CHAPTER THREE: TRAINING GROUNDS

[Winter.]

Weirdly enough, it doesn’t seem so unfamiliar to me, using the fire in my system and letting it circulate upon my system, and it feels like I had already done this before; like I had already known for a very long time that I’m a fire user; because otherwise, how can I be so familiar about this?

Nevertheless here I am, fresh from the ceremony that I had absolutely failed and is the reason why I got kicked out, now standing in the middle of a wide field just beside my sister’s so called mansion and deflecting each and every attack from her with the limitations of this bracelet wrapped around my wrist.

“Punyeta, easy lang!” sigaw ko habang natawa na lamang itong kapatid kong parang nasiraan na ng bait at dire-diretsong umaatake sa akin even through all directions, at ang hirap na hatiin ng attention ko para salagin ang lahat ng atake niya because apparently, I can’t attack yet; Ate Seulgi says that I have to practice defense on all sides.

“There’s no such thing as easy lang when it comes to fighting in real life, Minjeong. Remember, it’s either kill or be killed; defend or lose.” Natatawang sabi ni Ate habang patuloy niya akong inaatake ng kung ano mang mga fireballs na alam kong makakasakit sa akin in case that it hits me, and the only consolation she tells me is that her wife would put an ice compress upon any body part I’m hit.

“Pota… wait… have you forgotten that I’m still new to this?!” sigaw ko habang patuloy ko pa rin na sinasalag ang bawat tira niya ng fireballs sa akin, feeling the heat slowly exhaust the raging fire that is deep within me, waiting to come out, as if the flame inside me is telling me na ‘wag na nga, nakakapagod naman palang magpakawala ng apoy dito. , it’s exhausting.

“You’re new, but you’re even better to me than when I was starting, just like you. When I was your age, I couldn’t even defend myself at all sides!” natatawang sabi niya na parang ikagagaan iyon ng loob ko, at honestly napapagod na rin ang katawan ko sa pag anticipate kung saan niya dadalhin ang fireballs na gusto niyang ipatama sa akin, so I did the most irrational thing I could think of.

Rage, my fire. Come on.

Let’s show my idiot sister what we’re capable of, even with this limiter on.

I widened my eyes as I feel the rage surge through my veins, at nanlaki pa lalo ang mga mata ko nang makita kong maglighten ang color ng ibang mga tips ng buhok ko, and as I open my eyes I could feel heat surging through them—and some of my clothes are certainly being burned through as I let out a frustrated shout, sending a wave of fire throughout all directions, all forming a fireball and aimed at my sister who seem to be unmoving at what she’s seeing.

Hindi na ako nagulat nang bigla akong lumutang as if the fire inside me is carrying me upward, and I widen my eyes as the big fireball that is aimed towards my sister dissipated so easily with one flick of her finger, her hair also turning light like mine pero nakatayo lang siya ng tahimik sa baba, staring at me.

“Alrighty, then… hit me with your best shot, Minjeong.” Nakangiting sagot ni Ate like she’s confident, like she can do anything against her sister, at nararamdaman ko naman ang kapangyarihan niya at ang presensiya niyang tila nilalabanan ang apoy sa loob ng katawan ko—the presence slightly overwhelming me, but I won’t back down just yet.

“If… if I beat you here, train me properly, alright?” I say, at tumango na lang siya habang nakangiti pa rin na parang nakakaloko, her arms open wide like getting ready for a hug.

“And please, try not to burn through those clothes they gave you in the dungeon? We’re going to buy clothes after this.” Nakangiti niyang sabi at tumango na lamang ako, trying to think of something that could beat her since I don’t even know half of her strength and her power—hell, I don’t even have half of myself figured out, aside from this state that I am where I feel like the fire would let me use it however I want, even with the bracelet limiter on.

Here it comes.

I close my eyes for a second, still floating upon the air, and focus the fire upon my veins, upon every part of my body, slowly letting it out into a sword and an armor that could protect me from anything, at agad akong bumaba sa lupa at lumapit sa kanya—no, I run towards her, giving everything that I have in this one strike with the sword that I’m holding made of fire, but oddly enough she doesn’t feel scared, her fire somehow anticipating mine—

No.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang bigla niyang salagin gamit ang kamay niya yung sword na tatama sana sa kanya, the force of her defending it and me trying to hit her with full force causing a shockwave to emanate from the two of us—breaking the sword into two pieces, shattering it with such force like I’d hit a wall instead of a person—sending me hurtling away, the armor I’ve set for myself even getting destroyed, shattering into little bits that dissolved so easily.

I couldn’t even recover so easily as the force knocked out all of the focus and the fire circulating inside me, the wave making me hit one of the trees nearby—hitting me straight upon my back, knocking all the air out of my lungs, making my body plop down the ground like a ragdoll hit by a truck—and I feel like I couldn’t move for a moment.

Soon I feel the fire coursing from within, emanating from my heart and spreading towards different parts of my body, somehow helping me recover and even helping me move, at dahan-dahan akong tumayo habang nakatingin lang si Ate sa akin na parang medyo naguguluhan at medyo humahanga, but I didn’t even have the time to think about her expression as she started trying to hit me with those fireballs again, at wala na akong choice kung hindi salagin ang mga iyon habang nararamdaman kong umaagos pa rin ang apoy sa bawat parte ng katawan ko, as if healing whatever it is that got damaged because of that reckless attack I made.

Pero nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko nang maramdaman kong mawala na ang parang powered state na meron ako kanina, the highlights upon my hair disappearing slowly, and the fire that is raging from within my heart slowly calms into this gentle stream, at napansin ko namang mas madali nang kontrolin ito—and I could even utilize it properly to defend myself against Ate Seulgi’s endless attacks.

But the heat upon my eyes is still there—like there are flames upon them, somehow slowing time for me to see where the attacks would lead, where it would hit me and enabling me to defend myself against those attacks, even if it’s faster than earlier and certainly a lot stronger, and I know that I can properly defend myself this time, so maybe I can do that attack again—

“That’s enough.” Ate Seulgi says with a content smile upon her lips, at agad naman akong napaluhod habang nagsink in na ang pagod sa katawan ko, and soon enough all of my body felt like it had been replaced by weights, making it impossible for me to even move an inch in any direction—and I certainly am breathing heavy right now, the fire rushing inside me as if trying to relieve me of the fatigue that is setting in.

“Minjeong, how do you know the principles of fire?” Ate Seulgi asks habang umupo siya sa harapan ko, putting her hand upon mine and immediately I could feel her fire slowly rushing inside me, helping me clear the fatigue in my body, removing the invisible weight that settled upon my limbs, and soon I could feel my heart beat returning back to normal, the fire inside me now calm and tame, though still a little playful.

“I… hindi ko alam. It just… it’s just so natural.” I say, finally sitting down habang unti-unti nang natanggal ang pagod ko, at pansin ko namang nagulat pa lalo si Ate nang tumayo na ako at pagpagin ang damit kong nadungisan dahil sa parang sparring na ginawa namin, and I wonder why she looks so surprised with me ever since earlier that I was in that state.

“It took me almost five years to learn the techniques that were taught to me by the Kang Family after they took me in, ten years to hone everything and try to come up with new techniques that could help me improve the things that was taught to me, and then five years to train to be the best; and I am still striving to be the best even with the title that I have.” Ate Seulgi says, at nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko nang marinig ko ang mga salitang iyon.

“All in all, it took me twenty years since I had been awakened at seven years old and had been exiled since then.” She says, at nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang narinig ko kung gaano katagal siyang nagtiyaga para sa title na mayroon siya ngayon—the strongest fire user in the region.

“That… that long…?” I ask, gritting my teeth as I feel the fire coursing through my system like it was so familiar, like I had known that this would happen and that I had done it before, but how can I when I had already expected that I would get ice instead of fire?

“Yes. Kaya I was particularly shocked kanina since you were doing techniques that an advanced student would do, albeit reckless, and how you were able to stand up despite me knocking off the fire in your system momentarily to distract you and set your fatigue faster in.” sagot ni Ate Seulgi habang tinignan ko ang mga kamay ko, like there’s something written upon there, something that could tell me what is this that’s happening.

“That’s why I’ve had someone to find out what happened.” Ate Seulgi says, pointing upon the ring on her finger discreetly habang tinulungan na niya akong tumayo at inalalayan ako papunta sa loob ng bahay, although she figured out that I could already do it on my own and did not suffer any injuries after the strenuous activity that we had today, kahit na kadadating ko lang dito sa bahay nila.

“Your wife? I haven’t met her yet and you already sent her away. Sigurado ka bang gusto mong nandito ako?” pabiro kong tanong habang kinutusan niya lang ako at binigyan ako ng tubig with ice, although I noticed that when I touched the glass the ice melted completely, tipping the water over, but it also disappeared before it hit the ground—like I was making it melt.

“Yeesh, better keep you off my wife’s ice stock. Let’s go out muna; we can’t exactly buy clothes when you could melt it off so uncontrollably, so magpalamig muna tayo sa labas.” Ate Seulgi says habang masama ang titig ko sa kanya dahil medyo sira-sira na itong longsleeve at pants na ibinigay sa akin nung staff ni Ate Taeyeon, the cuffs burnt and torn apart, blackened at the edges.

“Where did she even go? ‘Wag mong sabihing pumunta siya sa mansion? Baka manggulo pa siya doon—”

“Hey, Joohyun’s not scandalous; baka ako pa nga ang manggulo doon if not for my prohibition to step inside the mansion because of… well, because of that Act of Segregation that happened to me years ago.” Sagot niya habang umupo nalang kami dun sa maluwag na field sa tabi ng bahay niya, the one place where we had practiced kanina—and amazingly, there had been no burnt grass or whatsoever, as if Ate Seulgi had protected the land before fighting with me.

“But anyways, she’s coming back, probably with some news about what had happened to you in the years that you were there sa mansion since you were born after I had gone.” Ate Seulgi says, at napabuntong hininga naman ako since I know what I had been meant to the family; their last hope.

“Your ceremony failed so Mama had me… as a last hope.” Sagot ko, sighing as she nodded at that, playing with some of the grass upon the ground, burning some of it intentionally and then containing it when the fire spreads around.

“Our family had been very strict about upholding their traditions that they exchanged it with the family that they had—destroying a lot in the process.” Ate Seulgi says, at nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko when I saw some small figures in fire played along the grass that she had burnt, like a battlefield she had made upon the small burnt patch of grass in front of where she’s sitting.

“Anyways, I think she’s here.” Sagot ni Ate habang tumayo na siya at tinulungan akong tumayo, patting the clothes that got dirtied because of ashes that flew away from her playing with the grass, and I only followed her towards the front of this little house that she has, seeing her car moving towards the parking, and through the tinted glass I see not one, but three people—

What?

Why is she here?

“Miss Minjeong!” bati sa akin ni Jaemin at tumango na lamang ako sa kanya, for the boy who had worked as a bodyguard for me had been kind of my friend na in the upcoming years, but I couldn’t focus as she got out of the car, her gaze shifting from Ate Seulgi’s house to me, getting stuck upon me who could not even avert my gaze from her.

“Yooji.” I uttered, fear settling upon my heart, wondering why she’s here—to see what a failure I am?

That no matter how she taught me so well, I ended up a failure in front of the family, and now in front of her? Bakit siya nandito?

“Minjeong, this is Joohyun Kang, my wife—”

“Yooji, why are you here?” tanong ko, not even hearing anything else but the ringing upon my ears, my stare still upon her—but she looked away.

Why?

Yooji, why can’t you look at me?

“Calm down, alright? There’s something that had happened as to why she’s here.” Seulgi’s wife, Ate Joohyun said, at hindi na ako mapalagay dahil bakit pati si Jaemin ay hindi na rin makatingin sa akin? What the hell is happening here?

“And what is it? Are you going to take me back there? No, I can’t go back there, tinapon nila ako na parang wala lang—”

“Winter.” Yooji says, strict upon her tone, as if she wants me to stop speaking.

You never call me that. Minjeong; that’s what you always call me.

Your kind smile is also gone, like Ate Taeyeon—are you like her too?

“Jimin never taught you ice principles kagaya ng napagkasunduan nila ng ate mo, Winter.” Ate Joohyun says, at agad akong napatingin sa kanya and then to the bracelet upon my wrist, the one that cancels out majority of the fire threatening to be let out within me, the bracelet helping me make it so that the fire is tamed.

“She taught you fire—the power that you have today,” Sagot ni Ate Joohyun habang nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko doon. Bakit? Why would she teach me that—

“…because she wanted to sabotage you being an heiress for the family, but coincidentally, ice wasn’t your power.”