Caelum wasn't sure what to expect. The message had been vague — a meeting, a mentor, a promise of guidance. But as the shadow stepped through the dim corridor, all Caelum could feel was an awkward tension tightening his chest.
The figure approached quietly, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Caelum," he said, voice calm, almost gentle.
"Yeah," Caelum replied, wary, folding his arms. "So... you're the mentor?"
"Yes," the man said, nodding. "Serion."
There was a pause — not uncomfortable, but tentative, like two strangers testing the water. Caelum's gaze flickered over Serion's calm expression. He felt the urge to ask if this was a joke, or some weird dream, but didn't.
Serion glanced around, then with a faint smirk said, "Mentorship isn't just about spells or training... it's about trust. Building it, step by step."
Caelum allowed himself a small laugh, the sound breaking the tight silence. "Trust, huh? Well, that sounds... easy."
Serion's eyes crinkled with amusement. "You're right. It isn't. But we'll get there."
Caelum shifted slightly but didn't relax. "So… what's the first step? You just expect me to trust you because you say so?"
Serion's smile faded to something quieter, more thoughtful. "No. Trust doesn't come from words. It comes from time. And We have more time than you think. The question is how we choose to use it."
The silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable.
The corridor's shadows seemed to deepen around them, the air thick with unspoken truths neither dared touch.
Serion turned away first, his footsteps echoing softly down the corridor. Caelum stood still, staring after him, a knot tightening in his gut. Something about Serion's presence felt like a door barely cracked open — promising answers, but hiding more questions.
The message had said "mentor," but what kind of mentorship started with silence and guarded looks?
Caelum ran a hand through his hair, frustration simmering beneath his skin. Trust was a fragile thing. He'd learned that the hard way.
As the corridor grew quiet again, Caelum whispered to himself, "Guess I'm just supposed to wait… and hope."
He didn't know what Serion wanted, or why he had appeared now.
Caelum said softly. "Fundamentals? Like what?
Caelum shifted, eyes narrowing. "So… what exactly does this mentorship involve? You gonna teach me magic, or just throw some vague advice my way?"
Serion's gaze sharpened slightly. "Magic, yes. But it's not just waving your hands around and saying some words. It's understanding the essence behind it — the fundamentals."
Caelum said softly. "Fundamentals? Like what? "
Serion shook his head. "It's about control, focus, and respect for the forces you're dealing with. Power without discipline is dangerous. For you and everyone around you. We start small — learning to sense the flow of energy, how to shape it without breaking yourself."
Caelum blinked. "Flow of energy? That sounds… kind of vague."
Serion gave a faint, patient smile. "It's abstract, yes. But once you learn to feel it, magic becomes less mysterious. More real."
Caelum looked confused "Fine. What's step one, then?"
Serion nodded, appreciating the calm in Caelum's tone. "Good. Let's start with the fundamentals. Magic isn't just a force you command — it's an energy that flows through everything: the air, the soil, the water, and even living beings."
Caelum listened, eyes steady. "So, magic is… like a kind of lifeforce?"
"In a way," Serion said. "Some call it 'aether' — an invisible current that connects all things. It doesn't rush or roar; it hums softly beneath the surface of the world. The first lesson is learning to feel that current without trying to control it."
Caelum nodded slowly. "Feel it… How do I begin?"
"Start by calming your mind and focusing on your breath. Become aware of the space around you, the small movements of air, the warmth in your skin. Don't try to grasp or change anything — just listen and sense. Magic reveals itself only when you're truly ready."
Caelum took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Simple enough, but I imagine it's harder than it sounds."
Serion's expression was serious. "Exactly. Understanding is simple. Mastery comes with time and patience."
Caelum closed his eyes and took a slow, deliberate breath, just as Serion had instructed. He focused on the quiet rhythm of his breathing, trying to tune out the distant sounds of the corridor and the tension still lingering in his chest.
At first, there was nothing — just the steady beat of his heart and the faint scratch of his fingers against his own sleeve. But gradually, something shifted. A subtle warmth, like a gentle pulse, seemed to ripple through the air around him. It was faint, almost like a whisper.
"Do you feel it?" Serion's voice was soft but steady, breaking the silence.
Caelum nodded, still with his eyes closed. "Yeah… something. Like a breeze I can't see."
"That's the aether. It moves in currents, often unnoticed. Your task is to listen to those currents, to let them guide you instead of forcing them."
He opened his eyes, meeting Serion's gaze. "How do I know if I'm doing it right?"
"Right and wrong don't apply here, not yet. This is about awareness. Every moment you feel the aether, you're learning. Even if it's just a flicker of sensation, it's progress."
Caelum absorbed the words, feeling a small flicker of hope. Maybe this wasn't so impossible after all.
Serion reached into his robe and pulled out a small, smooth stone — no bigger than a thumb. He held it out between his fingers.
"Hold this," he said quietly. "Close your eyes again and focus on the stone. Feel its weight, its temperature. Now, try to sense the aether moving around it. It's subtle — but it's there."
Caelum took the stone hesitantly, turning it over in his palm. He closed his eyes once more, breathing steadily, and tried to feel what Serion described. For a moment, he felt nothing but the stone's hard surface.
Then — a faint tingling. Like a soft hum beneath his skin, a gentle vibration connecting his palm to the stone.
"That's it," Serion encouraged. "The aether interacts with everything. Sometimes you feel it stronger through objects, sometimes directly within yourself. Make this your daily exercise — spend a few minutes each day feeling the aether around things. Notice when it shifts, when it's calm, when it stirs."
Caelum nodded slowly. "A few minutes a day... I can do that."
"Good," Serion said, tucking the stone back into his robe. "The fundamentals are simple, but mastering them takes patience. Remember — magic isn't just power. It's understanding."
As the stone pulsed gently under his fingers, Caelum narrowed his eyes, reaching inward — not toward the stone, but toward something else, tucked deep behind his consciousness.
A subtle chime echoed in the back of his mind.
[Thread Resonance Detected]Aetheric Field Interface: Response Level – Minimal
→ Spellcasting Node: Basic Tier Accessed→ New Subroutine Unlocked: [Active Channeling – External Focus]→ Mana Filtration: 4.8% Efficiency
He didn't flinch. On the outside, he merely exhaled, adjusting his fingers on the stone's surface, as if it were all part of Serion's lesson.
But inside, Caelum was already parsing numbers, tracking the flickering glyphs only he could see. The system had remained dormant until now — stubbornly quiet, as if watching, waiting.
Serion stood a few steps away, observing with a careful gaze. "You're… unusually calm for someone channeling for the first time."
"I've studied," Caelum said vaguely. "Theory comes easier to me than most."
Serion didn't press. "Still — theory's not instinct. You're feeling the Aether now, aren't you? What does it feel like?"
"Like static under my skin," Caelum said, honest enough. "But fluid. Not electric. More… alive."
That answer seemed to satisfy Serion, who gave a single nod. "Good. That's the thread beginning to align. Let it stir. Don't command it — invite it."
[Aether Affinity: Evaluating…]…→ Dominant Thread Identified: Wind (10%), Lightning(2%)→ Latent Affinities: [Obscured]
Caelum mentally dismissed the screen.
No one else needed to know.
Not yet.
The stone still sat warm in his hand, but its pulse had faded — or maybe Caelum had just lost the thread again.
He exhaled slowly, the sound catching in the still air. The corridor had fallen quiet once more, Serion's presence lingering like smoke — hard to catch, impossible to ignore.
Caelum moved to a quiet alcove off the main hall. The air there felt denser, less disturbed. A perfect place to try again.
He sat cross-legged on the cool stone floor, placed the small stone beside him, and closed his eyes.
Focus on breath. Focus on space.
His thoughts wandered almost immediately. His mind was a mess of static — questions, doubts, calculations — all pulsing beneath the surface.
"Don't force it," he muttered to himself, recalling Serion's words.
So he didn't.
He let the tension unravel, thread by thread, until all that remained was silence.
Then, without warning, a breeze stirred.
There was no wind — not really. But Caelum felt it. A brush against his skin, like something unseen brushing past. It stirred the edges of his awareness, teased the boundaries of his consciousness.
He reached toward it — not with his hand, but with something deeper.
[Aetheric Contact Reestablished]
→ External Focus: Stable→ Flow Rate: 6.2%→ Resonance: Unsteady
He opened his eyes.
The stone beside him vibrated faintly, almost imperceptibly. It wasn't glowing, not visibly. But Caelum could feel it — humming in time with the silent rhythm pulsing through the world.
He focused again, narrowing his mind toward movement. Not control — just understanding.
And then, the stone shifted.
Only a fraction of an inch. Maybe less. But Caelum gasped.
He hadn't touched it.
The air stilled again, and the moment was gone. But his pulse thundered in his ears.
A whisper fluttered across the edge of his mind — not Serion's voice, but the system.
→ [Kinetic Disturbance: Recorded]→ Subroutine Suggestion: Micro-Motion Tracking (Activate? Y/N)
He mentally chose Y.
Lines of blue light flickered behind his eyes, mapping the space around the stone. Currents traced in spirals, mapping invisible paths of energy across the floor.
There's structure to it, he thought. Not just power. Pattern.
He stood, stone still in hand, and stretched his limbs. The air felt charged now, the atmosphere subtly different.
From down the corridor, Serion's voice echoed. "Feel something?"
Caelum turned. "Yeah. It moved. Not far, but… I felt it react."
Serion stepped into the light, nodding slowly. "Good. It means you're beginning to resonate. Not command — not yet — but connect."
Caelum held up the stone. "Is this just a focus? Or something more?"
"A bit of both. The stone is inert by itself. But in your hands, it becomes a mirror. It reflects your will, your discipline — or your chaos."
Caelum gave a dry smile. "Comforting."
Serion stepped closer, placing a second stone beside the first. "Try again. But this time, don't just feel. Let the aether pass through you."
Caelum took a breath, centering himself.
As he reached inward, the hum returned — softer now, but more consistent.
He imagined a thread running from his breath, to his skin, to the stone.
And the stone shivered.
[Aether Flow Rate: 9.7%]→ Stabilizing…→ Aether Circuit Formed (Rank F)→ Internal Channeling Unlocked: [Preliminary Control Enabled]
His eyes fluttered open.
Serion didn't look surprised — only thoughtful.
"You're quick," he said. "Most people take weeks to sense what you did in hours."
"I've always been good with systems," Caelum said, brushing dust off his knees. "I just didn't know one was watching me."
Serion studied him a moment longer. "It's not just talent. Something's… guiding you. I don't know what. But we'll find out."
Caelum didn't respond. He was staring at his palm, which now tingled with invisible energy.
Aether.
It had answered.
But now it asked questions in return.
Aether shimmered like dew in the air, and Caelum exhaled slowly, letting the strand of energy settle into the hollow of his palm. Under Serion's watchful gaze, he wove the thread into a simple sigil — a sphere of light, no bigger than a coin.
It flickered once. Then vanished.
He cursed under his breath.
"Do not mourn failure," Serion said, voice as calm as ever. "Mourn stasis. The thread answered — even if only for a moment. That is progress."
Caelum straightened, sweat clinging to his brow. "It still slipped. I felt it, and then it was gone."
"That is how the thread teaches you. Through retreat, not revelation. It tests your patience. Tomorrow, it may hold longer." The mage paused, then added, "But today, your time with me ends. The Training Commander waits."
Caelum blinked. "So soon?"
Serion nodded once. "Thread and blade. That is your path. One will temper the other — or destroy it."
As if summoned, a distant bell rang across the compound. Three short chimes. Transition bell.
Serion turned away. "Go. Do not keep her waiting."
Training Yard – Midday
The warmth of aether had barely left Caelum's limbs when the cold weight of a training blade replaced it.
He stood at attention in the packed-earth yard. Around him, others trained — swinging, parrying, shouting. Where Serion's hall had been silence and air, this place was noise and dust.
The Training Commander arrived like a thundercloud — broad, scarred, eyes like flint. She didn't announce herself. She never needed to.
"You're late," she said flatly.
"I came straight from—"
"I didn't ask for excuses. I asked for readiness." She tossed him a round shield. "First stance. Sword high. Feet apart."
Caelum moved into position — or tried to. The weight was wrong, the balance unfamiliar. His body, still attuned to threadcraft, felt sluggish.
She frowned. "Your limbs are soft. Magic won't harden them. Only this will." She tapped her own sword against his with a sharp clack.
Then she began.
The drill was relentless. She attacked in slow, deliberate movements, forcing him to block, move, adjust. When he hesitated — pain. A tap to the ribs, a crack against his thigh.
"You're thinking," she snapped. "You did that with the mage too, didn't you?"
He grunted, sweat in his eyes. "I thought that was the point."
"The point," she barked, stepping in close, "is to train until you no longer need to think."
Each motion became heavier. His arms burned. But something stirred — not the sharp pull of aether, but a rhythm. Like breathing.
He swung. Blocked. Stepped.
And flowed.
Not perfectly. Not even well. But there was movement — not just of body, but of will.
The Knight Commander narrowed her eyes.
"Again."
Evening – Dormitories
He collapsed onto his mattress, every muscle a knot. His hands were raw. His thoughts hazy.
But there, under the pain — was something different.
Not mastery.
Balance.
Thread and steel. Precision and power. He could feel where they would one day meet.
The system pulsed faintly in his mind.
[New Routine Established]→ Morning Session: Aetheric Discipline [Serion]→ Afternoon Session: Knight Conditioning [Commander Ysera]→ Body-Aether Equilibrium: 0.4% Stabilized→ New Trait Developing: Dual Affinity (Unformed)