Morning mist rolled over the quiet village fields, veiling the forest edges in silver. The air smelled of damp earth and spring rain. Auron stood alone at the forest line, his wooden training stick clutched in one hand, his heart pounding.
Something had changed in him.
For days, he'd felt it — a storm gathering beneath his skin. It sparked in his dreams and lingered in his veins even after he awoke. He couldn't explain it. He didn't fully understand it. But today, he was going to test it.
He closed his eyes.
Focus…
A soft crackle answered his thoughts. When he opened his eyes, blue sparks were dancing at his fingertips, leaping like fireflies from his skin to the stick.
"What the—?" he gasped, stepping back.
The sparks didn't stop.
Instead, they surged — wild, electric, hungry. Wind kicked up around him in a small whirlwind. His hair lifted. His chest glowed faintly with the rune burned into his reborn body.
Then—
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning exploded from his hand and struck a tree nearby. The trunk split in two with a deafening sound, smoke rising from its center.
Auron dropped the stick, panting. "No… no, no, no… I didn't mean to…"
He looked at his hands in horror — and awe. They were glowing faintly. Not with blood, but power.
"I knew it," came a voice behind him.
He whirled around.
A girl stood there with a crooked smile — short brown hair, green eyes that shimmered like moss under sunlight. She held a small wooden staff with a leaf-shaped crystal at the top.
"Who—?"
"Lyra," she said simply. "I live near the western grove. And I saw the whole thing. That was lightning, wasn't it?"
Auron hesitated. "You're not scared?"
"No," Lyra said, stepping closer. "I think it was awesome."
She held up her palm — and to his surprise, a tiny flower bloomed from it. Magic. Real, controlled, soft.
"You're… a mage too?"
Lyra grinned. "Half-mage. My mom's a healer. She says I'm full of trouble and talent."
Auron blinked, still catching his breath. "You're the first person who didn't run away from me."
"Why would I? You're not a monster."
He didn't answer. He wasn't so sure.
"Come on," she said. "Let's train together. Magic's more fun when you don't blow up the forest alone."
Auron gave a small, nervous smile.
And in that moment, something shifted. A friendship sparked — one that would survive storms to come.