Evan woke to the sound of rain tapping on the roof like a thousand gentle fingers The air inside the hut was cool and damp a mix of salt and herbs He pushed himself up slowly his body still sore His helmet was gone his gloves gone but the small scar on his arm from a fire years ago remained It reminded him this was no dream The woman from the lake was sitting by the fire if it could be called a fire It wasn’t burning it was glowing blue moving like liquid light

You are awake she said without turning her eyes calm and knowing He rubbed his face trying to clear the fog from his mind I don’t know where I am but I know this isn’t home She handed him a wooden bowl of water Drink It will calm the storm inside He hesitated then took it The water was cold but when he swallowed it warmth spread through his chest like a quiet pulse

My name is Lira she said I am a healer of the Tide Circle You fell through the flame gate into Aqualis I found you by the mirror lake It called to me Her words sounded strange but something in her tone made him believe What do you mean fell through I was saving a kid the floor gave out then I remember the jump and the light She nodded The elements choose those whose hearts are bound to them You were chosen by water

He almost laughed I’m a firefighter not a magician I fight water every day to kill fire not the other way around Lira smiled softly The flame does not fight the sea it needs it The world here is ruled by balance You must learn or it will break you She stood and motioned for him to follow Outside the hut mist covered the ground The rain had stopped but drops still hung on the leaves like glass beads

She led him to the edge of the lake where he had first arrived The surface was calm again but under it something moved slow and alive She said This is where your soul landed This lake remembers you Touch it He crouched down and placed his hand on the surface expecting nothing The water rippled and lifted following the curve of his fingers It shaped itself into a small wave that hovered like it was listening He pulled back startled Lira’s voice stayed soft It knows your name now Evan of the flame gate

He stared at the moving water I don’t understand how I can do this She said Because you were reborn through both fire and water The balance is inside you The lake recognized it before you did He stood up his boots sinking slightly into the wet soil Around them trees bent gently though there was no wind

She looked at him closely You carry the mark of the element That means you will attract others Some will seek to help you Some will seek to use you He frowned Who would care about me I just want to go home Lira shook her head The gate that brought you here does not open easily You must find the source of your power first Only then can you return She turned toward the horizon where a faint shimmer of blue light touched the mountains The Water Academy lies there They can teach you but they are not kind to strangers

He crossed his arms still trying to make sense of her words I don’t even know if I want to learn this magic She said quietly The power will grow whether you wish it or not The longer you resist it the more it will hurt The lake already chose you He looked down again and saw the water moving toward him waves forming small circles that met at his feet as if greeting him

A strange calm spread through him He thought of the fire station of his team of the boy he had carried out of the smoke He wondered if they thought he was dead Maybe he was But this world felt too real for that He said What if I can’t control it She replied Then it will control you

They walked back toward the hut as the sky began to darken Lira handed him a cloak made of thin fabric that shimmered like wet silk It will keep the night cold away she said Inside the hut she lit the blue fire again and its glow filled the walls like moonlight He sat by it watching the way it moved without smoke without heat

He whispered to himself Water that moves like fire fire that cools like rain This place makes no sense Lira looked at him The world never makes sense until you stop fighting it She closed her eyes and began to hum softly The sound made the air shift and he saw the water in the bowl beside him ripple to her voice

Evan leaned back against the wall feeling exhaustion pull at him again His last thought before sleep was of the boy he saved and the jump that never ended The rhythm of the rain outside matched the pulse in his chest steady calm endless As he drifted into dreams the glow of the blue fire reflected in his eyes like a tide waiting to rise again