Reedal was sitting at his usual desk. He had clearly heard the carriage that was supposed to transport his apprentice arrive at his tower, but the young man had not yet made an appearance. He was aware that the journey there would have been hard from the capital, which is why he had agreed to Zures' request. He had heated water for the young man to take a bath, but he hoped that he would at least have the decency to introduce himself before.

"A bad start."

He had grown tired of waiting and had started to glance through one of his old books, "Dirath studies" It seemed an appropriate book to reread, as he would need to refresh these concepts in order to help his young apprentice learn to channel power. The minutes seemed like hours, and as they passed, Reedal's frown deepened. Without warning, someone opened the door to the tower.

The young man who opened the door was of medium height, with intense black hair combed back. He had fine features, intense amber-colored eyes, and was dressed in an ornate shirt appropriate for a nobleman's son. Reedal had no doubt who was at his door - his way of dressing and lack of education when knocking on the door had given him away.

"Vaenal Lamalli. My first and last apprentice," said Reedal sternly, holding his gaze.

Vaenal was taken aback by this statement, which seemed to reveal more than it seemed at first glance. He would be Reedal's first apprentice, which meant that until that moment he had not had the desire to take any. And he would be the last, which seemed to indicate that he would not take any apprentices after him. They had never seen each other before, and there had never been any contact between them. The fact that he had taken him on as an apprentice could not be due to the young man impressing him.

The wizard didn't want him as an apprentice. Neither of them wanted to be in that situation. Both were prisoners of the duke's ego. Vaenal's instructors had always treated him with reverence. They were paid, yes, but they had chosen to teach him voluntarily. Reedal had been forced into this, so he couldn't expect much enthusiasm from his side, but although Vaenal had not had the opportunity to decide, he hoped to gain something positive from it all. Wielding the powers of creation didn't seem like a bad fate. He made a slight bow to his new master.

"I have heard a lot about you. This was not my decision, but I really hope you can teach me," Vaenal said.

Reedal sighed. The idea that the boy was not there of his own free will hadn't crossed his mind. He seemed visibly relaxed and gestured for the young man to sit down.

"Forgive my brusqueness. I know you don't want to be here, but at least I see you have an interest in learning," Reedal paused. "What exactly do you hope to learn here, Vaenal Lamalli?"

"I haven't had much contact with wizards. I know my great-uncle was able to manipulate electrical energy, and I've read about wizards who could put out fires or create earthquakes. May I ask what your specialty is?"

"I can create and control fire, manipulate the aether, and heal superficial wounds, though I'm trying to improve on that," Reedal said.

"Aether?" Vaenal asked, curious.

"We channel energy directly from the Dirath and convert it into a sort of pure, manipulable energy in the physical world," Reedal explained.

He leaned back in his seat and looked up, thinking of a simpler way to explain it.

"This is how we can move things with the mind, for example. We extract energy, shape it into aether, surround an object with it and then simply move this aether, dragging the object with it," Reedal continued to explain. "It is one of the purest forms of magic, requiring minimal energy transformation.

"I think... I understand. But I still don't understand what the Dirath is," Vaenal replied.

"I thought you would have read about it at least. The Dirath is necessary for all types of magic. Okay..." Reedal paused for a moment, trying to remember the book he had been skimming through a few minutes ago. "The Dirath is an infinite dimension composed of an infinite amount of energy. All human beings in this world are connected to it, but not everyone is capable of extracting power and channeling it into other forms of energy that affect the physical world. We have no power of our own, we can only extract and manipulate this energy. It's not an energy that we can store in our bodies, every act of magic must keep the connection open."

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Reedal paused his explanation and stared intently at the boy, who had listened attentively without blinking once. Looking deeper, he noticed that the boy was a faithful reflection of his mother, from whom he had also inherited his curious mind. He didn't see any trace of the duke in him. Maybe it was a good sign, Reedal had always liked Myrna. The two had been very close twenty years ago. She had always been a fragile woman who had relied on Reedal and his remedies on many occasions. However, they cut all contact when Reedal moved into the tower.

"So, could a wizard cast spells endlessly?" asked Vaenal.

"Theoretically yes, but our bodies have a limit and keeping the bond with the Dirath open for too long can be... exhausting. At a certain point, our body unconsciously rejects the connection to avoid permanent damage," replied Reedal.

"I see. So, the first step for me to become a wizard would be... to connect to the Dirath?"

"You're already connected to the Dirath. We all are. Your first step is to extract power from that connection. There's nothing I can teach you if you can't do it by yourself. I can give you some guidance and prepare an appropriate environment, but it's something you have to learn to do on your own," said Reedal.

Vaenal nodded. He had understood the brief theoretical explanation, but something told him it wasn't going to be that easy. Reedal got up from his chair and gestured for Vaenal to follow him. They left the tower and after walking a few steps, they circled it. Behind the tower, there was a sturdy stone door that seemed to lead inside the inactive volcano. Reedal opened it with a key he took out of his pocket and they both went in. After walking through a narrow-walled tunnel for a couple of minutes, they reached their destination. The young wizard apprentice couldn't help but stifle a scream of surprise. They were in a huge cavern that looked like a natural formation, but was wide enough to house a small army.

"I use this place for training. It has existed longer than the empire itself," said Reedal, with pride. "Don't worry, we get oxygen from the outside and I can keep the light lit with crystals."

"Is this where I will try to connect to the Dirath?" asked Vaenal, still surprised.

"It's important that you understand this, Vaenal. We are all connected to the Dirath. What I need you to do is use this connection. You could really try it from anywhere, but I've set up a small corner where it will be easier for you," Reedal said, pointing to a small circle drawn on the ground surrounded by crystals that shone with a whitish glow. "But first, I'd like to show you something. Have you ever wondered where Zures got the water for your bath?"

Vaenal was surprised by the question. In the past, he would never have questioned something like that. His servants would take care of all his needs.

"I hadn't really thought about it. I assumed there must be some kind of well."

The wizard didn't say anything, but continued further into the cave, followed closely by Vaenal. After walking for a couple of minutes, he pointed to a large hole in the floor of the cave, from which a large lake could be seen.

"These are hot springs. I extract drinking water from here and often come down to bathe after training. They're just as good as the ones the visitors of the valley use."

The wizard gestured for his apprentice to follow him again, and they returned to the small circle drawn on the ground.

"These crystals are charged with aether. They're the same crystals that keep the cave lit. You'll have to sit in this circle and keep your eyes closed. You need to be able to feel the crystals around you without using your eyes. Feeling them requires channeling a minimal part of the Dirath. Once you achieve this and can replicate the sensation at will, we can continue with your training. It shouldn't take you more than a couple of days."

He put his hand in one of his pockets and pulled out a key identical to the one he had used before to open the door to the cave. He threw it to Vaenal, who clumsily caught it in the air.

"Wait, how am I supposed to do that?" asked Vaenal, dazed.

"I can't help you with that any more than I can explain how to move your arm. Generally, a mage doesn't take on an apprentice until they can extract power, at least unconsciously. Once you achieve that, I can help you maintain the connection, project and transform energy... but understand, this is necessary for us to start."

"Master, I think I'm going to need some more hints, you can't seriously expect me to..."

The wizard interrupted the young man, gesturing with his hands for him to stop talking.

"You can organize your time as you please, but I cannot teach you anything until you manage to do this," said Reedal curtly, ending the conversation.

Without a word, Vaenal sat in the center of the circle and closed his eyes, focusing. Reedal nodded to himself.

"Good luck, kid. Come back to this circle whenever you want to practice, but don't overdo it, the connection of a tired body is erratic."

After saying this, he started on the way back to the tower, leaving Vaenal alone in the vast cavern.

Three days passed. Three eternal days where Vaenal spent most of his time sitting on the floor of a crystal-filled cavern. Three days in which he hadn't made the slightest progress.

Vaenal had hoped to be a prodigy and master the basics in a couple of weeks. He had planned to return home in two months armed with powers that would make no one in his family ever question his worth again. Instead, the young man felt disappointed in himself and frustrated by the little help he was getting from his supposed master. He began to wonder if Reedal was trying to force him to quit, to make him go home without having to reject him as an apprentice. For Reedal, it would be a perfect plan: he would get rid of an apprentice he didn't want anyway, and his image would remain untarnished before the Duke. Going back home was not an option, as it would confirm his uselessness to others.

Faced with frustration and lack of progress, Vaenal confronted a truth that was becoming increasingly evident to him.

"I think I need a drink," he said to himself.