lash out."
She gestured to his chest.
"The Ashen Veins respond to emotion. Not commands."
2. Breathing Fire
"Sit," Ember instructed.
Ash dropped to the ground, folding his legs.
Ember knelt across from him, palms resting on her knees, posture rooted like a steady flame that refused to flicker.
"Close your eyes," she said quietly.
Ash did.
"Now… find the fire in your chest."
At first he felt nothing—only his own uneasy heartbeat.
But then, a faint warmth pulsed under his ribs.
Not painful, not violent—just present.
"There," Ember whispered. "Hold onto that feeling."
Ash concentrated, letting the warmth spread.
Then suddenly—
A surge of heat shot through his body.
Ash gasped, eyes snapping open.
A ring of fire had burst from beneath him, circling outward before dying into sparks.
He stared at the scorched dirt.
"…I didn't mean to do that."
Ember raised an eyebrow.
"Which is exactly why we start with breathing."
3. The Flame Listens
She extended her hand.
"Give me your palm."
Ash hesitated but placed his hand in hers.
Her touch was warm—not hot—but filled with a steady, controlled energy.
"Breathe with me," Ember said.
They inhaled together.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
The fire inside Ash followed the rhythm—slowly syncing with Ember's calm pulse.
For the first time, it felt like the flame wasn't fighting him.
Ember opened her eyes and looked straight into his.
"See? The flame listens when you listen to yourself."
Ash let out a low, shaky sigh.
"Is that… all it takes?"
Ember smiled faintly.
"It's the beginning. Not the end."
4. The Pulse of the World
She stood and motioned for him to follow.
"There's something else you need to feel before you can truly control the Ashen Veins."
Ash stood, brushing dirt from his pants.
"What's that?"
Ember lifted her hand, and the drifting embers around the clearing began to orbit slowly.
"The world's pulse."
Ash frowned.
"The… what?"
Ember stepped closer to him, placing two fingers lightly over his heart.
"Your flame is not separate from the world around you.
It's part of a greater rhythm.
If you learn to feel it… you'll never lose control again."
Ash swallowed.
"Alright. Show me."
Ember's expression softened—approval mixed with something deeper.
"Close your eyes," she whispered.
Ash obeyed.
The forest wind brushed past him.
Leaves rustled.
The embers hummed.
And beneath it all… something faint.
Something ancient.
A pulse.
Not his own.
Not the flame's.
But the world's heartbeat.
For the first time, he felt it.
His eyes flew open.
"I… felt something."
Ember nodded.
"Then your real training can finally begin."