The street air felt cooler against Ember's face once they were out on the street again, a cooler foil to the warmth of the clothing he wore. People moved around them, some possibly considering Ember in his new clothes, and others too caught up in their own affairs to notice him at all. Carasan stepped beside him, his very presence commanding, as if he knew exactly which way they were headed.
"Is it all really necessary?" Ember asked after some time into silence. "I mean, all these clothes, uniforms. I'm not even quite sure I belong at this academy you keep talking about."
Carasan stopped and turned to face him, his eyes softened but serious. "You belong more than you know, Ember. The Academy isn't just a place for learning; it's where people like you, people of incredible potential, go to understand what they're really capable of." He paused, looking her up and down. "The clothes, the training, everything—it's all part of preparing you for the world you're about to step into. A world where you'll need every bit of that strength, both inside and out."
Ember swallows hard, the weight of Carasan's words settling over him like another layer of fabric. He wanted to believe in this—believe that he was destined for something greater, but a small voice in the back of his mind still whispered doubts.
"And. what if I'm not as special as you think?" Ember asked, his voice almost a whisper.
Carasan's eyebrow shot up, his eyes narrowing. "Not special? Ember, Did you know that Affinities do not just show up in people; one needs to have the highest calibre of talent to manifest an affinity. Affinities, when activated, change one's body forever; they may change your tone of voice slightly or maybe make you an inch or a few taller; maybe even heal some minor wounds, but the amount of pure affinity that it takes to cure full body paralysis and completely change one's body? That's completely unheard of. We may not have seen such... such miracles before, but we do know one thing: the more drastic the change, the stronger the potential of the individual. You have already risen from literal ashes. If that's not special, then I don't know what is."
Ember sighed and ran a hand over his flaming red hair. "I guess I'm still getting used to it all.".
"You'll get there," he said, slapping him on the back hard enough to almost send him hurtling forward.
As Ember settled back into the soft leather seat of the car, he let out a small sigh of relief. The weight of the day, though thrilling, had begun to press down on him. Elara's shop had been such a whirlwind of activity and strangeness that he hardly knew how to react now, though he did enjoy the clothing adorning his body—that the tailor had taken such care at least, even if his hands were so clumsy for anything but humor. The flow of silk against his skin reminded him constantly of how much distance he traveled in that relatively short period, distance measured not only by miles but by the deeply-changed course of his life.
He glanced over at Carasan beside him, intent on something outside the car. Ember learned quickly that when Carasan was lost in his thoughts, it was wise to stay silent. The older man was relaxed yet intent; his hands rested on the steering wheel gently, yet his fingers twitched occasionally as if not quite knowing what might pop up ahead.
The low rumble of the car pulled out from the curb, and the quiet power of the engine seemed to bring the outside world to a distance, a fantasy. The city was still alive with the hum of activity as late afternoon shifted into early evening, but the sky was painted over in hues of amber and violet as the last rays of the sun cast long shadows across the streets. It felt as though the city itself waited with bated breath for something extraordinary to happen.
As they drove, Ember's gaze flickered from street to street, taking in sights so foreign to him. Each corner of the city seemed to hold its own mystery. The cafés were filled with people sipping coffee, street vendors calling out in a language he only partly understood, buildings that went up toward the sky as if trying to challenge it, the architecture being older and newer side by side, ancient stone structures standing shoulder to shoulder with sleek and trendy designs.
Everything seemed bigger here—more full of life, more vibrant. Even the air felt different, charged with an energy that Ember was only just beginning to sense.
His fingers brushed along the smooth fabric of his jacket, feeling the fine weave beneath his fingertips. It was odd being dressed in clothes that felt so. expensive. Most of his life, clothes had been a practicality, something to keep him warm, something handed down or pieced together. Now that soft wool and tailored fit was like second skin on him, one that made him feel important for the first time in his whole worthless life.
He wasn't used to such attention. In Elara's shop, the way she'd fuss over him was not to be tolerated. People didn't really pay attention to him before—not like this. It was as if he had become someone worth noticing, someone worth caring about. Ember wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Part of him was still that boy from the orphanage, unsure of his place in the world, uncertain if he even deserved this new life.
"The House of Mirrors is near," said Carasan, his voice all thoughtful but with a crisp tone to it. "You're going to want to prepare yourself. Because what you're about to see, It might be too much for you to deal with."
Ember nodded, although he was far from certain of what to expect. He had seen so many out of the ordinary things in the last couple of days that his sense of wonder had been pushed to breaking point. Could anything really surprise him any further? No idea, but there was something in Carasan's tone that seemed to say he was going to be proven wrong.
The more interior parts of the city, though not very lively, revealed streets that were full and opened into narrower, secluded streets. These streets held older buildings whose faces were crumbling a little but still stood strong like relics of a bygone era. Trees lined the streets, with arched overhead branches, indicative of the fact that green was filtered by the golden light of sunshine passing through leaves. Soft crunch of gravel under the car's tires on a gentle slope, and suddenly enough, Ember could see it, rising in the distance: The House of Mirrors.