The night was cold and still.
The sound of the stream was the only thing that cut the quiet.
Dante got down next to Erica. Her breathing was not steady, but she was up. Her face was white and wet with sweat. Her eyes were open and paid attention.
"Do not move," he said in a low voice. "Rest right now."
She moved her head no. "No. I cannot stop at this point."
He studied her face. The fear was gone. What he saw now was something different. It was willpower. It was raw and stubborn.
He remembered the night in the rain. The quiet girl who had smiled through the cold.
He had thought she was fragile. Maybe he had been wrong.
He stood and offered his hand. She gripped it tightly. It surprised him.
"Fine," he said. "Then we will do this right."
The others stood back. They watched without speaking.
Dante looked her in the eye. "You have been trying to force it. That never works. Power does not move when you shout at it."
He crouched beside her. "Close your eyes. Do not command it. Just breathe."
Erica obeyed.
"Listen now," he said. "Somewhere in you, there is energy. Do not try to take it. Feel it. It is part of you."
The open spot was quiet. The air looked like it stopped.
"Let it move," Dante said in a low voice. "Not like fire now. Like heat. From your chest to your arms. Do not push it. Lead it."
Her breathing got slow. Her hands got steady.
For a long time, nothing took place.
Then a soft orange light started to show around her fingers.
"She is making it," Jin said. His voice was quiet.
The light moved slow around her hands. It was like it lived but had no shape.
"That is your mana," Dante said. "Now give it form. Do not think of heat or destruction. Think of control. A candle flame. Small and steady."
Erica's lips moved. The glow spun faster.
A spark flickered. Then a small flame rose from her palm. It was bright and controlled.
"I did it," she whispered.
Dante nodded once. "You did."
Then the flame flared. Control snapped.
The light grew wild and hungry. It spilled out of her hands.
"Let it go!" Dante shouted. He grabbed her wrist.
"I cannot!" she cried.
The air roared with heat. The others stumbled back. They shielded their faces.
Erica screamed and pushed forward.
A ball of fire exploded from her palms. It crashed into the rock wall across the stream.
The blast was loud. Steam hissed from the boiling water.
When the light faded, the grove was a mess of scorched bark and glowing ash.
Erica dropped to her knees. Her palms were red. Her skin was torn.
Dante rushed to her side. "You are hurt."
She looked up and laughed. Tears mixed with soot. "I am fine," she said. "It worked."
The laugh was small but real. Relief mixed with disbelief.
Even Dante felt a knot loosen in his chest. "Yeah," he said in a quiet voice. "It worked."
Masha exhaled. She was still tense. "That could have killed all of us."
"Maybe," Dante said. "But now we know how to start."
The next few hours turned into their first real training.
Erica showed Masha how to focus. "Do not think of cold," she said. "Think of calm. Ice does not fight. It waits."
Masha concentrated. She was slow and steady. Thin frost spread across a rock and stayed there.
Her lips curved into a small smile.
Jin worked beside them. Dante watched his stance and said, "Stop thinking about your arm. Let the energy move through it. Into the sword. Make the blade part of you."
Jin nodded and swung again. The sword hummed faintly. A clean white line followed the edge. When he struck a log, it split in one smooth cut.
Edgar stood near the group. He whispered, "Appraisal."
His eyes flickered as faint shapes appeared in his sight. This time he was not looking at just one person. He was seeing several at once. The images were fuzzy, but he could catch flashes of skill names and mental fatigue.
"I can read more now," he said in a quiet voice. "Not details. Just enough to tell who is tired and who is focused. It is not clear, but it is getting easier."
Dante nodded. "Keep it short. You will strain your mind if you hold it too long."
Edgar rubbed his eyes. "Already feeling it. It is like my head is full of static."
"Then rest between scans," Dante said. "We will need you sharp."
Neil stood by a mossy boulder. His hand was pressed to its surface. His voice was calm. "I can feel the age in things. This forest is not natural. It is too old. It is alive in a way that should not exist."
Rina knelt beside Erica. Her palms glowed faint green as she healed the burns. "It stings," she said, "but it is closing."
Erica winced but smiled. "I can handle it."
Then there was Juno. He sat quietly with his hands on the ground.
His eyes went distant. They were unfocused. It was as if he was listening to something no one else could hear.
After a few seconds, he spoke. "You are all connected now," he said in a soft voice. "Not just through the fight. Through intent. The mana reacts better when you move together. It is like it remembers what you want."
His voice had changed. It was low and certain. It was like he was not guessing but knowing.
Soul Etching had activated.
Dante studied him. "You can read us?"
"Not thoughts," Juno said. "Only the energy that ties us. It shifts when someone hesitates."
"That is good," Dante said. "You will tell us when that happens."
Juno nodded once. "I already know who panics first."
Dante smirked. "Then keep that to yourself for now."
The grove glowed faintly under the twin moons.
Firelight, frost, and ripples of energy moved through the air.
They were not masters yet, but they were not lost anymore either.
The panic was gone. In its place was focus and a quiet belief that they might survive.
Dante looked around at them. Their faces were lit by power, exhaustion, and pride.
"Good," he said. "Now we can start surviving."
The forest rustled softly. The wind shifted through the leaves like a whisper.
Something in the distance stirred.
Eyes opened in the dark between the trees.
Their light had drawn attention.
And what was watching was not human.
Their first success had already invited their first mistake.