Three days passed.
Sera fell into a routine she hadn't expected. Morning training with Lumi — teaching her daughter to control the golden fire that lived in her blood. Afternoon meetings with Dax — planning, strategizing, preparing for Magnus's inevitable return. Evenings in the cottage — the three of them, eating together, existing together.
It felt like a family.
Sera didn't know what to do with that feeling.
"Again," she said.
Lumi closed her eyes. Concentrated.
The golden light flickered at her fingertips — brighter this time, more controlled. She held it for three seconds. Four. Five.
Then it flickered out.
"Good," Sera said. "Better than yesterday."
"It's hard."
"I know. It was hard for me too."
"When you were little?"
Sera paused.
"I didn't know what I was when I was li
