Kael stood on the edge of the village road, eyes following the curve of the horizon. Somewhere beyond the forests and hills lay cities—places filled with magic, danger, and answers. But he didn't feel ready.
Not yet.
He turned and looked back at the village. Quiet now, with children chasing each other through the muddy lanes and adults working the fields. People still gave him a wide berth, but their fear was fading. Some even nodded in passing.
He decided to stay a while longer.
When he told Balen, the village leader only nodded, unsurprised. "Wise. The world outside won't vanish overnight, and there's much to learn before you walk into a city alone."
That afternoon, Balen took him behind the longhouse to a shaded grove. They sat cross-legged in the grass, and Balen spoke plainly.
"Levels are more than just numbers," he said. "They unlock potential, yes. But raw strength means nothing if you don't understand the skills that come with it."
Kael listened carefully.
"To master a skill," Balen continued, "you must think about how it works. Not just what it does. You must understand its nature—its rules, its edge cases, its logic. Most never bother. They use a skill like a hammer. Hit the target. Move on."
Kael thought of how he had used Minor Teleport to shift rocks into a monster's throat. The first time had been survival. The second time had been strategy. But only now was he beginning to reflect on the why of how it functioned.
"If you want to push your abilities," Balen said, "don't just use them. Question them. Experiment. You may discover truths others have never bothered to see."
Kael took those words to heart.
That evening, as he sat near the cookfires watching sparks rise into the air, he activated Minor Teleport and shifted a pebble an inch to the side. Then again. Then in an arc. Then upward and down without touching it.
Each movement raised a question. Why could it move through solid air but not flesh? Why could it maintain momentum but not pass through closed space? What defined the boundaries of his control?
For the first time, he wasn't using the skill to survive or to train.
He was trying to understand it.