The morning air was crisp as it seeped through the narrow window, filling the room with a faint chill. Esteria stirred beneath the blankets, her body still aching from the intensity of the previous day's duel. Her mind wandered back to the moment when the fire element had surged within her, uncontrolled and raw, yet undeniably powerful. Lord Tauriús's words about control still echoed in her thoughts, filling her with a mixture of pride and apprehension.
Outside her chambers, the faint sounds of bustling servants and guards starting their daily routines signaled the beginning of another day at the castle. Esteria lay there for a moment, her eyes tracing the patterns of light that filtered through the curtains. Today wasn't just another day of training—it was a day for her to prove to herself that she could handle what had awakened inside her. Fire was fierce and unpredictable, but water would require something entirely different from her.
