[Blury]

---

Amira didn’t sleep after that.

She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands, waiting for the violet light to flicker back to life. It didn’t. The fire had gone cold, leaving nothing but the echo of its presence.

Her mind was a mess.

The dream—if it even was a dream—felt too real, too deliberate. That thing, that voice… it wasn’t just some random nightmare. It knew her. It had been waiting.

But for what?

Her stomach twisted as she remembered the sight of her friends—lifeless, swallowed by shadows.

Was that a warning? A threat? Or… a prophecy?

She squeezed her hands into fists.

“No,” she whispered. “I won’t let that happen.”

A glance at her alarm clock told her it was almost morning. Her body ached with exhaustion, but there was no point in trying to sleep now.

With a sigh, she got up, grabbed some fresh clothes, and headed to the bathroom.

---

By the time Amira left her house, the sky was a dull gray, promising rain. The streets were quieter than usual—probably because people were still shaken by the thing that had appeared yesterday.

Not that anyone seemed to know what had happened.

The news was calling it a “freak incident.” Some were saying it was a gas explosion. Others whispered about strange creatures spotted in the area, but there was no official explanation.

Of course not, Amira thought bitterly.

Her walk to school felt heavier than usual. Every shadow, every flicker in her peripheral vision made her skin crawl. She wasn’t even sure why she was going—maybe because routine was the only thing keeping her from spiraling.

As she neared the gates, she spotted them.

Ruby, Sara, Dave. Standing by the entrance, waiting.

They looked up as she approached.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then—

Ruby crossed her arms. “Okay. Are we gonna talk about the part where you exploded into purple fire last night, or are we just ignoring that?”

Amira sighed. “Good morning to you too.”

Dave snorted. “She’s got a point. That wasn’t exactly subtle, Amira.”

Sara stepped forward, her expression softer. “Are you… okay?”

Amira hesitated. She wanted to say yes, to act like nothing had changed. But the truth sat heavy on her chest.

“No,” she admitted. “I don’t think I am.”

Sara nodded, as if she expected that answer. “Then let’s figure this out. Together.”

Amira looked at them—at the concern in Sara’s eyes, the determination in Ruby’s stance, the curiosity in Dave’s expression.

Whatever was happening to her, whatever this thing was…

She wasn’t alone.

And that was something.

---

The four of them slipped into their usual hangout spot behind the school—a quiet corner near the sports field where the teachers rarely checked.

“So,” Dave said, leaning against the fence. “What do we actually know?”

Amira rubbed her arms, still feeling the phantom heat of the fire. “I don’t know. One minute, I was out of mana, and the next, my hands were burning, and everything went black. When I woke up, the monster was gone.”

Ruby frowned. “Gone how? Like, did you explode it? Burn it? Rip it apart?”

“I—” Amira hesitated. The image of her standing over the monster’s remains, hands bloody, flashed in her mind. “I don’t know.”

Silence fell over them.

Then Sara spoke up. “What about the dream?”

Amira’s stomach twisted. “It wasn’t just a dream,” she muttered. “It felt like… something else. Like it was trying to tell me something.”

Dave narrowed his eyes. “What did it say?”

She swallowed. “It said I was ‘beginning to see.’ And that… that it wanted what was always meant to be mine.”

Ruby shuddered. “Okay, nope. That’s some horror movie demon possession nonsense.”

Sara bit her lip. “Maybe it’s not a demon. Maybe it’s… part of you.”

Amira stiffened. “What do you mean?”

Sara hesitated. “Think about it. It didn’t take over you completely—you still woke up as yourself. And that fire? It wasn’t random. You summoned it.”

Amira frowned. “But I didn’t try to.”

Dave tilted his head. “So maybe you don’t control it yet. But what if you can?”

That thought sent a chill down Amira’s spine.

Could she?

Did she want to?

Ruby clapped her hands together. “Alright. Only one way to find out. We need to test this.”

Amira blinked. “Wait, what?”

Sara sighed. “She means we should see if you can do it again. Safely.”

Ruby grinned. “Exactly. We just gotta get you to summon the purple flames on purpose this time.”

Amira glanced at her hands, uncertainty swirling in her chest.

Was this really a good idea?

Before she could answer, Dave crossed his arms. “We probably shouldn’t do this at school.”

“No kidding,” Ruby said. “Wanna meet at my place after class?”

Sara nodded. “That works.”

Amira hesitated, then exhaled. “Fine. But if I set your house on fire, that’s on you.”

Ruby smirked. “Worth it.”

---

Here’s the next part, where the first attempt fails, but the second one comes at a price.

---

After school, they gathered at Ruby’s house—a place that was just as chaotic as she was. Her parents weren’t home, which made it the perfect spot for an experiment that might go horribly wrong.

Amira stood in the backyard, her friends forming a loose circle around her. A bucket of water sat nearby—just in case.

“Alright,” Ruby said, rolling her shoulders. “Let’s light you up.”

Amira sighed. “Great pep talk.”

Sara stepped forward. “Okay, let’s start simple. Try to remember how you felt last night. What triggered it?”

Amira closed her eyes, searching for the feeling. The heat. The power. The burning.

Nothing.

“Maybe try getting mad,” Dave suggested. “It could be emotion-based.”

Amira thought about how frustrating this was, how insane her life had become in the past 24 hours. She clenched her fists, focusing on that emotion.

Still nothing.

“Maybe pain?” Ruby suggested.

Amira glared at her. “Ruby, if you punch me, I swear—”

“I wasn’t gonna punch you!” Ruby huffed. “I was just thinking, like, a little shock or something.”

“No.”

Ruby sighed. “Fine. Plan B.”

She suddenly grabbed Amira’s wrist and shoved her into the cold water bucket.

Amira yelped, stumbling back. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

Ruby grinned. “Well, now you’re annoyed. Did it work?”

Amira groaned. “No. It just made me wet and angry.”

Sara sighed. “Okay. Clearly, it’s not just emotions. Maybe there’s something else that triggers it.”

Dave crossed his arms. “Do you think it has to do with life or death situations? Last time it happened, you were seconds away from dying.”

Silence fell over the group.

Amira swallowed hard. “So… what? I have to be dying for it to work?”

“I mean, hopefully not,” Dave said quickly. “But maybe we need to push you closer to that edge—mentally, at least.”

Amira took a deep breath. “Alright. One more try.”

She closed her eyes and focused. This time, she didn’t just try to summon the power—she relived the moment it had come.

The exhaustion. The helplessness. The sheer desperation to survive.

Her body shivered.

Then—

Heat.

It started in her chest, slow and creeping.

Then it spread.

Amira’s eyes snapped open as violet flames erupted from her hands, flickering wildly, unstable but real.

Sara gasped. “It’s working—”

But Amira barely heard her.

The heat was too much.

Her vision blurred, her breath came in sharp gasps. Something was wrong.

It wasn’t just power—it was something taking from her.

A sharp pain stabbed through her chest, and suddenly, her legs gave out.

She barely registered Sara catching her before everything spun and—

Black.

---

Amira’s eyes fluttered open to the sight of a ceiling.

For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Then she heard voices.

“She’s waking up,” Ruby said.

“Amira?” Sara’s voice was softer, worried.

Amira groaned, sitting up. Her entire body ached. “What… happened?”

“You tell us,” Dave said. “One second, you were all ‘ooh, magic flames,’ and the next, you just collapsed.”

Sara frowned. “It was like it drained you.”

Amira blinked. Her hands still tingled, but the flames were gone.

Something felt off.

She tried standing—but as soon as she did, her vision blurred. A wave of exhaustion crashed over her, heavier than before.

She swayed, and Ruby caught her.

“Whoa. Okay. Nope. Sit back down.”

Amira sat back down, breathing hard.

Sara hesitated. “Amira… what if using that power takes something from you?”

Amira’s stomach twisted. “Like what?”

Sara bit her lip. “Your strength. Your stamina. Maybe even… your life.”

Silence.

Amira looked at her hands, suddenly afraid of them.

She had power now.

But at what cost?

---

Amira took a shaky breath, rubbing her temples as her vision wavered. The world around her blurred for a few seconds before snapping back into focus.

"Okay, that was weird," she muttered.

Sara crouched in front of her, frowning. "Weird how?"

Amira blinked a few times. "My vision. It went blurry for a second, like everything was out of focus. But now it's… fine?"

Ruby’s expression darkened. "You sure it’s fine? Because that didn’t look fine."

Amira hesitated. The truth was, for a moment, it felt like the world had melted away. Like she was staring through fogged-up glass, only catching glimpses of movement.

But it was back to normal now, so maybe—

No. Don’t ignore it.

She sighed. "I don't know. It felt like I was losing something. Like the power took part of my sight before it faded."

Dave crossed his arms. "So first, it knocks you out. Now it messes with your vision? That’s a problem."

Sara bit her lip. "It might be temporary. Maybe your body isn't used to it yet."

"Or maybe every time she uses it, it takes more," Ruby said grimly.

A heavy silence fell over them.

Amira swallowed hard. "So what? Every time I use it, I go blind a little more?"

No one answered.

The thought made her chest tighten. She had finally unlocked something inside her, something powerful, something terrifying—but it came at a price.

Could she afford to pay it?

Ruby clapped her hands, breaking the tension. "Okay, before we panic, let's test it. Can you see fine now?"

Amira looked around, scanning the backyard. Everything seemed sharp. Clear.

"Yeah," she admitted. "It’s fine now."

Ruby exhaled. "Alright. Maybe it’s temporary, but let’s be real—we need to figure this out before you go full-on ‘blind warrior princess.’"

Amira groaned. "Not helping."

Sara stood up. "We need to keep track of this. If your vision gets worse every time, we stop until we know how to fix it."

"Agreed," Dave said. "No more reckless magic until we understand what it’s doing to you."

Amira wanted to argue, to say that she had to learn how to control it. But deep down, she knew they were right.

For now, she’d hold back.

But if another dungeon appeared—if another monster attacked—would she really have a choice?

---

Later That Night

Amira sat on her bed, staring at her hands in the dim light of her bedroom.

She hadn’t told the others, but her vision hadn’t fully gone back to normal.

It was fine for the most part—but if she focused too hard, she noticed a faint haze around the edges of her sight. Like her world was closing in, just a little.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

She couldn’t tell them.

Not yet.

Because if this was the price of her power… she wasn’t sure she was ready to give it up.

---

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