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•°• 3 Years Later •°•

The target was in sight. Nya watched as the short, wrinkled man and his little granddaughter paid for their muffins and left the baker's stall. The man behind the stacks of bread and cakes bent down to deposit his earnings in the money box below the stand. Nya chose this moment to pull her hood over her head and quietly make her way closer.

When he resurfaced, the baker jumped at the sudden appearance of the girl. He sighed in relief after a few seconds and smiled at her. "You startled me there, child," he said, adjusting his white cap. "Would you like something? I baked all these this morning. Fresh out of the oven!"

Nya eyed him silently from under the rim of her hood for a while before pointing at the hot white bread rolls. "Eight of those rolls, please. And four muffins." She then proceeded to pull out a leather pouch and held it up for him to see that she had money. She even gave it a shake to produce a nice rattle.

"A moment," the baker said and busied himself with packing up the rolls.

Nya made sure he was fully engaged in his work before opening the drawstring bag at her waist and quickly snagging whatever edible item she could get her hands on from the counter. She drew the bag close as soon as the baker turned around with a loaded paper bag.

"Here you go, little girl." He handed her the bag in exchange for the money pouch. Nya tucked the paper bag under her arm and quickly began walking away from the stall. When she heard the first surprised cry, she broke into a run.

"Hey! This is filled with pebbles!" The baker yelled, emptying the pouch onto the counter and glaring after the girl. "Stop! Thief!"

The other villagers in the vicinity began looking about and murmuring in confusion as Nya dashed past. She could hear the baker's yells growing closer. In order to lose him or even slow him down, she made her way into the part of the street which was overcrowded with stalls and customers.

By now, other people had caught on to what was happening and a few of them started pursuing her as well. But Nya had been doing this for the past three years. She knew how to avoid capture. Being small, she could easily wind her way through tight spaces or hide where no one would look.

Nya dropped to her knees and hastily crawled under a stall, the cloth draped over it hiding her from view. She could hear the baker's furious growls pass by her followed by the other villagers. She waited a few seconds before poking her head out to see if the coast was clear.

That was a mistake.

She felt a tug and her hood was nearly pulled off her head. The bags of bread and rolls stumbled out of her little hands. A man held her by the scruff of her neck. "She's here! I've got her!" He yelled at the others who immediately began rushing towards them.

Nya gritted her teeth and stamped on the man's foot with all the strength she could convoke. He yelped in pain and let her go. She kicked him between the legs for good measure and gathered up the food. The man was doubled over and groaning while Nya made a wild run for it.

She rushed into an alleyway, clutching the drawstring and the paper bag close to her. She turned around and saw the men squeezing in as well. Nya frowned at herself for wearing a blue cloak; it made her stand out. But it was the only way she could conceal herself from being recognized.

She stumbled out into another street at the end, knowing full and well her pursuers were close behind. The load of her steal was slowing her down and the baker and his acquaintances were persistent. She feared that maybe today she would have to return home empty-handed.

Just as these hopeless thoughts began to grow, she heard an airy whoosh followed by screams and shouts. She twisted around and saw, to her surprise, a wall of fire roaring between her and the men she was running from. Other people were either scrambling away or rushing towards the flames with buckets of water.

Through the panicking crowd ran out a boy with a cloak and hood like hers.

"Kai!" she yelled in relief.

"Go, go, go!" he screamed back, gesturing at her to move.

Nya continued on, hoping the fire would keep everyone distracted long enough for them to escape. Kai caught up to her and she let him grab her arm and haul her along faster. They ran for a while before reaching the quieter part of the village and slowing down.

"What happened back there?" Nya asked.

"I'd say it was luck," her brother grinned, despite being out of breath.

"But that-"

Kai pulled her into an embrace, cutting her off. "You're okay, right?"

Nya sighed and hummed in response. "I'm okay. Just a bit tired."

Kai broke off and took the bags from her. After securing them around his waist, he draped an arm over her shoulders and guided her towards the overgrown lane that lead to their parents' shop.

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"Alright, you can open your eyes now."

Nya's eyelids shot open and she giggled at the display before her.

The old table was adorned with clumps of flowers of varying types with the rolls and muffins arranged in between the clutter. A total of seven candles stood around the table, the wax slowly dripping down the sides. An old blanket was hung on the opposite wall with "Happy Birthday" written on it clumsily with what looked like charcoal.

Nya turned to smile at her brother but got a shower of worn-out rose petals on her face. She stumbled back and sputtered, trying to get the mess out of her short hair. She laughed while doing so.

"Happy seventh birthday, sis!" Kai yelled gleefully.

Abandonment never discouraged the two children from rejoicing in the little moments of pure happiness they had left. Be it stealing food or going hungry for days trying to save it up, they made sure they had enough to at least celebrate their birthdays every year.

After the candle-blowing, wish-making and singing had been observed, Kai and Nya each took a muffin and sat out on the porch to watch the evening sun dip down behind the shady treetops of the Forest of Tranquillity, visible in the distance.

Nya was unusually silent, her mind still dwelling on the events of that afternoon. She chewed slowly, eventually stopping and even forgetting to swallow. A foot nudged her thigh and she was pulled out of her daze. She looked at her brother.

"Hello! Earth to Nya!" Kai expressed loudly, waving a hand in her face.

Nya finally gulped down the bite of muffin. "What?"

"You're lost seriously deep in thought, it's scary," Kai commented, displaying that teasing smile of his.

Nya shook her head, the short curtain of her dark hair swishing around her neck. "It's nothing. I'm just confused."

Kai tossed the last piece of his muffin in the air and caught it in his mouth. "You're too young to be confused," he joked, earning an unimpressed look from his sister. Finally, when Nya's frown deepened further, he relented. "Alright, alright. Confused about what?"

Nya brought her knees up to her chest. "About the fire in the village."

Kai clicked his tongue in disagreement. "I told you, Nya. Whatever happened was simply your birthday luck. Someone must've set the fire accidentally."

Nya wasn't entirely convinced but decided to let it go. She changed the subject. "I wish we didn't have to steal. I wish we didn't have to run from everyone."

"Me too," Kai sighed. "But we have to survive one way or another. And until I can finally learn to make weapons like Dad did and reopen the shop, I'm afraid this is the only way."

Nya perked up. "Ooh! Am I old enough to help you with forging yet?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Kai touseled her hair as she pouted once again. "I've only learned how to heat up the metal myself."

Nya pulled away from him grumpily but scooted back as a thought occured to her. "Do you think that fire was a blacksmithing accident?"

"Nya."

"Okay, I'll stop."

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Kai stared at the candle's wick, hands planted on either side and his chin a few centimeters above the table. He focused his gaze on it so hard, the peripheries of his vision darkened. His eyes began to hurt but he kept at it.

Eventually, the ache gave way to a rising heat accumulating behind his forehead. A smile erupted on his face as the wick suddenly lit up on its own. The heat in his eyes receded and he moved back to observe the tiny flame.

This time it only took a few seconds. He was getting better at it. It would explain how easily he had willed a nearby oil lamp to burst and the fire to rise up into a wall when his sister was being chased. He hadn't really planned that; it came instinctively.

If he could do that in a stressed situation, what could he do while having full control over his senses?

Kai had discovered his ability to manipulate fire nearly a month ago. He had gotten into a fight with another kid and something he said made him break. A sudden wave of anger later, every lantern hung in the vicinity had caught fire. Kai didn't chalk it up to a strange coincidence. He knew it was him.

He had kept it hidden from Nya since he didn't quite know what to make of it himself either. Every night after that, Kai had tried to master his new capability. He didn't know what for. He just felt safe having something up his sleeve to turn to while he and his sister faced the world alone.

Kai lifted his hand and held it over the candle in a clawed manner. He renewed his focus and strained to grasp at the flame without touching it. The flickering ceased immediately and the little flame stood straight up.

Trying not to let his excitement interrupt his concentration, Kai slowly moved his hand upwards. To his delight, the flame elongated accordingly. He released his hold over it and it went back to flickering and shuddering.

Kai took a deep breath, partially dreading what he was going to do next. He hesitantly extended a finger towards the burning wick. Saying a quick prayer, he brushed the tip of his finger against the flame- and it came off the candle. Kai stared, mouth agape, at the blazing tip of his index.

"Wicked cool," he whispered, the fire sputtering a little due to his breath. There was no pain, no burning sensation. Just comforting warmth.

As delicately as he could, Kai shifted over to another candle and touched the wick with his lit finger. It caught fire immediately. Elated, he moved about the room, lighting up every candle he could find. A trail of fire began forming wherever his hand roamed. He could feel the same rush of energy but this time, it was more calm and gradual.

An excited laugh escaped his lips when he sent little sparks flying in the air, making it seem like fireflies had invaded the house. The entire room was now alight with the miracle the boy worked.

Finally, Kai brought down his hand in a swift motion. The flames on his fingers blew out and so did all the candles. Darkness returned but the air was warm now. He felt a little exhausted but immensely thrilled all the same.

"I can do it," he murmured, holding up his hands and gazing at them in amazement.

"I can control fire."

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