Their three months were up, and Verdania was back to check up on the kids. She locked on with lifeless eyes as the two practiced techniques usually reserved for Grand Mages. In the past, she would be greatly shocked by this.
"Shattering my worldview every time I see you, typical." But after so much time with the brat, she was used to weird stuff like this now.
She also noticed that while Diana still struggled with the execution, for Ciaran it was already second nature. She refused to think more about it, less she stumbles upon another mental breakdown. She came here for a reason, several actually, and she intended to see her task through to the end.
Before they would catch up, the usual procedure was to take place. She once again took them to that serene pond. It looked peaceful, heavenly even, but they knew it would soon be tainted by screams and blood.
Diana looked at the two, and seeing as both of them looked calm, annoyed at most, she was lost for words.
'Who gets used to this?' She thought but didn't dare voice out her question.
The boy lay in the pond, no instructions needed, and waited. Soon the pain came, and slightly after that the boy felt rapid changes to his soul. First, it was boiling, and then it was freezing. Combined with the tearing and the itch he felt every time Verdania healed him, the boy soon lost his composure.
First came out the screams, high-pitched and deafening. Then when he couldn't take it anymore he tried to get away, but the dreadful algae had him tied up. When all else failed he called upon the elements for help, but even they were helpless in front of the lucked Space his big sister had created.
Ciaran had gotten stronger, but that only meant that his pain was more intense. With the rise of his control over his soul, so rose his sensitivity. He felt every poke, every cut, every little piece that fell off it. He wanted to pass out, but every time he was close Verdania brought him back.
For seven hours the struggle continued, and for six and a half he screamed. Finally, when it was over, he was allowed to rest. As his consciousness had faded, it was time for the girls to once again have a private chat.
"How can you do this to him, and not even flinch. He, he brakes in your hands continuously, for so long, and you just cut away, as if you don't care." Diana asked, her whole body shivering.
The dryad looked at the young girl, as she was cleaning the body of the boy. There was anger directed at her, but she could only be happy about that.
"I don't have a choice and we all know it, Ciaran included. His body is flawed and his soul is tainted. He needs this Diana, and I am a healer, just like the rest of my family. It is our job to provide help to those that need it." She said.
Healers and doctors could be one of the most heartless creatures in this world, they had to be. Emotion and hesitation could not be allowed when you were trying to save a life. The only exception to this rule, at least the only one Verdania knew of, was her brother, but he was special.
The Archmage took them back, and a few days later, the boy was once again among the living.
He slowly stood up, and before he could say anything the wind blew. It was just a light breeze, but his eyes grew wide.
"Right! Sis, why don't I have a special element? Thanks for reminding me, I forgot to ask last time." He asked the dryad and then thanked the Wind.
She just blinked, watched her kid eye her with an innocent expression, and then dropped down on her ass defeated.
"How can you have such a strong connection to your element and ask me that? Seriously Rony, are you stupid or smart, make up your damn mind!" She yelled.
It was strange for her to lose her calm. Stranger still, for her to call him by his moniker. But the strangeness overwhelmed him when Diana nodded her head in agreement.
"When did you two gang up against me? And Diana you also said you didn't know, this is rigged, I demand equal treatment." He protested. He refused to be called an idiot for asking a question.
'People who don't know things aren't dumb God damn it, yeah do it gramma, only those who refuse to learn to deserve to be called dumb.' He thought, even invoking one of the primal Gods.
He did it in jest, but the old woman's attention was actually brought down upon them. The kids didn't feel it, but Verdania looked at the sky.
"When you curse us, please be a less specific kid." She asked nicely, but Ciaran knew that was an order.
The dryad was in no mood for jests after the rude interruption so she just answered his question.
"You never had a general element. The general element is Air; you were always in contact with Wind. People mistake them for the same thing, but they are not. I don't really know how you did it, but you skipped a step in your path to the peak of magic." She said, pride winning the battle with anger.
She was far from pleased her mother was answering his calls, but she was too happy her kid was competent enough to defy the norms.
"Anyway, enough about that, I have some good news, and some bad news, and I am starting with the bad news first. You fucked this continent good Ciaran, everything is a mess now. Because of that, our meetings are now pushed to every six months."
"And the worst of it is yet to come. Because you were so vocal with your insults, now you have a bounty on your head. It's not big, because we made sure it wasn't but people will try to kill you, so you need to be ready for it. And because now the humans are more eager to hunt, soon there will be a lot of hunters who will cross the border and go into the Tundra and all the other danger zones. "
Her words startled Diana. It had been a long time since Rangers were the only ones who braved the unknown. Now that would change.
"Don't look so gloomy now, there is also a light at the end of the tunnel. And here it is." She said as she took out a box.
"Eleftherios made your new clothes, and they are of a higher quality than the ones Silver made for the girl. They will give you an edge. He made it really durable, and its capacity for stealth is truly amazing."
She knew about Diana's special armor, and as a competitive person, she nagged Eleftherios to make Ciaran something better. Not that she had to insist a lot because the man was very eager to be of any help to their student.
Eleftherios was plagued by anxiety ever since his access to Ciaran was cut off. He was close to just barging in and bringing his boy back home many times, but the consequences for that were too severe, and Verdania stopped him every time.
He wanted to try them on right away, but after he started undressing the dryads chased him away so they didn't have to see him in all his majesty.
He was in a full-body suit that covered every inch of his skin. The suit had a white base color with accents of dark green. The suit was made for him and it fit him perfectly, accentuating his slender figure.
The boy was also wearing gloves and a mask. The gloves were matching the white color of the suit, while the mask was primarily dark green. It was difficult to discern any specific features of the mask from a distance.
Verdania whistled.
"Looking good boy, are you ready to end some fools?" She asked.
Diana looked at him in awe; she couldn't sense him at all. But the dryad's words worried her.
"As ready as I always was Sis." His voice sounded harsh and deep behind his mask. No one would ever mistake him for a child with his disguise on.
"Good, because your new task, is to hunt down your hunters. There will be two hundred and seven bounty hunters out for your blood, and I want you to kill at least fifty of them in the next six months. We can't have them bothering the soldiers and the other Rangers after all." She let a small chuckle.
The kids looked at each other. That was no easy task. Their opponents were experienced killers, and unlike beasts, they might have a whole organization behind them. This hunt would be long and complicated.