Edeus had gone ahead with Silver to meet the Earl of Dorhem leaving Rodderick and Ember behind. They were to meet in the Drunk Lamia at midnight, an Inn recommended by the soldiers of the guard, however, as of now, the duo had the entire town to explore on their own.

They should be using this time to look for the prince, however, Rodderick was too distracted with his magic practice.

During the journey from the earth hut to Dorhem, Rodderick had been diligently practicing his magic, attempting to alter the mud sphere given to him by Ember. However, despite his best efforts, he had been unable to wield his earth magic again. Frustration and disappointment weighed heavily on his shoulders as he struggled to understand why he was unable to repeat the spell. In theory, Rodderick knew he was capable of it, he had experienced the power of his earth magic firsthand. But as he stood hands outstretched and his mind focused, he found that he was unable to summon even the slightest trace of power.

“Ember, why can’t I do it again?, is this normal?”

“Mmmm”, Ember tilted her head. “It is, if you have no talent then it’s hard to cast magic consistently”

“Ugh… so my lack of talent is at fault once again”, Rodderick wanted to yank his hair in frustration.

“Listen here Ricky, magic is all about your relationship with the elements and your ability to exercise your will through them. The difference between someone with talent or not is the natural disposition the elements have towards them and their ability to comprehend how to exert their will through them. In your case, the earth didn’t move until you pleaded with all your heart. You don’t understand how that that act moved the earth, since you don’t understand, you can’t do it again, you don’t have the ‘feel’ for it.”

“So if I want to do it again, I should try to get that feel?”, Rodderick considered Ember’s words.

“Pretty much”, the witch nodded, handing Rodderick a cup

“Huh? What’s this?”, Rodderick took the cup in his hands, it was the one the soldiers had handed to them in the barracks. Why had she taken it with her? The soldiers were probably not okay with it.

“Earth doesn’t seem to accept you, perhaps, you should have a more personal contact with it, that’s why my special muddy water brew will help you get closer to the earth!”.

“I don’t want it!”, Rodderick threw the cup away, spilling it’s contents on the floor.

…

Some time passed and Rodderick found himself resting against a tree. Ember told him that she would look for the prince and let him to focus on practicing magic. He decided to try to get this “feel” she was talking about, and so, he thought a good place to start was one where he could be in contact with the earth and nature.

He closed his eyes and tightened his grip around the mud ball on his hands. His deep breathing was the only thing he listened to as he tried to feel the earth in his hand and around him.

“I will now teach you how mages exert their power to mold the world at their will”, Rodderick remembered the words that his master Edeus gave him while they were traveling towards Dorhem.

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“You already know the basics, however, you are missing something fundamental. As you know, we command the elements to move at our will. With only this you may believe mages are omnipotent beings who can imagine anything and manifest it in the world, however, it is not so. Every mage is limited by their own magical reserves, their mana.

The magic academics believe mana resides in the soul, an amount of power given to us at birth. We use this mana to transfer our will to the elements.”

“Mana is invisible, to the naked eye, however, if you concentrate and look deep inside, you should be able to feel this power. Using mana to alter the elements is an automatic process, much like breathing it’s not something you control directly, but it’s important to be in contact with your magical reserves, not only to understand how a spell is cast, but because once exhausted, you will not be able to cast spells. This is the limit every mage is bound to, even the most powerful mage can’t cast spells forever”

Rodderick's breath came in measured in rhythmic gusts as he took in each and every word Edeus had spoken to him. Deep within his being, he felt something shift and stir. A shining, amorphous white flame flickering with life, an intangible but undeniable presence that pulsed with energy.

A surge of delight washed over Rodderick as he felt the flame dance deep within him. This was his magical reserves, his mana - proof that he, too, was a mage.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the ball of mud in his hands without losing his connection to the magical flame.

“Earth, reshape to my will, become a bracelet for me.”, with newfound confidence, Rodderick focused and spoke the incantation. And this time, to his amazement, the earth responded. It twisted and molded itself to his will, taking on the shape of a bracelet that resembled the one he was imagining. A broad smile spread across Rodderick's face as he realized that he had finally casted a spell.

His heart swelled with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

"Yes!", Rodderick exclaimed, leaping into the air in celebration. He held the bracelet aloft, basking in the warm glow of success. It was a small victory, but it meant the world to him.

He stopped himself and stared at the bracelet in his hand. He needed to confirm that he could do this again, if it was another fluke, he couldn’t really call himself a mage.

With a deep breath, he focused his will and spoke another incantation, "Earth, turn this bracelet into a cup." The bracelet responded, reshaping itself to take on the form that he had imagined in his mind. Rodderick let out a sigh of relief. That was it, this was the feeling Ember was talking about, he now truly understood what I meant to cast a spell.

“Ember! I did it!”, he started running looking for his friend, excited to show her his progress.

High above the tree where Rodderick was resting, a crow perched and watched the boy below. As a familiar, this crow served as Abeon's eyes, transmitting everything it saw back to the yoma in the fortress.

Abeon, sitting in a chair outside his fortress, sipped his red wine with closed eyes as he absorbed the images sent to him by his many familiars scouting Dorhem. The humans had quickly realized the role the crows played as spies and had begun hunting them, but it was too late. Abeon had already acquired a thorough understanding of the city and its defenses, as well as learn of the last-minute appearance of Edeus the jailer.

"This really complicates things," he muttered as he opened his eyes. In front of him, his army of demons stood ready to march."