The sun was high, casting long shadows across the forest floor as I stood in front of the Echo of Arcanum, my hands wrapped tightly around the hilt. My breathing was heavy, sweat beading on my forehead.
I had been at this for hours.
Lira was off to the side, watching with her usual detached gaze. She didn't seem to tire, or if she did, she hid it well. Her patience, it seemed, was endless. But mine? Mine was running out.
"Focus," she said, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "You're letting the magic slip again."
I gritted my teeth, trying to calm my racing heart. The sword hummed in my hands, the familiar weight almost comforting now. Almost. I still felt like a child playing with something far beyond my reach.
The air around me rippled with the faintest shimmer of magic as I attempted to channel my energy into the blade. A small gust of wind stirred around my feet, but nothing like the powerful torrents Lira had conjured so easily. The wind was barely a whisper, not even enough to move the leaves around me.
Lira's sharp eyes watched me closely. "The magic doesn't come to you by force. It's not something you can command with brute will. You have to ask for it. You must align with it."
I scowled, frustration bubbling up. "How am I supposed to align with something I can barely even control?"
Her lips curled into a half-smile. "That's the question, isn't it? The magic inside you is the same as the magic in the world around you. It's not separate from you, Kaito. It's part of you."
"I don't feel like it's a part of me," I muttered, dropping the sword to the ground with a thud. "I feel like it's… something else. Something apart from me."
Lira stepped forward, her voice low and steady. "You'll never control it until you stop treating it like a foreign object. This magic is inside you, Kaito. Every fiber of your being is tied to it. The Echo of Arcanum recognizes that. It's waiting for you to recognize it too."
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the sting of doubt take root again. "And if I don't? If I fail?"
"You won't," Lira replied flatly. "But failing is part of the process. Just remember: you're not alone in this."
I glanced at her, but her face revealed little. There was something about her, something I couldn't quite understand—an unsettling combination of wisdom and secrecy. She knew so much about the Echo, about magic, about me... but never enough to explain why. Or why she seemed to be pushing me so hard.
She continued, "You'll understand eventually. But for now, let's try again."
I picked the Echo of Arcanum up once more, my grip tighter now, my palms sweaty. I closed my eyes, trying to feel the blade's magic, to connect with it the way Lira wanted. I had no idea how long I stood there, silent, waiting for some breakthrough. My mind was a mess of confusion, self-doubt, and frustration.
Suddenly, there was a sharp crack, followed by the unmistakable sound of something moving through the trees.
Lira's eyes sharpened instantly. "Prepare yourself."
My heart skipped. "For what?"
Before she could answer, the ground beneath me trembled, a deep, rumbling vibration. My pulse quickened, and I instinctively gripped the sword tighter, although I had no clue what I was supposed to do with it.
The trees parted, revealing a massive figure emerging from the shadows. It was a creature of stone, its body a twisted mass of jagged rocks and shifting earth. Its eyes glowed faintly with a red light, and its massive fists clenched, cracking the ground beneath its feet with each step. A Stone Golem.
I froze.
I had heard of them—giant magical constructs, created by mages to guard sacred places. But seeing one in person was a different matter entirely. This thing was enormous, easily towering over me, its size dwarfing even the largest trees.
Lira didn't move, but her eyes were cold, calculating. "This is no ordinary test, Kaito. If you cannot handle the golem, then you cannot handle what comes after."
My throat ran dry. "I can't—this thing's huge."
"You've no choice but to try."
Before I could protest, the golem's massive fist swung down toward me, the force of the blow creating a shockwave that threw me off my feet. I barely had time to react, rolling to the side, just managing to avoid being crushed by the enormous stone hand.
I scrambled to my feet, breathing heavily, my mind reeling. This was nothing like the training. Nothing like the controlled environment Lira had set up. This was real—this was life or death.
The golem moved again, faster than I expected, its stone limbs crashing toward me in a relentless barrage. I brought the Echo of Arcanum up, but it felt so... wrong. I wasn't in tune with the magic. My movements were clumsy, slow. I couldn't feel the wind or the earth like Lira had taught me. The blade felt like a foreign object again, disconnected from my will.
The golem's fist slammed into the ground beside me, the shockwave sending me sprawling. I gasped, struggling to regain my breath. I couldn't keep up. I wasn't strong enough.
"Focus!" Lira's voice cut through the haze of panic. "It's not just about fighting—it's about survival. Use what you have."
I gritted my teeth. I wasn't going to die here, not like this. Not without trying.
With a desperate surge of energy, I raised the Echo of Arcanum again, holding it out in front of me like a shield. My palms were slick with sweat, my body shaking with exhaustion, but I focused. I had to focus.
The golem swung again, but this time, I felt something shift. A pulse—just a small flicker—raced through my body, and the blade seemed to hum with energy. The ground beneath me rumbled as I summoned what little magic I could grasp. A gust of wind shot out from the sword, deflecting the golem's fist and pushing me back just far enough to avoid being crushed.
I didn't have much left. The golem's eyes glowed brighter, and I could feel its overwhelming strength bearing down on me. But there was something else now, too. The faintest sense of connection, of recognition, between me and the Echo. I wasn't in full control, but the blade was responding to me.
Just as the golem took another step toward me, Lira stepped forward with a wave of her hand, muttering an incantation under her breath. The golem froze mid-step, its body locking up in place. It took only a moment, but it was enough.
"You were on the right track," Lira said softly, her voice a mix of praise and calculation. "But you're not ready for this level of combat just yet."
I stared at the golem, my heart racing. "I almost died... again."
"Yes," she replied calmly. "But you learned something today, didn't you?"
I didn't answer right away. Instead, I lowered the blade, my hands trembling. I had learned something, alright. I had learned just how unprepared I truly was.