Nyra sat cross‑legged, fire flickering faintly at her fists, her breath steady like meditation. Damon slowed as he approached, watching the glow pulse in rhythm with her concentration.
She rose suddenly, eyes bright. "I can fly."
Damon tilted his head, amusement slowly forming on his face. "Show me."
Her fists ignited, flames licking up her arms. Her legs followed, fire wrapping tight until her whole body shimmered in heat. She lifted, black shirt loose against her frame, trousers tight against her, rising into the air on streams of flame.
Damon's lips curved into a grin, his sister's determination written across her face. But then the fire faltered. She dropped, disappointment etched in her eyes, not fear.
She knew he'd catch her. He did, arms steady, lowering her gently.
Damon felt a strange tug in his chest; it was a mix of realisation and acceptance of purpose.
'I feel like I'm not just training for myself anymore. I want to be someone Nyra can rely on. Even though we're supposed to be twins... I am her big brother, so I guess it comes with responsibilities. I like this responsibility,' He thought.
Her frustration burned hotter than the flames. "I've been practicing this since we came in. I don't even know if my bond will be able to fly if I get one."
Damon's smile widened. "That was just a couple of hours ago. You get frustrated too easily. Do you intend to give up so easily, too?"
She frowned, "The demon we fought, I should've been able to kill it even without fire. But I wasn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak or that demon was too strong. It didn't fight like a low-level, and it felt stronger than one, too. But still..."
"Well, I don't know much about demons, but I do know this: If you stop training after a couple of hours, that's fine. But don't you think you'll look back and wonder why you didn't try harder?" Damon added.
A voice cut in behind them. "Wow. I wish I had a big brother."
They turned. His hair was golden‑brown, tied loosely, eyes glowing amber. Dressed like the Natural Ones but in his own style, a faint sigil stitched into the fabric.
Nyra crossed her arms, smirking. "I'm not sharing." She gestured. "Damon, meet Solaren. He'll be one of your Light tutors."
Damon hesitated, then extended his hand, and Solaren shook it. 'Solaren's grip is firm, normal compared to Draven's crushing strength,' he thought.
"I thought there were three," Damon said.
Solaren pointed toward a woman. Long dark hair braided over one shoulder with green eyes. Elegant robes shimmered with faint threads. She waved, Damon returned it, and she turned back to teaching a soldier how to shape a sphere of light.
"That's Serenya," Solaren said. "She's at the Aegis stage."
Damon's gaze shifted again as Solaren turned his head with a finger pressed to his cheek. An older man stood nearby, white hair cropped short, steel in his eyes, simple robes hanging with authority. He noticed their attention and gave Damon a respectful nod.
"That's Caerion," Solaren added. "Also Aegis."
Damon asked, "And you?"
Solaren brushed his hair back, trying for elegance. "Crest stage, of course."
Nyra leaned close, whispering into Damon's ear, standing on her toes. "He's not. He's Aegis. Some would even argue weaker."
Solaren snapped, half comedic, half angry. "I heard that!"
Nyra giggled. "I've got to meet mine, then see Zariel for my project." She slipped away.
Solaren turned back to Damon. "Well. Let's get down to business." He asked, "What has Earth taught you about light?"
Damon thought, then answered. "Well, we know light is extremely fast. We also use light-years to measure the distance it travels in a year."
Solaren chuckled. "The Queen did say you were what Earth calls a nerd. I don't know what light-years are, but you're right about the speed."
A glint of metal flashed toward Damon's face. He noticed too late. Solaren's hand snapped up, catching it. A soldier stammered an apology.
Solaren smiled. "Perfect."
Damon blinked. "Huh?"
"I see... you're very slow for a light user. Light itself is fast."
Damon swallowed. Almost every time he learned something new about where he was, what he was, or anything in relation to his new responsibilities, the gap between who he was and who he needed to be felt wider.
"For an Eterna user with an affinity to light, to even begin to master, you must be able to move at its speed or faster. Potentially. Bravira, for example, is a master who can move even faster." Solaren continued
Damon's eyes narrowed. "So she's a Sovereign?"
Solaren shook his head. "No. The lioness is lethal, but she's only at the Aeon stage. Sovereigns are rare. Currently, only the Queen is at that stage on Woewyn."
Damon swallowed, thoughts racing, 'I guess I was right about Mom being the strongest at the banquet. Then again, Laros did say the power gaps in the stages between Aegis and Sovereign are massive. So that's why Bravira and the others obey her every word. My mother's been putting up with my nonsense this entire time. Shit... I was too disturbed at the thought of going to school to ask Laros, I should ask Solaren, but err... Anyway,'
"Solaren, do the power gaps between stages only get higher as they go up?" he asked.
Solaren's voice seemed to cut through every other noise, "Yes! But trust me. The Queen can be harsher than Bravira when she wants to."
Damon exhaled slowly in relief, 'He's a competent teacher. Cool.'
Solaren continued, "Getting better at using light in general is quite simple, really. The faster you are, the better you can manipulate it; the rest happens naturally. See? Simple. So all you have to do is train speed."
He paused, then took in a deep breath.
"Okayyyy!! Let's see what our Prince can do with light." Solaren added.
Damon lit his fist.
"How did you learn that?" Solaren asked.
"Gradually. Fighting a demon."
Solaren nodded. Now he began pacing back and forth, "Wow. Okay, allow me to lecture you, Your Highness. Humans on Earth, where you've been living this whole time, only have trace amounts of Eterna. When I was in school, many many years ago, I was told... Wait, do you know the actual definition of trace amounts?"
Damon sighed and facepalmed with both hands. He thought, 'This reminds me so much of chemistry class.' Then he said, "Yes. When something is present but like, the lowest possible level."
Solaren smiled, "Yes. Good to know you've been learning well on Earth. So, if a human on Earth had enough Eterna that they could actually harness, we would have to teach them to essentially channel it to manipulate their element. This is because their bodies would have forgotten how to."
He pointed his index finger at Damon's face, "You, on the other hand, were not born from just any human on Earth. You were born to Queen Thessa, a Woewynian and a Sovereign at that. So, that explains why you can channel your eterna to manipulate an attribute. Do you understand?"
Damon was slightly dumbfounded and whispered under his breath, "Was there any actual reason for me to know that? I guess it's better than learning in school."
Then he said out loud, "Wait, if I'm a Woewynian, how am I still human?"
"Huh? What kind of question is that? I thought you were learning well on Earth?"
"Well—" Was all Damon could mutter before—
"Different people are from different places on Earth, yes? Tell me two?"
Damon racked his head, not in confusion but in failing to see the point in it, "There are Japanese and Americans."
"So are Americans not humans? They might be different in a way, but they are still human, right?" Solaren said, dragging his last word.
'Okay,' Damon thought, 'I'm still human. Just a different ethnicity, and we can use our superpowers.' The thought felt like a good piece of knowledge, compared to the fast changes in his life.
"Anyway," Solaren said dismissively, "now I'll teach you how to source that you made on your fist using any part of your body. You're at the stage where you can only bend light. You start creating your attribute when you reach the Aegis stage."
'This guy... He doesn't seem to be concerned that I fought a demon. I wonder what he's fought. Or is he just pretending to be cool again?' Damon thought deeply.
Damon dimmed the glow, uncertain. Solaren gestured toward the wall, technological symbols flaring into a projection. Three paused videos of Damon's fights appeared.
"You guys were really watching me? Even when I went back to Earth?"
"Yup. We needed to plan a training routine for you."
His first fight played. Damon's awakening. The ring shattering. The bike scene, the front tyre raised against bullets.
"See the problem?" Solaren asked.
Damon nodded. "I got lucky none hit me."
The explosion sent Damon flying back. Solaren paused. "From this, we know your defence needs work."
"So how do I get better at defence?" Damon asked.
"Radiant Veil."
Damon frowned. "What?"
Solaren lit his palm. "Punch me. Once without Eterna and once with it."
Damon struck without Eterna. The first punch landed as heavy as he could, and Solaren remained unmoved. The second, with Eterna, pushed his hand back.
"Defence, for light users," Solaren said, "means light absorbing force and spreading it across your body."
Damon's eyes narrowed. "What if I cover my whole body?"
"Then it drains into the ground, depending on the attack's force."
Solaren's body flared, blinding white. Damon shielded his eyes, too late. A punch came from above — Damon blocked. The second never touched him, but the air cracked, pressure slamming him back.
Damon staggered, grin breaking through. "You blinded me so I wouldn't see the real attack. Kinda like I did with Ragnar."
Solaren's brows lifted. "You fought Ragnar? Who won?"
"I did. Only because I used my brains."
Satisfaction flickered across Solaren's face. He walked towards Damon. "Focus," he said, walking closer. "Channel your eterna into your light attribute. Let it flow around you, inside you, on you."
Damon closed his eyes. His fists lit. The glow dimmed, spread to his elbows, then dropped back to his hands.
"Hold it," Solaren said.
Damon steadied, relaxed. The light spread across his body, dim at first, then brighter. Soldiers turned, watching. The glow intensified, Solaren shielding his eyes. Damon stood calm, concentration perfect, light stable.
For a moment, Damon felt it — the potential everyone kept talking about. It scared him as much as it thrilled him. It was a good kind of scare that made him chuckle lightly.
Solaren lowered his arm, smiling. "Well. My student's a prodigy. Reduce it. No, turn it off completely," he said.
Damon opened his eyes, still holding the light. "Ermm… how?"
"The same way you do with your hands."
Damon tried. His fists dimmed, but the rest blazed on. Soldiers muttered. Solaren stepped forward and tapped two points on Damon's neck. The light vanished instantly.
Damon touched his neck. "How did you—"
Solaren cut him off. "I cut off your Eterna flow for a couple of seconds. I'm not the combat tutor, but I'll teach you later."
He placed a hand on Damon's shoulder, another on his own waist, eyes closed, smile faint.
"Well done, kid. You failed."
Damon didn't know what to expect — but it definitely wasn't failure. The thrill of progress dimmed inside him, like the last flicker of fire from a candle running out of wax.