Ava's chest rose and fell as she stood at the edge of the ancient circle
The training to master her powers begins today.
This was it. No more hiding behind Dante. No more pretending her bloodline didn't come with danger. Today, she would start learning what it meant to be magic-born.
I feel like I'm about to be set on fire," Ava muttered.
Dante smirked beside her. "You might be."
She gave him a flat look.
Across the field stood her instructor— named Selene, Her eyes scanned Ava like she was a cracked puzzle waiting to break completely.
Your magic is untrained," Selene began, "That makes you volatile. Which means—if you're not careful—you'll kill yourself. Or worse, someone else."
Magic is a current," Selene said, circling her. "Your emotions feed it. If you're afraid, it will be wild. If you're distracted, it will be useless. And if you try to lie to it—"
"It will destroy me," Ava finished.
Selene arched a brow. "Good. At least you understand the implications of what you are going into."
Okay. So what's first? Levitation? Mind reading? Fireballs?"
"Breathing."
Ava blinked. "Seriously?"
Selene nodded. "All magic begins with presence. Breath. Intention. You control the spell—or it controls you."
For the next hour, Ava focused on pulling energy from within. It sounded simple.
It wasn't.
She envisioned fire. Nothing.
She tried again. A spark flared—then roared into a flash of heat that scorched the training dummy beside her.
Dante casually stepped in and smothered the flames with his cloak. "That went well."
Ava's face turned crimson. "I'm pretty sure I just invented magical arson."
"Try again," Selene said flatly.
"I am trying."
"Then try better."
By her sixth attempt, Ava had accidentally shattered a moonstone, set her own sleeve alight, and caused the ground to rumble like an earthquake. Her magic wasn't soft or controlled—it was loud, angry, and bursting through cracks she didn't even know she had.
Her breaths were uneven. Her hands shook.
"I can't do this," she muttered.
Selene walked over and leaned down, "No one born for power ever starts by being ready for it. I might not believe in you but I believe in the goddess and I know she never makes mistakes, she chose you for a reason. You have to let go of whatever is holding you back and stop running from what made you. You were given this power because only you can control it. Allow the magic flow through you."
Ava looked down at her hands. They were still shaking, but when she called the flame this time—it came.
It flickered in her palm, dancing softly.
Dante exhaled behind her, voice low with awe. "There she is."
Later, as she sat alone beneath the silver lanterns of Umbra, Ava watched the flame hover above her open hand
And it felt like—for the first time in a long time—something finally made sense.