Kael sat across from Father Elion, his hands folded neatly on his lap.
The study was quiet.
Too quiet.
From outside the window, he could hear distant voices of children, the footsteps of nuns, the clinking of dishes—ordinary life of the church. But inside this room, it felt like a separate, isolated world.
Elion was watching him carefully.
Not strictly.
Not suspiciously.
Rather... thoughtfully.
It was the kind of gaze that made Kael feel as if he were being read like an open book.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Elion asked calmly.
Kael hesitated for a moment, choosing his words.
"Because this morning... I tried to use mana."
Elion slightly raised an eyebrow.
"And how did that end?"
"I... started choking. Everything went dark. Then it disappeared," Kael said quietly.
Silence filled the room.
Elion slowly closed the book on his desk and folded his hands.
"Children your age usually can't even sense mana," he said. "But you not only sensed it... you tried to control it."
Kael lowered his gaze.
"I didn't mean... to do something dangerous."
"But you did anyway," Elion replied calmly. "Because you were in a hurry."
He stood up from his chair.
"Come with me."
Kael looked up in surprise.
"Where?"
"To the training hall. I need to check something."
The hall was located in the back of the church.
It was an old room with wooden floors, cracked walls, and several training dummies covered in scratches and dents.
Holy Knights used to train here.
Now, it was rarely used.
Elion closed the door and turned to Kael.
"Take off your shoes."
Kael obeyed.
The cold floor touched his feet.
"Sit down."
Kael sat cross-legged.
Elion sat across from him.
"Close your eyes."
Kael did.
"Now just breathe," Elion continued. "Don't look for mana. Don't try to control anything. Just listen to your body."
Kael inhaled.
Exhaled.
At first—nothing.
His thoughts were messy.
He remembered the Goddess.
The stigma.
The pain in his chest.
Then, slowly, he began to feel himself.
His heartbeat.
Warmth in his stomach.
A faint tingling in his fingers.
A weak movement inside.
"Do you feel anything?" Elion asked.
"It feels like... something is slowly flowing," Kael whispered.
"Good," Elion replied.
Elion placed his palm on the floor.
In that instant, Kael felt pressure.
It wasn't heavy.
It was... enormous.
Like standing next to a calm, endless ocean.
He struggled to breathe.
"It's... scary..."
"That's only a small part of my aura," Elion said calmly.
He removed his hand.
The pressure vanished.
Kael opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Y-You're... that strong?"
"I used to be stronger," Elion replied. "But even now, it's enough to protect this city."
He looked at Kael seriously.
"Do you understand now why you must not rush?"
Kael slowly nodded.
"If I hurry... I'll die."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No comfort.
Just truth.
"But," Elion continued, "you have a rare talent."
Kael's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Really. You feel energy as naturally as breathing. Very few people can do that."
Kael clenched his fingers.
"Then... will you teach me?"
Elion was silent for a moment.
"Yes. But secretly."
"Why?"
"Because the world doesn't like those who grow strong too quickly," Elion said quietly. "Such people are either used... or destroyed."
A chill ran through Kael.
"I... understand."
"Good."
Elion pointed at a training dummy.
"That's your first task."
"Hit it?" Kael asked uncertainly.
"Yes. But not with muscles."
"Then with what?"
"Intention."
Kael froze.
He looked at the dummy.
Then at his hands.
"I don't know how..."
"You do," Elion interrupted. "You're just afraid to try."
Kael clenched his teeth.
He closed his eyes.
He remembered the warmth.
The pulse.
The faint vibration inside.
He gathered it all.
And stepped forward.
He extended his hand.
Not fast.
Not forcefully.
He simply directed the feeling forward.
The air trembled.
The dummy swayed slightly.
A quiet crack sounded.
A thin fracture appeared in the wood.
Kael froze.
"I... did that?"
Elion looked at the dummy.
Then at Kael.
And for the first time, he smiled broadly.
"Yes," he said. "You took your first step."
And far beyond the city, in the mountains hidden by mist...
Something slowly began to awaken.