As Arian's muscles began to burn, he dropped to the floor of the courtyard. He appeared utterly exhausted after a day filled with extensive training. The last rays of sun slipped under the palace walls and the entire sky turned to an intense indigo. A soft breeze touched his skin, which was drenched in sweat, but it did little to help his insufferable pain.
"Are you dead yet?" Seris mockingly half asked, half posed out of worry, as she hovered above him with a small smirk, arms crossed.
Arian groaned, "Alright, I give up. Do you plan on letting me get some rest?"
"Of course not," was her terse reply. She poked his side with her boot. "Quit whining and let's get moving."
Aldric, who was slouching on a bench near 'bade an agitated chuckle. "Oh, let the boy rest a little, he has been through hell today."
Rolling her eyes, Seris replied, "In actual warfare, breaks do not exist."
After rubbing the back of his neck, Arian sat up. "You know, you are quite ruthless back in your palace, Princess."
"I shall consider that a compliment."
The way he stretched his sore limbs made it clear that he was exhausted. In recent weeks, swordplay, strategy, endurance training and even magic lessons were becoming too much. "I know I am getting stronger, but it's never enough," he grunted. It was obvious he was not yet at the level of Aldric and Seris, which is why he felt this way.
"Alright gentlemen, if I could have your attention for a moment," Aldric declared while clapping. "We've dwelled too long in talk; it is time to move onto the next thing."
"Is this different thing food with a side of comfy beds?" Arian asked while clinging onto hope.
"No," Aldric said with a grin. "Our prime focus for tonight is more important. Control."
"And that is his magic?"Seris raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Aldric replied while looking at Arian. "You see, during fights it is good to rely on instincts, but you have overdone it. Without control, power is useless. A sword without a hilt." He said.
Arian's gaze fell upon his own hands, startling his frown.
The Codex's power flowed within him, but it was wild, unpredictable. He had felt it during the battle in the Rift how it surged through him like a storm, giving him strength but threatening to consume him.
"How do I control something I barely understand?" he asked.
Aldric grinned. "That's what tonight's lesson is for."
He snapped his fingers, and the entire courtyard shifted. The stone beneath them rippled like water, the air around them shimmering as if reality itself was bending. Within seconds, they were no longer in the palace but standing in an open field under a starry sky.
Arian stumbled back, wide-eyed. "What the—"
"Don't question it," Seris sighed. "It's Aldric. Just roll with it."
Aldric stretched his arms. "Welcome to another one of my little pocket dimensions. No distractions, no limits. Just you, your power, and whatever I throw at you."
Arian gulped. That didn't sound reassuring.
Aldric clapped his hands again, and suddenly, a wave of energy pulsed through the air. In an instant, dark figures emerged from the ground shadows with glowing red eyes, similar to the ones in the Rift.
Arian instinctively reached for his sword.
"Not this time," Aldric said, shaking his head. "No weapons. No running. Just your magic."
Arian's heart pounded. "You expect me to fight them without a sword?"
"You're more than just a swordsman, Arian. You need to trust yourself."
The shadow creatures lurched forward. Arian clenched his fists, trying to summon his magic, but it flickered weakly. One of the creatures lunged, and he barely dodged, rolling to the side.
"Focus, Arian!" Seris called out. "Find the power inside you!"
Arian gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling inside him. He had power, he knew he did but every time he tried to control it, it felt like grasping at smoke. Another creature struck, claws swiping toward him. On instinct, he threw out his hand, and a burst of energy erupted from his palm, blasting the creature back.
He blinked in surprise.
Aldric whistled. "Now we're talking."
But before Arian could celebrate, more creatures attacked. He tried again, summoning the same energy, but this time it sputtered out before he could release it.
Now the darkness surrounded him. Fear creeped in.
"Focus, Arian," Seris yelled again. "Breathe! Don't try to control it. Allow it to come out!"
What? Flow? How do I 'let it flow'?
Not clenching his fists, Arian swore vengeance on this place and everything in it.
The chaos disappeared as he tuned everyone out. He focused on his core, where everything began, the warmth bubbling beneath the surface. Unleash. Arian forced nothing. The swell of energy within him had no choice but to rise like tide, and that made it all the more easier.
And with that warm feeling, Arian finally felt something shift.
His vision blurred and the world around him transformed before his eyes. Purple energy to his right ripped from its bondage, bursting forth like water crashing against rocks. Chaotic with strands of purple lightning decorating its edges. Arian's eyes snapped open as his gaze lit purple - Arian smirked. "It's my turn".
The creatures froze. An arm raised. Everything around him was about to move. Fist clenched, power unfurling naturally. The energy around him responding to his movements, forming effortlessly into tidal waves. The shadows were obliterated upon impact. More swells came, but this time Arian manipulated them with extreme ease. Weaving and striking with utmost precision, power bursting from him. Each blast felt so right, so powerful, like a musician setting magic who had long yearned to be free.
Within seconds the battlefield transformed into a wasteland of emptiness.
Standing in the center, chest heaving and body still buzzing with purple lightning, the world around him transformed, leaving behind a chaotic world.
Aldric gave a smile. "For a young one, you have done well… Really well."
Arian took a deep breath, feeling the tension in his body begin to dissolve. He shifted his attention to Seris, who was shaking his head in a way that suggested admiration.
Arian chuckled, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. For the first time, he wasn't just using magic he was understanding it.
Aldric walked over, ruffling his hair. "You've taken your first step. But remember, this is just the beginning."
Arian nodded. He knew he still had a long way to go.
But for the first time, he truly believed he could get there.