Fire

The good news is that I'm completely fire proof, even my hair. The bad news is that I'm still on fire.

A corona of fire surrounds my body.

I can feel the heat. The power. It rushes through me from my toes to my head, gathering in my heart where it forms a core of energy.

Okay, deep breaths.

I concentrate on that core, I visualize all the fire receding back into my body. I command it. And it obeys. Slowly.

Alright, so maybe not such a mundane world. I'll have plenty of time to figure this out later, but right now I know from my memories that I'm expected to present myself in the main hall for what passes as breakfast here.

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Breakfast passed without any problems, it's not hard to act like the same Aster I was yesterday, its all there in my head.

After breakfast I follow my father around for the rest of the morning, learning about the family business that I will inherit. It seems if I play my cards right I can live relatively comfortable, or at least as comfortable as you can get without indoor plumbing and internet.

My father. He seems like a nice enough man. Not overly affectionate, or really affectionate at all, but that seems to be the case with most men here. At least he doesn't beat me for no reason. As long as I follow his commands and show him the respect he feels he deserves we will get along just fine.

There is no mother in the picture, she died on the birthing bed. Something that is far too common in these times. Father doesn't seem to hold any grudge or malicious feelings toward me over this. Childbirth is dangerous, it's a miracle itself I survived to my current age.

After my lessons with father I have the rest of the afternoon to myself. Old Aster would be running off to play with the other children his age, but I have other plans. All morning I could feel the power pulsing inside me, almost like it was begging to be used.

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I'm in a clearing in the nearby woods that my previous self discovered a couple of years ago. Its quite and peaceful, and even has a little pond. It should be perfect for exploring my new power.

Alright, lets start of with something simple, I don't need to burn my clothes off. That would be hard to explain.

Steadying my breathing I hold out my right hand. Calling upon that core of power in my chest I will the smallest possible amount toward my outstretched hand.

Whoosh!

Flames at least ten inches in length erupt from my hands. With a yelp of surprise i hurriedly call back the fire. They take a lot longer going away than they do coming.

I spend the next hour trying to get my fire to the level of a match flame, and by the end I can consistently go from match flame to torch flame.

Next test, lets see how long I can get my flame to extend. I move over to the pond, and aim my hand at the center. Calling on all my fire it sprays out of my hand reaching at least 40 feet in length. For a couple of minutes I keep it going, steam rising up from where the fire meets water, before I cut it off.

Not exactly flamethrower levels, but pretty damn destructive for a ten year old in a world where swords and bows are the main forms of personal defense. Unless there are others out there like me. Maybe people during these times really did have amazing and fantastical powers, maybe those myths and legends from my previous life actually do have some truth to them.

This body was just a normal child before today, he can't be expected to know all the secrets and mysteries of the world. Regardless there's nothing I can do about it besides keeping my eyes open, and mastering this power until I have nothing, and no one to fear. If there really are monsters out there, I will be the one they fear.

Shaking those thoughts away I have time for one more test before I must make my way back home. Searching the ground for a small branch I toss it into the center of the pond.

Clearing my thoughts I focus on the branch. Pulling on my power. Visualizing it on fire. Burning till nothing remains. I hold that image in my mind while the fire builds up inside me. Then I see it, a small flame dancing on top of the water before it vanishes, and immediately after I feel exhausted falling to the ground with a sharp piercing pain in my head.

It takes several minutes to recover before I stand up breathing heavily with a grin that has no place being on the face of a child.

"Looks like I have some training to do"