Even for an esteemed Warrior of the Hong Clan, the process of giving birth would normally leave the mother incapacitated for at least a few hours, if not days. Despite its miraculous enhancements to a mystic’s strength, any channeled fire mana only served to exasperaet the feeling of fire burning through her legs, not to mention the red-hot iron lodged in her abdomen. Hong Tang Leila tried to ignore that as she danced from building to building, a pair of squealing twins in hand.

Still, she pushed onwards, channeling even more mana to her limbs — the pain she felt right now was nothing compared to the utter helplessness of leaving their fate to even her most trusted servants.

Her children.

She took a long look at them, taking the time to engrave their smiling faces into her mind. She was doing this for them, for her bloodline’s future. Next to that, what was a little pain?

She launched herself over yet another building, much to the twins’ delight. They were nearly there now. Their playful cries filled the air, and more mana flooded her movements, accelerating her run into an all-out sprint.

The Citadel loomed before her, its tall, curving ledges blocking out the moon’s rays. Sighing in relief, she let her mana seep out of her, halting before the immense structure. This was it. She sloweed her heaving chest, calmed her aura, and transformed her expression into one of stony valor. She had to be perfectly presented in front of her Elders, lest she lose face, but still, she couldn’t help but give her babies one last squeeze as she began climbing up the stairs.

***

“This humble Warrior greets the Elders, in hopes that her children may be judged worthy of serving the clan.”

Elder Fang looked the woman over, noting the symbol on the back of her left palm. That, along with her lack of husband, told him everything he needed to know about her. This was an honorable Warrior of at least the Seventh Level, who had opted to make the journey to The Citadel herself, rather than entrust the fate of her children to a fellow clansman.

He motioned her over, giving a slight smile as he activated his mana sense. Her aura was nice and dense, as was expected of a Warrior — if her children were like her, this was bound to be good.

“As tradition dictates, produce your first child.”

She kneeled, bringing the smiling child to his outstretched hands.

“Her name shall be Seira of the esteemed Tang family, honored Elder.”

“Come, little one,” he whispered. “Let us see how much potential you hold.”

He let his mana flow towards the child’s dantian, ignoring her giggles as it established a connection with her core. Once the appropriate amount had been administered, he set her down on the floor, beckoning for the other Elders to join him.

Suddenly, flames erupted from the child, filling the room with blistering heat. Elder Fang absentmindedly moved his spirit, willing the conflagration away as he stared, mouth agape, at the spectacle before him.

Great plumes of fire danced midair, filling the entirety of the councilroom. They shifted color, from red, to orange, to blue, each iteration growing hotter than the last. Brilliant light shone through the windows, and to any Hong clan members who happened to be walking by The Citadel that night, it might have looked as if it had been transformed into a brilliant lighthouse.

The mother kneeled before her child, channeling the last scraps of her mana in order to protect herself from the blaze. Tears rolled down her smiling face, evaporating instantly as they came in contact with the hot air. Elder Fang couldn’t blame her. It was absolutely breathtaking.

When the flames finally died down, some of the Elders were looking towards the heavens, expecting to see the Saint that had blessed such latent talent upon this girl. What compounded their shock was the fact that there was still another child, yet to be tested. After Seira’s awe-inspiring exhibition, there was no doubt in their mind that the boy would perform similarly.

Elder Fang took the girl’s left hand in his own, channeling mana back into her core. It filled quickly, then began inflating with the influx of energy. When it finally couldn’t hold any more, a pulse of mana ran through the child, expelling impurities from both her body and spirit. Her hand glowed bright orange as a symbol slowly etched itself into her skin. He didn’t need to look to know what it was: a detailed caricature of a raging bonfire.

The symbol on her hand would guide her for the rest of her life, displaying her status as a legendary Brave of the Hong clan. Once she grew hair, it would be half red, signifying the immense power she could one day produce. Once she reached the Ninth Level of cultivation — for, in Elder Fang’s opinion, it was no longer a question of if — she would join the ranks of the Elders, potentially even taking his place among the inner council.

He handed her back to the ecstatic mother, grabbing the baby boy, who he learned to be named Tang Kiro. As her twin, this was little more than a formality, but a Brave's trial was always a sight to see. Once more, the Elders gathered around him, and he channeled mana to the child’s dantian, chest tight in anticipation. Seconds passed… and nothing happened.

That was fine. Sometimes, these reactions took a few moments to come to bear, and a delay usually meant an unusually potent reaction. He frowned, stroking his beard in thought. Could this boy be even more talented than his sister? They patiently waited, their expectations growing by the second.

Finally, nearly half a minute since the start of the ritual, the beginnings of a reaction burst to life from the child. Yet... it was no spectacle. No conflagration. Not even a candlestick held such pitiful fire! It was a tiny wisp, barely large enough to be called a flame. They stared at it, dumbfounded. Surely, this couldn’t be it? Everything was stacked in his favor!

They waited some more, their anticipation gradually turning to restless annoyance. Finally, after another minute of agonizing frustration, Elder Fang activated his mana sense.

***

Hong Tang Leila looked on, devastated at the results of the trial. The Elders hadn’t said anything, but she had mana sense as well — she didn’t need their confirmation to know what had happened. Somehow, Kiro had failed the trial. Despite Seira’s obvious latent talent, despite everything pointing to his success, he had failed to demonstrate even an ounce of affinity for fire mana. She shook, unwilling to accept this fate for her bloodline.

“Please, honored Elders, there must be a mistake! If you would simply redo the trial, I promise he will show the signs of at least a Warrior!”

The head Elder looked at her, his face a clash of different emotions. “I apologize, honored Warrior, but his spirit is already drained. The trial has spoken — there will be no weak mystics in the Hong clan.”

She grabbed the boy, her thoughts a stark contrast to what they had been just minutes prior. This boy had failed her. If it weren’t for Seira’s incredible performance, her family might have disowned her for such a loss of face!

She looked at Kiro’s palms, silently hoping for anything but the symbol she dreaded. However, it seemed as if the Saints were done helping her today. On the back of his hand lay a circle not too dissimilar to Seira’s, except that instead of encircling a roaring bonfire, it closed around a pitiful sun.

As a Sun, he wouldn’t be allowed to cultivate even the basics, the things that everyone in the clan could do. Instead of becoming an honorable mystic, he would grow up as an insignificant farmer, the lowest of the low! Even servants would be higher ranked than him!

She rushed out of The Citadel, ignoring the boy’s pathetic cries.

How would she live with this? Her girl was a prodigy seen once a generation, and yet her boy brought nearly as much shame as she did honor...

***

Aer, Saint of Wind and Storms, watched a rather peculiar scene from her cloud. It seemed as if Hong Ma had started her own clan with the sole purpose of breeding talent for fire mana, presumably to attain enlightenment about her aspect. She laughed. What a strange way to go about things!

Overloaded with mana, the girl's core underwent its first purification. Black liquid seeped out of her skin as impurities were expelled from her pores, leaving her healthier, stronger, and better able to manipulate her mana. Still...

Her jaw clenched at the injustice, but she shook her head. She couldn’t risk intervening, not in her current state. Still, she would keep an eye out for these two children. Once they got some training under their belts, they could make some quality disciples.