As another year passed beneath the dome, Kanarin, Vauv, and even Mediator herself did everything in their power to teach us everything we needed to know; from hiding our intent during a fight to becoming one with our surroundings.
Of course, that was all easier said than done. Countless hours of meditation and concentration were needed to reach a satisfactory level, even while stationary, let alone while moving while performing the technique.
The technique, since I realize now that I haven't explained this yet, has nothing to do with emptying your mind. In reality, it's quite the opposite. The easiest, and arguably simplest, way of describing it is becoming fully aware of every movement you make.
Like everything else that is cognizant of its existence, everything has a pattern; be it breathing, walking, patterns of thought, mana fluctuations, or even speech. When you become aware of your own patterns, it becomes easier to counter them, essentially negating your presence.
When it comes to attacking, however, intent is almost always put on display, from the reeling of an arm in preparation for a punch, or even gritted teeth when releasing it.
Everything one does can be considered intent.
These two things are not separate, as each one complements the other. The trick is understanding how they do so and what to do in order to land an attack.
Again, easier said than done.
When I finally understood the interplay between those two concepts, it gave me a much deeper respect for those who attended Polarion Academy, as without Kanarin, Vauv, and Mediator's instructions, it might have taken us twice as long.
I was grateful that Vauv instructed us on combat techniques. She was an exceptionally good mentor who constantly pushed us to our utmost limits. Even if or when we failed at something, she would always smile and tell us to try again as she always had over the years.
Meanwhile, Kanarin helped us perfect them to the point where we were matching Vauv in speed without much effort. Of course, she was still a good deal stronger than us, but we all felt we'd made decent progress during our time there.
However, as the anniversary of mine and Mediator's first fight approached, the air felt heavier than usual.
Ryfon was speaking with Vauv and Kanarin about something none of us could overhear. Over the years, we'd learned it was best to just let them talk without interruption, as the one time Bernar and I tried… Well, let's just say it didn't end well.
However, this time felt different, as the expression on his face was sour over something that must have happened outside of Polarion itself.
"What do you think is going on?" Bernar asked out of the corner of his mouth. "I'm not sure. Do you want me to ask my grandfather?" Ysevel whispered back. "He hasn't told you? Shit, that can't be a good sign," Bernar mumbled as his brow furrowed slightly.
"I'm sure they'll tell us when we're ready to hear it. Besides, according to Vauv, she suspects that our time here is coming to a close, as we've cleared most of Polarion Academy's curriculum; save for a few things that full-blooded dragons would need to learn," Mom said, putting her hand on Bernar's and Ysevel's shoulders.
"Either way, I'm not sure I like the look of this," I said as I shook my head. "It's not like him to carry such darkness in his eyes," I pointed out, causing the others to notice as well.
Of course, that also meant he'd noticed us staring.
The moment his eyes met ours, Ysevel sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "What's wrong, love?" I asked, turning to look at her. "He said we should focus on our final exam today, and that when it's over, we'll be returning to Caegwen immediately," she said, sparking a sense of worry between the rest of us.
"Did the Eyes figure out we were here?" Mom asked, prompting her to shake her head. "No, but from what I'm gathering, something must have happened. I just hope everyone's alright," Ysevel replied with a relenting sigh. "Hey, it's going to be alright, Yse. There's no point in worrying about what we can't control right now," Bernar said comfortingly, earning him a nod.
"I know. It's not as though you'd ever let me forget it, either," she said with a weak smile. "Honestly, it's during times like these that I don't know what I would have done without any of you three," she continued, offering us all a bit more of a smile.
"It's the least we could do. Although I'd argue shit-bird might have caused you more trouble than he's worth," he said with a quick elbow nudge. "Oh, shut up," I groaned, causing us to burst into a small fit of chuckling.
"Gather around," Kanarin's voice rang out, prompting the four of us to appear before her at a moment's notice. The stoic expression she held on her face told us that whatever was about to leave her mouth likely wasn't anything good.
"I know that you have already suspected that today would be your final exam, but unfortunately, we are out of time to conduct it fully," she began, causing my stomach to drop slightly. "Now, as you know, I am not one to beat around the proverbial bush, so I will tell you what Ryfon has passed on to me," she said with a heavy sigh.
"Caegwen has been attacked and the Benevolent Ring stolen from Her Majesty, Queen Aurae," she said in a tone of voice that reminded me of the reports we would have to give on our equipment to Taegin during my time in Codrean.
"W-What?" Ysevel asked breathlessly as Mom stepped forward. "Who could have done such a thing? Wasn't Ryfon just there?" she asked, taking the lead of our questioning while Bernar and I did our best to comfort Ysevel.
"It seems the attack happened the moment he left, but the one who carried it out was none other than Nevesh; a former Warden and Mideia's only known second in command," Kanarin said gravely.
The weight of her words told me a number of things: the first was that Aurae was most likely still alive, at the very least, and knew who this person was. The second was that Nevesh had the foresight to wait for Ryfon to leave before making her move, meaning that in a one-on-one fight, she was likely to lose.
The third, unfortunately, was the most concerning: That there was something hidden inside the Benevolent Ring that Mideia needed to make his next move.
That's a fair assumption, but we still have no idea what that might be, Mom added, having understood my thoughts through our connection. Either way I look at it, this whole situation is about to get a lot worse, she continued, causing the rest of us to nod our heads in agreement.
"What about my father? Is he alright?" Ysevel asked, noticing my deductions so far had been mostly in line with whatever she was thinking. "He was gravely wounded, but alive. Your mother tended to both his and Anwill's wounds, but they are still recovering as we speak," Kanarin replied, prompting Ysevel to sigh heavily through her nostrils.
If it weren't for the dome's interference, we might have known about this attack the moment it happened, she thought, clenching her fist tightly. I know, love. I know, I said, offering her as much understanding toward how she was feeling as I could through our connection.
Kanarin must have sensed our brief exchange because the look on her face wasn't one I might have expected of her. Instead of her usual, stoic countenance, she held a slight frown while her eyelids lowered sympathetically as she took a step forward to put her hand on Ysevel's shoulder.
I could tell, not just through our connection, that Ysevel was struggling to keep herself calm. The redness in her sclera, the tears beginning to well in her eyes, the tightness of her grip on my hand; all of it was indicative that she was doing nothing short of her best to stay calm as she looked into Kanarin's eyes.
"Ysevel, I know how you must be feeling right now, and know that your anger is far beyond merely justified. However, rushing into a fight without taking the necessary measures to prepare is nothing short of lunacy. That is why I would still like to conduct your final exam before I send you all back; I need to ensure you are ready for the trials to come," she said calmly, clearly speaking from experience rather than with an air of superiority.
Ysevel's grip loosened slightly as she came to terms with what was being said. She understood, just as well as the rest of us, that Kanarin was right.
A difficult truth to accept, nevertheless.
"Trust me, as you have these past years. You will have your revenge, but it may not come in the way that you expect it to," Kanarin continued, prompting Ysevel to sigh and nod her acceptance. "I understand," she said, letting her hair fall in front of her eyes.
Kanarin sent me a glance as if giving me a warning, but she didn't have to.
I know, I replied with a solemn nod.
"Now then, let's move on to the test and get you all home. You've all done splendidly with your progress, and likely would have been at the tops of your classes were you enrolled in the Academy," Kanarin began, snapping her fingers and bringing four mana training dummies into existence aligned in an arc, with a glowing circle around each one to designate their detection areas.
"Each one of these dummies will test you on your fundamentals; however, they are all extremely sensitive to your intent and presence, and will glow red if they detect any sign of it," she said, turning to gesture toward them.
Are you going to be alright? I asked Ysevel. Of course. We haven't come this far just for me to fail now, she said with a determined look in her eyes that I'd only ever seen a handful of times.