What do you want to be?

The air in Nyla's room was still buzzing with laughter as we finally made our way downstairs to grab a bite to eat. Nyla had not let up on her teasing since I'd confessed my utterly inadvisable feelings for Xyra, and I didn't expect her to stop anytime soon.

"You know," she started, her grin wide as we entered the kitchen, "for someone with fire magic, you've got absolutely zero self-preservation instincts. Falling for Xyra is like walking into a burning building and expecting it to hug you back."

I rolled my eyes as I opened the pantry, rummaging around for something edible. "I didn't say I was in love with her. I just said I think she's... cool."

"Cool?" Nyla leaned against the counter, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "Ren, the girl is an iceberg wrapped in a thunderstorm with a sprinkling of smug superiority. And you think she's cool?"

I grabbed a loaf of bread and turned to face her, arms crossed. "It's not like I'm asking her to marry me, okay? Can we drop it?"

"Drop it?" Nyla gasped dramatically, clutching her chest like I'd wounded her. "Ren, this is the juiciest thing to happen in weeks. You think I'm letting it go that easily?"

I groaned, slicing the bread with more force than necessary. "You're impossible."

"And you're delusional," she shot back, plucking a piece of bread from the counter and popping it into her mouth.

"Honestly, I'm worried about you. What's next? You're going to say you admire Mirra for her... what, tactical kissing skills?"

"Stop!" I whined, throwing a piece of bread at her, which she caught effortlessly.

"I'm just saying," Nyla continued, her tone light and teasing, "maybe aim for someone a little less likely to, you know, freeze your heart in both the literal and emotional sense."

I ignored her, focusing on buttering the bread while my cheeks burned.

"You're fun when you're flustered," she said, grinning as she grabbed some fruit from the counter.

"And you're exhausting," I muttered, but there was no real bite to my words.

After our chaotic snack, Nyla's mother appeared in the doorway, her calm presence a stark contrast to Nyla's endless teasing.

"Ren," she said, her tone warm but firm, "there's a carriage waiting for you outside. It's time for you to head home."

I nodded, suddenly feeling a pang of reluctance to leave. Despite the chaos, Nyla's house had an odd sense of comfort like stepping into a storm and finding it wasn't as scary as it seemed.

"Thanks for having me," I said, offering a small smile to Nyla's mother before turning to Nyla.

"Don't do anything stupid," she said, her grin still firmly in place. "And by stupid, I mean thinking about Xyra for more than two seconds at a time."

"Goodbye, Nyla," I said, my tone exasperated but fond.

She waved dramatically as I walked out the door, her laughter following me all the way to the carriage.

The ride home was uneventful, the gentle sway of the carriage and the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the road lulling me into a contemplative silence.

By the time I arrived, my mind had already shifted gears, focusing on the training session I knew awaited me.

I stepped out of the carriage and headed straight for the training grounds, the familiar sense of determination settling in my chest. Elira was probably already there, waiting to see if I'd learned anything useful from my first day at high school.

As I approached, the sound of voices reached my ears, low and murmured but unmistakably close. I turned the corner and froze, my eyes widening as I took in the scene before me.

Valeria and Elira stood in the center of the training grounds, their faces inches apart. And then, to my utter shock, Valeria leaned in and kissed her.

It wasn't just a quick peck, either. It was a full-on, romantic kiss, the kind you'd see in a dramatic movie.

I stood there like an idiot, my brain short-circuiting as I tried to process what I was seeing.

"What the—" I started, but before I could finish, Valeria whipped around, her eyes blazing with embarrassment and fury.

"Ren!" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.

"I—I didn't mean to—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Valeria's fist connected with my arm in a surprisingly controlled punch, though it still stung like hell.

"Ow!" I yelped, stumbling back a step.

"What the hell are you doing sneaking around?" she demanded, her cheeks flushed a deep red that had nothing to do with the exertion of training.

"I wasn't sneaking!" I protested, rubbing my arm. "I was just coming to train! You're the ones who—"

"Shut up!" Valeria barked, clearly mortified.

Elira, simply crossed her arms and gave me a look that was equal parts amused and exasperated. "Ren, maybe try announcing yourself next time," she said, her tone far gentler than Valeria's.

"I didn't think I needed to!" I shot back, still rubbing my arm. "What even was that?"

"None of your business," Valeria snapped, though her ears were turning an interesting shade of red.

"Okay, okay!" I said quickly, holding up my hands in surrender. "I didn't see anything. Can we just move on?"

Valeria glared at me for a long moment before letting out a frustrated huff. "Fine. But if you tell anyone—"

"I won't!" I said quickly. "I swear!"

She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not convinced, but she didn't push it further. Instead, she crossed her arms and fixed me with a piercing look.

"So," she said, her tone shifting abruptly, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

The question caught me off guard, and I blinked at her, unsure of how to respond. "Uh... what?"

"You heard me," Valeria said, her expression unreadable. "What do you want to be?"

I hesitated, the weight of the question settling over me.

What did I want to be? The answer felt complicated, tangled up in everything I'd been through and everything I still didn't understand about myself.