"On to your next lesson," Aina's voice cut through his lingering haze, flat and unyielding.
"What?!" Elias squawked, his voice a bewildered protest. He was fatigued from the profound experience of his Spirit-Domain, from the sheer mental effort it had taken to calm the turbulent Flow. He sat down on the grass, feeling weak, and rubbed his eyes, trying to put on his most innocent, pleading face.
"But Big sis, I'm tired! Can't I rest for a bit?"
Aina's gaze, which had been fixed on him with her usual unreadable intensity, flickered. Her eyes, usually as cold and clear as ice, widened infinitesimally, and a faint, almost imperceptible tremor ran through her slender frame.
'Big sis… he called me big sis!'
A jolt, sharp and unexpected, went through Aina's chest. Her heart, usually a steady, disciplined drum, skipped a beat, then hammered against her ribs. She felt a warmth spread through her, a sensation so foreign, so utterly uncharacteristic, that it almost made her gasp. She quickly averted her gaze, focusing instead on a distant rose bush, her face remaining a perfect mask of impassivity.
But internally, a storm raged. Elias was whining. He looked so small and tired from all the effort he'd used.
' He's so cute when he whines.'
A powerful, almost overwhelming urge to reach out, to pull his small, protesting frame into a tight hug, surged through her. She clenched her hands, digging her nails into her palms, fighting the ridiculous impulse. Elias noticed and became significantly more polite, misinterpreting the gesture as her getting angry.
See Aina had a secret.
She had three older sisters, all formidable, all accomplished. She had longed for a younger sibling, someone she could protect, someone she could guide, someone who looked up to her. And she had always, always wished for a little brother. Perhaps that was the nature of 'The Star' Trait she had.Elias, with his bright eyes and surprising intellect, with his small, vulnerable frame, was everything she had ever unconsciously desired. Every time he called her "Big sis," that carefully constructed wall around her heart threatened to crumble. It was her one weakness.
She looked away and sighed and forced her voice to remain level, devoid of any tremor.
"You will have an hour. No more. Then it is back to training." Her tone was firm, but Elias, too caught up in his own exhaustion , wouldn't have noticed the almost imperceptible softening, the fractional dip in its usual severity.
Elias let out a long, drawn-out groan, but the finality in her voice, coupled with the promise of even a brief reprieve, was enough. He slowly rose to his feet, still muttering under his breath, and trudged towards the manor.
As his small figure disappeared through the garden archway, Aina discreetly brought a handkerchief to her nose, dabbing at it. A faint, almost invisible trace of blood stained the white linen. Her suppressed emotions, her internal battle, sometimes manifested in these subtle physical ways.
She watched the empty archway for a moment longer, her mind already analyzing. Elias's performance in his Spirit-Domain had been exceptional. To calm such a turbulent Flow on the first try, spoke of an unusually keen mind for a three-year-old. She was glad that her own worries were baseless and he had his Trait Sigil floating above his Domain. For a moment she thought he truly did not posses a Trait at all. While she wondered why everything within his soul was so vague and why his Sigil was apparently obscured by clouds, she decided to go with the explanation that he was still too young.
'Maybe he forgot the various Sigils and just said that because he couldn't remember which one it was. I'll have him revise them again when he comes back. Or he's hiding details about his domain from me?' She wondered. She shook her head, pushing the thought aside.
'That's ridiculous. What could a three year old possibly have to hide?'
More than that, it hinted at a depth of potential that was truly staggering. To have whirlpools appear within ones Flow meant he had a significant amount. Potential aside, he was vulnerable. In future would face burdens, dangers, and expectations that no ordinary child, no ordinary Flow-user, could ever hope to bear.He had the blood of two distinguished noble Houses,Mellou and Dukker flowing through his veins after all.
'To whom much is given, much is expected.'
Her harshness, was not born of cruelty, but of a profound, almost desperate sense of duty. She had to forge him. She had to temper his spirit, sharpen his mind, and harden his body. He had to be strong. Strong enough to bear the weight of what was to come. Her methods, she believed with unwavering conviction, were necessary.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Now he knew how to enter and exit his Domain. It was a foundation. A powerful one. Now, it was time to build upon it. The breathing exercise had been about internal control, about harmonizing with his own Flow. They'd polish it and move on to the next step, external manifestation. That should be somewhat simple as he'd shown that he could 'push' out his flow and harden it.
She decided to focus on meditation techniques and Flow circulation exercises. Then later they'd move on to external applications. Starting small, of course. Precision, control, and the delicate art of shaping Flow outside his body. Then, they would begin the physical training. Endurance drills, agility exercises, building a vessel strong enough to contain and channel the immense power she knew he possessed. A body that could keep up with his extraordinary mind.It would take time but she'd try her best for her cute little brother.
Aina glanced at the sun, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played on her lips, a rare, fleeting moment of unguarded satisfaction and affection. He was her charge, her responsibility, her little brother. And she would make him strong.
Later that evening, long after Elias had been tucked into bed after their lesson and the manor had settled into its nightly rhythm, Aina retreated to her own chambers. The door clicked shut, sealing her off from the world, and the rigid mask she wore throughout the day finally slipped.
She moved to her bed, a soft, plush pillow clutched tightly to her chest. Her face, usually so composed, softened, a wistful, almost yearning expression replacing its usual sternness. She pressed her face into the pillow, inhaling deeply, as if trying to draw comfort from its softness.
Elias…
She closed her eyes, and in the privacy of her mind, the fantasies she rigidly suppressed during the day bloomed. She imagined him, not as her student, but as the little brother she had always dreamed of. Playing games in the garden, his bright laughter echoing through the halls. Reading him stories before bed, his head resting on her lap. Being able to openly stroke his hair, to tell him he had done well, to hug him tightly without the burden of duty or the need for a mask. She pictured him running to her, calling her "Big sis" with genuine, unburdened affection. A soft, almost childlike giggle escaped her lips as she hugged the pillow tighter, rolling from side to side on her bed, lost in the pure, unadulterated joy of her secret yearning.
In his own bed, Elias suddenly shivered. A strange, inexplicable chill ran down his spine, raising goosebumps on his arms. He pulled his blanket tighter, glancing nervously around his dark room, a vague, unsettling feeling settling over him.