As the carriage gradually came to a halt, Alex gently shook Elyza’s arm, coaxing her to wake up. Elyza blinked away the haze, wondering why he had dragged her to Surasho, a village at the fringes of Luminae. It was so inconspicuous that most maps didn’t even bother showing it, yet he had chosen it for her training.

It was for that exact reason that Alex liked it. A village that he could bring his clients to disappear for a while, a safe haven of sorts. It wasn’t only he who called it that, so many high ranking individuals visited the leftovers of the previous empire that the villagers themselves had changed the name to ‘Surasho’—roughly safe-haven when translated. They even had an unofficial rule: ‘Never reveal who had passed through.’

However, Elyza’s chance to explore the village would have to wait for another day. Without warning, Alex agilely leaped off the moving carriage, signalling for Elyza to follow suit. They disembarked before even crossing into the village territory, finding themselves amidst a sea of evergreen. The carriage, used to the kinds of Alex, continued on its path.

“Come on, this way,” Alex beckoned, as he ventured into the forest.

Elyza’s scepticism started to show, “Why endure two full days of travel only to end up in a forest identical to the one surrounding Bakelv?”

“Oh, ye of little fate.” Alex responded, his smile wider than it had ever been before, gradually quickening his steps.

Elyza released a resigned sigh, already second-guessing her decision, yet she trudged on through the verdant sea. Following Alex, who seemed to navigate the forest with the whims of his mind, erratically switching direction every few minutes. The deeper they ventured, an unsettling sensation began to stir within Elyza.

With each step, the feeling intensified, morphing into a warning. A voice in her mind telling her to turn back, that the path she was on would lead to her demise. Initially dismissible, it was quickly growing louder with time, slowly drowning out her own thoughts, battering against her mind. Two minutes into the unnerving ordeal, Elyza started to grow anxious, feeling as if it would never go away. Her pulse quickened, her breath becoming shallower, sapping away her energy. Elyza surged forward, clutching Alex’s arm desperately before her strength gave way, falling to her knees.

Although Alex was accustomed to this peculiar sensation, having bypassed it through teleportation in the past, he had intended to guide Elyza through it. But he had gotten distracted, thinking of what all he had to teach her. When she grasped his arm, he returned to the present. Alex kneeled down with her, trying to get her to focus on him.

With gentle reassurance, he spoke to her, “Listen to my voice, the feeling inside you right now, that anxiety, it’s fake, it isn’t you. I forgot to prepare you beforehand, sorry about that, but I know you can power through. That voice is something you will encounter regularly on this path, telling you that there is no way through this, that this is the end. But as long as you breathe, there will always be a chance to overcome it. Breathe, focus, calm your mind, and think. If only for a few minutes.”

Elyza absorbed his words, closing her eyes to shut out the disconcerting forest. She fixated on the memory of the sunset over Bakelv, and she contemplated. Why would her mind, after all she had faced, be afraid of a mere forest. When her eyes reopened, Alex could see a new type of determination within them, no doubt one to prove that voice wrong.

“I’m feeling better,” Elyza asserted, rising to her feet.

“Good. Try to stay close,” Alex advised as he resumed walking, heading towards where the feeling was the strongest. True to his word, they only had to travel for five more minutes.

They came across a strange barrier in the middle of the forest. It seemed to stretch for miles and reflect the way they were coming from, but didn’t reflect the duo’s reflection. Gazing through it induced a peculiar sense of vertigo, the surface mimicking the fluidity of water. The unsettling nature heightened as the barrier seemed to recoil, avoiding the touch of Alex’s hand.

Turning towards Elyza, Alex bowed with a theatrical flourish. “After you.”

Elyza was unequivocal. “No.”

“Come one. It’s safe; just don’t resist when you touch it.” Alex argued.

“Not resist what?”

“The pull.” Alex responded, but he could see on her face that she wasn’t convinced. “Fine,” he relented, “I’ll go first. Don’t wait too much.”

The barrier, despite its initial evasion, yielded as soon as Alex made contact. It latched onto him, pulling him into it. The whole barrier rippled as if someone had thrown a pebble in a puddle. Now, it was Elyza’s turn. She cautiously approached the barrier, reluctant to touch its surface. But her determination to prove the voices wrong, motivated her to at least reach for it. As her arm extended, the barrier reacted erratically, causing her to hesitate. Her hand hung in the air, but before she could muster her resolve to touch the barrier, a hand burst from it, and grabbed a hold of hers.

Elyza’s yelp of surprise echoed through the air just before she was whisked away through the barrier. It felt as if she was at the bottom of an ocean, and the next moment she could feel the sun on her skin. As she opened her eyes, Elyza found herself under the blue sky, unobstructed by the shade.

Before her stretched a vast sea of grass, a tranquil meadow hidden within the barrier. Amidst the green expanse stood a peculiar sight – a cottage nestled by the side of a pond. Beside her, Alex, who, despite it being his abode hundreds of times, still marvelled at the sight.

“Alright, that’s enough dilly-dallying. Let’s get you settled,” Alex declared, strolling towards the house.

“This is your house?” Elyza inquired, jogging to catch up with him.

“Technically.”

“Technically?”

“Well, the last owner disappeared. He was some kind of reclusive magus. Seems he used this place like a testing ground.” Alex explained.

“Did you…” Elyza started, carefully choosing her words, “…make him disappear?”

“First, stop hesitating; I’m an open book. And second, how dare you imply something I was definitely hired to do,” Alex retaliated, adding, “Never found him, just a note telling me to take care of the house.”

The explanation would’ve sounded strange coming from another person, but Elyza was expecting something much worse. Following the cobblestone path, they reached the cottage. Crafted from dark oak and meticulously lacquered to accentuate its rich colour, the door swung open automatically to welcome its owner, and Alex graciously held it to welcome Elyza, who looked perplexed at the house’s autonomy.

“Oh, you haven’t even seen anything yet,” Alex remarked at her expression. “You’ll be staying in the guest room,” he continued, and the second door in the hall swung open, “Keep all the stuff you don’t need on the bed and join me outside,” he instructed as he stepped out.

Following Alex’s instructions, Elyza stepped outside to find him in the process of setting up a wooden training dummy. As she approached, she noticed an array of wooden weapons scattered on the ground. Alex, aware of her presence, began to explain, “Here’s the plan. I have six months to teach you everything I expect you to know. Today we are going to finalise what your limits are, and then I will teach you how to push past them. The day is still young, so let us begin.”

“I know you’re good with knives, but it’s always good to have variety,” Alex added, gesturing towards the weapons on the ground. “So, choose your weapon.”

Elyza surveyed the sparring instruments laid out before her— a short sword, a long sword, a spear, an axe, a pair of daggers, a flail, a baton, a war hammer, and even a scythe. Instinctively, she grabbed both the spear and the axe, while Alex selected the long sword, the remaining weapons sinking into the shadows.

“Which weapon are you better with?” Alex asked. Elyza shrugged, not knowing herself. Alex decided to take matters in his own hands, surging forward as he swung the sword down at her. Forced into a split second decision, she dropped the axe, using the spear’s shaft to block the blade. Alex immediately fell back to increase the distance between them.

“We end this sparring session if you can either score a hit on me, or if we’re still here by eleven. So, come at me.” Alex commanded, throwing his cloak behind him. Elyza did not advance, instead assuming her stance as she back-stepped. Alex shot her an approving smile before dashing towards her.

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Elyza jumped over Alex’s slash, retreating upon before thrusting her spear into his shoulder blade. He sidestepped the attack, seizing the shaft, attempting to pull her towards him, or at least throw her off balance. But Elyza kept her footing, using her strength to swing both spear and opponent overhead, aiming to slam him into the ground. Alex let go at the crown of the arch, rolling as he landed to break his fall. He got up to his feet, as quick as he could, barely able to parry her next thrust.

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Elyza retreated once again, frustrated that whatever she did, his guard couldn’t be broken. But an idea popped up in her head. She readied herself to receive Alex’s attack. After being forced to defend for the majority of the session, Alex knew she had some sort of plan churning in her brain when she went defensive. Nevertheless, he readied the long sword, holding it up above his head. There was no doubt in Elyza’s eyes, she was ready to receive the full force of the attack, so Alex swung.

But his setup was a diversion, the attack coming not from above but from the side, catching Elyza off guard. Swiftly stepping back to narrowly avoid the first slice, she found herself facing a relentless barrage of attacks. Alex was moving so fast that it seemed as if she was facing two swords. She had predicted that his stance was deceptive, even Alex knew that such a straightforward attack, even at his full strength, was never going to work. The speed of the slashes, however, was unprecedented. There was no foreseeable way to deflect or defend against them, but Elyza wasn’t planning to. It appeared as if she was dancing through Alex’s slashes, making sure to move backwards as she dodged them.

When the moment was right, Elyza swung the shaft, blocking a slash. Immediately, Alex fell back, anticipating retaliation. Instead, she fell back, the spear raised in one hand, perfectly balanced. With a mighty toss, Elyza hurled the wooden stick at Alex, who instead of just dodging it, tried to catch the spear in an attempt to show off. Alex shifted his sword to his ‘off’ hand and tried to catch the spear mid-air. However, as he grasped the shaft, he found himself almost pulled along with it. Yet, while he was able to maintain his footing, Alex had to spin on his heels in an attempt to reduce its momentum.

Standing with the spear in his hands, a trace of confusion lingered in him, questioning why Elyza had seemingly discarded her only weapon. Before he himself could dissipate the confusion, that thought was quickly answered when he looked to where Elyza was supposed to be. He expected to see a red-headed elf baked with sweat, kneeling on the ground, devastated that her plan hadn’t worked. He did not expect to see the same elf up in the air, about to wedge an axe into his neck. Alex fell back, desperately trying to avoid the swing. Slamming the shaft into her gut, he expected her to withdraw like the numerous times she had before. Elyza absorbed the blow, knowing that this was her last chance to tag him. She savagely swung at his legs, prompting Alex to flip over his head to regain balance. Seizing the opportunity, she aimed a kick at his chest and… Connected.

With a great thump, Alex landed on his back. He clutched his ribs, as sweat streamed down his face, making his hair stick to his forehead. Covering his eyes from the sunlight, he congratulated Elyza, “Good kick.”

Collapsed on the grass, Elyza’s body struggled under its weight, groaning as accumulated bruises made their presence felt, “Did I pass?”

“You did. Can’t wait to see how you hold up when we do it with actual weapons.”

Elyza, now on the verge of exhaustion, sighed, “Of course, another test.”

Alex chuckled, attempting but failing to rise. “I’m going to test you in everything, but don’t worry. You only have to win against me two more times. Once with actual weapons, and the finale, where I get to finally flex my fingers.”

Elyza, strangely determined, responded, “Alright, if that’s what it takes.” Her mind was already set to see his ‘training’ through to the end.

“I’m not sure anyone has actually beat me on their first try, not without using magic. Speaking of which,” he added, falling through his shadow, emerging above Elyza. Looking down at her, he continued, “Let’s see what you can do.” offering her a hand up.

She declined his help, getting up on her own, even though every small motion made her muscles ache. Elyza’s head throbbed as she stood on her own to feet, arguing against any further movement. She felt like her brain was full of needles. Suddenly, a canteen appeared in front of her.

“Drink up.” Alex offered, shaking the canteen, and Elyza could hear the melodious sound of water within. She yanked it from his hand, emptying the whole thing in one swig. The liquid tasted sour, but it felt like it was spreading throughout her body as it gave her energy.

As she returned the bottle, she asked, “What is this?”

Alex unveiled his secret with a nonchalant admission, “Just water, albeit with a dash of lemon juice,” as he strolled back to the training dummy. Elyza followed him back to the training dummy, stopping ten or so metres in front of it. It was made out of broken logs, with an angry face being etched into the one acting as a head.

“Let’s see if you know your bases,” Alex continued, “What are the general classifications we use for magic, or spells, or whatever you may call your spectacular abilities?”

Elyza racked her mind for an answer, causing a memory lost in the vast depths of her mind to emerge. Trying to piece the answer from the fragments she could remember, she replied, “There are three, I believe? Evocations, or Incantations, one of the two; then there’s Magic Circles.” Alex could see the strain she was in trying to remember the last category, “And the last should be Blood Magic?”

“You’re technically correct, the best way to be correct,” Alex conceded, “but you seem to be using the old names. Presently, most academics prefer Spoken magic, Runic magic, and Innate magic. Most academics, as you can see, are extremely bad at creative nomenclature.”

Elyza questioned, “Why does it matter?”

Alex, wearing a perplexed expression, replied, “Knowledge is always important,” he said, adding, “Though this was mostly for me to gauge how much I need to teach you, but we’ll get back to it later. Tell me, what kind of magic are you proficient with?”

“I am able to control the wind to a degree.”

“Show me.”

Elyza focused on the air around her, trying to feel for its natural flow. Gradually, she asserted control, preparing it for the next part. She jumped, and the air rushed it to where she used to be, propelling her to escape the grasp of gravity. But the wind started to lose speed, and inevitably gravity caught up with Elyza. As she fell towards the ground, her head still facing the sky, her hands reached towards the ground. She knew where she was about to land, she had made sure that her jump was straight. As Elyza neared the earth, wind started circling beneath her, creating a barely discernible reverse-vortex, pushing against her to slow her down. The whirlwind intensified as she neared, until her feet hovered just a metre above the ground. Then, it ceased.

Impressed, Alex marvelled at the jump, a staggering twenty metres into the air. That type of movement would be beneficial in the future. But he knew that wasn’t the only thing she had in store, “Spectacular. But I was hoping for something more offensive in nature. Something you could demonstrate on my friend over there,” gesturing towards the dummy.

“Okay,” Elyza responded, aiming her hand towards the target, and uttered the words, “llafn gwynt.” Air coalesced before her, taking the shape of a blade that surged toward the dummy with a resounding boom. The strike separated its head before disappearing. A hand, made of shadows, suddenly appeared, catching it mid-air.

Approaching the levitating head, Alex scrutinised the cut. It started smooth, but became much more jagged as it moved deeper into the neck. It also only seemed to have a range of twelve or so metres. While there was room for improvement, the speed of her cast was staggering.

“Show me the rest.” Alex instructed, placing the head back upon the dummy’s shoulders, binding them together with shadowy ropes.

“I cannot,” Elyza confessed.

Puzzled, he asked, “What?” quickly adding, “Please tell me you know more than one spell.” desperately wanting to be right.

She explained, “That chant is the only thing my mother taught me, at least regarding wind. She insisted it would help in hunting, and I never saw a reason to learn more.”

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, “So, you haven’t actually tried to learn any more, not that you’re incapable.” Elyza nodded, much to his relief, stating, “I’m genuinely impressed you were able to get so far knowing a single spell.”

He was ready to end the day, already quite satisfied with her abilities, when a realisation dawned on him. Alex continued, “You also just said, ‘at least regarding wind’. Meaning, wind isn’t the only thing you can manipulate.”

Instead of saying anything, Elyza aimed at the dummy once again, this time concentrating more intensely as her mana flowed out of her hand. Green arcane energy etched itself in the air in front of her palm, forming itself into a magic circle. With the circle complete, she visualised the target area, extending her influence until she felt confident to execute the spell. Uttering, “Tarraing.” The grass under the dummy suddenly grew, wrapping around the wooden target and yanking it towards the earth. The strain caused its leg to snap, rendering it incapable of standing against the powerful pull. Gradually, Elyza ceased channelling mana into the spell, releasing the grass’s grip until the broken dummy lay defeated on the ground.

Elyza knew the type of magic she had used was stronger than what most others could do, but observing Alex's face, she felt like she had done a godly miracle. Mouth agape, and a smile that could frighten a toddler plastered on his face, he suppressed his excitement to confirm, “That was Druidic Magic, wasn’t it?”

Confused by his enthusiasm, Elyza replied, “Yes… Granted, much less powerful than what my mother could cast. Why do you ask? I am certain it is not that uncommon.”

“You would certainly be wrong.” Alex explained, his demeanour becoming more animated. “Sure, technically speaking, Druidic magic is not exceedingly rare. However, most who say that they can use it, generally mean they have chlorokinesis, which, for various reasons, is not the same. True Druidic magic is usually restricted to Nymphs and their descendants, or individuals who have undergone lifelong training. This has become increasingly rare, as many of them tend to manifest chlorokinesis.” his mannerism became more eccentric the longer he talked.

“And?” she replied, still not understanding his enthusiasm, “There is not much difference between the two. Every one in my village is able to control plants.”

Alex dismissed her comments with a wave. “You’ll see the difference between them soon enough,” he stated ominously, before continuing, “But you must be pretty tired. And I need to steal some things. So, I say let’s end today earlier than planned. You can get acquainted with the house in the meantime.”

With that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving Elyza to stroll back to the house. She took the view in, as the wind played with the grass, causing it to shimmer as sunlight danced upon its blades.