Morning broke with unusual warmth in the Academy courtyard, as if the very stones had absorbed and retained the embers of our triumph over the Gate of Embers. The Origin Halo above glowed faintly, a reminder that choice and unity had prevailed over limitless power. But though we had passed the final trial, new challenges awaited—none more urgent than understanding how to share the Flame Realm's creative spark without inviting its chaos.
Word spread quickly that day of the "Flame Nursery," an experimental chamber deep beneath the Academy where raw embers from the Gate had been gathered. The idea was Seraphina's: to nurture small, stable sparks into living wards that could heal land, inspire magic, or even catalyze new life. Rather than wield unlimited power directly, we would cultivate it in measured, life-giving form. Today, the first seeds would be sown.
