AGE 5-OTHER KIDS

Su Fei was 5 now.

"Today is your first real test," Mell said, holding out a candle.

"Light this. With the Orb. But only a little flame."

Su Fei nodded seriously. He took a deep breath. In... out...

The Soul Orb floated to his palm. Warm. Calm.

He focused. A tiny flicker appeared on the wick.

"Good!" Madam Fei whispered.

The flame grew. Then bigger.

"Calm!" Mell snapped.

Su Fei panicked. The flame EXPLODED and set the tablecloth on fire.

Mell stomped it out. Again.

"Test failed," he said. "We try again tomorrow."

That same afternoon, Madam Fei took Su Fei to the village.

"Other children," she said. "You need friends."

Su Fei hid the Orb in a cloth pouch under his shirt. It was heavy and warm.

3 kids were playing by the well.

"Who’s that?" one asked.

"New kid," another said. "Wanna play catch?"

Su Fei smiled. For 10 minutes he was normal. No Orb. No training. Just playing.

Then one kid bumped him. Hard.

The pouch fell open.

The red globe rolled out and floated by itself.

All 3 kids froze.

"Uh... is that a toy?" one whispered.

Su Fei dove and grabbed it. "No! It’s a... hot potato! Very hot! Don’t touch!"

He shoved it back in the pouch and ran home.

Behind him, he heard one kid say, "I think his toy is magic."

That night, Mell looked at him.

"So. How was your first day with other kids?"

Su Fei sighed. "I think I need more training. On hiding things."

Mell burned his beard. Again.

4.2 The Orb Stays With Mell

That night, Madam Fei packed the Soul Orb in a box.

3 locks. 5 seals. 1 note that said "DO NOT TOUCH - VERY GRUMPY".

Su Fei watched with big eyes. "You're... leaving it here?"

Mell nodded. "For now. Until you learn to not set things on fire AND not expose magic to kids in the same day."

Su Fei kicked a rock. "But what if it gets lonely?"

The Orb pulsed once from the box. Like yes I will.

"Good," Mell said. "If it misses you, it’ll behave better when you come back."

For the next week, Su Fei had to come to the tower every day for training.

No Orb at home. No Orb at the village.

Day 1 without it: He kept patting his chest where the pouch used to be. Felt empty.

Day 3: He actually made it through a whole lesson without accidents.

Day 7: He lit the candle. Tiny flame. Didn’t explode.

Mell raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Turns out separation works."

That evening, Mell opened the box. The Soul Orb floated out, calmer than before. It drifted to Su Fei and rested in his hands. Warm. Quiet.

"See?" Mell said. "You both needed a break from each other."

Su Fei grinned. "Does this mean I can go to the village again?"

Mell and Madam Fei said at the same time: "NO."

The Orb burped. They all laughed.

4.3 The Village Fight and Punishment

Two days later, Su Fei couldn’t take it anymore.

"I just wanna play!" he told the Orb.

The Orb pulsed. Like don’t do it.

Su Fei did it anyway.

He snuck out and ran to the well where the other kids were.

"Hey!" he waved. "I’m back!"

The same 3 kids looked up.

"The magic toy kid," one muttered.

"I don’t have it," Su Fei said fast. "See? Empty hands."

They played tag for a while. It was fun. Normal.

Until one boy, phill , shoved him too hard.

"Get out of the way!"

Su Fei fell. His knee scraped.

"That’s it!" he yelled. "You started it!"

Next thing he knew, they were rolling in the dirt.

Phill pulled his hair. Su Fei pulled back.

"MOM SAID NO FIGHTING!" another kid screamed.

By the time Madam Fei arrived, all 4 of them were dusty and crying.

She didn’t yell. That was worse.

"Su Fei. Home. NOW."

4.4 Punishment

No dinner. No stories. No Orb time.

"1 week," Madam Fei said. "No village. No playing. Training only."

Su Fei sat in his room, holding his scraped knee.

From Mell’s tower, the Soul Orb pulsed once. Like told you.

Mell sent a message with a bird: Good. Maybe now you’ll learn control starts with your fists too.

That night, Su Fei whispered to the wall. "Sorry, Mom."

From the other room, Madam Fei whispered back. "I know, my warrior. But warriors don’t fight without reason."

He fell asleep that way. Grounded, sore, and 5 years old.

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