Fire and darkness.

I’ve screamed, but my voice doesn’t exist here, and at some point, I’ve given up. There’s no use in fighting the pain. Instead, I stop moving, and I try to think of anything else, but my fuzzy thoughts keep drifting back to it.

The first sense to return is a comfortable warmth embracing me, friction against my prickly skin. Then the crawling sensation spreads through everything, but I focus on that warmth. The burning and the prickling spread all through me, but I calm and focus instead on the arms wrapping tight around me.

“Syr,” Adeleya’s voice trickles into my ear, drawing me away from the endless darkness. I open my eyes and take in the world around us.

We’re in the room from earlier, the one filled with all sorts of books, with light shining in through a glass window made up of small diamond-shaped glass bits all stuck together. The orange light of morning shines inside, which must mean that we’ve spent the night here.

Adeleya hugs me from behind, her arms wrapping around me with her body pressed up against my back. She whispers my name, calling for me.

I’m warm, comfy, and safe.

“I’m awake,” I say after finding my voice.

“I was worried.” She squeezes me tight before letting me go and shuffling around to sit beside me instead. Theo and Alice are here with us, but they’re talking quietly between themselves, only glancing at me occasionally.

Adeleya has already replaced her armour and is instead wearing a cute, fluffy outfit. The bright blue dress, layered with black fluff, is trailing thin silver chains. Her long brown hair is held up with ornaments of the same shiny silver and is neatly braided down the length of her back.

Fluffy blue bands around one wrist and the opposite thigh contrast with her pale skin and match the bright colour of her dress. As the light catches on it, it shimmers a faint silver.

I lean against her side and nuzzle at her shoulder.

“You smell nice.”

“It’s perfume.” She laughs, patting my head, “Hey, that’s- stop that!”

She keeps giggling as she gently pushes me away.

Alice and Theo watch from the other side of the room, talking seriously but in a low whisper.

“How are you feeling?” Adeleya asks, pressing her hand against my forehead.

“Good. My æther veins still hurt, though,” I say, perking up in my seat. “Is the boy okay?”

“He’s fine.” Adeleya smiles and gently prods my forehead. “Thanks to you. You worked hard.”

Praise me more.

I pull at her arms, asking for more hugs. She doesn’t refuse, squeezing me from the side.

“We managed to clear away the poison,” Alice tells me, approaching now that I’m up and talking. “The healer made it in time to finish up after you fell unconscious. She was surprised. Not as surprised as the rest of us though, it was certainly a challenge, even if a welcome one, to control that much æther at once.”

As she talks, she pulls out a small bottle of bright blue liquid from a nearby drawer. The glass almost seems to glow from within.

“Drink this,” she tells me, handing over the small shiny bottle.

“What is it?”

“Æther recovery potion,” she explains. “It helps with recovery from burnout. Most mages keep a few on hand, I’d suggest you do the same from now on.”

“Okay.” I take the bottle from her, pull the cork and drink it quickly. It’s sticky and sweet, clinging to my throat even after I’ve swallowed it all down. Relief comes quickly, spreading through my stinging veins, cooling them like an icy mountain river.

“So, can you describe how you did that?” Alice asks, sitting at the end of the bed, watching me with sharp eyes.

“Did what?”

“At the end, when you channelled that ridiculous stream of æther,” she says.

“That…” How can I make it make sense… “You know when you use so much magic that you just can’t use anymore?”

“Burnout, or mana drain, depending on who you talk to.”

“That. Well, Syr found out a while ago that when you do that, but keep going anyway, you can use a loooot of mana for a minute, usually a bit less. Syr usually just uses it to end a fight quickly,” I tell her. Thinking through the next line carefully. “It’s like the constant flow of æther holds my veins open, letting me use as much as I want.”

“That’s why you were able to raise so many of those bandits…” Theo says, rubbing at his brow.

“A mage’s rage,” Alice whispers in thought, “But you controlled it…”

“Is it strange?” I ask.

“It’s not common, but I have heard of others who can do it,” Alice tells me, the others listening carefully.

“It’s called a mage’s rage because to achieve it a person usually needs to reach a pure emotional state; a rage, usually.”

“Not always?” Adeleya asks, “I’ve heard of enraged mages setting fire to whole battlefields, but that’s about all.”

“Have you heard of the Jyan Mountain mages?” She asks.

“Wait, aren’t they just myths?”

“No, they’re real,” Alice tells her. “They’re a group of mages living up in the Jyan mountains who train to master these rages. Though they mostly just use it to blow up mountains, as I understand it.”

“…why…?” Adeleya asks.

“Plenty of theories, but not many people with the guts to climb those damn exploding mountains just to ask them.”

“So, you’re saying that Syr can do the same?” Adeleya asks.

“That’s my guess.”

“Well, it doesn’t change much,” Theo says, stepping in, “I’m guessing you already know to be careful with using this, right? You were screaming for a while after you passed out.”

I nod.

“Syr always falls asleep right after. I go to a dark place.”

“Like a normal burnout,” Adeleya says. “It’s why we don’t usually push ourselves so far. It’s unnerving, that empty place you go to…”

“It burns,” I say, forming my words slowly and talking properly. “That’s why I scream, the empty place burns when I push myself.”

Adeleya squeezes me close, and I realize that I’m holding my breath. I let it out and force myself to relax.

“If you’re not careful, you will get yourself killed when using that trick,” Theo says.

I nod firmly. I already know how dangerous it is.

I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to feel pain, but if I have to use it again, I will.

“Then let’s leave this conversation at that. Adeleya, I’ll leave her to your care,” he says turning to leave and giving Alice a small wave to follow.

“Yes, and I’ll be here if you need me,” Alice says before leaving the room, chasing after Theo.

“Do you feel up to walking?” Adeleya asks. “Or do you want to rest a while longer?”

“Walking’s fine,” I tell her, “And Syr’s magic is coming back now too.” Surprisingly fast, compared to normal. Though the streams in my body still burn, I can push my limits again if I must.

“In that case, let’s go shopping,” she says, her lips turning up into a bright smile. “I’ve been wanting to get you new clothes since I met you.”

She tugs at my rags while lending me a hand to get out of bed. Even with the new cloak that I got from Anna’s parents, I’m still mostly clothed in borrowed, dirty rags.

“Something like what you’re wearing?” I ask, lifting her dress to get a better look at it.

“Hey,” She pushes her dress back down, laughing at me and smacking my hands lightly. “Don’t go flipping my dress, alright?”

She steps up and twirls, bouncing on her heels, and showing off what she’s wearing. Her dress bounces about with her movements, and her eyes shine as a cute smile rises on the edges of her lips. The sight fills me with an unfamiliar warmth.

I feel happy that she’s happy.

I want to hold her and not let go.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I focus on her clothes instead. They’re much nicer than anything I’ve ever seen before. My parents were always wearing simple clothes, usually grey or green, and the bandits were all wearing old and bloodied rags.

Adeleya takes my hand and pulls me closer to her side.

“You can get whatever clothes you want. Theo gave me your reward money.” She jingles a little bag. “I’ll show you to Nyla’s place, I just wish that I could take you to the capital. There’re so many more shops there, we could spend weeks going through them all.”

I don’t get most of what she’s going on about, but according to her, this big city is an amazing place with all sorts of big shops. She tells me all about it while pulling me through the guild house, down to the ground floor.

The air down here is different to yesterday, it’s quiet and almost desolate, though there are a few people here who look up at us as we come down the stairs.

“Thank you!” A boy cries out, rushing at us the moment our feet touch the floor. He bows at us stiffly his mop of brown hair flopping over his face.

It’s the dying boy from yesterday; the one I helped. It doesn’t look like he’s dying anymore.

“Thank you so much!”

He’s too loud.

Why is he yelling?

Thank me by being quiet!

I step behind Adeleya, while everyone looks at us. What does the boy want me to say? He’s just standing there with his head down. Should I shoo him off? Glare at him until he leaves?

The wolven would growl, should I give that a try?

“Syr,” Adeleya pulls me forwards by her side, “You should respond with ‘you’re welcome’.”

“You’re welcome.” I did it. Now leave. Loud people are scary, even the wolven and the bears usually keep quiet. Only when they’re howling to announce their territory do the wolven make this much noise.

For some reason, when everyone was here making a racket it wasn’t so bad, but to shout in a quiet room just reminds me of how scary it can be when you accidentally make a loud noise in the wild.

“I wasn’t awake to see it, but I was told that your magic was amazing,” the boy continues after raising his head. “You’re staying around town? I hope that we can be friends.”

He smiles happily and I respond with a simple nod.

He seems nice enough, and he knows how amazing I am, but he shouldn’t be interrupting my time with Adeleya, and he shouldn’t be yelling in a quiet room. The boy smiles and laughs a little strangely, before thanking me again and leaving.

“He’s a good kid,” Adeleya says. “You should try and make a few friends when you feel up to it.

“Later,” I tell her, pulling her towards the door. I wouldn’t mind talking with him about this town, about how he nearly lost his arm, about all sorts of stupid things, as long as he’s quiet, but not right now.

“I’ll talk with him next time.”

“If that’s what you want,” Adeleya smiles, petting my head again. She’s still quite a bit taller than me.

“Excuse me.” I try not to glare at the elderly elvish man who stands in our way. He leans on a cane but it doesn’t look like he really needs it, he reminds me of the older wolven, a bit sore, a bit scarred, but still strong and much wiser than the others.

His dark green robes are worn at the edges but not like mine, which is torn up from fights, instead it’s just fraying away and losing all its colour.

“I was told that you recently came to this town in the care of these professionals,” he says, talking to me around Adeleya. “If you do not mind, could I take a little of your time?”

I pinch my mouth closed.

He seems nice enough, but even so, I can’t restrain my glare any longer. I look to Adeleya, wordlessly expressing my frustration, but before she has the chance to reply Nadia steps over to join us.

“I thought you’d come by to pay a visit,” she says to the old man.

“Nadia,” he says her name with a most exhausted sigh. “If you wish to disrespect our culture yourself, that is one matter, but to corrupt our youth with your ideas…”

“You never do change.” Her voice is cold and just as tired as the old man’s.

“If you would come sit with me over here a minute,” he says, as if trying to ignore Nadia. I’m not interested in whatever he has to say, and I’d rather just walk away when his back is turned.

“It’s best to talk with him now,” Nadia says as I look toward the door. “He’s a persistent bastard and he’ll follow you everywhere if you run from him now, but if you speak clearly, he won’t bother you too much more.”

I don’t like the idea of having this old man waiting for me here, or following me around town…

Nodding to Nadia, I follow the old man holding Adeleya’s hand tight.

“I would like to speak with you alone,” the old elvish man says, looking at Adeleya with a smile that doesn’t feel very friendly, still ignoring Nadia entirely.

“Let’s go,” I say to Adeleya, walking back to the door that will take us outside.

“Wait! If… if that’s what you want, they can stay,” the old man hurriedly says, before sitting us down at a table. Adeleya sits right beside me, while Nadia pulls up a chair, flips it around and rests her chin on the back while looking between us with amusement.

“Would I be correct in supposing that you are a survivor from Cildr?”

“Cildr?”

Adeleya nods for me, “That was the name of the village. Your village.”

“Were there any other survivors?” He asks.

I shake my head, “There was no one else.”

“And you survived on your own?” I nod to his question.

“I see.” He sips at a cup of tea. “In that case, I would like to have you properly adopted by an elvish family. I know of a few who would gladly take you in and teach you what it is to be an elf.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, griping Adeleya’s hand so that he can’t take me away.

“There are aspects of elvish life that you have clearly lost sight of out in the wilds,” he says. “Now, I do not blame you for that, none of us will, you did what you had to in order to survive, but it is our responsibility to show you the correct way of life.”

Adeleya is shifting around beside me, and her smile has turned a little meaner while I was looking away. Nadia, who’s been patiently waiting chooses now to join the conversation.

“What he means to say, is that you won’t be allowed to eat anything but fruits and vegetables, you can’t touch people unless you must, and for some reason, you must cover your skin such that it won’t tan as yours has.” She smiles as the old man squirms, but he continues to ignore her as best as he can.

“Don’t forget the clothes,” Adeleya adds, “Elves are all supposed to dress in those plain green robes, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, though most ignore that when it comes to armour at least,” Nadia replies. “I still don’t get your fascination with clothes, Adeleya.”

“No meat?” I ask. I’ve only just been introduced to a wonderful world of flavour that I’ve never before known. I’d have to give it all up?

“No,” the elvish man says. “No eggs, or products of animals, either.”

“No more hugs?” I say, pulling Adeleya’s arm tight.

“I wouldn’t say that, but you must be mindful of your countenance. Such things should only be done sparingly, and only in the privacy of a home.”

“No pretty clothes?” I touch Adeleya’s dress.

“Such clothes are made through the manipulation of beasts; it is not something that we elves-”

“Let’s go,” I tell Adeleya, standing up and ignoring the panicking elvish man.

“Wait!”

“No!” I shout back without turning, growling at him when he gets close. “Go away. I don’t want to go with you, and I don’t want to be a proper elf!”

The old man is stunned at my shouting, and I escape while he’s still surprised. Half the reason it’s important to be quiet all the time is so that others are taken by surprise when you have to shout at them.

I shove us through the doors and slam them behind us before the old man can chase us. Adeleya barely had time to grab her coat, and Nadia was almost caught by the slamming doors, laughing back at the old elf.

“Was that alright? You could have turned him down more politely,” Adeleya says, squeezing my hand. She’s already taking the lead and walking me to the clothes shop.

“It’s fine,” I reply. “Syr learned well. When another wants to take something away from you, you have to make it clear that they can’t. Syr must yell, and glare, and fight until they back down.”

Adeleya pulls me closer for some reason, “I guess you’re not wrong.”

“Nadia, he was saying things about only eating vegetables and other things. You aren’t like that though, but you’re still an elf, aren’t you?” I ask.

“Yes, well,” She smiles down at me while patting my head. “You’re an elf and you don’t follow all those rules. It’s the same thing for me.”

That makes sense. I feel a little closer to Nadia just for the thought.

“To the clothes shop!” Adeleya cries as she takes the lead for our little group. For some reason, she’s holding my hand tighter but she’s not looking down at my eyes.

Behind me, the doors open and the old man chases after us.