Luna nodded, her expression calm yet unwavering.

She truly meant it.

Emma stared at her, searching for any hint of hesitation in her glowing white eyes... those ethereal orbs that seemed to hold the vastness of the night sky itself. But there was none. Luna was waiting for her answer, her presence steady, unmoving.

Emma hesitated before finally speaking.

"But... I don’t know how to do that."

Her voice carried a quiet honesty. She wasn’t trying to make excuses.. she genuinely didn’t know. She was just beginning to understand how this ability worked, and even that was only because of Luna’s guidance.

Luna didn’t seem surprised. If anything, her lips curled into the faintest of smiles, something almost reassuring.

"Don’t worry," she said smoothly. "That’s why I’m here."

Emma exhaled, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Alright… I’m ready."

Luna gave a small nod before instructing her.

"First, take a deep breath."

Emma obeyed without question, inhaling slowly through her nose. The cool, slightly damp air of the cave filled her lungs before she released it in a long, steady exhale.

"Good. Now…" Luna continued, her tone even, "you can either keep your eyes open or close them... whichever feels more natural to you."

Emma thought for a moment before deciding.

"I’ll close them."

And so she did.

The world around her darkened as her lids shut, cutting off the flickering glow of the Moonflies scattered along the cave’s walls.

Then, Luna’s voice guided her once more.

"I want you to imagine how a fire is lit."

Emma listened intently, the sound of Luna’s voice wrapping around her mind like a thread pulling her deeper into concentration.

"Think of a spark," Luna said, her words slow, deliberate. "How does that first flicker of heat feel against bare skin? The way it tingles… the way it spreads, consuming the air around it."

Emma focused, picturing it.

A tiny ember, born from nothing.. igniting in the darkness of her thoughts.

"Feel the warmth," Luna continued, her voice carrying an almost hypnotic rhythm. "The heat it radiates. Imagine how it grows, how it shifts and dances… the flickering light, the way it moves in the wind, sometimes wild, sometimes controlled."

Emma breathed in deeply.

Her mind painted the image clearly.. the rising flames, their twisting tendrils, the way they crackled in the silence. The way they roared when fed, the way they smoldered when deprived.

The moment stretched, turning into something still, something focused.

Stolen novel; please report.

She could feel her heartbeat now, steady, deep, a quiet drum within her chest. She could feel the faint thrum of her pulse in her veins, the strands of her hair shifting against her skin with each breath.

She could feel… everything.

But even with all that...

Nothing happened.

The space between seconds stretched longer and longer. Then minutes. Then more minutes.

Emma’s brows knit together in frustration.

It wasn’t working.

Her breathing hitched slightly as she exhaled, her voice laced with quiet irritation.

"It’s not working," she muttered, eyes still closed.

Luna remained silent for a moment, then slowly tilted her head, resting her fingers lightly against her jaw as if deep in thought.

There was calculation in her gaze, as if she were working through an equation in her mind, weighing the variables, searching for the missing piece.

Then... after a long pause, she finally spoke.

"When you admired the glow on my skin earlier… what emotions did you feel in that moment?"

Emma’s lips curved into a sheepish smile, her fingers idly brushing against each other as she pondered Luna’s question.

"I don’t think I’d know that," she admitted, tilting her head slightly. "It was such a brief moment… I didn’t fully comprehend it."

Her voice carried a thoughtful hesitation, as if trying to grasp at something just beyond reach.

Luna let out a soft, knowing laugh, her glowing white hair shifting slightly with the movement.

"I understand," she said, the amusement still laced in her tone. Then, after a brief pause, she continued, "Then tell me... have you ever manifested something before?"

Emma’s brows knitted together as she dug through her memories, her fingers now idly tapping against her arm. Had she ever truly done something like this before?

She closed her eyes, sifting through her past, searching for anything that resembled manifestation.

Then.. it clicked.

A fragment of memory surfaced.

"Yes…" she murmured, a quiet realization dawning on her.

The night flashed in her mind... the warm glow of the dining room, the sound of laughter echoing against the high ceilings. That night, after dinner, she, her elder sister Ellie, and her twin brother Ethan had played a game. A simple, innocent game of who can do the best magic trick.

Her lips curled into a faint smile as she recounted the memory.

"It was when my siblings and I played a game," she said, voice tinged with nostalgia. "A contest to see who had the best magic tricks. Ellie and Ethan both showed wonderful magic… things I admired."

She paused, the memory clearer now, more vivid.

"I remember asking them how their magic worked," she continued, her hands moving slightly as she spoke, mimicking the way she had gestured that night. "They explained it to me, and I wanted to try. I wasn’t supposed to be able to use frost magic… only dark frost which I didn't want to because of how dangerous it will be. And wind magic wasn’t something I’d ever tried before, but…"

She inhaled deeply, the recollection bringing a quiet wonder to her tone.

"When I tried mixing the two together, it worked. It created something… unique."

Luna listened, her gaze steady, her expression unreadable at first. Then, after a moment, her lips parted.

"You said you admired their magic tricks," she noted, her voice carrying a pointed curiosity.

Emma nodded in confirmation, her fingers absently brushing against the fabric of her cloth.

Luna’s expression softened slightly, her glowing eyes narrowing in thought.

"Then tell me," she said, "what did you feel when you admired them?"

Emma’s breath hitched slightly.

What had she felt?

She closed her eyes again, slipping back into that memory. The flickering lights, the sound of magic being woven into existence, the awe that had filled her chest.

"I wanted to have it," she admitted finally. Her voice wasn’t tinged with greed or envy.. just quiet yearning. "Not in a selfish way. I just… I wanted to be able to use it. Just like them."

A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back slightly.

Luna’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before a small, knowing smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Then why don’t you try that now?" she suggested, voice carrying a gentle patience. "Admire the process of flame creation, just as you admired their magic that night. I believe it will work."

Emma let those words settle.

She straightened herself, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling, steadying her breath.

Then.. she let herself admire. Truly this time.

She imagined the flames, not as something to control, but something to marvel at. The way they curled and flickered, the way they shifted in unpredictable patterns, both wild and mesmerizing. She saw the warmth, the glow, the raw, untamed beauty of fire.

The world around her seemed to fade as she sank into that admiration, fully immersing herself in the moment.

And then,

She felt it.

A warmth. Subtle at first, like the first whisper of heat against her skin. Then, gradually, it grew.

Her lips parted slightly, a faint, almost disbelieving smile forming.

It was working.