The sun had dipped low over Berbeign City, painting the horizon in oranges and purples, when Mila found a quiet alley near the edge of the academy. She knelt briefly, brushing dirt from her sleeves, then stood and focused.
"Alright… let's try this again," she muttered to herself. Her hands glowed faintly as she summoned the flames, careful to keep them small enough not to draw attention.
A small fireball formed in her palm. She flung it forward, "thwack!" it hit the wall and dissipated harmlessly. Satisfied, she tried again, adjusting her concentration.
Then… a sudden surge of heat raced past her side. Mila froze. A dragon-shaped beam, fiery and shimmering, appeared out of nowhere beside her.
"What?!" she gasped, stepping back instinctively. Her heart raced. "I didn't… I didn't do that!"
Her mind spun. The fireball hadn't produced it. Could her flames… be reacting to something she wasn't consciously controlling?
Determined to focus, she summoned another fireball. This time, nothing. No dragon beam, just the flame she controlled with ease.
"Okay," she whispered, crouching to reset her stance. "Stay calm. Just… keep training."
For hours, Mila practiced, each fireball precise and controlled. Occasionally, her instincts would flicker, almost producing the unexpected dragon beam again but each time, she pulled back just in time.
Her breath came steady now, and a small smile formed on her face. "Not bad… not bad at all," she said, the quiet alley echoing her words. "Just… a little more practice, and I'll have it completely under control."
Somewhere deep in her mind, a faint echo of a memory whispered, Milly… this is familiar…but she shook it off. She had a goal now, and it wasn't the past. It was mastery.
And with that thought, she raised her hands once more, flames flickering to life, and threw another fireball with calm, deliberate precision.