The morning sun cast long shadows across the Ashborne courtyard, highlighting the soldiers in neat lines, practicing sword forms and energy control. Tiny arcs of light flickered around those who could manipulate their aura, subtle but fascinating. Zephyr sat on a soft blanket near the balcony, legs kicking the air, dark eyes wide as he watched.
"Ball… go?" he murmured, pointing at a sword as it cut through the air.
Kael, standing nearby with arms crossed, smiled faintly. "Not a ball, Zeph. That's a sword."
Zephyr frowned, his little brows knitting together. "Sword… fly!" His hands waved at the air as if trying to make it move.
Elara knelt beside him. "He notices everything… doesn't matter if it's swords, flames, or the sunlight. Everything is interesting to him."
Valerius, leaning against the balcony railing with a soft chuckle, added, "Let him watch. Let him move in his own way. Children see more than we think… if we give them a chance."
Zephyr crawled forward a little, leaning over the edge of the blanket to see the soldiers better. One of them practiced a small flame technique, a tiny flicker of fire dancing harmlessly over the sand. Zephyr's eyes widened.
"Fire… go!" he squealed, waving his tiny hands at the flickering light, trying to catch it. Then he laughed, the sound bright and free, like sunlight scattering across the courtyard.
Kael gently scooped him up. "Careful, little one. Don't reach too far."
Zephyr wriggled, giggling, pointing at the soldier: "Boom… boom!"
Elara laughed softly. "He tries to copy what he sees. Not really understanding, just seeing patterns. His little mind is always moving, even if he doesn't know it yet."
Zephyr's attention bounced from soldier to soldier, from fire to blade. He pointed and babbled small words: "Fast… swoosh… fast!" mimicking the motion with his tiny hands.
Valerius leaned down, tugging gently at Zephyr's sleeve. "Yes, fast… that's right. Watch it closely, little one." Zephyr laughed at the tug, squirming in his grandfather's grasp.
A soldier rolled a small sphere of energy across the sand, like a glowing ball. Zephyr's eyes followed it immediately. "Ball… roll!" he babbled, reaching out as if he could touch the glowing sphere through the distance.
Kael lowered him back to the blanket. "See, Zeph? They are playing… and learning. They move, they flow… sometimes clumsy, sometimes precise. Just like you will, someday."
Zephyr tilted his head, blinking. "Go… roll… go…" He tried pushing a small block beside him, watching how it moved, then rolled it gently on the blanket, comparing it silently to the glowing sphere.
Elara smiled, brushing a curl from his forehead. "He notices things others ignore… the movement of objects, the way energy flows, how light falls. And yet, he is still very much a child. Playful, curious, and stubborn."
Valerius laughed, reaching down to let Zephyr tug his silver beard. "Stubborn? Yes… bold? Certainly. But he is still small, still learning… And look at him—he notices, he experiments, and he is happy. That is enough for now."
Zephyr laughed, bouncing slightly in Kael's arms. Then he pointed toward the sunlight spilling over the courtyard. "Shine… go… shine!" he babbled, clapping his hands.
Kael glanced at Elara. "He's learning to connect what he sees with his actions. Not thinking of techniques yet… just movement, light, cause and effect. That's all a child needs."
Zephyr crawled back to the blanket, picked up a small block, and tossed it in the air. "Up… up… fall!" He watched it tumble, fascinated by the way it rotated and bounced. Then he reached for another block. "Fall… boom!"
A tiny breeze brushed his hair. He babbled happily: "Wind… move… fly!" His fingers reached out to catch the moving air, curious and playful.
Elara bent close, laughing softly. "Even small things… wind, shadows, light… they capture his attention. He tests everything… not understanding fully, not yet… but noticing. That's all we ask of him."
Valerius chuckled. "And let him be curious. Let him make a mess. Let him pull swords he shouldn't, tug beards, throw balls. Every small action now is a step toward understanding, in his own way."
Zephyr clapped, rolled a block toward the sunlight, then pointed at a soldier spinning his sword. "Swoosh… go… fast!" He laughed when the sword blurred in his vision, bouncing excitedly on his tiny legs.
Kael watched quietly, arms folded. "He's curious, yes. He wants to touch everything, see everything, feel everything. Still a child… not thinking of cultivation, not thinking of rules. Just seeing the world and reacting."
Elara nodded. "Exactly. And he is happy. That is what matters most. He will learn more, faster, later. For now… let him play, let him explore, let him babble."
Zephyr leaned back on the blanket, watching the soldiers train for a few more minutes, tiny hands resting on his knees. Then, satisfied, he picked up a small block, tossed it gently, and clapped, babbling: "Ball… roll… boom… fun!"
The courtyard remained alive with flashing swords and flickering energy, but for Zephyr, the greatest adventure was not mastery or strength—it was seeing, feeling, and reacting to everything around him.
And in those small moments, the child of the Ashborne family discovered a world that was big, bright, and full of things to touch, mimic, and wonder about.