Astra did not turn toward them immediately. Her silver hair stirring softly in the cold wind, her gaze fixed upon the seven figures below.
When she finally spoke, her voice carried across the frost-covered grounds with quiet authority.
"From this day onward, their real training begins."
"You four will decide your own methods," Astra continued calmly.
"I won't shield them from pain."
"Or failure."
She paused, letting the wind fill the space between words.
"But not until you've made your choice."
Irfin gave a low grunt, flames flickering lazily beneath his skin. Aeros drifted upward into the air, spinning once as though carried by invisible currents. Neris lowered her gaze thoughtfully. Terra merely closed her eyes.
None of them answered.
But none of them turned away.
Astra finally turned to them, her cloak snapped sharply behind her in the rising wind like a war banner claimed by no kingdom.
Her expression remained composed. Cold only at first glance. But beneath that stillness rested something immovable.
"I'm not asking you to like them," she said evenly. "Or trust them."
Her voice cut through the morning chill like tempered steel.
"Only this—watch them."
A step forward.
"Train them."
"And when you do… don't go easy."
Aeros immediately laughed, bright and untamed, arms outstretched like a dancer caught in the breeze as he floated higher into the pale morning sky.
"Oh, I never do~!"
Irfin cracked his knuckles, heat rolling beneath his skin with an eager flare.
"They better not start crying halfway through."
Neris exhaled softly. Mist curled around her feet like silver ribbons drifting over water.
"Then let us see if your judgment…"
Her gaze slowly moved to the seven below.
"…was not misplaced."
Terra remained silent. But she didn't look away.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the seven, steady and thoughtful, like the earth deciding whether to let something grow.
The sun had climbed higher now, casting long shadows over the ground.
And Astra turned back to the seven below—her chosen seven.
Her guardians.
Her seeds.
Her gamble against fate itself.
Something ancient flickered quietly within her eyes.
A steady fire.
The kind that refused to die no matter how many lifetimes tried to extinguish it.
—
The seven were scattered across the training ground, each absorbed in their exercises. Dust rose in small clouds beneath Gerald's relentless footwork.
Sparks hissed from Lily's conjured small flames. Lora's blade cut with precise arcs through empty air. Cassia murmured over her summoning circle, hands trembling slightly.
Melinda measured vials and darts with meticulous care. Ella slipped like a shadow between obstacles, knives glinting. And Claire sat in quiet concentration, her spirit orb flickering uncertainly in her palms.
Astra's footsteps echoed across the stone walkway. The air shifted subtly as she drew closer, the cloak behind her snapping in the wind like a banner, brushing past frost-tipped grass. Even the seven sensed it before they looked up.
"Stop."
Every figure froze mid-motion. Fire hovered midair, swords paused mid-swing, vials half-tilted. Even Claire snapped out of her concentration, lifting her gaze from the book.
She stepped into the center of the yard, her eyes scanned each of them.
"You've been training on your own and improved a lot from before. That's good. But now…"
"Your real training begins."
A soft breeze carried her words to every corner, and even the spirits shifted slightly, unseen but present, acknowledging the command.
"Prepare yourselves. From tomorrow, your instructors will come to train you."
"Who they are, what their identity is, you don't need to know. You only need to know this—they will push you. They will bring out the best in you. And you…" she continued, "must do your part, or you will fail yourselves."
She paused, letting her gaze sweep over the seven, each tense but attentive, each waiting for more.
"I will not interfere unless necessary. But I will watch. And I will expect effort."
"Not perfection. Effort."
The words hung in the morning air like a promise and a warning combined.
"From this moment, training is not a trial. It is a path. One you will walk until you are stronger than yesterday. I hope you understand?"
Then, without another word, she turned, cloak snapping behind her, leaving them to feel the weight of her presence and the weight of what was to come.
The day stretched before them, long and hard. And for the first time, all seven felt not fear, but the pull of something greater.
Something worth becoming.
As Astra's figure disappeared down the terrace, the four spirits who had remained unseen stirred.
Irfin folded his arms tightly across his chest, embers crackling beneath his skin with restless impatience.
"Why tomorrow?" he demanded with a scowl.
"Why not today? We're ready! Fired up! I'm in the mood—why wait?"
Above him, Aeros, floating lazily in the air, tilted his head toward Astra,
"Oh, come now," he sighed dramatically.
"If you're worried we might be exhausted after being summoned, don't be. We're perfectly fine. We've been through worse. We're perfectly rested, thank you very much for your care though."
Irfin shot him an annoyed glare immediately. Then he looks at Astra again.
"I don't care whether you care or not! I said I'm ready now!"
Astra exhaled slowly, the sound carried faintly on the breeze. She still did not turn back toward them.
"They need preparation," she said calmly.
Her voice carried with the same quiet authority it always did—never loud, never forced, yet impossible to ignore.
"A sudden appearance of their instructors, someone they've never met before, requires at least a day to adjust."
"To prepare themselves."
A brief pause.
"To understand what they're stepping into."
Aeros gasped dramatically. Truly gasped.
One hand flew to his chest while the other wiped at imaginary tears gathering beneath his eyes. He floated downward in exaggerated heartbreak, looking utterly betrayed.
"Ah…!" he whispered shakily.
"So that's how it is."
He pointed accusingly toward Astra like a tragic lover abandoned beneath moonlight.
"You care about them."
Another fake sniffle followed.
"Not us."
His voice cracked with theatrical devastation.
"You are as heartless as ever, little one. No concern whatsoever for your dear old friends. Only for your little humans down there!"
Aeros pressed both hands dramatically over his chest. "You... You broke my fragile heart."
He pretended to wipe away tears that did not exist.
Behind him, even Terra's lips twitched faintly beneath her calm composure.
Neris lowered her gaze, shoulders subtly shaking once with restrained amusement.
Irfin outright rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up."
But despite themselves, the spirits were entertained.
Though they were used to it, they couldn't help but feel entertained every single time.
Aeros had repeated variations of the same dramatic performance for centuries.
And somehow, it never fully stopped being ridiculous.
Or entertaining.
Astra, however, remained entirely unmoved.
She had long since developed complete immunity to Aeros's antics, his exaggerated theatrics no longer stirred even the faintest reaction from her.
Irfin clicked his tongue loudly, irritation sparking through the air in tiny bursts of ember-light.
"Tch. Humans…" he muttered.
"Always needing time. Ugh. Fine. Tomorrow then."
A dangerous grin slowly spread across his face afterward.
"But mark my words—I won't go easy."
Neris and Terra remained quiet, watching with faint smiles and unreadable expressions, letting the two theatrics settle into the wind.
—
The next morning, the training ground buzzed with anticipation.
Cassia, Gerald, Lily, Lora, Claire, Melinda, and Ella stood scattered across the yard, each struggling to contain the restless energy that had kept them awake all night.