Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Fireborn

The training yard at dawn was a scene from one of the old war paintings,young warriors moving through combat forms in the gray light, their breath misting in the cold air, the sound of practice weapons ringing off stone walls. Kaela stood at the edge of the courtyard with the other new arrivals, trying to look confident while her stomach twisted itself into knots.

She'd barely slept. Every time she'd closed her eyes, she'd seen Selene's calculating smile or felt the brief, burning weight of Dagon Vale's attention. Now, in the harsh light of morning, both seemed like fever dreams.

"First lesson," announced Master Thorne, the head combat instructor. He was a thick-built man with scars mapping the history of violence across his arms and face. "Survival isn't about being the strongest or the fastest. It's about being the smartest. The Reckoning has killed more heroes than cowards, because heroes do stupid things like fight fair."

He gestured to the assembled students. "Today, we sort you into training groups. You'll spar with partners of similar skill,and before you get comfortable, those partnerships will change daily. Trust no one. Rely on no one. In the arena, your best friend might be the one to put a blade between your ribs."

Kaela's mouth went dry. She'd known this was coming, Kieran had written about the constant testing, the way the academy stripped away every human connection until only the will to survive remained. But knowing and experiencing were different things entirely.

"Form up in pairs," Thorne barked. "Choose quickly, or I'll choose for you."

Around her, students began gravitating toward each other with the speed of those who had already established their social hierarchies. The nobles naturally clustered together, while the few commoners looked for any safe harbor they could find.

Brin appeared at her elbow. "Partners?"

She was about to agree when another voice cut through the morning air.

"I'll take her."

The yard went quiet. Kaela turned slowly, knowing what she would see but still feeling the shock of it when Dagon Vale stepped out of the crowd of noble students. Up close, he was even more imposing than he'd seemed in the dining hall. The tattoos that covered his arms were revealed to be intricate flames that seemed to dance across his skin, and those gray eyes held an intensity that made her feel exposed.

"I'm sorry?" Master Thorne's voice held a note of surprise.

"The Varn girl," Dagon said calmly. "I'll spar with her."

"Son, are you sure about that? She's,"

"Untrained," Dagon finished. "Which makes her unpredictable. Good practice for the real thing."

The explanation was reasonable, but Kaela could see the calculation behind it. He wasn't offering to help her,he was positioning himself to learn from her, to study her weaknesses before they became liabilities in the arena. The realization stung more than it should have.

"Fine," she said, stepping forward before her courage could desert her. "Let's get this over with."

Something flickered in Dagon's expression,surprise, maybe, or approval. It was gone too quickly to be sure.

The other students formed a loose circle around them as they took their positions in the center of the yard. Kaela tried to ignore the whispers, the cruel laughter, the betting that was already beginning. She focused instead on the wooden practice sword in her hand and the basics Kieran had taught her in their family's tiny kitchen.

Stay light on your feet. Watch his eyes, not his weapon. And never, ever let him know how scared you are.

"Begin," Thorne commanded.

Dagon moved like water, smooth and inevitable. His practice blade came around in a perfect arc that would have taken her head off if she hadn't stumbled backward in panic. The crowd laughed, and heat flooded her cheeks.

"Focus," Dagon said quietly, his voice pitched for her ears alone. "Fear will get you killed faster than inexperience."

The words were meant to be helpful, but they only made her angrier. He stood there so calmly, so sure of himself, offering advice like she was some charity case he'd decided to mentor. The patronizing kindness was somehow worse than outright cruelty.

She attacked without warning, putting all her frustration behind a clumsy thrust that he deflected easily. But the move brought her inside his guard for just a moment, close enough to see the surprise in those storm-gray eyes.

"Better," he murmured.

The next few minutes were a blur of desperate defense. Dagon pressed her steadily backward, his blade moving in patterns too fast and complex for her to follow. She gave ground with each exchange, her arms already aching from the constant blocking and parrying.

But she was learning. She began to see the rhythm in his attacks, the way he favored his right side, the slight tell in his shoulders before he changed direction. And slowly, she began to respond not just to his moves but to the space between them.

The change came suddenly. One moment she was retreating, the next she was slipping sideways as his blade passed through empty air. For the first time since the match began, she was the one attacking.

Her sword came up in a wild, graceless swing that should have been easy to block. Should have been, except that something strange happened as the blade moved through the air. The morning light seemed to bend around it, creating shadows and distortions that made it impossible to track.

Dagon's parry came a heartbeat too late. The flat of her blade caught him across the ribs, hard enough to leave a bruise.

The yard went silent.

Kaela stared at her sword, her heart hammering. What had just happened? The light had twisted around the blade like a heat shimmer, but that was impossible. Unless...

"Veil magic," Master Thorne breathed. "I'll be damned."

The words hit the crowd like a physical force. Veil magic was rare, almost unheard of among the common classes. It was the kind of subtle, complex power that required years of training to master,not something that should manifest in a half-starved girl from the slums.

Dagon was staring at her with new interest, his hand pressed to his ribs where she'd struck him. There was no anger in his expression, only calculation.

"That's enough for now," Thorne announced, but his voice seemed to come from very far away. "Miss Varn, report to the Masters' Hall after the evening meal. We need to discuss your... abilities."

Kaela barely heard him. She was too busy trying to understand the look in Dagon's eyes,the way his gaze moved over her like he was seeing her for the first time, really seeing her, instead of just another obstacle to overcome.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet enough that only she could hear.

"Interesting."

The single word sent an unexpected shiver down her spine. Not fear, exactly, but something more complicated. Recognition, maybe. The acknowledgment that she wasn't what he'd expected, wasn't what anyone had expected.

As the crowd began to disperse and new pairs took their places in the sparring circle, Kaela found herself replaying those few seconds when her sword had moved through twisted light and shadow. It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down into depths she couldn't measure.

Behind her, she heard Selene's voice, sharp with malice.

"Lucky hit. Won't happen again."

But when Kaela glanced back, she saw that Dagon was still watching her, his expression thoughtful. And for the first time since arriving at Ashgrave Academy, she allowed herself to wonder if survival might be about more than just lasting six months.

Maybe it was about becoming someone worth surviving as.