Five weeks after his fight with the Cave Dragon, Nox returned to classes.

There were a lot of things he missed, and though Estella helped him during his month-long recovery in the infirmary, he could only study for a few hours. Going back to all of that, he knew, was going to be difficult.

His main concern was Ireela. She had already neglected her studies, and her training, but the worse was the effect that the expedition had on her. Try as she might to hide it, Nox knew the girl wouldn’t easily forget it.

The first hint was the screaming.

It was the first night after his return. He had gone to bed early after a long day, but his slumber was interrupted by a loud scream in Ireela’s room. Nox immediately bolted upright, wincing as his still recovering legs strained to carry him toward his Squire’s room.

He found her twisting and tossing in her bed, sheets and blanket askew, whimpering pitifully. It was a sight he recognized, one he knew all too well.

“Ireela.” He shook her by the shoulder. At once her tear-clouded eyes snapped open, frantic gaze searching his face, then relaxing upon swift recognition. She whimpered again.

Nox wiped her tears as he sat next to her. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

“Master…” Her voice was weak, nearly child-like. She buried her face in his lap and wept.

His heart almost broke at the sight. He stroke her hair, whispering words of comfort, but he knew how next to useless they were. Words wouldn’t heal a broken mind.

“Can you stay with me?” The question was muffled. He understood it nonetheless.

“Yes.”

And so he stayed, sitting by her bed until her eyes fluttered close and her breathing slowed. Nox brushed away a strand of Ireela’s hair from her face. Her expression peaceful and at ease, he stood and closed the door gently then went back to his room.

***

The next day dawned bright, and Nox woke to the sound of chirping birds outside his window.

He barely slept.

In contrast, Ireela seemed refreshed, with no sign of her anguish last night. “Good morning, Master!” she greeted cheerfully when he joined her for breakfast.

“Good morning.” He sat next to her and helped himself to a slice of toast and a rasher of bacon. There was no sign of Estella, but he had already expected that; she told him that she wouldn’t be able to join him for breakfast, as she was still sorting today’s lessons.

“What are we going to train for later, Master?” Ireela asked.

Nox chewed for a moment, thinking. He had been planning her training since he could walk again, but it wasn’t a complete lesson plan that he was satisfied with. Far too broad, and the structure wasn’t cohesive. Still, it would do until he could form a better one.

“We’ll focus on your Animarta,” he decided at last. “Ella’s class is good, but you need a more focused training.”

“Understood, Master. By the way, are you still joining the inter-school competition?”

He grimaced, looking down at his leg. The doctors and healers were amazed that he was healing swiftly, but they also warned him that he shouldn’t overexert his legs yet. “We’ll see. It’s still two weeks away.” Plenty of time for rest and recovery.

And training.

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***

Estella’s class began at noon, an hour late than usual, in the western training grounds rather than her classroom.

The lesson this time was advanced fighting techniques, focusing on disarming an opponent and canceling their spells during a fight. For third years it was a natural progression in their training, but the class had several first and second years; it would be far too advanced of a lesson, Nox thought.

Still, he could understand why Estella chose this: preparation for the inter-school competition.

“Spell canceling is a dangerous technique,” she lectured, “both for the caster and the canceler. You are essentially disrupting the flow of magic. And if you aren’t careful, the tiniest mistake can kill both.”

She went on, explaining that it was a last-resort technique. Wielders rarely employ it unless they were certain of success, and only after fully understanding their opponent’s capabilities.

“To demonstrate.” She gestured toward Nox. He stepped to the center while the rest of the class backed away by a dozen paces.

Relax. This is just a demonstration. Besides, I’ll be gentle.

He believed and trusted her, but apprehension still coiled in his stomach. Filling his lungs with air, he waited. Their Resonance granted him access to her thoughts, and he already knew the explanation even before the first word left her lips.

“Now then, I will attack with my strongest spell, and you will attempt to disarm me and cancel it. We’ll do it again afterwards, but in reverse.”

She taught him, and the class, how to imbue their Animartas with magic. It was easy at first glance, and the process wasn’t too different from how they wrap their Animartas with their desired elements, but Nox could still see the potential risk it could pose if done wrong.

He had to ask: You’ve done this before?

Spell canceling? No, she admitted. But I did know how to coat my Animarta with magic.

That didn’t ease his worry, but there was nothing he could do now except follow instructions and hope this doesn’t end with the entire grounds exploding.

A good thirty feet separated him from Estella. Nox summoned Erebos. As the familiar weight of the hilt touched his palm, he frowned. It was lighter than usual.

He glanced at his Animarta, running his gaze along the length of the sword. It was the same black blade and hilt he always wielded. Odd.

Shaking his head, Nox gripped it tightly and took a guarded stance. He filled his lungs with air as Estella raised Astra toward the sky, the Animarta glowing radiantly. Flames rose around her like a tornado.

Nox charged. Like Estella had taught, he poured magic into Erebos, a pure condensed energy that cocooned the blade in a haze of shadow, almost solid to the eye. Ignoring the scorching heat, he leapt right into the inferno and swung.

The flames instantly vanished.

Silence descended on the courtyard. Estella stared at him, mouth agape, her silver Animarta still raised. Nox was just as stunned. How did he do that so easily at his first try?

His lover’s eyes gleamed with pride as she lowered Astra. “Well, it seems Mr. Stigan perfectly understood the fundamentals.” That was magnificent, love.

I swear I didn’t know it would turn out like that!

You sound like you didn’t like it. Be proud of yourself! Even I couldn’t do it on my first attempt.

The gathered students murmured, most in awe, others in confusion and even jealousy. Estella continued. “Now then, in reverse this time.”

They returned to their starting positions, their roles switching this time. With a nod from Estella, Nox stabbed Erebos through the ground, delving inside his being to call forth the energy he needed.

“Cocytus.”

He released the power gradually. Unlike fire, ice required a steady and controlled flow of power to be more effective. Thus, casting time was often slower with Ice magic.

And it was that disadvantage that Estella exploited. She charged, Astra encrusted in a bright light. Frost was already creeping outward from Erebos’s tip, and a bone-freezing wind raged around Nox.

Astra darted forward, and for a split second the wind stopped the Animarta in its tracks. Then Estella pierced the cold veil.

Nox’s grasp on the flow of magic slipped away like an eel. So that was how it felt like. He could understand now why it would be dangerous; if the opponent chased the magic, and failed, the power could become erratic, leading to catastrophe.

Estella dismissed Astra and smiled at him, even as the students applauded. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, right?”

“No.” He returned to his place among his classmates. But it’s useful.

For the next hour, Estella separated the rest in pairs and had them practice. “It takes time,” she said as one of the pairs struggled to overcome one another. “But if you master this, your life will be easier if you were fighting against another Wielder.”

By the end of the lesson, half of them couldn’t still interrupt or cancel a spell properly. A quarter managed only once during the allotted time, while the rest, barely a fourth of the group, were the only ones who received Estella’s approval.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem disappointed. “Don’t worry if you couldn’t get it the first time,” she told them before class ended. “You’re not meant to, and it takes a long while to become proficient in spell canceling and disrupting. In most cases, Wielders don’t even try to use it.

“However, practice leads to proficiency. You may not become perfect, but it’s more important to try. You don’t know when you’ll need it.”