Ten minutes had passed.
The mountain remained quiet, the wind brushing gently across the open space as two figures sat on the ground, unmoving.
Solarynth and Asura.
Both with their eyes closed.
Both trying, and both… struggling.
Solarynth's breathing was slow, controlled, but his mind wasn't.
He kept trying to feel it that strange sensation Seraphine spoke of.
That "something" inside him.
But all he found was silence.
No speed.
No light.
No movement.
Just… nothing
Beside him, Asura's condition was worse.
His body was tense, fists clenched slightly as he forced himself to stay still.
It didn't suit him.
At all.
His entire life, he had relied on instinct, reaction, force.
Now, he was being told to do the exact opposite.
Seraphine stood in front of them, arms crossed, her gaze calm but observant.
She watched every subtle movement the tension in their shoulders, the inconsistency in their breathing, the small signs of impatience.
Neither of them noticed it.
But to her… it was obvious.
Then.
A sudden voice shattered the silence.
"Big Sis!"
Footsteps followed light, quick, full of energy.
A small figure came running from the direction of the house, arms slightly out as if he had been searching.
"Big Sis! You're back! Why didn't you tell me?"
Seraphine closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting out a quiet sigh.
"…Why are you awake right now…"
The boy stopped in front of her, smiling brightly, completely ignoring her tone.
He looked up at her, full of excitement, completely out of place in the calm and serious atmosphere.
Solarynth's eyes opened slightly.
Asura followed.
Both of them turned their heads.
The boy noticed them instantly.
His expression shifted into curiosity as he pointed directly at them.
"Who are they?"
Seraphine glanced down at him.
"They're my students."
Her tone was flat then she added, with a slight edge:
"And you are interrupting."
The boy tilted his head slightly, clearly not bothered.
"Students?" he repeated, eyes lighting up. "Are they strong?"
Seraphine exhaled softly, clearly not interested in entertaining the conversation.
"Go play somewhere else."
There was a short pause.
Then
"Really?"
"Yes really."
That was all the permission he needed.
The boy's face lit up even more.
"Okay!"
And just like that, he ran off again full of energy, heading toward a more open area of the mountain.
Seraphine watched him go for a moment.
Then shook her head slightly.
"…That child…"
She turned back to Solarynth and Asura.
"Focus."
Her voice was firm now.
"Do not let something that small break your concentration."
"Yes, ma'am," Solarynth replied quietly, closing his eyes again.
Asura didn't say anything but he followed.
They returned to their stillness trying again, but the quiet didn't last.
From a short distance away—
"Pew!" A sharp sound echoed through the air.
Then again—
"Pew! Pew!"
Solarynth's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Asura's eye opened halfway.
Another sound followed.
A small burst of water shot forward, striking a rock with a soft impact.
"Pew!"
Henry, he stood a few meters away, completely immersed in his own little world, pointing his finger like it was a weapon as small bursts of water shot forward in clean, controlled streams.
Each shot was precise.
Each one consistent.
Each one… is Controlled.
"Pew! Pew!"
He laughed to himself as he continued.
Solarynth slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze locked onto Henry.
Watching.
The water didn't explode.
Didn't scatter.
Didn't lose direction.
It moved exactly how Henry wanted it to.
"…He's controlling it…like its nothing." Solarynth muttered under his breath.
Asura looked over as well.
His expression hardened slightly.
Seraphine noticed, of course she did.
She didn't say anything immediately.
She let them watch.
Let them realize it themselves.
Henry fired another small stream of water.
"Pew!"
It hit the same rock.
Same spot.
Same force.
Consistent.
Solarynth's gaze sharpened.
"…He's not forcing it…"
Asura clenched his jaw.
Henry stopped for a moment, placing his hands on his hips proudly as he looked at his "target locked."
Then he raised his hand again
Another clean shot.
"Pew!"
No strain.
Just… natural.
Seraphine finally spoke.
"Stage Two."
The two turned their attention back to her
"That," she continued, glancing toward Henry, "is control."
Solarynth looked back again.
"…He makes it look easy."
Seraphine's expression didn't change.
"It is easy."
That answer didn't sit well with either of them.
"For him," she added.
A pause "Because he understands it."
The wind passed through the mountain again.
Seraphine stepped forward slightly.
"Magic is not something you command through force."
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Asura.
"It is something you guide."
Then to Solarynth.
"And something you must first recognize… before you can ever hope to control."
She turned away from them again.
"Close your eyes."
They obeyed.
"Stop thinking about what your magic does."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Stop thinking about speed… or transformation…"
Silence.
"Just feel."
Solarynth slowed his breathing.
Again, this time
He didn't look for speed, didn't expect movement.
He just sat there listening.
And for a brief moment, something flickered.
Not movement, but something… faint.
Like a pulse.
His eyes twitched slightly.
"…I felt something…"
Seraphine didn't turn.
But a small, almost invisible smile appeared.
"Good."
Beside him
Asura remained still, but for the first time…
He wasn't forcing it, and somewhere nearby
"Pew!" Henry kept playing.
Unaware…
That he had just become the example they both needed.
Narrator:
"The two began to sense their internal magic, slowly learning to trigger it at will no longer relying on bursts of emotion to awaken it.
Solarynth felt it first.
A gentle flow moving through his body, like light traveling within him.
It wasn't wild or uncontrollable anymore it was calm, steady… present.
For Asura
This was his first time truly experiencing it.
Back in his clan, he had always forced his power, bending it through sheer will. But now… for the first time…
He wasn't forcing anything.
He was guiding it.
A soft glow formed around them.
Solarynth's aura shimmered like solar light, warm and radiant, flowing naturally around his body.
Asura's, in contrast, emerged as a dense dark-gray energy quiet, controlled, and steady like a restrained storm.
They were beginning to understand.
Then—
"Pew!"
A sudden splash of cold water hit them both.
Everything vanished instantly.
Their auras flickered out as the icy water drenched them, sending a sharp chill through their bodies.
"—!?"
Solarynth gasped from the cold.
Asura froze completely, his body tensing as the shock ran through him.
A few steps away, henry stood there, wide-eyed.
"…Oh no…"
Seraphine's voice cut through the air.
"Henry—what the hell was that?"
Her tone was sharp, clearly irritated as she saw the moment they had been building completely ruined.
Henry shrank slightly.
"I—I didn't mean to… I aimed the wrong way…"
Solarynth wiped his face, letting out a small breath as he tried to recover.
"It's okay, ma'am," he said calmly. "It was an accident…"
He gave a small nod.
"At least now… we know what to do."
Asura didn't say much.
He just sat there, slightly hunched, water dripping from his hair.
"…Yeah…" he muttered, his voice shaking from the cold.
Seraphine exhaled, clearly holding back further irritation.
"…Five-minute break."
A few minutes later
The two sat near the house, drying off.
Solarynth held a warm cup of tea, letting the heat settle into his hands, while Asura sat beside him, arms crossed, still damp and refusing anything to drink.
Solarynth took a small sip.
The warmth helped.
Seraphine had stepped inside, retrieving something from her storage room, leaving the two alone for the moment.
"…Hey, mister."
Solarynth looked down.
Henry stood beside him, his expression bright again, as if nothing had happened.
"Did you know my big sis is really strong?" he said proudly, puffing his chest slightly.
Solarynth smiled faintly.
"Is she now?"
Henry nodded quickly.
"Yeah! She's super strong! Like really strong!"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice like he was sharing something important.
"She even has a title!"
Solarynth raised a brow, playing along.
"Oh? You want to tell me?"
Henry grinned widely.
"Yeah!"
Asura remained quiet, staring up at the sky, lost in his own thoughts, barely paying attention.
Henry leaned in closer to Solarynth.
"They call her…"
He paused for dramatic effect.
Then said it proudly
"Mistress of the Fifth Stage."
Solarynth blinked for a moment.
Then let out a small impressed sound.
"…Wow."
He smiled and gave a light clap.
"That's actually really cool."
Henry beamed, clearly proud.
"I know, right?!"
From the doorwaySeraphine had returned she stood there quietly, having heard everything.
She didn't react not outwardly.
But for a brief moment, her gaze softened then it returned to normal.
"Break's over."
Just like that the training continued.
"Get ready."