Ash And Dust

Kaelen took a deep breath as he heard the sound of the door closing. The restlessness inside him wouldn't subside. Lyra hadn't left his side, still walking next to him. The corridors of the orphanage looked even quieter and colder in the dim evening light. As their footsteps echoed on the stone floor, Lyra gave him a quick glance.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Kaelen hesitated for a moment. He didn't know if he was okay. The emptiness and sense of lack growing inside him were becoming more and more prominent. But explaining it seemed difficult. He lightly shook his head and said, "I just need some air."

Lyra furrowed her brows and looked at him more intently. "Do you want to be alone?"

Kaelen paused, but then nodded. "Yes. I need some time alone."

Lyra hesitated. It was clear she didn't want to leave him in this state. But finally, with a soft sigh, she nodded. "Alright, but don't stay too long. If you feel bad, call me."

Kaelen just nodded. Lyra gave him one last concerned look before walking away. Listening to her footsteps fading in the corridor, Kaelen took a deep breath and turned towards a quieter corner of the courtyard.

The orphanage garden was silent. The wind gently swayed the tree branches, passing softly through the leaves. Kaelen reached a spot in the corner where no one could see him, and raised his hands.

He took a deep breath. Inside his body, he tried to feel the warmth, the immense power that had once echoed within. He opened his fingers to summon his flames, focused... but nothing happened. No spark, no warmth. It was empty.

His brows furrowed. He tried again, clenching his fists and opening them once more. Taking a deeper breath, he tried to clear his mind. He tried to feel his flames. But again... nothing.

A knot formed in his throat. In the past, he could summon his fire without a second thought. The heat would flow through his veins, granting him power that could rule the world. But now, it was completely empty. The emptiness inside him bothered him.

He forced his mind. He wanted to remember his battles. The moments when he faced an imp and the flames that enveloped his body, that power... But everything was blurry. It was like vague scenes from a dream. For a moment, he remembered passing through a massive wall of fire, but then the image shattered and dispersed.

He took a step back, gritting his teeth. Clenching his fists, he looked down. "What's happening to me?" he whispered to himself. "This power was mine… why… why is it gone?"

Just then, footsteps were heard. Kaelen quickly lifted his head. Two children were approaching him from the other end of the garden. He didn't recognize them, but from the expression on their faces, he could tell they weren't coming with friendly intentions.

One was tall, thin but with sly wolf-like eyes. The other was shorter and more awkward. They stopped a few steps away from Kaelen. The tall one grinned at him.

"Look, the sick kid can still stand," he said in a mocking tone. "Get well soon, Kaelen, we thought you were dead for a moment."

The other one giggled. "But you don't look too good. You still seem weak."

Kaelen examined them but suppressed the anger inside. They were just kids. Before, people wouldn't speak to him like that. The moment they sensed his flames, they would retreat, behave cautiously. But now... now they were challenging him. This left a faint smile on Kaelen's face.

Seeing that Kaelen remained silent, the tall kid pushed further. "Maybe you'll never be the same again, huh? You were weak even before you got sick. Now you look even worse."

Kaelen gritted his teeth but said nothing. He clenched his fists. If he had his powers, he would put these kids in their place without a second thought. But he couldn't. There was neither a spark nor the familiar warmth that once filled him. Kaelen couldn't make sense of the anger rising within him.

The shorter boy's eyes lit up. "Since you're silent, we're right, aren't we? Someone useless like you should just disappear."

Kaelen's blood boiled, but he still held himself back. The children continued to throw mocking glances at him for a while before laughing and pulling back.

"Come on, let's not waste time here. I don't want Lyra to come and scold me."

One of them looked back one last time as they walked away.

Kaelen didn't say anything. When the children headed to the other side of the garden, Kaelen slowly sat down on the ground. He looked at his hands. He opened and closed his fingers.

Empty. Cold. Powerlessness.

Something was breaking inside him. If he couldn't regain his power… what would he do in this world? This world felt so foreign to him.

Without his flames… who was Kaelen?