Chapter 18; Eye On The Prize

ARWYN

The training square bustles with Embers honing their skills, some practicing strikes on bags tethered to trees, while others engage in duels.

My gaze shifts to a group cheered enthusiastically for an Ember attempting to lift a rock with a single hand—a terramancer. A wistful sigh escapes my lips. Dropping my satchel to the dusty ground, I hastily tie up my hair with a hair band and begin flexing my arm.

But before I can savor a moment of solitude, Ahvi emerges unexpectedly, her smile bright as ever. Yet, beneath the facade, I know there's more to her. People like her often harbor the darkest pasts, but definitely not darker than mine.

My upbringing was a mix of abandonment on my father's part, witnessing my mother's murder, and navigating a moral compass that often wavers into gray areas. But in the midst of all that turmoil, rebellion became my refuge.

"Morning," Ahvi greets as she settles onto a nearby rock, her hands flexing. Practice sessions offer a break from formality, a