The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed through the training ground like the prelude to an imperial march. The morning, although warm, seemed cold in the face of the austere presence of Dalia Vernhardt. Her dark hair was tied in a low braid, and her gray cloak fluttered like a raven's wings over her shoulders. Straight posture, hands crossed behind his back, an image of authority.
Elyandra Valemortis was walking two steps behind.
With her long hair tied back in a dark ribbon, she refused the bows, jewels, and frivolous garments of nobility. She dressed in simple training clothes, just like her tutor, although the finesse of the linen and the impeccable sewing betrayed her origin. To ordinary eyes, he could pass for a disciplined child in search of virtue. To the attentive eye... it was a contained flame.
"Today we will begin at the beginning." Said Dahlia bluntly. "What do you mean by magic, Miss Valemortis?"
Elyandra tilted her head slightly. Her voice was sweet and light, but it carried the cadence of a high-caste lady.
"Magic... It is the art of bending mana at will, without using blades or steel. A power that, if well shaped, can govern more than armies.
She smiled sweetly. "Or, at least, that's what I read in 'Treatises on Arcane Manipulation', volume two."
Dalia arched an eyebrow.
"Hmpf. It's not incorrect... but it is dangerously incomplete.
With a gesture, the tutor summoned a sphere of pale light in the palm of her hand. It was clean, translucent, perfectly stable.
"First, you see, in the Empire, we call magic users Magic Knights. They are warriors in body and spirit, trained to conjure as much as to fight. However, that designation is ours. In other countries, they use other names, Mystics, Channelers, Runic Guards, mages or celestial warriors, it depends a lot on which nation we are talking about. And the purposes also vary. Here, magic is a weapon. Outside, it can be faith, art... or heresy.
Elyandra watched carefully. His amber-colored eyes captured more than light, absorbed intention, posture, structure.
"Magic Knights." She repeated, thoughtfully. "A beautiful name... to an ugly burden.
Dalia smiled out of the corner of her mouth. "Fair enough."
She raised her other hand. Now a sphere of flames emerged, swirling around the first. With a snap of her fingers, both dissipated into thin air.
"All humans can manipulate all elements. Everyone. There are no natural restrictions, except for two absolute exceptions, divine magic and demonic magic.
Elyandra pouted subtly, like a misunderstood child.
"Divine magic belongs to the Saints, those blessed by the celestial forces. It is an inherited gift, not learned. Demonic magic, on the other hand, is... different. It is not taught in books. It is transmitted by corrupted entities, arising from places that the Empire does not dare to name. Its origin is a mystery and its practice is forbidden.
Elyandra crossed her arms.
"So it's a field... fertile for the ambitious.
The owner just narrowed her eyes.
"All other elements, fire, water, air, earth, light, darkness, shadows, metal, wind, and arcane variations, etc., are free." However, there is a watershed: affinity."
She drew a circle on the floor with the heel of her boot.
"Two people can cast the same spell. One can have three times more mana... but if the other has an affinity for the element, its casting will be more powerful, faster, more accurate. Raw power without tuning is like screaming underwater.
Elyandra smiled. "Then I must discover my magic melody... and tune it like an orchestra."
She took a deep breath, feeling the warm air fill her lungs. The gears of his mind, those that belonged to a veteran MMORPG player, were already spinning at full throttle.
Universal skills, variable by performance. Character typing with hidden buffs. Understood.
"Affinity. That's it. I have that."
"Tutor Dalia." She began, adjusting the loose strands of the bow that held her hair. "If you allow me to ask... How exactly should someone like me work on their affinities?
The question was asked with subtlety, almost like someone throwing a bait.
Dalia didn't even blink. The answer came firmly, as if he had seen more battlefields than tea parties.
"You have an affinity for divine magic, which was expected. This is trainable. There are methods, foundations, theory. And you will have access to all of this.
A pause. A slight narrowing of the eyes.
"But your spiritual affinity... This will be complicated.
Elyandra blinked. Once. Slowly.
"Complicated... how?"
Dalia turned, walking toward the center of the training field. His boots drew invisible lines on the clay.
"Spiritual magic is rare. And when it arises, it is usually accompanied by instability, emotional or existential. It's the kind of power that theologians label as profane... even when it is not.
"Unholy?"
"Yes. She stopped. "Many believe that it is a magic that touches the edges of the beyond, the world of the dead, the astral planes, the souls. You can save. Or you can consume it. And the Empire, as you may already know, doesn't like things it can't control.
Those words stuck in little Valemortis's throat like thorns in a golden chalice.
Even with all the noble pose, the amber eyes revealed a microexpression that was difficult to hide: restlessness.
"I see..." he murmured. His voice was still soft, but without the same brightness as before.
"It changes the pieces on the board. If the Empire sees spiritual as unstable... So they see me as unstable. This is a threat disguised as an opportunity. I need to learn to master that affinity before they decide to seal it or 'redirect' it."
"And maybe it needs teachers... fewer officers. But to what extent do others already know this besides her?"
Dalia noticed the sudden silence, but did not comment. He just raised his hand.
"Time to leave philosophy and enter practice. Let's start with basic mana flow manipulation. Show me if you know how to concentrate your mana without spreading it like a child with sugar on his hands.
Elyandra advanced to the center of the field. He stretched his hands forward. He closed his eyes.
His small body maintained its impeccable posture, and even without emitting a single spark of magic, there was a palpable tension in the air. As if something about to emerge was just... Waiting.
"Visualize. Concentrate. Flow. Adjust. Let go."
The tips of his fingers shone with a faint aura, golden like a ray of sunshine among clouds. It was weak, irregular... but undeniably sacred.
And then, a wobble. As if something else was present.
The aura twitched for an instant. The color changed. From gold to pale white. And then... a slight instability, perceptible to anyone other than her.
She stepped back, interrupting her concentration.
The small magic spark oscillated and became even more unstable, at that moment, Dalia reached out her hand and held the spark, a few seconds later a small magical explosion was noticed inside Dalia's hand, her black glove smoked, she opened her hand and her glove had been burned, however her hand was unharmed except for ashes, His neutral gaze remained.
"Do you understand now?" She asked, without hiding her judgmental look.
Dalia crossed her arms.
"Yes.
The tutor approached and, to the girl's surprise, bent down until she was facing her, eye to eye.
"You have potential. But power without control is what forms monsters. Don't be one of them.
Elyandra smiled smallly, with the corners of her lips. Almost sweet.
"Don't worry, tutor... I'll do my best.
"I'm going to master these affinities no matter what the difficulty is, it's not every day that you open a chest with 2 legendary items."
Dalia stood up with a suppressed sigh.
"We'll see."
The training ground was at the back of the property, isolated by tall trees and a discreet magic barrier that prevented noises from spreading. The ground was firm, slightly sloping, with ancient marks of spells and blows embedded in the earth. In the center, Elyandra adjusted her posture, under the watchful eye of Dalia.
"Let's start with the basics," the tutor said, her voice as straight as her posture. - Mana flow control. I want you to gather your energy in the center of the body, focus it on a single point, and guide it to your palms. Nothing more than that. Without form. Just flow.
Elyandra nodded, slowly closing her eyes. Even at eight years old, her movements carried an abnormal refinement, not only from her previous training, but also from the ancient blood that ran through her veins, and also from the fact that she had the consciousness of someone who had already been an adult.
She inspired it. The world was silent.
Center... heat... tension... pull. Channel. Guide.
His body responded like a magic circuit. The mana gathered in his core, circling like an invisible chain around his chest.
Gradually, a faint golden-white light began to emerge from his fingertips.
"The stability of the divine mana is remarkable," Dalia commented, emotionless. "Soft, steady, obedient. Like a calm river.
Elyandra kept her eyes closed. The light flickered, and then shone brighter.
"What now?" She asked, with a subtle smile. "Can I mold it?"
"Not yet. First, I want you to force the transition. Convert this flow to your spiritual affinity.
The girl took a deep breath. The order bothered her. The previous contact with spirit magic had left a strange feeling, as if something was watching her back.
But she didn't back down.
Change the tuning. Imagine another melody. Less sacred... denser.
The change was immediate. The light lost its soft glow and condensed. It became clearer, almost translucent, but with irregular pulses. A thin hum filled the surrounding air.
Elyandra shuddered. It was as if he were pulling a thread that passed through a field of shadows.
"The flow is fluctuating," he warned. "It's not like the other one. Catafalque... it seems alive.
"Spiritual is not alive, Elyandra. Dahlia said, crossing her arms. "It is the very memory of death. Of the soul. Of the essence beyond the flesh. That's why the weak go crazy trying to use it. But I can't believe you're that weak, do you?
The girl opened her eyes. His amber irises shone brightly.
"No. He said, firm as a monolith. "I'm just... Adjusting.
She clenched her fists. The spiritual aura tried to escape through the cracks of her concentration, but Elyandra contorted it, guiding it inside again. The energy trembled... but he obeyed.
Dalia raised her eyebrow.
"Impressive." At his age, I could barely conjure light.
"Do you also use divine magic, tutor?" Elyandra said, breaking into a sweet smile.
The owner did not answer. He just turned around, walking to a pile of pieces of stone scattered in the corner of the field.
"Let's go to the next step. Directed destruction.
She threw a piece of stone in the air.
"Break."
Elyandra focused her divine energy. A point of light formed on his index finger, taking shape in a small, concentrated ray.
With a precise movement, she cast the magic. The golden lightning pierced the stone like a needle on paper, cracking it in mid-air.
"Very well. But now... Try the same with spiritual.
The girl hesitated. He took a deep breath.
Spiritual magic. Form. Shape. Throw.
The spiritual energy emerged in the form of a translucent, silent blade. She launched it. When it hit the stone, it did not explode. The stone... Aged. In a matter of seconds, cracks spread across its surface, as if decades had passed over it. Then, with a slight breath of wind, it crumbled.
Elyandra widened her eyes.
"That was...
"Temporal decomposition. Dalia said, neutral, not too surprised, her eyes followed that scene as if it wasn't something surprising. "A common manifestation of spirit magic in its raw state. Interesting that you managed to do this instinctively. It means that your spiritual core is awake."
Elyandra clenched her fists, looking at her own fingers.
"So if I improve this... It could, for example, age an armor. Or destructuring magic.
"If you have enough control, yes. But if it fails..." Dalia looked directly at her. "It can consume itself.
Silence.
"Calculated risk. Dalia said as she turned her eyes to the stone. "If you are afraid of something, then you should try, if you think you can do something, even if you are sure, you should prepare for any and all possible mistakes, a sure and concrete victory is much better than a temporary victory."
The owner turned back to the field.
"We will have two more hours of training today. And tomorrow, the training changes. We're going to cover advanced spirit manipulation, arcane resistance, and summoning fundamentals—even if you don't use these right now, you need to understand how spellcasters think. And at the end of the week... visitors will come.
Elyandra blinked, interested.
"Visitors?"
"Nobles." Diplomatic. The kind of people who weigh a child's worth with their eyes. Be ready to be charming.
"Lovely?"
Dalia just crossed her arms, while Elyandra stretched out as if she had just woken up from a royal nap.
"I don't know why I should, I think it's much more beneficial if I continued with the training, what do you think tutor?"
"Who knows?" Dalia said without waiting for an answer, her eyes then turned upwards where she noticed Elyanda's mother following the training, her eyes had a mixture of concern and restlessness. "But keep in mind, the life of a noblewoman is not the life of a knight, I'm not training you for the front lines."
"Said the woman dressed in military clothes and who speaks like a war general."
"I understand, tutor..."
"Well, let's get back to training.