Quy walked quickly through the district, Shima by his side. Peasants made way for them down the streets, and how lucky for them, else Quy would have split the road with fire.

This is not as planned, Quy scowled. Obtaining a copy of Mai’s/Khai’s healing license from Taesu’s Gate Control archives was straightforward. But in the process, Quy had overheard a handful of guards talking about the search for a potentially renegade Healer Khai down in the lower districts.

Quy halted when he caught sight of the large group ahead. Quickly, he and Shima took hidden positions, close enough, and in time, for Mai-dressed-as-Khai to hand over their mage license.

Fire hummed in his belly as his eyes narrowed. His plans to blackmail Mai had fallen through. Mai had been down there for weeks, healing without attracting official attention. And those peasants, if nothing else, were loyal. They wouldn’t betray their beloved Healer.

So who on earth had put the idea of checking for ‘Healer Khai’ in the mind of the local district council?

*

Thoughts in Tien’s head went around in circles.

Was Mai the so-called Healer Khai?

It didn’t matter. She still had words for her niece. The earth mage took Mai away, but Tien could still sense Mai’s fire magic. They had been, still were, teacher and student.

That was when Tien saw the cluster of official council and Healer Mage Thu facing off with Mai.

Healer Thu had mentioned that she was going to check Healer Khai’s license.

Tien tensed when the guards approached Mai. She strode forward. “Stop!”

Thu inclined her head. “Healer Mage Tien. This person has your niece’s Healer license.”

Mai met Tien’s gaze.

Tien folded her arms. “I see. I...did teach Healer Khai.” She came over and took the familiar licence off of Thu. “Yes, I authorised this. However...there was a mixup with bureaucracy—you know how it is.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Thu pursed her lips. “Would you maintain your word in court?”

Tien didn’t change her expression. “Yes.”

The Council Member curled his lip. “Who are you?”

Tien nodded politely. “I am Healer Mage Tien, from Karashu. I taught and licensed Healer Mage Khai.”

Whatever happened, she was not going to let them put Mai into prison.

“And if you say the licence was improperly written out, why haven’t you updated it?” The Council Member said imperiously.

“It is pending,” Tien said coldly. “I hardly doubt your council moves any faster.”

“Tch. Very well. This young man will be charged for practicing under a false licence.”

“Council Member Wei,” a voice rang out clearly. “Mage Healer Tien is correct.”

A female earth mage strode towards them. She was holding a few sheets of paper. “Healer Khai’s updated licence has arrive. The only thing left is his blood-thumbprint under the witness of his teacher.”

Tien’s eyes narrowed. “And that would be me.”

The woman glanced at Mai, and Mai nodded.

“Yes,” Mai said. “Master Tien...”

Tien exhaled and went over to the woman. She glanced over the papers. They looked official. But it was a fake, it had to be, when Tien saw it under the name Khai. All of Mai’s legal papers were under her real name Mai.

But Tien knew a ruse when she saw one. Beckoning Mai over, she oversaw the blood thumbprint onto the papers. With a gentle puff of dry air, Tien dried the blood, and handed it to Healer Mage Thu.

“Back-dated as the incorrect licence,” Thu said with a raise of her eyebrows. “I concede, Healer Mage Tien. All seems to be in order.” She handed back the papers to Tien. “And yet you never spoke of teaching someone named Khai to me,” she said quietly.

“I did not think he would be here,” Tien replied, equally quiet. She affected a mild look of shame. “Compared to my niece, Healer Khai is not nearly as good. But he is good enough to practice.”

“And for these lower districts, they take what they can get,” Thu conceded. She straightened and turned to the Council Member. “Healer Khai has been practising within the law.”

The Council Member drew his robes around him, sneering. “In that case, have a pleasant day, Healer Khai.”

With a measure of relief, the Council Member and his party left. Tien waited for them to leave before facing her errant niece.

*

Quy hissed. To think that the woman who Mai had saved all those weeks ago would come back and do this to Quy. His copy of Mai’s licence burst into flames in his hands as panic spiralled with anger.

Lord Quyen was coming in a week. How was Quy going to learn lava creation now?

Lord Quyen was coming in a week with a Royal Retinue and he expected Quy to perform.

And if Quy couldn’t...the best he could hope for was disownment.

And the worst...Quy blanched at the thought of dueling Lord Quyen.

The center of his palms heated up as his hands curled into fists. Quy would just have to blackmail Mai in the hands-on way.

*

Khai moved a little closer to Yang, watching the council people finally leave. He did his best not to look at his aunt. He was conflicted. Tien had helped. But that didn’t mean she accepted him.

“Yang, how did you—”

Tien strode up. “A good forgery,” she snorted, raising her brows at Yang. “Consorting with criminals now, Mai?”

Yang tilted her head. “And yet, you played along. An accomplice in crime. And Khai technically is licensed. As you know.” She moved forward, put herself between Khai and Tien as she started to exchange verbal blows with Tien.

“Hey,” Han whispered. “Are you alright?”

Khai nodded. “I—” He stopped when he suddenly sensed the sudden flaring of fire, in control and hungry.

Immediately, he broke free from the others, searching for the flame.

Quy emerged from in-between the buildings. He was dressed for a fight. “This is a challenge, Mai,” he said, voice low. “And if I win, you will follow my orders.”

“My name is Khai,” Khai said, starting forward again. “What is it that you want from me?”

Quy smirked. “Have you conceded the duel already?”

Khai scowled back. “And if I win?”

“Why don’t you do that first?”

“Let’s take this fight elsewhere. There are civilians.”

Quy’s hands slashed, and twin blades of flame appeared. “Surely you are a good enough mage to aim accurately?”

Khai narrowed his eyes and shifted into ready stance. “Fine. Let’s finish this quickly, shall we?”

“Khai!” Han yelled. Earth rose like a wall between Khai and Quy—

—Quy slashed down, and the earth cracked and split apart.

“Clear the area, Han!” Khai yelled, not taking his eyes of Quy. With speed, he directed his fire through his body, out of his feet and into the water pipes below. They were at the Water Fountains, after all, and a beat later, steaming water rushed to Khai’s command.

Quy took a step forward and slashed his fire-swords in parallel, flame extending and whipping towards Khai. With a raised hand, water rose to block. Quy’s fire bit in, boiling off water, fighting against Khai’s control of the flame in the water. For a brief moment, Khai let Quy have control, and the water fell as Quy failed to hold the water up with the fire.

With a sweep of his foot, Khai called out the heated water once again. With the raise of his hands, he lifted up lava.

Quy’s fire jumped white-blue hot. His hands pressed together, twin swords merging into one large sword of flame. With a slash and a thrust, flame raced towards Khai, maw opening as a dragon flickered across the beam of fire.

Khai threw up water and earth, but they couldn’t move as fast as weightless flame. Pain burst from his arm, as his sleeve went black and his skin seared and bubbled.

Hissing, Khai moved his hands apart, forming ropes of orange flame twisted with rippling boiling water that caught the fire-beast when it came at him again. He tugged the reins tight, and called it to him.

Quy yanked back; Khai drew heat from sunlight and forced his own magic into the flame dragon until his fire overwhelmed Quy’s. With a grunt, Khai threw the dragon right back at Quy.

Quy leapt, fire propelling his flight, right over the flame. Hands tugged, shaped, and he landed with a staff of flame, fire burning hungrily on both ends.

Khai ramped up the heat. The ground shimmered hot beneath them, air wavered. With a sharp yank, Khai buffeted Quy with hot air.

Quy raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

Khai blinked back, water merging with lava to make a crackling volatile mixture.

A beat later, Quy’s fire rose.

A beat later, Khai shifted forward, fire and water and earth hissing.

A beat later, Quy’s fire came down.

A beat later, Khai’s fire-in-fire surged up.

Explosion rocked the air.

*

Han raised an arm to brace against the heated air the blasted out. When he looked again, he realised that Yang hand thrown up an earth wall to block most of the blast.

“Can you see him?” he asked Yang breathlessly. Quy’s fire shook him.

“Who’s that?”

Han darted a glance towards Yang, and followed her gaze to the figure running towards the rubble and flames and smoke. “Shima,” Han breathed. “Quy’s bodyguard! He’s a swordsman!” Han flinched again when another blast of hot air whipped out. Smoke dissipated, and Han’s heart skipped a beat—

Lava flowed around Quy in semblance of a living cage; lava flowed around Khai in semblance of living armour.

Shima was heading towards Khai.

Han narrowed his eyes and stomped. A wall of earth shot up between Shima and Khai. Shima dropped one hand on the wall and vaulted right over.

Khai turned, and the earth wall became molten lava.

Han pressed forward, rising the earth higher. Yang raced past him, words on her lips, and in a smooth arc, Shima’s sword slid from its scabbard and into Yang’s waiting hand.

Khai shook his head. “I’m sorry, Shima,” he said, as a cage of lava weaved around him too.

Han hurried to Khai’s side. “Khai! You’re hurt!”

Khai shook his head dismissively, and turned to Quy.

“Does this constitute your defeat?” Khai said, fire underlacing his tone.

*

It felt as though Khai/Mai had the heat of the earth’s core at their side. With Quy’s arms pined down by lava, with Shima trapped…

Quy gritted his teeth. “Yes,” he forced out. “You may as well kill me now.”

Khai/Mai snorted. “No, Quy. I will let you go if you won’t attack me.”

Quy bristled. “Are you questioning my honour after losing to you?”

Khai/Mai shook their head. “Let me ask one thing of you, since I won.”

Quy narrowed his eyes. “What?” he hissed.

“My name is Khai. Call me by the right name.”

Quy met equally gold gaze, the fire still strong inside despite their battle. Consciously breathing, Quy inclined his head. “Very well. Khai.”

With that, the lava cooled and the bars of the cage receded back into the earth; the same was happening to Shima’s cage.

Quy sneered at Khai. “Let’s go, Shima,” he said roughly.

He turned his face away from the group of peasants as Shima flanked his side.

One week until Lord Quyen arrives. One last week until my life is over.

*

There was something wrong with Quy’s fire, Khai could sense it. But words escaped him before he thought to call out to Quy, and by the time he realised, Quy and Shima had gone.

“He really does look like you,” came Yang’s voice. She softened some earth and stuck the sword into the ground.

“You’re hurt, Mai,” was Tien.

Khai immediately backed away from his aunt, wincing at the sudden movement, at the pain that flooded in now that he was aware that there was pain to be felt. “I’ll do it myself,” he said tersely. He surveyed the Water Fountains around them, and winced. Cracked ground, rivers of cooling lava, and wet, muddy earth. “Oh. I—I need to fix this.”

Yang gave Khai an exasperated smile. “And we’ll help. But right now, you’re hurt.”

“That’s what I said,” Tien snapped. She hurried forward, placing a hand on Khai’s arm.

“And I can heal myself,” Khai said stubbornly, jerking away from Tien’s touch. The movement made him sway on his feet. He gave Han a smile when earth rose up into a seat.

Khai stretched out a hand, called sunlight to power him as he started to heal.

Tien pushed his hands away. “You’re shaking,” she frowned. “You could barely hold a steady flame. I’m healing you.” She reached out, hovering a hand over an injury.

The brush of Tien’s magic made Khai flinch. He twisted out of her way despite the tears of pain springing to his eyes. “Get away from me! I’m doing it myself. Han!”

*

Tien flinched at Mai’s dismissal. The boy-friend-earth-mage immediately moved the earth upon which Khai sat towards him and away from Tien, sloping it up for Mai to stand up again.

Inside, Tien’s fire flared up. “I’m your Teacher! Your master! Your aunt!” she snapped. “And I’m a healer! Stop right there, Mai. I will heal you.”

Mai leveled a dark look. “And that’s exactly why I won’t let you! How can I even trust you not to try some kind of mind-bending healing on me? My name is Khai, and I’m not a girl!”

Tien opened her mouth to retort, but she didn’t know what to say. Honestly, the thought of mind-bending healing right that moment hadn’t crossed her mind—though it had when she first saw Mai dressed up like that earlier. Because there had to be something off. Mai hadn’t been like this back in Karashu.

Mai looked away. “I can see it in your eyes.” She turned to the boy, and to the approaching Yang. “I just need a fire to restore my strength.”

But Tien could see Mai hurt, the burns red hot across her skin, scorched through her mens’ clothing. Tien was Mai’s teacher and aunt, she couldn’t in good conscience leave it like that.

Tien gritted her teeth. “Then I won’t touch your mind. At least allow me to aid you.”

“Do you give your word on your magic?” the boy called out.

“Yes.” She won’t touch Mai’s mind right now.

Mai’s eyes were pained. She closed them. “Fine.”

Immediately, Tien headed over. She started with the leg injury first: it was the furthest from the head, and Tien needed to build some measure of trust first. Burnt skin flaked away as flesh knitted itself back up and new skin emerged. Then, Tien moved to Mai’s arm, and finally her back.

As her magic moved through blood, through muscle, to heal Mai, Tien realised that this was the first time that Tien had ever healed Mai. Back in Karashu, Mai didn’t go around fighting people.

Despite herself, Tien sunk her magic in deeper to bone. Mai’s growth plates weren’t nearly as fused as a typical girl her age. Furthermore, her bones were being constantly maintained by her own healing magic, suggesting that they were weaker than typical.

Somehow, Mai had kept part of her puberty away, and her bones were suffering from it. Tien immediately reached out further towards—

“Stop!” Mai pushed a hand away, stumbling away. Fire slashed between them, breaking Tien’s connection.

Tien blinked. “What have you done with your body?” she breathed. Now that Mai was facing her again, she could see that Mai was too flat chested. Tien had thought it was just Mai’s physical inheritance; combined with the loose clothing, Tien hadn’t thought more about it.

But Mai had been forcing it that way. With magic and with cloth. For years.

Since back in Karashu.

“It’s my body.” Mai’s brows drew together and her lips went into a sad frown. “You don’t understand what it feels like.” She wrapped arms around herself.

“You don’t need to justify yourself to anyone,” Yang said firmly, resting a hand on Mai’s shoulder.

The boy wrapped an arm around Mai’s back. Mai flashed the boy and the woman a weak smile, and she stood taller, as though gaining strength from the two earth mages.

Envy and jealousy and dislike rose in Tien’s gut.

Under Tien’s hand, Mai’s fire had burned flickering, smoldering.

But now, Mai’s fire burned brightly, capturing those earth mages in the glow.

“You rather be her daughter,” Tien lashed out.

“Son, if he wants to be,” Yang said.

Son. Everyone thought Mai was a boy. Even Mai did, in the way she looked towards Yang with wonder in her eyes.

But what if...Tien struggled. What if Mai was a boy like she—or he—said?

“Auntie,” Mai said. “I really appreciate you taking me in. I am really grateful that you taught me healing, that you made me part of your family. And I understand that if you can’t accept me...then you should disown me.”

“I would never!” Tien said automatically.

“But you still think I’m Mai. I’m not.” Mai shook her head. “You have no niece named Mai. You have a nephew named Khai. Do you want me to stay as your nephew?”

The words were heavy with ultimatum. Tien opened her mouth, but no words came out. And she stared.

*

Khai maintained his gaze for as long as he could bear. But when his aunt said nothing, he sighed, and looked away.

“I thought so,” he said tiredly. “I must farewell you then, Healer Mage Tien. All the best your life. If there is any monetary compensation you wish from me, please detail so in a letter. Have a good day.” He bowed formally, and started walking away.

“Stop!”

Khai didn’t stop.

“Let us speak, Healer Tien,” he heard Yang say.

A beat later, Han was by his side. Han was shaking his head. “That was…”

Khai sighed.

“It makes my problems with my parents tiny in comparison.”

Khai reached out for Han’s hand, and gave it a brief squeeze. “Hey. We’re not comparing problems. And you have two parents. And a sister. That multiplies your problems by three.”

Han snorted. “Ha, that’s too true. Where are we going?”

Khai sighed again. His wounds were healed, but they were still sore. And he wanted to go over them again himself. “I need fire. But some hot tea would do first.”

“Mr. Kiri would want an update,” Han said. “Assuming Thon hasn’t told him yet.”

“And...” Khai grimaced. “We still need to rebuild the Water Fountains.”

Han gave him an encouraging smile. “You’re definitely not doing it alone.”

Warmth bloomed across Khai’s chest. “Okay.”