As the week of training drew to a close, Sir Aldric gathered the children once more in the training hall. This time, his expression was serious there was a gravity in his gaze, a weight in his silence that made even the most restless among them sit still. When he spoke, his voice was calm, yet it rang with an unmistakable authority that demanded attention.
"There are five stages of Luminis mastery," he said. "Each stage represents a deeper understanding, a closer alignment, and a more profound control over the energy known as Luminis.
Many begin this path, but few will reach the higher stages, and even fewer will fully comprehend the depths of what Luminis truly is." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces of each child.
Some of the children glanced at one another, their expressions a mix of awe, nervousness, and quiet determination.
"The stages are Awakened, Essence Flow, Harmonisation, Radiant Core, and the elusive, Ethereal Ascendance." He let each title sink in.
For a moment, none of the children spoke. Luca, sitting toward the front, felt his heart quicken. He had heard whispered rumors among the older trainees, tales of great warriors who wielded Luminis to defeat impossible odds. But here, hearing it laid out so plainly, he felt a fresh surge of wonder and a flicker of fear.
Sir Aldric's gaze shifted to Luca, and then to the others, as he resumed speaking. "For now, I'll tell you about only the first two stages, as that is where each of you must focus. No one here is expected to know more than that at this stage, nor would you benefit from it." He stopped and took a breath, his tone steady but almost warm, as if to reassure them.
"The Awakened stage is the beginning. Many of you," he said, looking pointedly at a few who had shown promise, "should already be able to faintly perceive Luminis within yourselves, even if it's only a flicker.
This perception is the doorway into the energy of Luminis itself, but understand, perception alone does not grant you control. At the Awakened stage, you are still not truly different from an ordinary person. You may have a slight edge in physical strength, or feel a heightened awareness, but you are not yet wielding Luminis. You can sense it, yes, but you lack the ability to shape or direct it in any meaningful way."
The children listened in rapt silence. Luca could almost feel the quiet energy in the room, the anticipation building. He remembered the strange sensation he'd felt earlier in the training chamber, a subtle pulse within him, alive yet untouchable, as though it were waiting for him to understand something more.
"Next," Sir Aldric continued, lowering his voice slightly, "is the Essence Flow stage." He paused, allowing the words to settle. "Reaching this stage is no simple feat, but it is where true power begins to emerge. At the Essence Flow stage, you can make Luminis flow through your body at will, strengthening your own physical abilities. You will also be able to manifest it outside your body, albeit in limited forms."
As if to demonstrate, Sir Aldric raised his hand and focused. A faint, shimmering glow began to form at his fingertips, radiating a soft, silvery light that seemed both solid and not solid at once. The children gasped, leaning forward in their seats, eyes wide with wonder as the light faded into the air.
Sir Aldric held their gaze, his expression unreadable. "If any of you reach the Essence Flow stage by the age of seventeen," he said slowly, "you will be required to serve the Drakemore family and the kingdom which I cannot yet fully reveal. It is a path of honour, but it demands great dedication, courage, and sacrifice."
The room fell into a hush. Several of the children looked to one another, questions and uncertainty flickering in their eyes. Finn, one of the most curious, finally mustered the courage to raise his hand.
"What if we don't reach it by then?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Sir Aldric's gaze softened, and he nodded as though he had anticipated the question. "For those who do not reach the Essence Flow stage by the age of seventeen, you will still serve the Drakemore family, but your duties will differ. Your skills, whatever they may be, will be nurtured and put to use in other ways. Every talent has its value, and every role its honour."
He looked around the room, his eyes resting on each child for a brief moment, as though assessing their resolve, reading the hopes and fears hidden within their young faces. "But that is not your concern today. For now, your focus is one thing, master Luminis enough to reach the Essence Flow stage. Nothing more, nothing less. One step at a time."The children nodded.
Luca understood now that reaching the Essence Flow stage would mean more than just power, using which Luminis could shape his fate and bind him to a duty larger than himself.
That night, after the long day's training, Luca lay awake, tracing the faint shadows cast by the light seeping through his room's narrow window. An unusual sensation stirred within him, a quiet, steady hum, like a heartbeat, but softer and deeper, as though something inside him responded to the gentle presence of night.
Unable to ignore it, he slipped from his bed and made his way to a small, quiet corner at the edge of the training hall. This was a place where he felt isolated but safe, his own hidden corner where the world felt distant and quiet.
Settling into a cross-legged position, he closed his eyes, allowing the silence to settle over him. Here, wrapped in the cool, still air of night, he could focus fully, undisturbed.
Almost immediately, he felt the warmth of the Luminis pulse faintly within his chest. Each slow breath seemed to deepen his connection to it, and soon he could feel its gentle glow spreading through him, like a quiet current running along his skin.
It was as though the subtle light surrounding him, whatever its source allowed the energy to come forward more easily, guiding him gently toward something he couldn't yet grasp.
He practiced like this over the following days, slipping into his quiet corner whenever the others had fallen asleep. By the fourth night, he was able to coax the warmth all the way to his fingertips, feeling them tingle faintly.
Though he hadn't achieved any visible manifestation of the energy, like the light Sir Aldric had shown, the sensation itself was powerful.
Yet by day, his experience was different. During training, while his friends occasionally mentioned their own struggles to sense Luminis, Luca kept his discoveries private, sensing somehow that his connection might be different from theirs.
Whenever he tried the same exercises in daylight, he struggled to feel that warm pulse, it seemed distant, as if the light and noise of day interfered, like trying to hear a whisper in a crowded room.
He observed the others, waiting for any hint that they, too, felt this way. But no one spoke of the energy being tied to a particular time or presence of light. Sir Aldric had never mentioned such a thing, either, so Luca kept his questions to himself.
Could this mean something? he wondered, feeling a small thrill of curiosity. Perhaps, he thought, he was uncovering something hidden, something even Sir Aldric hadn't explained. The idea filled him with quiet excitement, but he also sensed that it was something he'd need to explore alone, without sharing his suspicions, at least, not yet.
Night after night, he returned to his quiet spot, surrendering himself to the calm presence of light and the pull of the Luminis within. Here, in solitude, he allowed the energy to flow through him, trusting that one day it would reveal its secrets fully.