Guardian of Vulnerable Flames

Chapter 14

As Blaze and Furie exited the study chamber, a wave of mixed emotions engulfed them. The relief of completing their first year of Guardian training was evident on Furie's face. She turned to Blaze, expressing her satisfaction, "We are done with our first year. We did it!" Blaze nodded in agreement. However, a tinge of sadness lingered in Blaze's eyes as she acknowledged that their studies in the Fire element had come to an end. "It's a little bit sad that we will not study anything else about the Fire element, though." Furie, always quick with a teasing remark, rolled her eyes at her sister's sentimentality. "You and Fire! It's a love story," she said, laughing. Blaze shot Furie a playful glare, responding with a hint of a smile, "You are so annoying. Shut up!"

Their laughter echoed through the hallway until the joyful atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by a flurry of message spheres descending upon them. All the balls flew to them together as if they were waiting to be open for a long time. Blaze's growl of frustration punctuated the sudden shift in mood. "What now?" she muttered, bracing herself for whatever news the messages held.

The air hummed with anticipation as Furie and Blaze, both eager and anxious, reached for their respective message spheres. Furie's fingers traced the ethereal surface of a first sphere made of Air, and with a gentle flick, the ball unfolded, revealing Zephyr's message. Zephyr's message materialized into Furie's hand, "Furie, Ash has awakened. The healing process was successful. You should come see him after your fire exam." A surge of relief flooded Furie's being, her heart quickening with joy. Ash had finally emerged from his healing sleep. Her elation intensified as she relayed the good news to Blaze. "Blaze, Zephyr just informed me. Ash is awake and healed!" Blaze's face lit up, and the excitement in her eyes mirrored her own. "That's fantastic! We should head back to the healer center right away!" Agreement flashed in Furie's eyes as she nodded, her mind already filled with the image of Ash, whole and well. "Absolutely, let's go see him." The two companions quickly opened the rest of their messages, ready to rush back to the healer center.

As Blaze opened her messages, she opened one from Rain who was telling her the same information that Zephyr gave Furie. "Blaze, good news! Ash is awake and fully healed." Blaze grinned widely and continued opening more spheres.

Meanwhile, Furie opened another message sphere, this time from Leaf. Her companion wanted to inform her of his day and what he was doing, "Furie, I'm spending the day at the library, researching the shadow creatures and the Obscure world." Furie's admiration for Leaf's intellectual prowess and dedication to his Guardian duties surged. Furie never ceased to be impressed by Leaf's craving for knowledge and dedication. Furie created a sphere for him and told him that he could meet her later in Ash's healing room. Leaf's dedication to understanding the mystical threats they faced always resonated with Furie, and she couldn't help but feel a profound appreciation for his intelligence and commitment.

Furie's eyes went on Blaze after she finished sending her sphere to Leaf. There was a subtle curiosity in Furie's gaze, a silent question about the nature of the communication that had just transpired. Blaze's demeanor, however, betrayed a hint of something unsettling. Furie wasn't quite sure whether it was disgust or anger that etched across his features, but it was enough to make her pause. "Who messaged you, Blaze?" Furie inquired, her eyes narrowing slightly as she sought to decipher her emotions. Blaze looked up at Furie, her expression tight, and she rolled her eyes before responding. "It was Guaya. She's just trying to kiss my ass by giving me some advice and then offering to meet." A frown crept across Furie's eyebrows as she processed Blaze's words. A subtle twinge of jealousy pricked at her, an emotion she was not expecting. Guaya reaching out to Blaze but not her, stirred an odd sense of missing out. However, Furie quickly dismissed the feeling, reminding herself that their focus should be on more pressing matters. "Right, whatever," Furie replied, shrugging off the momentary pang of jealousy. She shifted her attention, ready to move on and open her last message sphere. As her fingers reached for the magic ball, anticipation hung in the air. Yet, to her surprise, the sphere remained unresponsive under her touch.

Furie furrowed her brow, frustration replacing the earlier curiosity. She tapped the sphere again, but it stubbornly refused to open. Then she remembered what to do. Furie's realization dawned with a flicker of understanding, and she turned to Blaze with a determined expression. "This one is from Ignatius. We need to touch it together." The urgency in Furie's voice prompted Blaze to move swiftly, recognizing the significance of the message. She nodded in understanding and joined her sister, their hands simultaneously reaching for the enigmatic sphere. As the siblings touched the fiery surface simultaneously, the vibrant ball transformed before their eyes. The flames dissipated into a billowing cloud of black smoke, revealing a small, folded note that floated into Furie's waiting hand.

Standing side by side, Furie and Blaze unfolded the note, both sets of eyes scanning the elegant script. The message conveyed their father's appreciation for the multitude of spheres they had bombarded him with the previous day. A warmth filled Furie's heart at the acknowledgement, and she couldn't help but imagine Ignatius chuckling as he wrote about their enthusiastic communication. The note continued, expressing Ignatius's desire for them to meet the next day in a very safe space. He did not want Guaya to know where he was, and wanted to keep it a secret. A sense of anticipation hung in the air as the sisters absorbed the words, their new connection with their father getting almost palpable.

The message concluded with a promise that they would receive one of Ignatius's message spheres the next morning, guiding them to their meeting place. Furie and Blaze exchanged glances, a mix of excitement and curiosity playing in their eyes. The mysterious rendezvous with their father added an extra layer of intrigue to their already eventful lives, and they looked forward to the future reunion.