Wyn looked towards the horizon, but he was unable to see it. The sky was still dark, and without the lights on the ship it would’ve been almost impossible for a normal person to see. Still, sunrise couldn’t be more than an hour or two out, so the words were a bit hard to believe.

“Just like that? I’ll be a channeler?”

Tor grinned. “A half-assed one to begin with sure, channels take time to develop after you start sensing mana, but yes.”

“It can’t be that easy.” Wyn crossed his arms.

“It wouldn’t usually be, but you’ve already done the hard part. Your aura is fully developed, in fact it’s a good bit stronger than when most people first learn.”

There was a purpose then, this was the moment when years of hard work finally paid off. Wyn’s lips twitched into a smile, and he bounced on the balls of his feet. “I’m ready. How do we do this?”

“Simple enough really,” Tor turned. “Nere did you do the prep work I asked?”

The mage sniffed and pointed towards a spot on the deck. Wyn looked over to see a complex series of concentric rings and symbols a few feet wide. A moment later, the ring lit up, and the chalk glowed softly, like moonlight. “I told you to stop referring to me by that insipid nickname.”

Tor ignored him. “Step inside that ring for me, Wyn.”

“Mind the chalk, please refrain from scuffing it,” Nereus grumbled.

Wyn glanced back at Corrin. How was this ring of chalk supposed to help with anything? Corrin shrugged. Clearly didn’t know either, but then again who were they to argue with a spirit knight and mage from Taravast? Just before he stepped into the circle he felt something through his bond, a quiet sense of anxiety. Eia drifted in the air above the ship.

A bit hesitant, he stepped across the white ring and into the circle, bracing himself for something. Would it be a shocking sensation? Would it hurt?

But nothing happened.

“Well? Do ya feel it?” Ten feet away, Tor was smiling as he watched Wyn expectantly.

Wyn looked down at his hands, then patted himself all over. “I don’t think so? What am I supposed to be feeling exactly?”

Tor frowned. “The circle’s definitely active… Step out and back in for me.”

He did so, moving in and then out of the rings, careful not to smudge the chalk, but there was no change.

“Strange, you should definitely have noticed something.”

Wyn’s heart sank further each time he stepped back into the circle, hoping for a change, but there was only stillness..

Please. He thought desperately. Please work.

“Woah! What is that?”

Wyn looked at his friend, the one responsible for the outburst. Corrin seemed to be using his mana sight—it was easy to tell, because he made a face while he did it.

“Go stand in it Corrin,” Tor said curiously.

“You want me to stand in it?”

“It is perfectly safe,” Nereus droned. “It’s merely collecting—”

“Don’t spoil it damn you!” Tor interrupted. “A spirit knight should best learn by experience, you’ll ruin it if you tell him. Now get in there!”

He pushed Corrin with one arm, hard enough that Corrin stumbled forward. Wyn stepped out of the ring to make room and Corrin hesitantly took his place. Unlike Wyn though, Corrin seemed to get it immediately.

“It’s so thick in here! Almost as much as the dungeon!”

“Quite right,” Nereus remarked. “That circle is drawing in mana from beyond its bounds, creating a heightened mana density within.”

Tor grunted. “In theory, the sudden increase in pressure should have Wyn drawing in mana without even thinking, or at least noticing it press against his soul. See, everybody’s born with the ability to control their own aura. Plenty ‘a people do it subconsciously if their aura’s strong enough. But it’s like a muscle you can’t feel. To become a channeler, you have to stimulate that muscle until you can control it. Usually people with enough aura will start to draw on mana when it’s thick, or when they’re hurt.”

Wyn took a deep breath. “Are there any other options? I’d rather not, but if I have to get hurt to learn it, that’s a small price to pay.”

“I hate to say it, but pain’s a requirement no matter which method you use. Carving channels into your soul hurts like a bitch, and it takes time. That’s why most mages just use a lens. But if simple mana pressure won’t work, we’ll have to try something else. Come over here boy.”

He waved Wyn over and grabbed his shoulder. “This’ll stain your aspect a bit, and it won’t be pleasant, but we can fix that with some work. Brace yourself, this is something you’ll feel.”

Finally, Wyn felt something. A faintly familiar sensation, like a pressure at the back of his mind. It was like when he’d been resting in the grassward after the rootlurker fight, was that the mana he was supposed to be sensing?

Tor’s brow furrowed and the weight increased, but it was still a vague thing. He would’ve assumed it was supposed to be pressing against his body though, not his mind. It wasn’t a muscle, it was like fighting fatigue. To his right, Nereus glanced up and adjusted his glasses, the rims beginning to glow a soft gold.

“Oh… now that is intriguing indeed,” he mumbled, creeping closer. “Go on Tor—pour in some more. Let’s see where this goes.”

Spirit fire burned brighter in his core as the weight continued to slowly increase. The two must be related, just what was Tor doing to him?

“Damn…” Tor grunted. Sweat was dripping from the spirit knight’s chin. The flame within Wyn grew to a blaze as it filled every inch of his body, raging defiantly. The weight swelled, spreading beyond his mind. It wrapped around him, crushing him from all sides, an immense weight, like he was being buried. His vision blurred, his breath turned shallow, and a strangled groan escaped him, yet still, there was nothing—no aura, no breakthrough.

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Faintly, he registered Nereus’s voice, distant and warbled as though they were underwater. “Do not stop!”

Tor cursed, his own voice tense. “He’s going to break!”

“He won’t!”

Now Corrin’s voice. “Tor stop it! That’s too much! You’re going to—”

Wyn forced coherent words from his chest. “Keep going!” He was close. To what, he didn’t know, but just a bit further—

Something shattered, and the world flashed a brilliant shade of purple. A trail of flame became visible in the air for only a moment, traced from his body up to a point in the air. Eia.

That was it! He could see his bond!

Nereus shouted in alarm. Could they see it too?

And somehow, that sparked another thought within him.

Ah shit… He remembered a conversation he’d had with Corrin. It was months ago now, but still, how had he forgotten? Mana is poisonous to those without a channeling technique.

He tried to scream for them to stop, but it was too late. The weight vanished, the spirit fire burnt itself out, and he felt something invade his body. Power rolled through him, crashing downwards as it filled his body to bursting. Every muscle screamed in agony, and his legs gave out as he collapsed to the deck, his vision blackening.

As his eyes closed, he realized he could feel something else too. The pain stretched through every inch of his body, and then it moved beyond. No—the pain moved from the other place into his body. He felt the other pain, and then its echo.

Then, he felt nothing at all.

***

As Wyn crumpled to the deck, Corrin’s heart stopped, a fist of ice seizing his chest. For an endless moment, all he could do was stare, watching for any sign—just breathe, just move. Then he was sprinting.

“Kid—” Tor started, holding out a hand.

“Move.” Corrin barked, shoving past him. He shoved the knight out of the way and dropped to his knees, shaking as he flipped Wyn over..

Tor grabbed Corrin’s shoulder, and Corrin slapped it away. He stepped back, but he held up a hand placatingly. “Wyn is fine, I promise. I pulled the mana back out of him. It probably wasn’t pleasant, but he’ll be alright.”

Corrin pressed two fingers against Wyn’s neck, feeling for a pulse. There was nothing for a moment, and his blood ran cold. But then he felt a soft thump, and Wyn’s chest began to rise as he took in air. His eyes were still closed, but he was alive.

Corrin fell backwards, his breath catching up with him as he shook. He forced himself to take slower breaths.

Breathe in. Hold… breathe out.

“Did you see that?” Nereus’ voice was hushed, excited. “Those flames—what in the world were they?”

Corrin closed his eyes. So he wasn’t the only one that had seen them. There was no mistake, for a brief instant before Wyn collapsed, he’d erupted with spirit fire. It wasn’t until then that Corrin had remembered the mana poisoning in the dungeon, and Wyn’s immunity. Of course he hadn’t felt anything in the circle, spirit fire burnt it away before he could ever have a chance to feel it.

He hadn’t seen what Tor was doing at first. He didn’t know how to see the aura inside someone else yet, or perhaps he just wasn’t powerful enough, but he’d soon been able to figure it out. The knight had simply been shoving mana into Wyn directly, an absurd amount too, far more than the circle. In fact, the mana in the air was lighter than before. He hadn’t known that could happen, but it made some sense after witnessing Tor drawing mana to his body. Every couple of seconds the spirit knight had taken in more mana than Corrin could hold in his entire body.

“I saw,” Tor confirmed. “That wasn’t mana though, it was something else. I assume it was the source of the problem. Is there something we should know, Corrin?”

Corrin set Wyn gently back down, laying him on his back. There was no way around it was there?

“He—he has a blessing, it makes him immune to poisons. I guess mana counts.”

“That is no normal blessing,” Nereus walked closer, his eyes alight. “Mana acts as a biological poison, simple poison immunity should have no impact on it, and those flames…”

“Poison resistance it would seem anyways. I eventually busted through, but it took more mana than I could’ve imagined. If he had any less aura than he did, it could’ve been serious.”

Corrin shuddered.

“He’ll feel like I beat him from the inside out, but like I said, he should be alright soon.”

As if on cue, Wyn began to stir. He shifted on the ground slightly, mumbling quietly. “...fine Eia, don’t worry.” He rolled over towards the rest of them, and took a moment to refocus his eyes, placing a hand to his chest and blinking slowly.

“That one’s my bad… let’s not do that again,” he croaked.

The tension burst, and Corrin let out a relieved laugh.

“How are you feeling kid?” Tor asked.

“Terrible,” Wyn said flatly. “But that seems to be just my luck. I take it I wasn’t out long?”

“Hardly a minute. Quicker than I thought. You want to tell us about that blessing of yours?”

Wyn rolled onto his back, staring up at the lightening sky. He buzzed his lips as he came to a decision. “It’s my blessing of spirit fire.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Nereus hummed. “And what exactly does it do? It’s not simple poison resistance, yes?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit more complicated than that.” He spoke slowly, explaining the effects of his blessing as Tor and Nereus listened patiently, asking clarifying questions whenever necessary.

“Ah, so that explains the vibe I got from you in battle,” Tor rubbed his chin. “So you don’t tire, and you can fight at your best the whole time? That’s a strong blessing, even without this ‘poison immunity’ that seems to be part of it somehow. It’ll only grow in power as you do as well, since the higher that peak becomes, the more dangerous you’ll be.”

“You’re forgetting the main problem,” Nereus said. “The boy cannot draw mana.”

Wyn’s face fell, a shadow crossing his expression as he glanced down. It was subtle—a look someone else might’ve mistaken for mild disappointment. But Corrin saw the faint tremor in Wyn’s hand, noticed the way he bit down on his lip, just enough to mask the sting.

Damn it…

Tor scowled, but he said nothing.

“Come on,” Corrin tried. “Just because it didn’t work once—”

“No, Nereus is right. His blessing is too strong,” Tor shook his head. “It works too quickly. Even if he develops a channeling technique, which he could still do using his aura, this spirit fire burns mana faster than a technique could purify it. If he had ten years to train, perhaps he could draw in more mana than it burns, but he can’t get that practice while the blessing is active. It’s a strong blessing on its own, but for a spirit knight, there is no doubt it is a handicap.”

“I see,” Wyn said. His face was tight. “I’ll have to figure something out then.”

Tor nodded, but he placed a firm hand on Wyn’s shoulder. “That’s exactly right. Listen carefully Wyn. It will make your path harder, that much is true. But don’t despair. It isn’t an impossible problem either. There are countless paths towards strength if you have the will to walk them. It would be a shame to let such talent go to waste.”

Nereus cleared his throat loudly. “Excuse me, but perhaps I can offer a potential solution?”

Corrin looked at the mage, who was peering at Wyn with some interest.

Wyn looked back curiously. “A solution? What is it?”

Nereus adjusted his glasses and looked straight at Wyn, studying him like a puzzle he was eager to solve. “If you cannot draw mana into your body, you need not become a channeler. Wyn, you should consider becoming a mage.”