Morning came with the smell of roasted barley cakes and the sound of Temir screaming.
Ayisulu jolted awake, nearly tripping over her own blanket as she rushed outside the tent.
"What happened? Bandits? Spirits? Giant wolves?"
Temir pointed dramatically at Arslan and Erlan, who were circling each other like two big cats that desperately wanted a nap but also wanted dominance.
"They're TRAINING!" Temir wailed. "At dawn! For FUN!"
Kanykei sipped her morning tea, unimpressed. "This is foreplay for men. Let them tire each other out."
Kereg made a suffering sound. "I preferred the bandits."
On the training ground, Arslan dodged Erlan's strike with the calm irritation of someone who'd been doing this for an hour already.
"You're too tense," Arslan said.
"You're too opinionated," Erlan shot back.
Ayisulu groaned. "Are you two STILL arguing?"
Both men froze instantly — like deer caught doing something embarrassing.
Arslan stood straighter. "We were… training."
Erlan nodded stiffly. "For your protection."
Ayisulu crossed her arms. "I didn't ask you to duel each other into the afterlife."
Temir raised his hand. "I DID. I want to see who's stronger."
Kanykei cuffed him. "Stop fueling the apocalypse."
Bair, already writing furiously, whispered, "Two warriors clashed at sunrise, their hearts ablaze not with hatred—but with unspoken desire."
Ayisulu glared at him.
"Bair, if you turn my life into romance poetry again, I'm—"
But she didn't finish.
Because a sudden pressure rippled through the air, brushing against her skin like a cold shiver. Her breath hitched.
She looked toward the northern horizon — a swirl of dust, thin but ominous.
Something was coming.
She didn't know what.
She only knew it wasn't good.
Arslan stepped beside her immediately. "Ayisulu? Did you sense something?"
Erlan moved closer as well. "Is it the Falcon's men?"
Ayisulu swallowed. "Not men. Something else."
The wind rustled around them, almost impatiently.
Kanykei frowned. "You're glowing."
Ayisulu blinked. "I'm what?"
Erlan's eyes widened. "She IS glowing. A little. Around the edges."
Temir gasped. "SHE'S TURNING INTO A SHAMAN! AYISULU, CAN YOU SUMMON FOOD? PLEASE SUMMON FOOD."
Ayisulu ignored him, focusing instead on the strange pull in her chest. It wasn't danger. It was… a request. Almost like the land wanted her attention.
"I think…" she whispered, "I'm supposed to practice."
This was met with immediate disaster-level reactions.
Arslan: "Absolutely not alone."
Erlan: "Definitely not unsupervised."
Kereg: "I already feel a headache."
Kanykei: "I'll start digging a shelter."
Temir: "CAN I HELP??"
"No," five voices said at once.
Ayisulu pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. But somewhere quiet."
They walked to a small valley bordered by tall grasses and scattered stones — a natural amphitheater. Ayisulu stepped into the center, inhaling deeply as the air thickened with potential.
"Okay," she murmured. "Just breathe. Just focus."
Everyone else watched like she was handling a bomb.
Ayisulu raised her hands slightly. Wind gathered around her fingertips, soft and shimmering.
Good. Calm. Controlled.
She exhaled, letting the energy expand outward.
A breeze stirred the grass.
A soft ripple flowed through the valley.
Then—
Temir sneezed.
The wind EXPLODED.
Grass bent backward. Dust spiraled. Arslan grabbed Ayisulu before she flew into the sky. Erlan grabbed Arslan. Kanykei grabbed Temir's collar as he began floating.
Ayisulu's panic surged. "NO, NO, NO—STOP!"
The wind dropped instantly.
Everyone fell in a heap.
Arslan landed on his back with Ayisulu sprawled across his chest.
Erlan landed half on Arslan, half in the grass.
Temir landed face-first into Kereg, who made a noise like an insult and a prayer combined.
Ayisulu's face turned red. "I… I didn't mean for THAT to happen."
Arslan, still holding her tightly, whispered, "You didn't hurt anyone. That's what matters."
Erlan coughed. "Speak for yourself."
Kanykei dusted her clothes. "Well. At least we know her power works."
Temir waved from the ground. "AYISULU, THAT WAS AMAZING! CAN YOU TEACH ME TO FLY??"
"No," everyone answered again.
Ayisulu pushed herself upright, cheeks burning. Arslan's hands lingered on her waist a moment too long before he forced himself to let go.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she whispered.
Their eyes met — too close, too intense.
Erlan cleared his throat very loudly. "She is VERY okay. No need to hover."
Arslan didn't break eye contact. "I'm not hovering."
"You're absolutely hovering," Erlan muttered.
Ayisulu stood up quickly before they started comparing sword sizes or whatever men did instead of talking about feelings.
She brushed dust from her sleeves and looked toward the horizon again.
The pressure in her chest had faded… but not completely.
Her power was waking.
Her destiny was pulling tighter.
And the Falcon was getting closer.
But when she glanced at Arslan — still watching her with a fierce protectiveness he didn't bother hiding — and then at Erlan, tense but determined at her side…
She didn't feel as afraid.
Maybe because she wasn't alone anymore.
Or maybe because she finally understood what the spirit meant.
Her heart would guide her power.
And that was the scariest part of all.