I didn't sleep that night.
The book sat under my pillow, warm like it had a heartbeat of its own. Every time I closed my eyes, the words inside it came back to me. "One will. One soul."
Morning came cold and gray. Marda didn't notice anything. Just shoved a bowl of thin soup at me like usual, muttered something about firewood, then left to trade herbs in the village square.
Good. That gave me time.
I grabbed the book, slipped out the back door, and made my way behind the chicken coop. There was a small hill there—overgrown, quiet, and hidden from view. It used to be a lookout spot in the old wars. Now, nobody cared.
Perfect place to train.
I sat on the grass and opened the book to a page I marked with a feather. The words were old but simple. Almost like the book wanted me to understand.
"To call the fire, the soul must be still. The heart must burn gently—not with anger, but with purpose."
I placed a small rock in front of me. Nothing special. Just a smooth river stone I picked up on the way. I stared at it. Then I closed my eyes.
I breathed in slow.
Thought of the warmth I felt that morning.
Not fire like rage.
Fire like… life.
Like comfort on a freezing night.
I reached out with my hand.
At first, nothing.
Just wind.
Silence.
Embarrassment.
Then… a flicker.
The rock twitched.
My eyes snapped open. The stone sat there like nothing happened. I thought I imagined it. But no. I knew what I felt. A tiny shift in the air. The warmth crawling up my arm. Like I'd just taken the first step into a massive, ancient cave—and something deep inside had whispered "welcome."
I kept going.
For hours.
Calling. Focusing. Failing.
But then—just as the sun began to dip—something changed.
The fire didn't spark this time. The stone did.
It glowed, just faintly. A soft red like sunset reflecting on water. It faded in seconds, but I saw it. I did that.
I fell back, breathing heavy, but grinning.
I didn't just light fire—I was touching the element.
Not like a mage with spells. This wasn't magic. It was something older. Wilder. Closer.
Alchemy.
And this… this was just the beginning.