The tunnel air tasted like dust and old metal, yet Midarion felt lighter than he had in weeks. Keel chirped excitedly from the cage strapped to his back, wings fluttering so fast they tickled his neck. Reikika walked beside him, trying to hide her grin and failing every two steps. Elhyra, serene as always, glided behind them like a silver shadow.
"You two are glowing," she teased.
"We're not glowing," Reikika replied. "We're just… remembering something awesome."
Midarion puffed his chest. "Yeah. The statue of the Skyfather Thormael! Tell me that thing wasn't the coolest thing in the entire world."
"It was," Reikika admitted. "And Keel will definitely be stronger than the Skyfather Thormael one day."
Midarion raised a fist. "Tell them! Tell everyone!"
Elhyra laughed, soft and warm, but the children didn't notice the amusement behind it. They were deadly serious. Keel chirped, as if agreeing.
The tunnel finally opened onto the back corridor of the Black Post. The moment they stepped in, the familiar smell of stone, smoke and boiling roots hit them.
Selina looked up from her table as they burst in like a storm.
"You're early," she said, adjusting her glasses.
"We saw a gigantic dragon statue! " Midarion declared.
Reikika nodded hard. "A real and majestic one! Made of some glowing metal. Thormael! And Keel's going to be stronger than him!"
Selina blinked once. Twice. Then her lips curved, not quite a smile, more like a sigh from someone realizing today would be louder than hoped.
"Thormael, the Skyfather of the First Age?" she asked. "You saw that statue?"
Midarion leaned forward eagerly. "So it's real history! And Keel will—"
"He will not," Selina muttered. "But it's adorable that you think so."
Keel chirped in protest.
Midarion gasped. "Take it back!"
"No."
Reikika covered Keel protectively. "Don't listen to her. You'll be a legend."
Selina looked slowly toward Elhyra.
Elhyra raised both hands. "Do not look at me. They are fully convinced."
Midarion crossed his arms. "It's not conviction. It's destiny."
Selina let out a sigh—not annoyed, not quite amused either. "Right. Destiny. Well, wash your hands. You smell like a horse after battle."
Midarion couldn't tell if Selina was impressed or horrified.
— — —
Theomar waited for Midarion in his chamber, arms folded, wearing the expression he reserved for important announcements or catastrophic mistakes made by Midarion. The kid lined up instinctively.
"Kid," Theomar said, voice steady. "We need to talk."
Midarion swallowed. "If this is about me feeding Keel three portions last night—"
"It's not."
Theomar stood. "Your month of preparation is over. Now the real training begins."
Midarion blinked. "Wait… what? I thought it already began."
"That was warming up your bones. Now we really start shaping you."
"For what?"
"For surviving what comes next."
Selina walked out behind them, arms crossed, clearly expecting chaos.
Theomar placed a firm hand on Midarion's shoulder. "You're leaving the Black Post for six months."
Midarion froze.
Reikika was shocked. "WHAT?!""Is that… normal?"
"Six months?" Midarion repeated. "Outside? Like… outside outside?"
Theomar nodded. "Survival training. Harsh climates. A place that'll sharpen your senses." He tapped Midarion's chest. "You already survive well. Now I want you to live like something born of the wild."
Midarion's mind spun. "Will Filandra…?"
"No." Theomar's voice cut cleanly. "You will not use her."
Midarion nodded. He didn't like it, but he accepted it. He always accepted Theomar's decisions, even when they felt like walls.
Reikika stepped forward, voice small. "He can't stay here at all?"
"Not for this part," Theomar said. "He'll come back stronger."
Midarion tried to smile, but it felt crooked.
Reikika's eyes dimmed, a sadness she did not fully understand pulling at her. "Six months is a lot."
Midarion shrugged. "It's fine. You'll train with Ren. Good luck with that."
Reikika grimaced. "Oh no…"
Ren's voice echoed from the hallway. "Reikika. You're late."
Her face died inside.
Midarion almost laughed. "Told you."
Ren looked at him. "Say your goodbyes. Theomar doesn't wait."
Theomar didn't deny it.
— — —
Selina hugged Midarion first, though she pretended it was only to adjust his travel cloak.
"Try not to die," she murmured. "I refuse to clean up the paperwork."
"Thanks for the love," Midarion said.
Reikika approached slowly, fists clenched. "You better come back stronger. Don't let me surpass you too much."
Midarion smirked. "I'll still beat you."
"You won't."
"We'll see."
She punched his arm softly. "Don't forget to write."
"I can't write."
"I know. I'll read the scribbles anyway."
They grinned at each other, a grin only kids who survived hell together could share.
Keel climbed up Midarion's sleeve and rubbed its tiny head against his chin. Midarion stroked it gently.
"You say goodbye to Reikika, alright? And also her shoes."
Keel chirped guiltily.
Reikika gasped. "Is that why my shoes—"
"No proof!" Midarion said quickly.
Elhyra knelt beside him. Her hand, gentle as a moonlit breeze, rested on his cheek. "You'll be safe with Theomar. And when you return… I want to see how much you've grown. Don't disappoint me, little star."
His throat tightened. "I won't."
Theomar whistled. "Time's up."
— — —
The journey out took hours of walking through winding metal tunnels, collapsed stairways and ruins swallowed by roots. Theomar moved with the ease of someone who had lived a thousand years outdoors. Midarion tried to match his stride, sometimes succeeded, sometimes stumbled on rocks that Theomar somehow never stepped on.
"Were you born in a forest?" Midarion asked.
"Close," Theomar said. "I was born in a place where nature is the only law."
"Is that why you like survival training so much?"
Theomar grinned. "Kid, I don't like it. I am it."
Midarion wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded cool.
"What about the ancient empire stuff?" he asked. "Selina mentioned something. Elhyra said nothing. Reikika pretends she knows."
"Arechi wasn't always a dump," Theomar said. "Long ago, this land belonged to the oldest empire mankind ever built. Rich beyond measure. Stronger than any kingdom today."
Midarion blinked. "Then… what happened?"
"Time. War. Pride." Theomar shrugged. "Everything falls eventually."
Midarion glanced at the endless horizon of ruins stretching around them. "How big is Arechi really?"
"You've seen less than twenty percent," Theomar answered.
Midarion nearly tripped. "WHAT?!"
Theomar laughed. "Wait until you see where we're training."
— — —
Hours later, they reached a cliff overlooking a valley so vast it seemed impossible. Lush green as far as the eye could see. Trees towering like mountains. Vines thick as rivers. Birds big enough to fight a horse.
Midarion's jaw dropped. "Is that… normal?"
"No," Theomar said proudly. "Welcome to the Jungle of Giants."
Something roared in the distance — deep, ancient, shaking the air.
Midarion's eyes widened. "Was that a bird?"
Theomar grinned. "That was breakfast."
Midarion gulped.
He was not ready.
But he was going to try.
And maybe — just maybe — he was going to love this.