Vitmori POV

There was a bit of a disconnect between what just happened and what I experienced. I was expecting to be momentarily blinded by the brightness of the fire that erupted from my hands or perhaps physically stunned by the blast back of the explosive power that knocked me to the ground. Yet I was perfectly fine, and my vision was wholly unaffected. In fact, the only reason I was delayed in immediately reacting was due to the lack of things affecting me.

After a good three more seconds I sat up to look around, spotting Reyvyre safely behind the barrier of ice magic she had prepared before I started increasing the output of mana into the two flames I had within my hands. Her eyes were wide with worry, though I could sense her immediate relief when she saw me moving again. "Well then, that was quite the display, wasn't it?" I mused before checking myself over. My poncho was definitely singed, and patches were still smoldering as I went about patting myself out.

Reyvyre dispelled her barrier as she made her way closer, looking me over as her eyes wandered my body, looking for damage, but when she saw none, she frowned a bit. "Looks like the illusion around your body isn't showing the damage you just sustained... Could you will it off for a little while?" She asked as she took a knee beside me.

I flashed another smile as I moved to stand. "Sure, but how about we put out the fire first?" I suggested as I pointed up at the treeline. Thankfully most of the trees weren't really affected due to the fact that we were in the middle of a clearing, but some of the trees along the edge were smoldering from singed leaves and branches, while others were actively burning. They could possibly go out on their own, but why leave it to chance?

I could sense Reyvyre felt guilty about something, though she nodded as she looked up to the tree line and held out one of her hands; in the next moment, a stream of white flew from her palm, dispersing into powdery snow that coated the tree tops and smothered the flames and smoldering leaves. "There, now please, let me see the damage." She insisted, worry plain on her face.

"Alright, alright, let me see..." I replied, looking myself over before closing my eyes. It takes more than a few moments, but I'm able to make out the intricate runes that define the illusion that makes up my physical appearance within my vessel. After a few more moments, I figure out how to suppress the effects by temporarily cutting off the flow of mana that maintains it, my flesh tone skin fading as I appear to look like the wooden man that I am. Looking at myself over again, my hands, arms, chest, and face appear to be blackened and singed, though even as I looked over the damage, the wood seemed to be repairing itself as my charred wood flesh reverted back to normal, slowly looking as if I had never been burned.

As Reyvyre grabs me by my right arm and looks over the damage, I could sense some of her guilt fading, only to be replaced by confusion as she examined my blackened fingers, watching as the char receded as if it was never there in the first place. "This... Is strange." She finally said as she furrowed her brow in thought.

I couldn't help but chuckle a bit, gently rubbing the back of my head with my free hand. "Isn't that the status quo for me?" I mused as I looked over my arm again, though I let her handle my hand until she was satisfied.

She managed to smile for a moment before making me clench and unclench my fist. "While that may be the case, what's odd is how little damage you took and the fact that you are repairing yourself without actively willing it." She then curiously tapped at the wood with her finger before quirking a brow. "Your wood... It's... Well, it's alive." She said with more than a little uncertainty.

I nodded intently, thinking about what I should address first. "Alright, so my wood... Why is it surprising that it is alive?" I asked as I watched her.

Reyvyre hummed in thought before releasing my hand as she stroked her chin. "Well, the wood your body is made of is older than most elves. Not even considering how old the tree it originally came from could have been. It's been dead for centuries, yet in less than a day since you occupied this avatar, the wood has been revitalized to the point of living once again." She explained as she started walking a circle around me.

"So what does that mean?" I ask once more, my curiosity piqued as I look at my hand again, the remaining char along my fingers receding to my fingertips before disappearing altogether.

Reyvyre stops her pacing, standing before me again before just shrugging. "I have absolutely no idea." She said simply as she scratched the back of her head. "I know that those who specialize in life magic tend to have greater vitality than most." She mentioned before her cheeks started to flush a bit, and I could sense that she had a thought as she cleared her throat while glancing over at me, though she mentally waved away whatever thought it was before I could get a clearer picture. "Likely, your life magic is so potent, it brought life to the ancient wood your body is made of, though what that entails and what happens next, I'm not sure." She explained as she took my arm again and looked over where the damage used to be. "The other thing I'm curious about is how little damage you took after being blown up by your own wild flames... I was almost certain you accidentally reduced yourself to ashes, and I would need to rebuild you a new body, but you were mostly fine."

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"Well, didn't you say that my affinity with fire was so high that you would have thought I was a dragon or a... What did you call it again?" I asked. The other thing she called me was not coming to mind as she released my arm again.

"A fire elemental." She clarified before taking a step back and stroking her chin again. "I suppose that could be the case. Elemental beings tend to be able to resist or even ignore the effects of their own elements being used against them... I just didn't realize that your resistance would be so potent as to affect even a wooden body while you're not consciously trying to resist the damage with the use of a barrier or your own mana heart." She explained as she sighed a bit before shrugging. "Regardless, as you said, this is likely going to be the status quo for you. You're just weird." She mused with a small smile as she chuckled a bit at my expense. "Let's try your hand at some of the other primal magics and see how you can handle the related hybrid branches."

I smile in response, flexing my hand again before releasing the suppressing effect I had on the illusion runes in my vessel, the illusion of skin returning to my avatar as I look back over at Reyvyre. "Alright, let's do it."

Isaak POV

Panting hotly and heavily, Isaak finds himself laying in the dirt once again, mud clinging to his skin as his sweat mixes with the dirt and grass beneath him. He rolled onto his back before looking up at Joli, the brown-skinned half-elf flashing a charming smile down at him as she gave a little wave. "Done catching your breath?" She asked a little too cheerfully for Isaak's taste.

He sighed a bit as he moved to sit up. "Why is it that I'm always on the ground after sparring matches..." He said, feeling rather exasperated as he huffed, staying seated in the dirt as he supported himself by propping his hands on his knees.

Joli smiled kindly as she tilted her head at him. "Well, I dunno about any of your previous sparring matches, but it's likely because you're outclassed in both strength and stamina, among other things." She explained rather bluntly. Though as Isaak scowled, she quickly continued. "I mean no offense by it, but sincerely, you are weak, as are most people in the world. But we're gonna change that." She said as she tried her best to be encouraging.

Isaak looked more than a little confused as he looked between her and the pair of drakes that were sitting closely together. Between them were three eggs that had been carefully wrapped up in blankets and dried grass. The other drakewarden had gone off somewhere else at some point, leaving him alone with Joli. "And how are you going to accomplish that by beating me up?" He asked, skeptical yet curious as he pushed off the ground and got to his feet.

Joli smiled some more as he got up again. "By pushing your body to the limits, we have to get you ready for the initiation ritual, and by exhausting you, you'll be more receptive to the effects."

Isaak looked confused by the mention of the ritual, not having thought they were serious at first. "Wait, you mean like an actual ritual? Not just some form of hazing?" He asked as he noticed how dirty he was and made an attempt to dust himself off.

Joli chuckled a bit but nodded. "Yeah, how else do you think you're gonna get eyes like ours?" She mused as she gestured to her eyes, one of her fingers tapping at the bottom eyelid as Isaak got a closer look, having not noticed that they were any different at first. Upon closer inspection, he saw that her pupils were vertical slits, almost like a cat, or rather, like their drakes. "There are other side effects and physical features you could adopt aside from the eyes, but they're the most common among the drakewardens. Besides that, you're already a month behind this current batch of apprentices, that's why Tobias left me and Lars to jumpstart your training. Well, that and other reasons." She mentioned cheerfully. Isaak blinked with surprise, not having expected any of that as he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times to try and find his words. Joli just smiled as she clapped her hands together before he spoke up. "Now then, you've rested long enough, start running laps around the clearing, and don't stop even when your legs want to give out and your lungs start to burn." She instructed with unnerving cheerfulness.

Isaak hesitated for a moment before doing as he was told. Starting his run as he did laps around the clearing, the drakes were watching as he passed by them time and time again. Hours went by as the evening sun dipped below the horizon, the stars and moons illuminating the forest. Isaak was soaked thoroughly with his own sweat, still at least making the attempt to jog as he repeatedly wiped at his eyes with his arm to keep his vision clear.

Joli sat with the pair of drakes, reading a book beside a lit lantern, all while seemingly waiting for something. Eventually, Lars returned, the young human man looking over what was going on before him. "Alright, Isaak, you can stop running now. Come over and sit on your knees. Do your best to not collapse." He instructed with a sympathetic smile.

Joli snapped her book shut upon seeing Lars and sat up, grabbing her lantern as she walked up beside him. "You sure took your time. Did you have any issues?" She asked curiously.

Lars smiled sheepishly before shrugging as he procured a vial that contained a viscous dark red liquid. "Yeah, this place doesn't exactly have the best facilities for alchemy, but between their herbalist helping me improvise some brewing equipment and the cooks lending me an open flame stove, I managed to make do." He explained as Isaak managed to almost crawl over and kneel down in front of Joli and Lars. Lars then held out the vial in his hand before looking at Isaak. "Listen, Isaak, are you absolutely sure you want to commit to being a drakewarden?" He asked once more. They've talked about this before, but this was the last chance Isaak had to back out.

Isaak huffed heavily, wiping some more sweat off his face as he looked between the two people before him and nodded. "I want this… I want to be strong… I want to protect those I care for." He said between breaths.

Joli smiled before looking at Lars. "Alright, let's get on with it." She said as Lars held up the vial in his hand, Joli placing both of her hands around his and closing her eyes. Lars doing the same as Isaak watched on curiously. "Blood of the drakes, freely given, refined by the partner and ally under watchful eye." She called out as her hands began to glow as she ran her mana through the vial.

Lars speaks up next, eyes still closed as he lowers his head. "We welcome the next generation, willing to enter in service, to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. May this blood, freely and willingly given, grant him strength." With that, he began running his mana through the vial as well. After a few seconds, the vial began to glow as the red liquid suddenly became blue.

Joli took up the vial and held it out to Isaak as she got down to her knees, now eye level with him. "Drink, apprentice, and do not resist. Let the power wash through you."

Isaak hesitated, but after another moment, he took up the vial and looked into it before downing the contents. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen as he shuddered at the taste. Then suddenly, he began to convulse as his body heated up almost unbearably. The last thing he saw was Joli and Lars stepping towards him, as well as the lingering sensation of two hands being pressed against his upper back.