Mirror gulped down her potion with disgust. The bitter taste stuck in her mouth, almost making her regret having taken it. Almost.

You think your family will take you back?

She whipped around, looking for the voice of her nightmares. Only Sunbeam stared at her. The witch's red hair popped against the drab gray walls. She sat cross-legged, peeling the paint off of them with a smile on her face.

–Menace told you not to do that.- Mirror sighed, not expecting the witch to pay her any notice. She never did.

–Menace can't tell me what to do- she retorted, peeling off another strip of paint.- She's not my mom.

Mirror flinched, knowing full well she spoke only to provoke her. Sunbeam's mother was a touchy subject. Hurricane had been a top-level air witch, and she'd married the Leader right after Emperor Romull was crowned. She was officially a prisoner of the Emperor, but rumors told otherwise. Witches talked, and even she couldn't ignore it.

–Please stop. You know they don't send us money anymore. No one's gonna fix those walls.

Sunbeam laughed, a high-pitched, clear sound that brought nothing but mocking.

–I don't care.- She peeled off a big chunk, then got up. Her thin, wiry frame was almost alien.- What are you staring at?- Mirror mumbled an excuse and turned to leave the room. She knew it was best not to engage with her, lest something reach her father's ears. The Leader wasn't a merciful man.

Sunbeam wasn't a merciful daughter, either.

–Our mission's tomorrow, you know. I'd appreciate it if you showed me some techniques.

Mirror didn't know what possessed her to ask for Sunbeam's help in training. Especially since she wasn't planning to do the mission anyway. Perhaps some sense of obligation, some longing for family? It didn't matter. Sunbeam would never-

–You're such a loser.- She snorted.- Alright, I'll teach you how to destroy things. That's my specialty.- She flicked her ponytail with disdain.- I wouldn't want you to cause the mission falling apart.

"Little does she know."- Mirror accepted her invitation with a gulp.

Sunbeam took her to the fire training grounds in a flash. Anytime someone shot them a questioning look, she silenced it with her searing gaze.

"She really can do anything she wants, can't she?"- Mirror thought in awe.

The fire training grounds were very near the surface- Mirror had learned to tell how close they were by the air's scent. Sunbeam pushed aside an iron screen to reveal an enormous room full of firewood. A huge, metal chimney covered the whole ceiling, and pinpricks of skylight shone down from the top.

–Ugh- Sunbeam grunted.- They didn't clean out the ashes from the  last time I was here.- Mirror realized these were Sunbeam's private training grounds. Of course the witch had a tutor all to herself! She was the Leader's daughter. Besides, this room was much too small to train a full class of fire Servants.

–Alright, Mirror. I'm not going to pretend this is fun for me. I'd rather do anything, and I mean anything else.- She sighed.- Papa wants me to prove I can feel empathy. He said I had to help someone in my troupe. And you were close by, so...

"There it is."- Mirror had been wondering when the explanation would come. Sunbeam never did anything for anyone. Ever.

–Fire magic is all about destruction.- She picked up log, making Mirror gasp. The witch was unnaturally strong despite her almost-skeletal frame.- Some idiots may tell you that fire also creates, but it never does. Fire destroys.

She stepped forward in a stance unrecognizable to Mirror, making wild, violent movements with her arms. "I wouldn't want to get caught in those punches"- she thought, alarmed. Sunbeam seemed to get more chaotic the more the steps went on. Finally, she thrust her hand forward and snapped her fingers.

The log burst into flames.

–Fire is violent, it's wild. It's chaos- she hissed, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.- It's strong like earth, but it's not controlled. It's not contained.- She shot various embers forward, setting leaves and wood alight.- That's what makes it superior!

Sunbeam's laugh sent a chill down Mirror's spine, despite the temperatures making her sweat. Smoke pricked at her eyes, making it hard to think. She coughed, covering her hand with her mouth.

–So?- The witch's eyes scrutinized her, as if waiting for something.- Aren't you going to fan the flames?

Mirror struggled to get her stance right in the scorching hot room. "An air witch should never be here"- she thought, smoke clouding her vision. "Air is wild, yes, but it's free. It's not chaotic." The steps required a jump, but her legs felt like stone. Still, she managed to do it. Finally, she raised her hand and snapped.

The five seconds of maximum power started now. "I need to get rid of all this smoke, but in a way that'll please Sunbeam's father"- she thought. The Leader was almost certainly watching them, and he expected Mirror to work through the smoke. But Mirror couldn't do anything if it remained there. The first second slipped by as she readied her arms and swung them forward.

It seemed to work at first. Mirror saw clearly for a second, and even got a breath of air in. But soon, smoke seemed to pour out of the raging fires even more heavily, and a disappointed look crossed Sunbeam's features.

"Why is the chimney not working?!"- Mirror thought, panic making her frozen for the remainder of the maximum power seconds. She was failing this test. She would never go on the mission, she'd never see the sun again...

"The sun!"- With a jolt, Mirror realized that light no longer shone down from the chimney. "Someone must've covered it so that smoke filled the room"- she realized. So it had been a test.

Jumping, she shot a current of air up the chimney. "Hopefully they didn't cover it with anything too heavy"- she thought, fueling the current, while also blocking the air from moving down.

Soon, light shone down from the ceiling, and the smoke began to dissipate. Mirror sighed in exhaustion. "Hot air is easier to move up"- she remembered from her lessons. "That's probably what they were testing me on." Sunbeam nodded, as if reading her thoughts.

–Well done, Mirror.- A voice rang from the top of the chimney.- You passed the real test.

Author's Note: This is my longest chapter yet! I wanted to flesh out Sunbeam's character and get some insights on fire magic. Let me know if it's not too much of an exposition dump!
On another note, do y'all think we'll finally see the Leader next chapter?