The roar of the waterfall was so loud it made Ethan's head ache. He was standing on a slippery, moss-covered rock right behind the falling curtain of water, soaked to the bone. The air back here was cold and thick with mist, making every breath feel heavy. In his hands, the real steel sword felt like a completely different beast compared to the wooden ones he had used for months. It was sleek, unforgiving, and demanded his total attention.
He went through his moves, over and over. Swing, step, block. Pivot, thrust,reset. It was exhausting work, especially with the water constantly trying to push him off balance, but it felt good. For the first time in either of his lives, he felt like he was holding something that could actually protect him. After an hour of drills, his arms were shaking. He wiped the freezing water from his eyes, slid the sword back into its leather scabbard, and set it carefully on a dry stone ledge.
He reached down and picked up a random tree branch from the muddy ground. It was about as thick as his wrist and still a bit damp.
"Alright, let's try this again", he thought, taking a deep breath. "Level 2. External reinforcement"
He closed his eyes and reached for that buzzing magic under his skin. He tried to guide the energy down his arms and "push" it into the wood. He wanted the branch to become as hard as the steel sword he had just put down. But the second the magic touched the wood,CRACK! The branch didn't just break; it exploded into dozens of tiny, jagged splinters.
"Dammit," Ethan muttered, picking a piece of wood out of his hair and wiping a small scratch on his cheek. "Too much power. It's like trying to pour a bucket of water into a thimble."
He didn't stop, though. He picked up another branch. Then another. He tried at least fifty times, his frustration growing with every shattered piece of wood. But weirdly, even as he failed, he felt this strange "click" in the back of his brain. It was like his gut was talking to him, giving him a play-by-play of every mistake.
You pushed the magic too fast that time. Your grip was too tight, so the flow stuttered.
It was a strange, sharp instinct he didn't know he had. It wasn't a voice, exactly ,more like a sudden "knowing." With every broken stick, his understanding grew. He could feel his control getting smoother, his magic becoming less like a hammer and more like a needle. He was starting to see the tiny flaws in the wood before he even touched it.
When Ethan finally headed back to the orphanage, he was completely wiped out. His muscles felt like lead, and his wet clothes were sticking to him in the most annoying way possible. As he walked into the courtyard, he saw Elara. She was red-faced and huffing, struggling to hang a bunch of massive, soaking-wet wool blankets over a high laundry line.
"Hey, Elara," Ethan called out, walking over to help her lift one end of a heavy blanket. "Want a hand? You look like you're losing a fight with the laundry."
Elara looked over and laughed, wiping a stray soap bubble off her nose with her shoulder. "No way, Ethan! Look at you! You look like a drowned rat! Did you fall in the river again, or did the waterfall finally win?"
Ethan looked down at his soaking wet tunic and gave her a tired grin. "The waterfall was being a bit of a bully today. I think it's personal."
"Well, you better go get changed in a bit," Elara said, her voice dropping and becoming more serious. She looked toward the main house. "Havi's looking for you. He told me to make sure you head up to the hill the second you got back. He's been waiting up there for a while."
Ethan blinked, the cold water on his skin suddenly feeling even colder. "The hill? Now? Is he mad? Did I miss a chore or something?"
"He didn't say," she shrugged, wiping her hands on her apron. "But he had that look on his face. You know the one—where he's staring into the distance and his eye looks like it's glowing. He didn't seem angry, just… intense. You'd better go, Ethan. You know he hates waiting more than anything."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for the heads-up, Elara." Ethan waved and started jogging toward the big grassy hill, his wet boots making a squelching sound with every step.
When Ethan reached the top of the hill, the wind was howling. Havi was standing right at the edge, his massive frame silhouetted against the bright blue sky. His big silver beard was blowing all over his chest, and he was leaning heavily on his gnarled staff.
You called for me?" Ethan asked, puffing as he reached the summit.
Havi turned around slowly. His single blue eye locked onto Ethan's green ones. "I did. I want to show you something, Ethan. Something important."
"Show me what?" Ethan asked, looking around the empty hilltop. He didn't see any new equipment or targets.
"Reinforce your body," Havi said, his voice as flat and hard as a rock. "And punch me. Right here, in the chest. Don't hold back."
Ethan stared at him, his mouth hanging open. "Wait, what? Havi, I'm not gonna punch you! You're… well, you're an old man. I've been training for a half a year now . If I hit you with full reinforcement, I could seriously hurt you. I don't want to break your ribs."
Havi let out a loud, dry snort of a laugh that sounded like a saw hitting wood. "Brat, you're way too cocky for a kid who still struggles to break a branch without blowing it up. You couldn't leave a bruise on me if I sat here and let you hit me for a week. Now stop acting like a hero and do what you're told."
Ethan felt a spark of real annoyance. Fine, you old grump, he thought.
He closed his eyes and felt that familiar buzzing magic rush into his muscles. He felt his fist turn as hard as stone and his legs grow steady. He took a deep breath, dashed forward, and swung as hard as he possibly could at Havi's chest.
Just as his fist was inches away from Havi's robe, a glowing, see-through white translucent shield snapped into the air.
GONG!
The sound was incredible, like a massive iron bell being struck in a cathedral. Ethan's hand hit the shield, and it felt like hitting a solid wall of mountain rock. The shock of the impact went all the way up his arm and made his teeth rattle in his skull. He stumbled back, clutching his hand and shaking it in pain.
"What the… was that Barrier Magic?" Ethan gasped, his eyes wide with shock.
"Yeah," Havi said, and the shield just vanished into thin air. "It's a basic shield. It's the difference between a soldier and a master. It's how you survive when you're too slow to dodge."
"That was amazing," Ethan whispered, staring at the space where the shield had been.
"You're going to learn it," Havi said.
Ethan's jaw dropped. "Learn it? Me? But Havi, I'm a commoner! Kael and the others said we only ever get the physical reinforcement. I thought the 'Deep Arts' were only for the Nobles."
Havi flicked his wrist, and suddenly, three heavy, leather-bound books appeared out of thin air. They didn't fall; they just floated in a neat row right in front of Ethan's nose.
"These books cover the basics," Havi said, his face getting more serious than Ethan had ever seen it. "Barrier magic, Telekinesis, and Illusions. I'm giving you a choice, Ethan. This isn't a suggestion. If you can learn the basics of all three, if you can actually manifest them, I will take you as my personal student."
Ethan felt like his heart had stopped beating. "Your personal student? Like… a real apprenticeship?"
"For real," Havi said. "You'll get the advanced books. I'll teach you the math, the formulas, and the secrets that the Emperor and the Nobles try to keep for themselves. I'll turn you into someone the Empire can't just ignore or use as fuel."
Ethan looked at the floating books. He felt a huge weight settle on his shoulders. "Why me, though? Why give me this chance?"
Havi looked away, toward the distant, jagged mountains. "You're nothing special yet, Ethan. I've offered this same choice to every kid who's lived in the Ash-Tree. Most of them failed. They didn't have the stomach for the work or the way the magic messes with your mind. Only Elara managed to learn the basics of the illusions. The others? They chose the easy path. They joined a guild and were happy being average."
He looked back at Ethan, his blue eye piercing through him. "It's a dangerous path, kid. If you do this, you're not an 'Average commoner' anymore. The Nobles will notice you eventually. The world will become a lot more dangerous. You sure you want that? You could just live a quiet life."
Ethan thought about his old life, the boring job, the gray days, the feeling of being a ghost. He looked at the books. This was the chance he'd been waiting for since the moment he died.
He looked Havi right in the eye and nodded firmly. "I'm sure. I won't fail you, Teacher."
Havi gave a tiny, almost hidden nod. "We'll see. Take the books. We start tomorrow at dawn. Don't be late."