For seven days, Darvey underwent grueling training.
On the first day, he knelt over burning coals with a sack of sand on his back.
On the third, he danced through flames, relying only on instinct and courage.
On the seventh, he faced the temple beast—a massive bird of fire known as the Flame Sentinel.
Unarmed, Darvey stood his ground. As the beast attacked, his mark lit up. He fought not with fear—but understanding. With a single shout, he merged lightning with flame. The temple blazed with light. The beast fell—but bowed, instead of vanishing.
"You have been accepted by fire," said Elder Jorge. "Now that the torch burns in your heart, it is time to seek your next journey—the Temple of Wind
The wind howled as Darvey stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast valley cloaked in mist. At the heart of it rose a floating island surrounded by swirling air currents—this was Hangin's Watch, the Temple of Wind.
"How do I reach that?" Darvey asked himself.
From above, a feather floated down, glowing softly. Then, a voice rode the wind:
"Only those who let go of control may be carried by the sky."
Darvey took a deep breath. Remembering his lesson from fire—to trust—he stepped into the air.
Instead of falling, the winds caught him. Invisible currents held him aloft, lifting him slowly toward the floating island. As he landed, a cloaked figure awaited him—tall, serene, and silent.
"I am Secret Cloud, Keeper of the Sky," the figure spoke softly. "If fire burns with force, wind teaches stillness. You must unlearn what you know, and listen to what cannot be heard."
Darvey's training in the Temple of Wind was unlike anything he had experienced. There were no battles—only silence, meditation, and moments of sudden danger.
One moment, he was told to sit on a stone amidst a storm, unmoving, until he could hear the pattern of the winds. Another, he had to dodge arrows shot from all directions—without looking. It was not about speed, but feeling the shift in the air.
On the sixth day, Secret Cloud took him to the Eye of the Storm—a chamber where violent winds circled endlessly. "Step into the center," Secret Cloud said. "Find stillness within chaos."
Darvey entered. Winds tore around him, trying to throw him off balance. But as he remembered fire's discipline and wind's calm, he focused inward. His breathing slowed. His heartbeat steadied.
Then—peace.
The winds calmed, forming a perfect sphere around him.
"You have passed," Secret Cloud said, his cloak gently swaying. "You now carry the breath of the sky."
Before Darvey left, Secret Cloud handed him a pendant shaped like a feather.
"This will guide you when you are lost, and lift you when you fall."
As the temple faded into the mist behind him, Darvey stepped back onto solid ground. Stronger. Quieter. Wiser.