Ember of the Starry Sky

Hinote smirked. "Let's see if you can handle the heat."

Just as Yukari was about to launch her fiery assault, Hinote raised a hand, casually halting her. "Hold up. We can't start yet."

Yukari blinked, her golden flames flickering in confusion. "What? Why not? You're the one who wanted this fight!"

"True," Hinote said, stepping back, looking entirely too casual for a supposedly epic battle. "But I need to… adjust a few things first."

Yukari crossed her arms, incredulous. "Adjust?! What are you, some kind of magic oven? You don't need to preheat!"

"Oh, you're gonna love this," Hinote said with a wicked grin, ignoring her entirely. A bright magic circle formed beneath her feet, glowing runes spiraling upward around her phoenix body. The air crackled with energy, the snow beneath her feet evaporating in an instant.

Yukari's eyes widened. "Wait, what the—"

Before she could even finish, Hinote's massive form began to shift. Feathers folded into human skin, wings retracted, and flames swirled into her, shrinking her towering body into something smaller much smaller.

When the glow finally dimmed, standing before Yukari wasn't the enormous phoenix she knew. Instead, there stood a… woman. A very tall, very intimidating woman with flowing crimson hair, eyes burning with fire, and an outfit that looked like it was made from the cooled magma of a volcano sleek, black, and glowing faintly orange, like embers in the dark.

Yukari's jaw dropped so hard it practically hit the snowy ground. "WHAT?! YOU'RE A WOMAN?!"

Hinote casually brushed some imaginary dirt off her shoulder. "Not exactly."

Yukari's brain was short-circuiting. "You could turn into a human this whole time?! AND YOU PICK NOW TO SHOW ME?!"

Hinote stretched, cracking her neck. "Makes the fight more interesting, don't you think? I didn't want to crush you as a giant bird. That wouldn't be fun."

Yukari, still staring in disbelief, jabbed a shaky finger at her. "Fun? FUN?! This isn't a game!"

"Isn't it, though?" Hinote replied with a smirk, before snapping her fingers. In an instant, she shifted again this time, into a young man, tall and lean, with the same crimson hair but shorter, spikier. "See? I can be a guy too if it makes you feel better."

Yukari's eye twitched. "You're… so you're neither a man nor a woman?!"

"Correct. I'm just Hinote, baby." She said with a wink, switching back to her female form, adjusting the collar of her outfit. "But I like this form better. More fun to mess with you."

Yukari's hands clenched into fists. "This day is officially insane. First, I'm freezing to death on a mountain, and now you—ugh! Let's just fight already!"

Hinote laughed, the sound echoing off the snow-covered peaks. "You'll get used to it, kid. Now, are you ready to rumble, or are you too distracted by my—" she struck a ridiculous pose, "—devastatingly good looks?"

Yukari groaned, facepalming so hard it hurt. "Just. Shut. Up."

Hinote's fiery eyes glinted with amusement. "That's the spirit!"

They squared off, Yukari's golden flames roaring to life as she readied herself, while Hinote casually stretched, looking like she was preparing for a morning jog rather than a magical duel. Yukari narrowed her eyes—she wasn't going to let this smug bird-human-whatever get the best of her.

"Alright, kid," Hinote said, cracking her knuckles. "I'll make this simple. I'll only use the three techniques I taught you. Sound fair?"

Yukari scoffed, "Oh, real fair. You're still going to wipe the floor with me."

Hinote's grin widened. "Probably. But at least you'll learn something."

"Like how much I hate you," Yukari muttered, bracing herself.

Hinote laughed again. "You're getting better at that, too. Now, let's go!"

Before Yukari could react, Hinote was already moving, faster than she could blink. "Crap!" Yukari barely managed to throw up her Dawn Shield as Hinote unleashed a blazing Dawn Burst right at her. The golden orb of fire collided with Yukari's shield, sending shockwaves through the air.

"Not bad," Hinote called out, lounging mid-air like she was on a sunbed. "But seriously, you're too slow. You'll never block me if you keep that up."

Yukari grit her teeth, struggling to keep the shield steady. "Easy for you to say—you're floating around like this is some kind of spa day!"

Hinote casually twirled a finger, floating lazily around Yukari. "That's the beauty of being me. Now, how about we up the tempo a little?"

Before Yukari could lower her shield, Hinote swooped down, summoning a massive Dawn Flame in her hand. "Catch!" she said with a playful wink, tossing the blazing fireball straight at Yukari.

"Crap, crap, crap—!" Yukari barely managed to leap out of the way as the Dawn Flame exploded behind her, sending snow and dirt flying everywhere.

Hinote cackled from above, her voice filled with glee. "Oh, come on, Yukari! You've gotta do better than that!"

Yukari staggered to her feet, panting. "Could you stop playing around for two seconds?!"

"Playing? This is me holding back." Hinote laughed, then added, "You wouldn't want me at full power. You'd be ash already."

"Oh, how generous of you," Yukari grumbled, summoning her flames. "Dawn Burst!"

The golden fireball shot toward Hinote, but she easily dodged it, doing a mid-air somersault just to show off. Yukari's eye twitched violently.

"Oh, come on!" Yukari yelled. "Stay still for five seconds, will you?!"

"Where's the fun in that?" Hinote said, landing gracefully in the snow, brushing her hair back like she hadn't just avoided a fireball. "You've gotta earn those hits, kid. Right now, you're not even close."

Yukari clenched her fists, flames flaring even brighter around her. "I swear, one of these days, I'm going to wipe that smug look off your face."

"Keep dreaming," Hinote teased, twirling in the air. "But you're blowing a lot of hot air for someone who's losing."

Yukari growled, charging forward with all the fire she could muster. "Shut up and take this seriously for once!"

"I am taking this seriously," Hinote replied, flipping over her again. "It's just that 'seriously' for me is way out of your league."

Yukari spun around, launching another Dawn Burst after Hinote. "Hold still, you oversized sparrow!"

"Wrong bird, but nice try," Hinote laughed, easily dodging the attack with a graceful pirouette. "But at least you're throwing fewer tantrums than when we started. Character development!"

Yukari glared at her, flames flaring out of control. "I hate you so much right now."

"And I think it's adorable!" Hinote grinned, preparing another attack. "Let's turn up the heat, shall we?"