A few days had passed since the events of my reaching the third stage of mana manipulation.
I tried my best to smile and be as cordial as I could with the emotional turmoil I was still in, but since having heard my mother's words during the trial, as well as the ones I said to myself, I forcibly repeated them in my mind. It became a personal litany, and I quickly realized that if I caught myself falling into a mental rut, I could use it to dig myself out.
At least, in theory, anyway.
Nevertheless, I tried my best to hone my skills and maintain full control over the third stage. It wasn't easy, by any means, even being a bearer of the so-called Autarchica Primaria; a power, I surmised, that I had no idea where to even begin exploring it. However, even with that in mind, Vyra, Ysevel, Haldir, and Derion, of all people, took great care in training me in the days that passed, while my mother, Bernar, and Anwill observed my movements closely.
I began to grow into my lanky body a little more since my seal had been broken, and I could definitely feel the difference. Now, having packed on a decent amount of lean muscle to at least be considered athletic, I was faster, stronger, and much more capable but still nowhere near my older brother's strength; even without him being a fifth stage. Still, it was sufficient for the training I was conducting, and I could feel myself getting stronger by the day.
And more sore, I thought of the welt on my buttcheek left from the day prior when my brother slammed me onto the ground.
My distracted thoughts were quickly severed as Vyra, being as close to a master level spear-caster as one could be without taking the trial, made her move. While she mostly focused on forcing me to find openings in her get-the-fuck-away-from-me techniques this one seemed to be a coordinated attack.
Derion, with his twin daggers, made sure I didn't leave any such openings of my own, and had me heavily relying on airborne mana particles to tell where he was coming from. Haldir, however, forced me to broaden my reach with elemental mana as he consistently took pop-shots from behind trees that pushed me to rely on elemental spells to deflect or destroy his arrows.
All of this while maintaining the third stage, huh? Fuck me sideways, I'm exhausted, I realized, just as another arrow was consumed by my Flamebolt, and Derion's daggers bounced off a rock I made airborne.
"Enough!" Siraye's voice called out, stopping us all mid-swing. My mother certainly knew how to infuse her voice when she needed to, and by the gods above and below, it was terrifying. We lowered our weapons, and bowed to one another immediately since we knew the consequences well if we didn't. "Nice move with the rock," Derion's gravelly voice muttered. "Thanks, Derion. I appreciate the compliment. You're surprisingly hard to follow along with, you know?" I returned with a smile. His eyes widened in panic, and he turned his face away from me, eliciting a soft chuckle from the rest of the group.
"He doesn't do well with compliments, or being spoken to for that matter, Thoma. You should know that by now," Anwill said, striding towards us alongside my mother. "Yeah, that's true, but he complimented me first," I grinned, patting him on the shoulder. He was a little taller than I was, so I had to make sure I wasn't going to accidentally stick my arm into his pit.
"Regardless, I have a question for you," Siraye began, while Anwill pinched the bridge of his nose. "O-of course. What is it?" I asked, removing my arm away from the obviously uncomfortable Derion. "How long has it been since you last wet your sword?" she asked, to which my brother snorted.
"I meant killing something, you fucking child," she added with a glare. "Oh, he's slayed something alright," my brother chuckled, hardly trying to contain his laughter.
If I knew my brother as well as I thought I did, I knew exactly where his mind went, and stifled a laugh of my own.
"The last time was back in Coltend Castle, so it's been about a year at this point," I replied, subduing a chuckle. "I see," she said pensively, losing herself in thought. "W-why do you ask?" I asked, realizing something was amiss. "You've been sheltered for far too long. Even with your experiences in recent times, there is still much about a true battle for you to learn," she began, clasping her hands behind her back just like my grandfather.
"Bernar, why hasn't he gone on more expeditions? You'd think, with your grandfather there, that he would have pushed him harder," she asked. Bernar merely shrugged. "It wasn't for a lack of him pushing Thoma, there was just no need for us to go anywhere. It's one of the main reasons I came here to train in the first place, as well as why he was given the choice to fight the ochelons," he replied, gesturing to me. "Ah, I see. Well, this next part will surely pique your interest," she said, turning back to face me.
"As it just so happens, I've received a report from Soule, a city located South-West from here, regarding some strange tracks found by a scout. He claims that, to the best of his knowledge, he's never seen anything like them before, and has requested that we send a small force to investigate," she stated, lifting an eyebrow at me as if hoping I would read the situation correctly.
"You're already going, and want me to go with you, is that it?" I asked, a wry grin beginning to show on my face. Bernar, however, shuddered. "Is it smart to take him with you alone? What if it's just bait to get you away from here and Aurae?" he asked, his tone dropping slightly to avoid being heard at a distance. "We could guard her together, as I will not be going on this journey," Haldir said, trying to ease Bernar's mind.
"They'll be alright," he began. "Besides, as a bow-caster, I've seen the way your mother fights from afar. She's incredible, to say the least, and even if there is anything down there, she'll make quick work of it. Not to mention Anwill is more than capable of defending Aurae on his own if need be," he continued, gesturing toward Anwill who was a little ways away talking to a guard.
"It will be alright, Bernar. If you want, you can even go with your family to make sure it goes well," Haldir said, putting a reassuring hand on my brother's shoulder. Bernar sighed heavily, and nodded his head.
"Fine, but you'd better send a message at the first sign of trouble, old man," he said, lightly punching the elf in the shoulder. "As one of the other old men in this place, I would, but it seems you might actually have somewhere else to be," Anwill said, having stepped away from the guard he was talking to.
He held a parchment in his hand, clearly from one of the carrier ravens, still heavily creased from the journey. "Here, I think you of all people here need to read this the most," Anwill said, his tone growing dark. "What's this?" my brother asked. "It's a letter from Leona…" he said, reading the first few lines. "Wh-what? No… That can't be," he stammered. "What happened?" I asked, moving in closer to see the letter.