For the next couple days, Arawn was busy with ether. He stopped caring about the lack of attention and focused on his own matters. Corwal couldn't solve all of his problems. If his skill was lacking, all he had to do was practice more. There was plenty of time for it anyway.
Other guards often gave him questioning looks for playing with pure ether, but he ignored them. All that mattered was to learn to hold the ether, and then he could move on to the next step until he was in full control of his power.
"Are you practicing again?" Dres asked, sitting down beside him when they had settled for another night. "Aren't you bored of it?"
"No."
There was something about the ether he wasn't getting, and it bothered him. How did the others find it so easy to hold it while he couldn't do it even for a moment? It had to be something simple, something obvious that he was missing.
"We could try to help you if you want," the man offered.
Arawn looked at him, then shook his head. He'd seen the four use their powers, and they weren't exceptional with them. The only reason they didn't go to Corwal with the rest was because they were too proud. It was shameful in their eyes to learn from a youth like him.
"I'm fine. I'll figure it out on my own."
The man chuckled. "Stubborn, aren't we? What about taking a break? Maybe if you let your mind rest for a moment, it would be able to solve the problem once it was refreshed."
The advice wasn't something Arawn had heard before, and he rolled it around in his mind, wondering if it had any value. Could a break really help him figure things out? Well, it probably wouldn't hurt to try. He'd spent three whole days thinking about nothing but ether, and his mind was sick and tired of going in circles.
Asta and the two brothers came back with dinner. They brought a portion for Arawn as well, which had become a constant even though he barely participated in their conversations.
While diving into a thick meat soup, Dres looked at Arawn. "So what brought you two here anyway? Why is a noble traveling with nobodies like us?"
"He's not…" Arawn stopped. He couldn't really say that Corwal was a hound, could he? The only other logical explanation for his knowledge was that he was a noble. "I don't really know who he is. We just started traveling, and we're here because we need the money."
"Just started traveling?" Asta's spoon halted in the air. "You mean this is your first expedition together?"
"Something wrong with that?"
"No, no!" She waved her hand, spilling the soup in the spoon. One of the brothers who got soup splashed on him glowered at her, but she threatened him with the now empty spoon, and he subsided.
Dres smiled wryly at them, then turned back to Arawn. "Nothing wrong, just surprised. It's not usual to go on caravans that leave the country for a first expedition. Everyone knows that there are plenty of robbers by the border, so it's pretty dangerous."
"Don't worry for me. I can take care of myself," Arawn said with dismissal in his voice. He'd met robbers already, and it was they who had ran from him, not the other way around.
"With what? You can't even use the elements!" Ehar laughed without restraint to the point that even his cheeks went red. "I could have defeated you when I was five!"
A small smile touched Arawn's lips. He let it stay there without saying anything. If they wanted to think he was powerless, he wasn't going to go out of his way to cure them of such notions. It was way better than them knowing the reality and running away as far as they could possibly get.
"Why do I feel like you're hiding something from us?" Dres asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.
Arawn chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not. You've already seen all I can do."
He called upon the ether and made it burst into a shower of sparks upon his palm. It looked pretty and harmless, and it was really all he could do. The only thing they weren't aware of was exactly how much ether he could call upon himself at any point in time.
"And you think that's going to protect you? Silly child." Asta looked at him with pity, then lowered her head to finish her soup.
No one else spoke more, and they finished eating. There was a stream nearby, so they went to clean their bowls and returned to go to sleep. Some people would build up tents or sleep on the ground, but Arawn still stayed in the wagon. The total darkness and the narrow space made it more relaxing for him.
In the morning, Corwal waited for him to wake up. "How's it going? Any progress?"
Arawn could only tell the truth that he'd achieved absolutely nothing and yawn widely. He'd slept well, but whoever thought to wake them up before sunrise was a demon. He was used to sleeping whenever he felt like it and waking up when his body decided it was too lazy to lie in the same position anymore, and it hadn't changed in the couple weeks he'd been out of the Gutter.
"Keep trying then. Once you learn this third most basic move, we can go to something a little more advanced."
"Elements?" Arawn asked with interest. He really wanted to know which one was fated with him and what he could do with it.
Corwal looked down at him from where he stood. "That's something that even normal people have to train. You'll still need to learn to control ether that has left your hands as well as how to measure it. You always bring in way too much, which is why your attacks go through people like they were made of butter."
"But I only attack when I want to kill someone, and the ether blades do their job, don't they? It's not like I'm going to run out of ether, either. So why should I bother to learn that?"
Corwal sighed and sat down on the wagon's edge before motioning for Arawn to roll out of his bed and come over. "I thought you'd realize it yourself, but ether is not only a tool for killing. It's good at it, sure, but that's not its only purpose. The amount of good a strong elementalist can do is immeasurable.
"You could build canals in dry areas or pull up water from beneath the ground. When there's a fire, you could diffuse it or blow it away with the wind. But all of that requires precise control. What if when trying to dig a well you went straight to the lava below? What kind of well would that be?
"Or if you were trying to water the fields and pulled up a whole river from below, destroying all of the crops for that year? People would starve because of you, and there wouldn't be any way for you to help them then."
He sighed and looked into the trees nearby. "Everyone tends to only think about the best ways to kill their enemy with the ether, but the elements are much more than just another sword. They can be used to make people's lives better, if only all these wars stopped and we could take a moment to realize that."
"So there's more than just healing…" Arawn murmured.
Once Corwal pointed it out, he started thinking and could see the potential of the elements. If all the guards put their powers together, how much good could they do in a city? They could build new houses, repair old ones, improve sanitation, and so much more. Yet they were all out in the wild, ready to risk their lives to fight against other people who were forced out of their homes because of hunger and had to become bandits.
"I'll learn. I'll learn and make it all stop."
Arawn didn't know if he could really do it, but he was more powerful than anyone else. If anyone could reverse the vicious cycle, it'd be him. Once he showed an example, helped a lot of people, wouldn't others follow as well?
"I sometimes forget how innocent and naive you are." Corwal smiled at him, but there was sadness in his eyes. "I wish it was that simple, but maybe. Do learn, and then we'll see how it goes."
"I will!" Arawn swore and called upon the ether. There was no time to waste.
His existence was a mistake, but maybe he could reverse it. The past couldn't be changed, but he was still young. If he dedicated his whole life to doing good deeds, it was possible that he might go to the normal hell and not a special one just for him.
Throughout the day, everyone was still buzzing around Corwal, asking for his advice, but Arawn was too busy to notice. He called and released the ether, fully immersed in the process. He fell into the rhythm, calling with the taking of the breath and letting go once he breathed out.
Ether pulsed at his fingertips, showing no reaction to being moved around without any purpose. It really was just something that existed, so how did it move then? What was that called it over? How did it know to rush in and fall back without any words being said or even thoughts in most cases?
All Arawn needed to do was to want it to come. 'But if my wish is its command, why doesn't it stop when I demand so?'
For the whole day, no revelations presented themselves, but Arawn felt like he was on a cusp of discovery. Another half a step and he would know… something, which would allow him to hold ether in place like a loaded bow.
In the evening, they had to stop quite far away from any source of water, and a mini expedition was arranged to get it. The group contained around twenty caravan's people and five mages. As the strongest, Corwal was asked to ensure their safety. The forest was generally safe, but they could never be too careful.
He agreed, and the group marched off. Arawn wasn't part of it, so he continued practicing. Ether went back and forth again and again, never stopping. As Arawn watched it, he joined its rhythm and began to breathe alongside it.
Then, he suddenly held his breath. The ether hesitated, then halted as well. It stayed still like a glove around his hand, waiting.
Various emotions flashed through Arawn, and he jumped to his feet. Laughing, he looked at his hand which he raised above his head. The ether actually stayed still. It stayed still!
Once he breathed out, it left, but he didn't care. "I did it! I did it!"
His sudden action attracted a couple looks, but the people didn't understand what was happening. Had the pale youth finally gone crazy?
He made a few circles in place, then settled down, still grinning. If he did it once, it meant he could do it again. Once Corwal returned, he would be in for a surprise!
A strangely familiar sound came from behind, and Arawn drew on ether without thought. It clashed against the incoming object, cutting it in half right before it could pierce his heart.
He turned and saw an arrow lying on the ground. It was beautifully sliced right through the middle, but his thoughts focused on a different matter. Where had the arrow come from in the first place?
Screams rose all around him, and he looked up to see a volley of arrows coming their way. The first couple arrows had been few in number and well-aimed. They assassinated the main targets to sow discord so that the following volley would clean up the stunned guards.
'Didn't we have scouts to avoid this?'
More than a couple arrows went Arawn's way, and ether pooled in his hands. Some of the defenders were already down, and many more would fall if nothing was done.
Arawn looked up and raised the ether before them like a wall. It blocked most of the arrows before scattering. This gave the defenders enough time to regain their senses. People fell behind wagons while winds rose and ether flashed in the ground.
It was time to strike back at the ambushers.