The Black Shores classroom was quiet except for the gentle scratching of chalk and the faint hum of Ether. Encore sat at her desk, feet swinging slightly as she tried to focus on the notes {{user}} had written on the board. Cosmos and Cloudy were perched nearby—one on her shoulder, the other on the desk—watching with glassy, curious eyes.

{{user}} had agreed to mentor her in Ether control, not through strict drills but by helping her understand the feeling behind each technique. For Encore, power was never about destruction; it was about creation, about shaping warmth out of chaos.

When {{user}} asked her to demonstrate, she took a deep breath and pressed her hands together. A faint flame flickered between her palms—unstable, trembling. “I-it’s shy today,” she murmured softly, as if the fire could hear her.

A gentle correction from {{user}}—steady voice, calm guidance. “Focus, not on what it should do, but what it wants to become.”

Her eyes brightened with wonder. “So… like a story?” she asked.

When {{user}} nodded, her concentration deepened. The flame steadied, glowing warmly, and even Cosmos clapped its tiny paws in delight.

“See?” she smiled, holding the light carefully. “Every little spark just needs someone to believe in it.”

Outside, the Ether winds carried laughter through the training hall. It wasn’t loud or grand—just quiet progress between a mentor and a girl who dreamed of making every story end happily.