Ember of the Starry Sky

"Yukari!"

I hear my mother's voice screeching through the air like nails on a chalkboard. If there's a sound worse than a dozen kids calling me a freak, it's Asahi Hoshizora yelling my name like I've committed some unspeakable crime. Which, let's be honest, according to her, breathing is probably crime enough.

"YUKARI! Where are you, you little arsonist?"

I groan and glance over my shoulder. There she is my lovely mother, Asahi, marching toward me like an avenging angel. Or, well, a fire-breathing dragon with a bad attitude and even worse hair. She's got her arms crossed, and her scowl is so deep you could hide treasure in it.

"Right here, Mother," I say sweetly, hoping to annoy her even more.

"What are you doing, you good-for-nothing child?" she snaps, glaring at me like I'm the sole reason for every disaster this village has ever seen. I mean, sure, I might have almost set the village barn on fire once. Maybe twice. But who's counting?

"I'm... sitting," I say, gesturing to the ground beneath me. "Existing. But I can stop if that offends you."

Asahi huffs, flipping her graying hair like she's some kind of queen. "Existing is exactly the problem. Can't you do that somewhere else? Like, far away from this village? Or better yet, this continent?"

"Can't. The stars told me I should stay right here to annoy you," I reply with a grin. "Something about 'divine purpose' or whatever."

Her eyes narrow. "Don't get smart with me, you little pyromaniac. If you were half as useful as you are destructive, maybe your father and I wouldn't have to constantly worry about waking up to the house on fire."

Ah, there it is. The daily reminder that Asahi and Akio would rather adopt a rabid squirrel than claim me as their daughter. Not that I blame them entirely my fire magic is a little unpredictable, but still. A "good morning" would be nice every once in a while.

"Relax, Mom. The house hasn't spontaneously combusted in weeks," I say. "Progress, right?"

Asahi rolls her eyes so hard, I'm surprised they don't pop out of her skull. "Just try not to burn anything down today, Yukari. If you can manage that much, I'll consider it a miracle."

"I'll do my best. But you know, miracles take time," I reply with mock seriousness. "It's hard being this much of a menace."

"More like a disaster waiting to happen," she mutters before stomping off.

I sigh and return to my usual spot by the well. The village is bustling around me, people going about their day like it's just another sunny afternoon. You'd think that by now they'd be used to the whole "fire girl" situation, but nope. Still, everywhere I go, people scatter like I'm a walking inferno.

I don't even notice my dad, Akio, coming up behind me until his booming voice interrupts my thoughts.

"What are you doing just sitting there?" he barks. "Shouldn't you be out doing something productive? Like... not existing?"

Ah, good ol' Akio. He's always been the kind of father who thinks his daughter's existence is a personal offense. If Asahi's words were icy daggers, Akio's are more like blunt clubs. Brutal, but straightforward.

"Father, I'm working on my life's greatest project," I say, standing up dramatically. "Annoying the absolute hell out of everyone in this village."

"Mission accomplished," he grumbles, shaking his head. "If you weren't my kid, I'd—"

"Send me off to the mountains? Tie me to a tree and leave me for the wolves?" I interrupt, listing off his usual threats. "Come on, Dad. Get creative."

"Maybe I will!" he snaps, though we both know he's too lazy to do anything but complain.

I hold up my hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll try not to make your life too miserable today. Promise."

"Just... don't burn anything down. Or do. I'm too tired to care anymore," he mutters before walking off, waving me away like I'm an irritating fly.

It's almost funny how much they hate me. It's like they've made hating their daughter into a full-time job, and honestly? They're pretty good at it.

I flop back down by the well, staring at the sky again. Maybe if I keep staring long enough, the stars will finally drop me some wisdom or, better yet, a way out of this village.

As if on cue, the ground beneath me rumbles.

I sit up straight, frowning. That's... not normal.

The rumble grows stronger, and I hear distant shouts from the other side of the village. I get to my feet, feeling the ground shake under my boots. Something's wrong.

"YUKARI!" I hear my mother scream, but this time there's real panic in her voice. "Get inside! NOW!"

I whip around, and my blood runs cold. A massive figure looms on the horizon, shrouded in black, with tendrils of dark smoke curling from his hands. His eyes glow red, and the air around him seems to crackle with malevolent energy.

A black mage.

And not just any black mage. This guy looks like he crawled straight out of a nightmare, ready to turn everything and everyone into dust.

The villagers scream and scatter like ants as he steps closer, the ground cracking beneath his feet. Fire begins to spread, licking at the wooden houses and shops.

"Well, this is bad," I mutter, my heart pounding in my chest.

The black mage raises a hand, and a wall of fire erupts in front of him, cutting through the village like a blade. I can feel the heat from here, and it's nothing like my own flames. This fire is wild, out of control pure destruction.

For once, I'm not the most dangerous thing in this village.

I turn on my heel and run toward my house, where my parents are frantically trying to gather their things. My father sees me and waves me off, his usual disdain replaced with sheer panic.

"Yukari, stay away! This is your fault, you cursed brat!" he shouts.

"Yeah, sure, because I summoned the apocalypse!" I snap back. "Real helpful, Dad!"

Before I can reach the house, another blast of fire tears through the village, sending debris flying in every direction. I duck behind a stone wall, shielding myself from the burning wreckage. The screams of the villagers fill the air, and I can see the black mage advancing, his dark magic spreading chaos everywhere he goes.