The tip of the pen snapped.
A small drop of ink fell onto the paper and slowly spread between the lines.
Fares went still.
He stared at the stain for a few seconds.
Blinking.
He had pressed too hard again.
He let out a breath through his nose and set the pen aside.
It was becoming a habit.
He picked up another sheet.
Another pen.
And started writing again.
This time it came out better.
The handwriting was still clumsy, but it no longer looked like that of someone barely capable of holding the instrument.
The more he practiced, the straighter it became.
Cleaner.
Less shaky.
Aida said he was improving.
That if he kept going like this, he would soon be able to understand them naturally.
Lyra said he learned quickly.
He didn't know whether to believe them.
He only knew that every day it took him less time to understand when they spoke to him.
Every day he needed fewer gestures.
Every day he thought less before replying.
And that was strange.
Because there were still mornings when he woke up and needed a few seconds to remember where he was.
And there were others...
where he didn't need those seconds anymore.
That was what bothered him most.
He wrote another line.
Crossed it out.
Wrote it again.
Compared it to the previous one.
Corrected a letter.
And continued.
Then—
The table vibrated.
It was faint.
Barely lasted an instant.
Fares lifted his head.
Waited.
Nothing.
He looked back down.
Started writing again.
The second tremor came a few seconds later.
Stronger.
The ink inside the container trembled.
The papers shifted slightly.
Fares set the pen down.
His back tensed.
That sound again.
It wasn't an earthquake.
It wasn't like the ones he remembered.
It was different.
Heavy.
As if something enormous were walking somewhere in the forest.
He slowly raised his gaze.
No one reacted.
Aida kept organizing papers.
Lyra remained seated in a corner, watching him without saying a word.
Fares waited.
The tremor faded.
Silence.
He lowered his eyes again.
And kept writing.
Then a calm voice broke the silence.
"You're not as scared of them anymore. We're making progress."
Fares looked up.
Aida gave him a small smile before continuing to arrange the papers.
He watched her for a few seconds.
Didn't answer.
From a corner of the room, Lyra smiled faintly.
Resting her face against one hand, she asked with apparent innocence:
"Are you afraid of tremors?"
She paused.
Her smile widened just a little.
"Or of something else?"
Fares tensed and awkwardly looked away.
Lyra watched him for a few seconds before standing up.
She approached without hurry.
Pulled a chair over beside him and sat down.
Her gaze swept across the entire workspace.
The sheets.
The corrections.
The ink stains.
The broken pens.
She stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then she smiled.
"You really love breaking these. I've been buying them for quite a while now... how exactly are you planning to pay me back〜?"
As she spoke, she leaned slightly closer to him.
Not enough to invade his space.
Enough for him to feel it.
Fares lowered his gaze.
His fingers tightened around the pen.
He turned his head a little farther away.
Lyra let out a soft laugh.
"Don't worry〜."
And yet she still didn't move away.
Silence slowly filled the room.
She remained there.
Watching him.
As if waiting for something.
Fares swallowed.
Take the chance.
Ask.
He glanced toward the window for a moment.
Breathed in.
"Hey... Lyra..."
Her smile widened a little more.
"Yes?"
Fares hesitated for a few seconds.
Then spoke.
"When... can I... go... village?"
The sentence came out broken.
The moment he finished speaking, he knew it was wrong.
Not just the grammar.
The question too.
Lyra didn't answer immediately.
She observed him calmly, resting an elbow on the table as though evaluating something beyond his words.
Fares raised his eyes.
For an instant, he met hers.
She smiled.
"Fares... you say: 'When will I be able to go to the village?'"
She pronounced each word carefully. Slowly, but without exaggeration.
As though expecting him to find the mistake himself.
Fares swallowed.
"When... will I... be able... to go to the village...?" he repeated while lowering his gaze.
His eyes settled on the table.
Sheets.
Repeated phrases.
Crossed-out corrections.
Attempt after attempt.
Lyra took a blank sheet of paper.
With calm movements, she wrote the correct sentence, then underneath began separating the words one by one.
"This doesn't mean the same thing," she explained gently. "Here, you're asking for permission."
She pointed to the previous line.
"Before, you were just saying words."
She tapped each part with the tip of the pen.
"This marks time."
Another tap.
"This intention."
Another.
"And this... respect."
Fares watched in silence.
He didn't memorize the sentence.
He memorized the order.
The speed.
The exact way it was built.
Lyra set the pen down.
"Try again."
It didn't sound like an order.
It sounded as though she expected him to be able to do it.
Fares breathed slowly.
"When... will I be able... to go to the village?"
Lyra watched him for a few seconds.
Smiled.
But didn't answer.
Instead, she reached out and casually ruffled his hair.
"Very good."
She laughed softly.
"Much better."
Fares' eyes widened slightly.
His body tensed on reflex.
Then he nodded several times.
Repeated the sentence silently.
Again.
And again.
So he wouldn't forget it.
"Keep it up," Lyra added as she stood. "You'll learn quickly."
The question remained unanswered.
Fares didn't seem to notice.
At that moment, Aida rose from her seat.
It wasn't abrupt.
But it was immediate.
She gathered several sheets and tucked them under her arm before approaching with her usual calm steps.
Stopping in front of Lyra, she inclined her head slightly.
"Sorry for interrupting, Miss Lyra. You may rest now," she said in her usual serene tone. "I'll take care of the rest."
Lyra slowly lowered her hand from Fares' hair.
She stood up without hurry, as though things had ended exactly where she expected them to.
Fares didn't notice.
He kept repeating the sentence in his head.
The structure.
The order.
Not making a mistake again.
He had spoken correctly.
And for now, that was enough.
Lyra stepped into the wooden hallway.
She didn't hurry her pace.
Didn't look back.
Her smile was still there.
Neither growing.
Nor fading.
As though she were still thinking about something.
As she crossed the room, the curve of her lips deepened slightly.
Then she looked toward the sofa.
"Well now..." she murmured. "Coming to visit us this early?"
She entered without hurry and leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms.
"That's certainly new."
Thained lifted his gaze at the sound of her voice.
"You took a while to get here," he said with his usual seriousness. "You've really focused on following through."
Lyra let out a short laugh.
"Of course," she replied lightly. "You know I'm a hardworking woman〜"
She pushed herself away from the frame and took a couple of steps forward.
Closing the distance.
Watching him.
"Though I admit you surprised me. Seeing you this early is unusual."
She tilted her head slightly.
"So what got into you this time?"
Thained held her gaze for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"I think we can begin now."
Lyra's smile didn't disappear.
But it stopped moving.
Her eyes widened slightly.
A short pause.
Then she nodded.
"I see..."
She didn't ask what.
She didn't need to.
Thained looked away.
The decision had already been made.
There were things that could only be said between them.
And others that didn't need to be said at all.
Aida set the pen aside and spoke in her usual soft, almost instructive tone.
"And that's how passive sentences are used. I hope you'll start using them more often."
Fares nodded without looking up and continued writing.
His hand moved more steadily than before.
Fewer pauses.
Fewer cross-outs.
Even so, every now and then the pen's tip lingered over the paper for a few seconds too long.
Aida observed the page.
"You really need calligraphy practice," she commented without reproach.
The boy looked up.
"Calligraphy...?"
She nodded.
"It's for writing more beautifully."
She said it with the same naturalness she would use to talk about the weather.
Fares looked back at the paper.
Wrote a word.
Erased it.
Wrote it again.
Hesitated.
The pen went still.
"Aida..."
He didn't raise his eyes.
"Why can't I go to the village?"
The silence didn't come immediately.
It was measured.
Aida didn't answer right away.
She slowly stood.
Walked around the table and stopped beside him.
From there she looked out the window, toward the forest descending into the valley.
"Not yet."
A brief pause followed.
"The master still hasn't decided."
She added nothing else.
Fares frowned slightly.
"But I already..."
He stopped.
Searched for the words.
"I can walk. I can talk a little. I wouldn't do anything bad."
Aida turned her gaze toward him.
Her expression remained calm.
"It's not about that."
Fares lowered his voice slightly.
"Then... what is it about?"
Aida tilted her head faintly.
Thought for a few seconds.
"I don't think you'd want to see him angry."
It didn't sound like a warning.
Nor advice.
It sounded like someone saying it would rain tomorrow.
Fares felt a small chill.
Not because of the words.
But because of how easily she said them.
He stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then nodded.
"I understand..."
He wasn't sure he understood.
Aida smiled faintly.
Pointed back at the sheet.
"Let's continue. You were doing well."
Fares picked up the pen again.
And obeyed.
The door opened without warning.
Aida was the first to react.
She stood and inclined her head slightly.
"Welcome back, Lord Thained. It's a pleasure to see you again."
Thained entered without responding.
His eyes passed over Aida for only an instant.
Then continued forward.
Until they stopped on Fares.
"Go outside."
The voice wasn't loud.
Nor harsh.
But it left no room for anything else.
Fares stood before thinking.
The chair shifted slightly.
He started walking toward the door with stiff steps.
He didn't look up.
Even so, he could feel the man's presence behind him.
As though looking at him further was unnecessary.
He reached the doorway.
Then the voice stopped him again.
"Boy."
Fares froze.
"Go to the place where we fought for the first time."
The air seemed to grow slightly colder.
Fares swallowed.
Nodded once.
And left.
Fares said nothing.
He nodded once and quickened his pace, disappearing down the wooden hallway.
The door closed.
Silence hung between the two of them.
Thained looked back at Aida.
"You've done good work," he finally said.
Aida inclined her head slightly, never losing her smile.
"Your word is law."
It sounded like conviction.
"Present yourself tonight. I want to know everything," he ordered, holding her gaze.
Aida gave a small bow.
Nothing more needed to be said.
Thained calmly turned around and headed toward the exit.
Then—
"Herran."
Thained stopped.
Aida was still smiling.
Only this time she took a second longer before continuing.
"If it's not too much trouble... I would like to ask for moderation."
A brief pause.
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"He's still learning."
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
Thained did not turn around.
"Are you worried?"
Aida's eyes widened slightly.
Then she smiled again exactly as before.
"I only wish to deliver something useful to you."
Thained gave no response.
He simply left and headed toward the place where he had sent Fares.
Outside, the boy stood still, staring at the landscape.
The wind barely stirred the grass.
His hands were still.
But his body wasn't.
It trembled faintly.
Fares lowered his gaze.
Frowned.
Touched his cheek.
Moisture.
He blinked.
Another drop fell.
He quickly wiped it away with his sleeve.
He stood still.
Wiped again.
More.
His frown deepened.
He took a deep breath.
Nothing changed.
He swallowed.
He didn't understand.
He didn't even feel like crying.
He swallowed again.
Lowered his eyes toward the ground.
He recognized the place immediately.
The disturbed earth.
The faint marks in the grass.
The place where he had been defeated effortlessly.
His chest tightened slightly.
He raised a hand and wiped his face again.
Breathed once.
Twice.
Nothing.
The chill remained.
Then he lifted his gaze toward the residence gates.
And stopped.
Something was watching him.
His body reacted before he did.
He straightened immediately and turned around.
The man was there.
Standing in front of the house.
Watching him.
He said nothing.
He advanced slowly.
With attentive eyes.
Evaluating eyes.
Fares felt the weight of that presence before understanding it.
And then he realized something he hadn't wanted to admit.
He wasn't afraid of the fight.
He was afraid of him.
"You felt it..." Thained murmured after a brief pause.
His eyes remained on him for a few more seconds.
"Perfect."
Fares didn't fully understand the sentence.
But the sound of his voice was enough to make every other thought disappear.
Thained stepped closer.
"From now on, I'll begin your training."
It didn't sound like a proposal.
It sounded as though it had been decided long ago.
Fares lowered his gaze slightly and nodded.
He had nothing to say.
"We won't train only the body."
A brief pause.
"Our priority will be the Zau."
"Sit."
Fares obeyed without questioning.
The grass crunched beneath his weight.
The atmosphere changed.
It wasn't the wind.
It wasn't the weather.
It was something harder to name.
As though the space had stopped being empty.
As though something invisible had just opened its eyes.
Thained raised one hand.
The gesture was small.
Precise.
And the air responded.
Something began gathering around his fingers.
A thick vapor.
Dense.
It didn't rise.
It crawled.
Like fire that had forgotten how to shine.
Fares felt the heat before understanding what he was seeing.
The skin on his arms reacted first.
Then his breathing.
The vapor slowly traveled across Thained's hand.
Then his arm.
Then his torso.
It wrapped around him completely.
Effortlessly.
Without violence.
As though it had always been there.
Fares stopped breathing for an instant.
His mind took far too long to catch up with what his eyes were seeing.
That...
couldn't exist.
Thained spoke.
"This is Zau."
The boy swallowed.
Tried to find some trick.
Some explanation.
Found none.
"...This exists?"
His own voice sounded stupid to him.
Thained didn't answer immediately.
He merely watched the vapor moving around his body.
Calm.
Controlled.
Tamed.
"Starting today, you'll begin learning it."
Fares looked at the vapor again.
Then at the man.
And an uncomfortable thought silently surfaced.
If that thing was normal...
then the man who had struck him that day...
had been holding back.