Page 59 of House Ignis

He sighed. "Okay. Breathe."

I closed my eyes and reached inward. At first, the fire answered the way it always did—wild and impatient, surging beneath my ribs like a storm begging to break free.

"Slow," Aether murmured gently in my mind. "Feel it. Don't chase it."

I focused on the warmth stirring deep in my chest, letting it rise instead of forcing it.

"Feel the fire in your soul. Let it surface."

I opened my eyes and lifted my palm in a steady, deliberate motion.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then a single flame flickered to life in my hand. Small. But it held.

Aether shifted beside me, and the tips of his ears began to glow, his onyx fur deepening into ember tones as the bond between us surged.

I inhaled slowly and pushed the heat outward.

The flame grew.

Not violently like before—no explosive burst, no chaotic surge—but controlled. The fire spread from my palm into a sweeping ring around us, rising in graceful arcs of gold and crimson.

It climbed higher than Maddy's tornado, casting the arena in scorching light.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Aether stood beside me like a living shadow of flame. His fur shimmered with deep ember hues, the glow dancing along his sleek black coat as the fire spiraled around us. His ears blazed softly, tipped in flame like twin candles lit by divine fire.

And his eyes—

Stars above.

Ancient molten gold locked with mine as if to say,

Finally.

The air crackled with heat.

Around us, jaws dropped. Eyes widened. A chorus of stunned whispers swept through the arena.

But all I could focus on was the fire.

It wasn't fighting me anymore. It was listening.

My heart pounded as the flames traced slow arcs above my head.

I'd done it.

I turned to my grumpy panther and smiled.

"Well done, cub," Aether murmured.

Tears welled, unbidden.

A flood of emotion surged through our bond—pride, fierce and burning, like liquid fire licking through my veins.

As soon as the final curl of flame evaporated from the air around us, I dropped to my knees and flung my arms around his neck. burying my face in his sleek, warm fur.