The fire died and David stood there breathing hard, his hands still tingling from the release. He'd never let go like that before, never just unleashed without worrying about who was watching or what they'd think. It felt terrifying and freeing at the same time.
Becca circled him slowly, her eyes tracking something he couldn't see. "Again. But this time don't just throw it at me. Shape it. Control it. Show me you're more than just raw power."
David reached for the fire again and this time he tried to hold it, to keep it from exploding out of him in a wild rush. The flame coiled in his palm, obedient but restless, wanting to be free.
"Good," Becca said. "Now push it out slow. Let it build but don't release. Feel the edges of it, the shape, the weight."
He did what she said and the fire grew in his hand, a sphere of crimson light that pulsed with its own heartbeat. It was warm against his skin but didn't burn, didn't hurt, like it knew he was its master.
"Now send it at me but keep it together. Don't let it scatter."
David focused, aimed, pushed. The fire shot toward Becca in a concentrated stream and she dodged again, faster this time, but he saw her eyes widen just a fraction. The stream had been tighter, faster, more controlled.
"Better." She was breathing harder now too. "Again."
They went like that for what felt like hours, David throwing fire and Becca dodging, David learning to control and Becca teaching him how. Sometimes she'd strike back with shadows, quick jabs that forced him to defend, and he'd throw up walls of earth that crumbled under her assault.
By the time they stopped his whole body was shaking and he'd collapsed onto the training floor, flat on his back, staring at the ceiling high above.
Becca sat down beside him, not quite as exhausted but close. For a while neither of them spoke, just breathing, existing, letting their bodies recover.
Then Becca said, "You're stronger than I thought. A lot stronger."
David turned his head to look at her. "Is that bad?"
"No. It's good. It means you have potential I didn't expect." She paused. "It also means you're more dangerous than anyone realizes. To yourself and to others if you can't control it."
David thought about the fire pouring out of him, the way it had wanted to consume everything in its path. He'd held it back, barely. What happened when he couldn't?
"How do I learn to control it?" he asked.
"Same way you learn anything. Practice, failure, more practice." Becca stretched her legs out in front of her. "But also you need to understand it. Where it comes from, what feeds it, what makes it stronger or weaker. Your fire isn't just elemental affinity, David. It's connected to you, your emotions, your history. That makes it more powerful and more dangerous."
David thought about his father's journal, the entries about the Phoenix bloodline and how it responded to the wielder's heart. He thought about the moments when his fire had surged without warning, always when he was emotional, scared, angry.
"It's connected to how I feel," he said slowly. "When I'm upset it gets harder to control."
Becca nodded. "That's normal for any affinity but yours seems more sensitive than most. Probably the bloodline thing." She looked at him. "The good news is that means you can train it. Learn to stay calm under pressure, keep your emotions in check, and the fire will follow."
"And the bad news?"
"The bad news is that life doesn't stop throwing things at you. People you care about get hurt, enemies make moves, everything goes wrong at once. Staying calm isn't easy when the world's on fire." She paused. "Literally, in your case."
David almost laughed. Almost.
They sat there in the quiet of the training facility, two people carrying more than anyone should, and for a moment it felt like maybe that was okay.
Then Becca's phone buzzed and she glanced at it, her expression shifting.
"What?" David asked.
"My grandmother. She wants to see us both. Now."
David sat up slowly, his tired muscles protesting. "What about?"
"She didn't say." Becca stood and offered him a hand. "But when she says now, she means now."
David took her hand and let her pull him up. They walked out of the training facility together, back toward the main house, and David couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted.
---
The grandmother waited in the same room as before, but this time she wasn't alone. Two other people sat with her, a man and a woman David didn't recognize, both wearing expressions that gave nothing away.
Becca's father was there too, standing behind his mother like always, and Kaito leaned against the wall with that same easy smile that probably meant he was watching everything.
"David Ashborn," the grandmother said. "Thank you for coming so quickly. Please sit."
David sat. Becca sat beside him.
The grandmother gestured at the strangers. "These are representatives from the Vane Clan. They've come with an interesting proposal."
David's blood went cold.
Vane Clan. Marcus Vane's family. One of the names on his list.
The man spoke first, smooth and polished like he'd practiced his words a hundred times. "David, we've been watching your progress with great interest. Two S-ranks is unprecedented and we believe your talents would be better developed with access to our resources. The Vane Clan has facilities that rival anything in the city, connections that span continents, and a vision for the future that we think you'd align with."
David kept his face neutral, gave nothing away. "I already have training access here."
"Here you're a guest, a temporary arrangement." The woman leaned forward. "With us you'd be family. Protected, provided for, given everything you need to reach your full potential. We're prepared to offer you a formal position within the clan, full membership, all the benefits that come with it."
Becca shifted beside him, almost imperceptibly, but he caught it.
The grandmother watched him with those sharp eyes, waiting to see what he would do.
David looked at the Vane representatives, these people who worked for the man who'd helped destroy his family, who probably had no idea who he really was or what he carried in his pocket.
"I'll think about it," he said.
The man smiled, satisfied. "Of course. Take your time. But don't take too long. Offers like this don't stay open forever."
They stood, bowed to the grandmother, and left.
The room was quiet for a long moment after they were gone.
Then the grandmother said, "Well. That was interesting."
David looked at her. "You wanted me to hear that."
"Of course. I wanted to see your reaction, see how you'd handle it." She smiled that thin sharp smile. "You did well. Gave nothing away, made no promises, kept your options open. Good instincts."
Becca's father spoke for the first time. "The Vane Clan doesn't make offers like that lightly. They want something from you specifically."
"They want my name attached to theirs," David said. "Same as everyone."
"Maybe. But the Vane Clan doesn't do anything without a reason. They've calculated something, decided you're worth the investment." He paused. "That makes you valuable. And dangerous."
David thought about the name on his list, Marcus Vane's father, the man who'd betrayed his parents and helped destroy his clan. If the Vane Clan wanted him close, wanted him inside their organization, maybe that wasn't a threat.
Maybe it was an opportunity.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said.
The grandmother nodded. "Good. Now go rest. You've trained hard today and tomorrow will be harder."
David stood, bowed, and walked out with Becca beside him.
---
They made it to the gardens before either of them spoke.
"That was a test," Becca said quietly. "The meeting, the offer, all of it. She wanted to see how you'd react."
"I know."
"And?"
David stopped walking and looked at her. "And I'm not joining the Vane Clan. Ever."
Becca studied his face, reading something there. "There's more you're not telling me."
"Maybe." David started walking again. "But not today."
Becca let it go, which he was grateful for. They walked through the gardens in silence, the weight of the day pressing down on both of them.
At the entrance he turned to her. "Tomorrow. Same time?"
"Same time." She hesitated, then said, "David be careful. The Vane Clan doesn't give up easily. If they want you, they'll keep trying."
"I know."
He walked away, toward the waiting hover-car, toward his apartment with its cracked ceiling and the weight of everything he still had to do.