Morvane’s heart sank as the distant glow on the horizon beca clearer. The fiery light danced ominously against the dark sky, illuminating his path as he neared his village. When he finally reached the outskirts, the sight before him astounded and horrified him. Flas roared, consuming at least three hos. Smoke billowed into the air, thick and suffocating, as villagers scrambled in panic.
Among the chaos, Baltalahans with water magic worked desperately to douse the raging inferno. Jets of water surged from their hands, striking the flas and montarily halting their advance. Despite their efforts, the fire seed relentless, refusing to be tad.
Amidst the chaos, Morvane’s eyes caught familiar figures. Luna and Esmael stood near the center of the disaster. Luna, her healing aura shimring faintly, attended to a group of injured villagers, while Esmael seed frozen in place, his face pale and stricken.
The realization struck Morvane like a blow. This wasn’t the first ti it had happened. For the second ti, Esmael had lost control of his powers, and their ho — the one place ant to be a sanctuary — was once again engulfed in flas.
Morvane approached cautiously, his voice steady despite the rising panic. "Esmael... what happened?"
Esmael turned to him, his hands trembling and eyes wide with guilt. "I—I didn’t an to... I tried to help, but the fire—" He broke off, unable to finish.
Luna glanced up, her expression a mix of concern and frustration. "We’ll talk later, Morvane. For now, we need to stop this before it spreads further."
The weight of responsibility pressed down on Morvane as he joined the others in the frantic effort to contain the fire. But in the back of his mind, a question lingered — how long could they endure this? How long before Esmael’s uncontrollable fire tore their lives apart entirely?
As the flas began to subside, a man erged from the crowd, his face twisted in anger and grief. His clothes were singed, and his voice carried over the crackling embers. "You!" he shouted, pointing directly at Esmael. "You’re a nace! Even our house was—"
Before he could finish, Luna stepped forward, her expression calm but firm. "Please, don’t be harsh," she said, her voice steady as she tried to diffuse the situation.
The man’s anger faltered for a mont, replaced by visible pain. Tears welled up in his eyes as he cried out, "My child was there! Thankfully, I got to her in ti. But this... this is unforgivable." He turned his glare back to Esmael, his voice sharp and cutting. "You’d better teach your friend not to play with his dangerous power. Next ti, soone might not make it out alive."
Esmael’s face darkened, his shoulders tensing as he clenched his fists. His head tilted downward, but his voice was sharp and laced with frustration. "I didn’t an to do it, you know," he said, his tone defensive yet weighed down by guilt. "Do you think I wanted this to happen?"
The man’s gaze lingered for a mont before he shook his head in frustration and walked away, muttering angrily under his breath.
Luna placed a gentle hand on Esmael’s shoulder, her touch ant to comfort, but he shrugged it off. His breathing was heavy, his emotions bubbling to the surface. Morvane stood silent, watching the tension unfold, unsure how to nd the rift that Esmael’s uncontrollable power had caused.
Esmael’s voice cracked as he suddenly shouted, desperation cutting through the chaos. "My mother was sleeping there! Did you get her?!" His eyes darted frantically toward the burning remains of his house, the flas still raging despite the efforts of the Baltalahans to contain them.
The water mages worked tirelessly, sending streams of water into the inferno, but the fire refused to die easily. Its intensity made it clear that this was no ordinary blaze.
Morvane, unable to hold back his growing concern, stepped closer to Esmael. "Esmael, what are you doing? How did this happen again?" His tone was firm but not accusatory, seeking answers rather than bla.
Esmael turned to him, his face pale and streaked with soot, his eyes wide with confusion and fear. "I... I didn’t know," he stamred. "The last ti I used my power, it was so small. Just a flicker. I thought I had it under control." He paused, his voice trembling. "And then... I tried lighting..."
He trailed off, the weight of his words hanging in the air. The realization that his attempt to use his powers had spiraled into disaster was etched into every line of his face.
Morvane frowned, his mind racing to piece together the situation. "Lighting what, Esmael?" he asked, his tone more urgent now. "What were you trying to do?"
Before Esmael could respond, the roof of his house gave a groan, and part of it collapsed, sending a fresh wave of sparks and flas into the night sky. Esmael took a step forward instinctively, but Morvane grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Don’t!" Morvane said sharply. "The Baltalahans are doing their best. You’ll only make it worse if you go in there!"
Esmael’s body shook, torn between his guilt, fear for his mother, and the realization of how dangerous his powers had beco.
Esmael’s voice wavered as he finally confessed, "I was just trying to light a candle... just a small fla. But then it—" His voice cracked, and he gestured helplessly toward the inferno. "The fla grew too big, and... this happened."
Morvane’s expression darkened as he stepped closer to Esmael. "Do you even hear yourself right now? This is the second ti, Esmael! You’re being careless. Your power isn’t so toy you can play around with!"
Esmael flinched at Morvane’s words, but before he could respond, Luna spoke up from behind them, her tone gentle but firm. "Actually, this is the third ti."
Both Morvane and Esmael turned to her in surprise.
"What?" Morvane asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
Luna nodded, her gaze shifting between the two of them. "The second ti, you didn’t see it, Morvane. You were busy—away from the palace when it happened. I went there myself to check on things. Esmael tried to help with a bonfire for a celebration, but it got out of control." She sighed, glancing at Esmael with a mixture of sympathy and concern. "Thankfully, no one was hurt that ti, but it could’ve been much worse."
Esmael’s shoulders sagged, his guilt deepening as he avoided their gazes. "I... I didn’t an for any of this to happen. I just wanted to help."
Morvane ran a hand through his hair, frustration mingling with worry. "Esmael, wanting to help isn’t enough if you can’t control your power. People could’ve died tonight. Your mother might still be..." He stopped himself, glancing toward the flas as guilt tugged at his own conscience.
Luna stepped forward, placing a hand on Esmael’s arm. "We’ll figure this out, Esmael," she said softly. "But you need to stop using your powers until you’ve learned how to control them. No more risks, okay?"
Esmael nodded weakly, though the pain in his eyes made it clear he was far from convinced.
Morvane took a deep breath, his frustration boiling over. "Esmael, this isn’t just about you anymore! You can’t keep saying ’I didn’t an to.’ People could’ve died tonight—your own mother could still be in there! Don’t you get it? You’re not a child playing with matches. You have powers you don’t understand, and you’re putting everyone at risk!"
Esmael stiffened, his fists clenching at his sides. His gaze, once filled with guilt, now burned with anger. "You think I don’t know that?" he snapped, his voice rising. "You think I want this to happen? You don’t understand , Morvane! You don’t understand what it’s like to have a power that’s more of a curse than a blessing!"
Morvane’s eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Then stop pretending like it’s fine to keep using it when you clearly can’t control it! If you keep this up, you’ll hurt more people—maybe even kill soone!"
Esmael’s face twisted in anger. "You always think you know what’s best, don’t you? But you don’t understand what it’s like to feel this... this fire inside ! It’s like it’s alive, and it won’t stop no matter how much I try to hold it back!"
"Then stop trying to handle it alone!" Morvane shot back. "We’re here to help you, but you keep making excuses and acting like you don’t need anyone. If you don’t change, Esmael, you’ll lose everything—and everyone."
Esmael’s jaw tightened, his emotions warring inside him. For a mont, it looked like he might lash out again, but instead, he turned his back on Morvane. "You don’t know what it’s like," he muttered bitterly. "So don’t act like you do."
He stord off toward the edge of the village, leaving Morvane and Luna standing in the smoldering aftermath. Luna glanced at Morvane, her expression somber.
"You were too harsh," she said quietly.
Morvane exhaled sharply, his shoulders slumping. "Maybe. But he needed to hear it."
Luna frowned. "And did you listen to him? Because it sounded like Esmael’s been carrying this alone for too long."
Morvane didn’t respond, the weight of her words settling heavily on him as he watched Esmael’s retreating figure disappear into the night.
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