Chapter 4: I Have No Idea What I'm Doing

Kael lay flat on his back, staring at the sky. His hands were still glowing. The warmth in his chest was still there, pulsing like a second heartbeat.

And worst of all? Everyone was staring at him.

Darin loomed over him, arms crossed, his blacksmith’s apron covered in soot. “Boy.”

Kael groaned. “Please don’t say it.”

Darin ignored him. “You just exploded.”

Kael rubbed his temples. “It was more of a… controlled burst.”

Darin pointed at the smoking crater surrounding Kael.

Kael winced. “Okay. Maybe not that controlled.”

The villagers, still cowering behind barrels and overturned carts, whispered amongst themselves. Old Man Relk, who had somehow ended up on top of his roof during the chaos, squinted down at Kael.

“Well,” he muttered, “that’s new.”

Kael sat up, groaning. His limbs felt weirdly heavy, like whatever had just happened had drained him.

Darin gave him a long, hard look. “Explain.”

Kael threw up his hands. “Oh, sure! Let me just pull out my handy ‘Why Am I Glowing?’ guidebook. Oh, wait! I don’t have one!”

The cloaked figure, still standing at the edge of the wreckage, finally spoke. “You are awakening.”

Kael squinted at them. “Awakening what, exactly?”

The figure took a step forward, their voice calm. “Your divine essence.”

Kael blinked. “I’m sorry—my what?”

Before the figure could answer, a deafening roar shook the village.

Right. The dragon.

Kael had completely forgotten about the massive, fire-breathing lizard that had landed in the middle of the market.

The dragon, now recovering from Kael’s accidental magic surge, was not happy. Its yellow eyes locked onto him, its pupils narrowing.

Kael sighed. “Oh, fantastic. You’re still here.”

The dragon snarled.

Darin clapped a hand on Kael’s shoulder. “Well, boy. If you really are some kind of god, now’s the time to prove it.”

Kael groaned. “Oh, sure! Let me just instantly master my mysterious new powers and defeat a dragon. No problem!”

Darin grunted. “Glad you’re seeing sense.”

Kael glared at him. “That was sarcasm!”

The dragon reared back, fire gathering in its throat.

Kael panicked. Think, think, think!

He had no weapons. No training. No idea what he was even capable of.

But he did have his hands.

And for some reason…

They felt important.

Without thinking, he thrust his arms forward—

And everything slowed.

The fire blasted toward him, but Kael could see it in a way he never had before. It wasn’t just flames. It was energy, raw and untamed.

His body moved on its own. His hands swept through the air, redirecting the fire—

And then, just like that—

The flames vanished.

Kael blinked. “Huh.”

The villagers gasped.

Darin’s mouth fell open. “What in the actual hell.”

Kael stared at his hands. They were still glowing.

The cloaked figure nodded approvingly. “You are beginning to remember.”

Kael shook his head. “No, see, that would require me to have known this at some point. Which I didn’t!” He gestured wildly. “So unless I used to be a fireproof wizard, I’d really appreciate some context!”

The dragon snarled, clearly unimpressed.

Kael groaned. “Oh, come on! Give me a second! I just learned I’m not human! This is a lot to process!”

The dragon, apparently not interested in Kael’s identity crisis, lunged.

Kael had zero time to react.

His instincts kicked in.

One moment, he was standing there—

The next, he was floating.

Kael flailed wildly. “Oh, HELL NO!”

Wind rushed past him as he hovered above the ground, his feet dangling uselessly.

Darin, still on the ground, crossed his arms. “Boy. You are flying.”

Kael’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh no. I AM NOT BUILT FOR THIS.”

The dragon, clearly sick of Kael’s nonsense, swiped at him with a massive claw.