The clang of steel rang across the training yard, sharp and rhythmic, like a hammer striking an anvil. Kael stood at the edge of the packed dirt, his small hands folded neatly behind his back, watching the knights of House Duskveil drill in formation. Their armor gleamed in the morning sun, their swords rose and fell in unison, and their boots struck the ground with the weight of discipline.
Beside him stood Sir Aldren, the family's knight‑captain. His hair was streaked with gray, his face weathered by years of battle, but his eyes were sharp as steel. He had trained Kael's father in his youth, and now he had been tasked with introducing the young heir to the warrior's path.
"Do you see them, young master?" Aldren asked, his voice gravelly but steady. "Each man moves as one. Their blades are sharp, but it is their bodies that carry them. A weak body cannot wield strong steel. Remember that."
Kael nodded politely. "Yes, Sir Aldren."
Inside, his thoughts stirred. A system. Each knight a cog, each movement a gear. Efficient, but not perfect. Some steps wasted, some timing uneven. If this were a machine, I would redesign it.
Aldren crouched so his eyes were level with Kael's. "Your tutor teaches you the mage's path. But you must also know the warrior's. A lord who cannot understand both is a lord who will be deceived. Do you know the difference between mage and warrior?"
Kael tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Mages use mana for spells. Warriors… fight with swords?"
Aldren chuckled. "Not wrong, but not complete. Both paths use mana. The mage draws it outward, shaping it into flame, lightning, illusions. The warrior draws it inward, reinforcing flesh and bone, sharpening reflexes, hardening skin. One bends the world. The other bends the body."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly. Outward versus inward. External projection versus internal reinforcement. Two branches of the same current. Like hardware and software—different applications of the same energy.
Aldren straightened and gestured toward the knights. "Watch closely. That one there—Sir Brenn. He is a Warrior at Initiate Rank – Step 4: Firm Muscle. See how his strikes do not waver? His mana flows into his arms, steadying them. And that one—Sir Caldus. He is at Apprentice Warrior – Step 2: Hardened Bone. His body can withstand blows that would break lesser men."
Kael nodded, his small brow furrowed. "So… warriors climb steps too? Like mages?"
"Exactly," Aldren said, pleased. "The warrior's path has its own ladder. Awakening Warrior, Initiate Warrior, Apprentice Warrior, Scholar Warrior, Adept Warrior, Master Warrior, Arch‑Warrior, Transcendent Warrior, Mythic Warrior. The same nine ranks, but the steps are different. Where a mage learns runes and circuits, a warrior tempers flesh and spirit."
He paused, his tone turning grave. "But remember this, young master. At Awakening, you may taste both paths. A spark of flame in one hand, a hardened fist in the other. But once you step into Initiate, the choice must be made. Mage or Warrior. One cannot walk both roads."
Kael blinked, feigning confusion. "Why not?"
Aldren's gaze hardened. "Because the body cannot serve two masters. A mage's channels refine outward, a warrior's inward. To force both is to tear yourself apart. Many have tried. None have lived. At Awakening, your channels are soft, unshaped. But once you reach Initiate, they crystallize. From then on, you are bound to one path."
Kael lowered his gaze, hiding the faint smile tugging at his lips. So the system enforces exclusivity. But systems can be rewritten. If I can design a circuit that supports dual flows… then perhaps I can walk both paths where others failed.
Aldren placed a hand on Kael's shoulder. "Today, you will take your first step. Not with sword or shield, but with breath. The body is the vessel. Mana flows through it like water through a riverbed. If the river is weak, the water spills. If the river is strong, the water flows true."
He led Kael to the center of the yard, where a circle had been drawn in chalk. "Sit," Aldren commanded.
Kael obeyed, folding his legs beneath him.
"Close your eyes. Breathe deep. Feel the air fill your lungs. Now, imagine the mana in your body. It is faint, like mist. Draw it inward, into your chest. Let it flow with your breath."
Kael inhaled slowly, his small chest rising. He felt the threads of mana stir, faint and elusive. He had always seen them, even as an infant. Now he tried to pull them inward, guiding them with his breath.
"Good," Aldren murmured. "Now, send it to your arm. Just a trickle. Enough to feel warmth."
Kael focused. The mana shifted, flowing down his shoulder, into his arm. His skin tingled, his fingers warmed. He opened his eyes and flexed his hand.
Aldren's eyes widened slightly. "Already? Hah. Most children at Awakening cannot even sense the flow. You are at Awakening Warrior – Step 3: Kindling Breath. Impressive."
Kael blinked innocently. "It feels… warm."
Aldren chuckled. "That warmth is strength. With training, it will harden your muscles, quicken your reflexes, sharpen your strikes. Remember this feeling."
Kael nodded, but inside his thoughts raced. Warmth in the arm. Increased blood flow? Mana reinforcement mimics biological processes. Like adrenaline—faster reflexes, stronger muscles. I don't know the details of biology, but I know systems. Mana is acting as a catalyst, amplifying natural function. If I can map the flows, I can optimize them, just as I did with Ignite.
Aldren gestured to a wooden practice sword lying nearby. "Take it."
Kael picked it up, the weight awkward in his small hands.
"Now," Aldren said, "swing. Slowly. As you swing, breathe. Draw mana into your arm. Let it flow with the motion."
Kael raised the sword and swung. The blade cut through the air clumsily, but as he breathed, the warmth returned to his arm. The swing grew steadier, the weight lighter.
Aldren nodded approvingly. "Good. Again."
Kael swung again, and again, each time guiding the mana more smoothly. His movements were still those of a child, but the reinforcement was real.
Inside, he thought, I see it now. Mana reinforcement is like load‑bearing design. The body is the structure, mana the reinforcement beams. If placed correctly, the structure holds more weight. If placed poorly, it collapses. They train by repetition, but I can train by analysis.
After an hour, Aldren called a halt. "Enough for today. You have taken your first step on the warrior's path. You are now at Awakening Warrior – Step 4: Glow of Strength. Few reach this so quickly. You have talent, young master."
Kael lowered his head modestly. "Thank you, Sir Aldren."
But inside, he smiled. Another ladder. Another system. And already, I have climbed two steps in a single day. They will think it is talent. But it is not. It is optimization.
That evening, at supper, his father asked, "What did you learn today?"
Kael hesitated, then said softly, "Sir Aldren showed me the warrior's path. He said I am at Awakening Warrior – Step 4: Glow of Strength. But he also said… once I reach Initiate, I must choose. Mage or Warrior."
Lord Duskveil grunted approvingly. "Good. A lord must know both paths, but he must also know his limits. Steel in one hand, flame in the other—but only one can be your true weapon."
His mother's eyes lingered on him. "And what will you choose, Kael?"
Kael lowered his gaze, feigning uncertainty. "I don't know yet."
Her lips curved faintly, but her eyes were sharp. "Then think carefully. The wrong choice can cost you everything."
Kael nodded, but inside, his thoughts burned. They believe the choice is absolute. That the system cannot be broken. But I was an engineer once. Systems are made by rules, and rules can be rewritten. If I can design a circuit that supports dual flows, then perhaps I can walk both paths where others failed.
Later that night, the manor was quiet. The torches in the halls burned low, and the servants had long since retired. Kael sat cross‑legged on his bed, the wooden practice sword across his lap. He closed his eyes and breathed, drawing mana inward as Aldren had taught him. Warmth spread through his chest, down his arm, into his hand. His fingers tingled, his grip tightened.
Then he shifted, drawing mana outward instead, shaping it into the familiar rune of Ignite. A flame flickered above his palm, steady and bright. For a moment, both flows existed at once—mana reinforcing his arm, mana burning in his hand. The warmth of the warrior, the light of the mage.
His breath caught. The two currents clashed, unstable, like wires sparking against each other. The flame wavered, his arm trembled. He extinguished both quickly, his heart pounding.
So this is the danger. Two masters pulling at the same vessel. The channels resist, like circuits overloading. If I force both, I will tear myself apart. Aldren was right. But… if I can separate the flows, isolate them like parallel circuits, then perhaps…
He picked up the chalk and began sketching on his slate. Circles, lines, arrows. Not runes, not diagrams of muscle, but something in between. A hybrid. One channel for outward flow, one for inward. If I can partition them, then they will not collide. Like dividing current across two circuits. The body is the board. Mana is the current. I only need to design the pathways.
He tried again, slower this time. He drew mana inward, into his arm, until it glowed with warmth. Then, carefully, he siphoned a thread outward, shaping the Ignite rune. The flame appeared, smaller than before, but steady. His arm still tingled with reinforcement. For a few heartbeats, both coexisted.
Then the flame sputtered and died, the warmth fading with it. Kael exhaled, sweat beading on his brow.
It works. Not perfectly, not yet. But it works. I can walk both paths, if I am careful. If I refine the design. They say no one has lived attempting both. But they did not see the flaws in their circuits. I do.
He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The wards glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. He whispered into the darkness, "Mage and Warrior. Outward and inward. Two paths, one current. I will not choose. I will build a third."