The training hall turned out to be much chillier than Rhea had prepared for, not the dramatic cold one feels on the surface but one that buries itself deep within, rattling the very bones of the body. The room's walls were dressed in uncut stone and bright crystals that were all marked with faintly glowing runes. The very air surrounding her vibrated with contained energy and the lingering traces of other sorcery felt thick in that space.
In the middle of the hall stood Master Caelum, looking at her with those piercing eyes. His face was as passive as always, yet he seemed to be a brewing storm.
"Your affinities are interesting," he said, with a voice that was both low and weighted with authority. "The stone represents that which is solid and enduring, is the base. The shadow, on the other hand, is wavy and troublesome, that is the inverter. Combined, they will either render you a menace – or obliterate you."
Rhea straightened her back. She willed herself to hold his sharp stare. "I've been balancing them my whole life," she replied.
His lips moved though it was difficult to ascertain whether it was in a jocular or incredulous fashion "That did not mean one was tamed by them." He watched as with a flick of his wrist, one stone that lay on the floor rose out of its place and flew before her. It was a stone shaped like a heavy rugged rock and alive with pulsing energy, the kind that would fit in Rhea's head. "This will be our starting point. I want you to create an image from this rock with your stone affinity. The image must be without any cracks and faults."
'Yes,' she replied, stepping towards the suspended in the air rock. She reached out her palm to the stone, the faint luring of her affinity creeping back to her. It's energy sang in tune with hers, and she zeroed in on that link, commanding the stone to comply.
Little by little, the sharp angles started becoming less severe, the stone reshaping under her command. She focused, breathing evenly as she helped the magic to do its work, rounding the stone to look like a perfect ball. But when she was finishing perfecting the last edge, a shadow briefly came into her view, a small insidious tendril that twisted within her brain.
The ball started to tremble and a fissure appeared on its surface. Rhea set her teeth and tried to repress the shadow retreat she had been fighting, but the more she tried to push it back, the more potent it became. The fissure enlarged, and with an audible crack, the ball erupted into numerous shards, scattering the parts on the ground.
There was no twitch on Master Caelum's face. "I repeat. Surviving is not the same thing as mastering."
Rhea felt a knot inside her, insecurities holding her on the verge of explosion. "I only need more time," she said, keeping her voice balanced despite the raging details in her head.
Caelum moved closer and she felt his looming presence. "Time does not matter if the fundamental issue is yet to be resolved. The shadows that you are fighting against are not just obstacles. They are an integral part of you. The more you try to resist them, the more they will take over you."
Rhea had a hard time swallowing as her eyes shifted toward the pieces of stones scattered near her feet. Ever since she remembered, her shadow affinity had been a source of trouble – a burden that she wished to keep in check. But this time, before Caelum, it sank in that, this would not do them any good.
'Once more,' he said with a flourish of the wrist and a stone came back.
This time when Rhea extended her hand and let the shadows swirl slowly at the back of her mind, she did not try to resist them anymore. The stone quivered, its sharp corners softening, and though the shadows reached for her concentration, she did not recoil. Instead, she let them wrap around her magic, sending the stone on its course with the calm pull of stone while working on stone.
The sphere was gradually created, and the Sphere's envelope was untouched by a single seam. As it settled into place, intact and radiant, Rhea released a breath she had not known was still inside her.
Caelum paid attention to her creative realization, his penetrating eyes stopping for a moment in the veined stone on the dark lines. "Better," he said, still offering no congratulations in his voice. "You have improved. But improvement is not proficiency."
Rhea exhaled and inhaled several times. "I will make it in time."
The briefest glimmer of warmth surfaced in Caelum's eyes, maybe even flickers of something that looked like approval. "Then maybe you will. You are dismissed."
Once Rhea exited the training space, her body resisted the pressure within her as she held onto her various abilities. All the while, she navigated through the twists and turns of the labyrinths, preoccupied with thoughts yanking in her mind regarding Caelum. She had always feared her shadows, but now she questioned whether they existed only to pose a danger- rather, if they were a way to help her achieve everything that she could.
The corridors were quieter than they appeared, save for the slightest buzzing of magic embedded in the walls. However, when she turned a corner, she paused mid-step, feeling something was off.
A silhouette was positioned at the end of the corridor, emerging from the dark. The individual stood with head slightly turned away, but their posture was at complete ease, as though they had all the time in the world to wait for her return.
"Rhea Frost," the shadow spoke, their tone smooth yet unrecognizable. "The Convergent who's been attracting a lot of attention."
Rhea stiffened, drawing her hand to the pendant resting on her chest. "Who are you?"
The silhouette moved towards her, the darkness lifting to show a tall boy with a shock of dark hair and startling amber-colored eyes. He had strong facial features, his playful and intrigued at the same time. Around his waist were the colors of House Shadows, black and silver embroidered in the fabric.
"You can call me Riven," he said and for some reason, a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "It's about time we met." Rhea narrowed her eyes. "What for?" Riven shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back onto the wall. "Just I'm interested. Rare dual affinity, yours is… very appealing."
She folded her arms and kept her stance firmly. "Appealing in what way?" "Stone and shadow," he said peering at the jewel of her neck. "Being still and solid, yet agile and hard to grasp. One has to admit that it is a paradox. And paradoxes are often quite captivating." Rhea's pulse quickened. She didn't like the way his words seemed to reach her very heart, as if they were meant to penetrate deeply within her, cutting through every surface and layer, contented that he understood what she did not. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice composed although she felt her chest tightening.
Riven also stood up, but the smirk was no longer present. "For now, simply to converse." There's more to Eryndor than meets the eye, You also will have to watch out because you might find yourself in the middle and a part of somebody's game."
Though his words caused her unease, she managed to keep her face straight. "I can handle things on my own."
Riven let out a puff of laughter that resembled a disrespectful chuckle. "Of course you can. Just know this: should you ever need to remember whom you are safe with, turn to the dark corners. They will never deceive you."
She was about to counter his statement when he pivoted and walked out of sight in the hallway in an instant, with no sound accompanying his footsteps as though he was blended into the darkness.
Rhea was frozen in place for a few seconds as her thoughts spun. Riven's statement rang in her mind as a warning even if she would want to forget. Eryndor was a fortress of healing strength, but it was also a realm of clandestine—and she wished to know them all.