Back to a pit of searing heat! How queer!

Only this time, Stella and her mentor were surrounded by a burning forest. The sky was marked by bleak yet gorgeous tones of orange and black as the flames swirled around them with overwhelming rage. However, the fiery sea couldn't approach them after a certain point, leaving them in a circular, safe space in the middle of the chaos.

"Back to the frying pan, eh?" The smirk that was carved on her lips was an easily noticeable facade for her increasing anxiety fueled by the experiences in the Giant Witch's home. Each day she spent in the comfort of Pantsti made her shake with apprehension when those memories flashed back.

"Do not fret, young one." Hōkō placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder. "Fire magic is the most aggressive of paths, no doubt. Of all elements, this one almost depends entirely on the user's Saniya, which is used as fuel for combustion."

The dancing flames created patterns almost too complex for the girl's eyes to register. She scratched her head, fumbling for purpose on these alien shapes.

A bird, a cat, a smile...

But in the end, it was her mind attempting to impose purpose on a meaningless phenomenon.

The prickly sensation of Hōkō's tail on her nose made her sneeze. Damn, her attention span was akin to a goldfish's!

Stella rubbed her nose. "Sorry! I was paying attention, I promise!"

"I know. I couldn't resist when I saw the opportunity." The elder's lips twisted into a mischievous smile. "Fire is the most offensive-orientated element as well, though it can be used for healing under the right circumstances."

"Oh! Can I learn this one first!?" The Human's eyes flared with eagerness. Learning to throw fireballs from her hands was the coolest thing she could think of.

Unfortunately, the old coot turned her down. "You should dip your toes in a less unstable element first to learn the basics before tapping into the path that demands the most self-control and Saniya mastery."

Stella slumped her shoulders. "Man, that's la-"

A thunderous flash decimated a tree on her right, turning it ash. The girl quickly curled into a ball, the destructive force of nature stinging her eyes and ringing her ears.

"Your guardian once clarified to me why lighting and fire are essentially the same thing, claiming they're two different manifestations of a material named plasma." He chuckled with amusement, unaffected as he watched his frightened student. "But I suppose calling this path 'the plasma path' doesn't roll off the tongue all that well..."

Stella quickly stood up again. "I'm ready to move on, please!"

"That's your action to make, silly girl! We're in your mind, after all!"

Right. The Human closed her eyes and thought of anywhere safer than this infernal plane, somewhere less suffocating!

...

...The heat has fizzled out. The breeze that came afterward was gentle and caring on her skin.

The only issue was... Why wasn't she feeling nothing below her feet?

Aw, fuck...

She was floating through an endless sky, so high she couldn't glimpse any land looking down. Yet somehow, she was stuck in place.

"Can you feel the currents supporting your weight?" Hōkō carelessly lay down in the air as if he were in the comfort of an invisible bed. "Air magic is the trickiest and most underestimated of all elements. If you cannot sense Saniya, you'll have difficulty seeing a spell coming."

She tried to not show her wracking nerves, but her mind was laid bare for the old coot to poke around.

"Careful, kid." He chuckled. "That tornado doesn't look very friendly."

The sky around them went from a friendly blue to a depressing grey. An ominous hurricane formed in the distance, twisting, stretching, and swallowing dark clouds. There was no way that thing would reach them, right?

Why did that thought cross her mind?! Now, it grew in size, approaching the two with terrifying speed. She felt the pull from the beguiled air currents, too powerful for the girl to deny their purpose.

While Stella cried for help, the elder howled like a snot-nosed brat on a roller-coaster. "LIVE A LITTLE, KID! PEOPLE SAY AIR REPRESENTS FREEDOM, AFTER ALL!"

Hell, no! She didn't want this kind of freedom!

Regardless of her desires, however, the force of nature couldn't be less bothered by her cries. As she's swallowed whole and spun around for 74 miles per hour, her mind is prickled by the most annoying sense of déjà vu.

The swirling vortex had lost shape when her head went numb by the overwhelming speed she was traveling, far beyond what the Human body was developed to endure. Her last shreds of thought were about her desire to cease, to regain control of her movements.

...

......

How peculiar. It was as if Stella's body was in a cold blanket, perfectly capturing her shape. Her skin shuddered with the drop in temperature.

When her eyes opened, a deep blue canvas was all that claimed her vision. A school of bubbles swam up the watery abyss when she gasped in shock, quickly regretting as the cold fluid streamed down her throat. It was oddly refreshing, weirdly enough.

Of course, as always, the old coot seemed not unbothered by any of it, swimming circles around her tens of times with the speed of a gracious marlin.

Eventually, he ceased, lazily floating around her with a childish grin. "Water was my first element to master, believe it or not." He flipped thrice before swimming closer. "Such a majestic, mesmerizing, flexible substance that keeps us alive. No matter the situation, a water magic specialist can adapt to anything and draw their power from practically anywhere! From the shifty vapor to liquid..." He lifted a finger, its aura standing out amidst the oppressive void. "To the fragile yet elegant ice..."

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His claw created a blurry, frosty spot that spread through the infinite ocean, where tiny bubbles were imprisoned in its frigid embrace. It eventually touched Stella's finger, bringing a shocking chill that coursed down her spine. As much as she desperately tried to pull away, the frozen area wouldn't budge, extending over the tissue of her skin, muscles, and bones.

"This path's potential is vaster than you know. Remember, as your body also contains this sacred substance."

It burned. Why did ice burn so much?! Her heart valiantly beat as fast as it could, pumping hot blood as her only source of warmth. It persisted until an expression of pure despair was forever etched on her features as the liquid abyss became a colossal solid block.

Wait... Her mind was still intact. Her senses were still active, regardless of her paralyzed movement. However, the most pertinent question was, where was-

SLASH!

Three straight lines carved their way around Stella. A radiant, blinding glow enveloped her, quickly replaced by the same black void from when they began this maddening class. Her teacher casually drank tea from a green, handleless cup while his student remained immobile on an ice block.

"That was fun!" His ears perked up. "Ooh! I know! We should do it again!"

The girl's fingers twitched, melting her prison with the fire of her sheer anger.

He held his paws in the air, leaving the teacup to shatter and spread its contents on the metaphorical floor. "I jest! You don't need to burn me with your stare!" He held his left towards the Human. "Here. Let me just-"

Stella's cage trembled with the elder's gesture. Clenching his fist, he tore the ice block into three pieces, finally freeing the distressed girl. She panted, closing her eyes with relief that the nightmare was over.

...It was over, right?

The Human looked at him, seeing much smaller fragments rotating around his tail. "I'm done. I want out of this nightmare. NOW!" She slowly stood up, stomping her feet as a threat.

The elder shook his head. "Don't misinterpret this experience with cruelty, child." Four of the icy crystals changed color, floating around him in a quadrangular formation. "This lesson goes beyond the elements, you see."

Stella huffed, crossing her arms. "I know. You want to train my mind because of that Baku guy." She tapped her feet impatiently. "Could've gone easier on me, don't you think?"

His tail had divided into four, each pointing at a different crystal. "Perhaps. But there's a possibility that your time here is shorter than you realize. I prefer we cover all bases before you eventually leave my protection."

That ominous message... She wasn't oblivious. She knew the life-threatening stakes that awaited her outside.

...Was she ready to be honest with her when the time arrived?

A fifth tail sprouted from the elder, carrying three white crystalline pieces. The appendage carefully placed each piece into a specific formation. A thin, shining line passed through each fragment, connecting them.

After her stinging eyes adapted to the light show, she understood what her teacher had created - a white triangle containing a multi-colored square inside.

...

Why did that pattern feel strangely familiar?

"You see, beyond the basic Saniya manipulation and elemental paths, we have the three components of life: body, mind, and soul." Hōkō's expression was weirdly calm and serene. "Conquering all three is what separates warriors from true Saniya masters."

His tails extended and swirled around Stella.

"Body is the easiest to understand. It is your physical shell from which you interact with the world. With Saniya, you can shape and manipulate it to become your most versatile weapon."

One appendage touches the girl's arm, compelling it to halt. "With time and dedication, you can manipulate other's Saniya and, by extension, their components."

Fortunately, this demonstration lasted for a split second, enough to make his point across. The tails retreated to their regular size.

"I don't think I need to explain your mind after what we went through." He spreads his arms at the expansive abyss. "Your senses, feelings, and memories all coalesced into one."

When Stella finally dropped her guard, the white Wolf teleported only a few inches from her without warning, making her stumble back by instinct.

"But is our mind the limit of our true self?" He hovers his paw above the girl's chest. "What lies in our core?" His eyes glowed in an ominous white.

A short burst of energy pulsed from Hōkō's hand, echoing through Stella's very being. Her whole body shook as an undescribable sensation took hold of her for a few seconds that seemed like minutes. Colors that her eyes couldn't detect before flashed before her as if they were as natural as the blue sky. She didn't feel like herself, and yet, it was like her teacher took hold of her very essence and brought it to the surface.

"That is your soul, unbound by your material shackles." The girl was about to fall to her knees when the elder Wolf caught her in his bony arms. "That is, by far, the hardest one to master. You probably will never go as far as tap into this path for your entire life."

Stella had no reaction. What would she even say that would ever describe what she felt by seemingly having her soul pulled from her, even if it was for a brief moment.

She wanted it to end. She needed the comfort of someone's embrace. Asra, Lien- Hell, anyone would suffice at that point.

Her teacher gently rubbed her back, like a parent comforting their child after they had thrown up.

"I apologize, Stella." His voice was rarely as genuine as it was now. "You deserve some rest."

As his words rang through the mindscape, a holy light slowly conquered the void. The girl's conscience burned away, a needed solace in the radiant embrace.

"I'll make sure the worst parts feel like a distant dream when you wake up."

Fucking better.

----------------------------------------

Her eyes opened the moment her mind grasped a shred of conscience.

She fumbled back to her feet. "Fuck! What was that...?"

Stella was back to the clearing's pleasant company. She glimpsed the rows of colorful begonias, gently swerving under the breeze's command. The Sun's radiant beams weaved through the pego tree's branches, prickling her globes.

She sighed with relief, leaning against the mighty plant's thick bark.

"How was your slumber, child?" Asked Hōkō, his aged, soft voice echoing in her ears as a cozy blanket. "What do you remember from our dream lesson?"

The Human closed her eyes and pondered. "Everything until you teleported next to me and did something with your paw. Then, you spoke something about my soul before I took a nap."

She remembered being spun by a tornado, scared by sudden lighting, and frozen in a block of ice. However, those experiences felt so detached when her conscience was brought back to the sensible world that they weren't as impactful as they were in the mindscape.

"I'm sorry about all that, by the way." The elder carried genuine regret in his tone. "I'll admit I was too excited to guide through all that. It's been a while since I've seen someone so talented AND eager to learn!"

Stella hummed, digging her index finger into the dirt and lazily drawing random patterns. "It's fine. It was more tiring than anything else, to be honest." She yawned. "Anything else to teach me, teach?"

"I believe we went through all the different Saniya routes. I can answer any question you might have, though."

Nah. The Knight must have been waiting for her by now.

The Knight...

She looked upward, meeting his fluffy chin. "What's the deal with light magic?"

Hōkō lowered his head, locking eyes on her. "Excuse me?"

The girl scratched her chin. "The Knight told me his light magic is exclusive to Humans. How does that fit in the grand scheme of things?"

The elder's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! That." He shrugged. "I have no idea."

Stella stared at him, her eyes a cesspool of incredibility. "You fucking with me?"

"Because of my rough treatment in the dream class, I'll pretend I haven't heard this profanity for once." He took a deep breath. "And no, I'm speaking the truth. His light magic is beyond my centuries-old comprehension. Its exclusivity might have some validity, after all."

The girl huffed in defeat, slowly stepping towards the exit. "See ya, Hōkō. My coach awaits me."

The elder's uncertain words stopped her advance. "About that..."

She sighed. What other bullshit awaited her now?