The old teacher led Kaien, Lyra, and a handful of others through the streets of Ardanth, away from the grand towers of the Arcanis Institute and into the quieter outskirts of the city. The streets grew narrower, the buildings older, and the hum of the bustling marketplace faded into a soft, distant murmur.
Kaien observed the group around him. There were six of them in total—him, Lyra, and four others who had also failed the trials. Each of them carried the weight of rejection on their shoulders, but beneath that weight, there was something else.
Determination.
They weren't ready to give up.
The old man led them to a modest stone building, tucked between larger structures that had long since lost their grandeur. The wooden door creaked as he pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit interior with wooden floors, a few chairs, and a long table covered in parchment and books. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with aged scrolls and tools that seemed to have been untouched for years.
"This," the old man said, stepping inside, "is my classroom."
Kaien exchanged a glance with Lyra. It was nothing like the Arcanis Institute's grand halls, its training arenas, or its libraries filled with centuries of knowledge.
It was… simple.
And yet, something about it felt right.
Once they had all gathered, the old man gestured for them to sit. He remained standing, his sharp eyes studying each of them as if weighing their worth once more.
"My name," he finally said, "is Aedric Varlen. Once, long ago, I was an instructor at the Arcanis Institute."
That caught Kaien's attention. He had assumed Aedric was just another rogue teacher, someone who had never been part of the institution. But if he had been a former instructor, then why had he left?
Aedric continued.
"The Institute values skill, but more than that, it values control. Those who show promise but lack refinement—those who are powerful but do not fit into their structured methods—are cast aside." His gaze swept over them. "I do not believe power should be wasted simply because it does not fit into their narrow definition of mastery."
Kaien clenched his fists. He had seen that firsthand. His Tide Shaper ability had failed him because he had never been trained in it. Lyra's Healing Tide had faltered because she had never built the endurance needed.
None of them had been given a second chance.
Until now.
Aedric let the silence linger before speaking again. "Each of you failed the trials. But tell me—what do you believe was the reason?"
One of the other students—a tall, broad-shouldered man with a bruised arm—spoke first. "I failed the Tide Vortex test. My attacks weren't strong enough."
Aedric nodded. "And why?"
The man hesitated before answering, "I lacked the energy to maintain my strikes."
Aedric shifted his gaze to a young woman with dark hair tied in a loose braid. She looked hesitant but eventually spoke. "I was in the Tide Traveler trial… I could shift short distances, but the obstacles required long-range travel, and I—" She paused. "I wasn't fast enough."
One by one, the others explained their failures.
Then, it was Lyra's turn.
"I failed the Healing Tide endurance test," she admitted. "I healed the first two wounds, but the third test drained me completely."
Aedric studied her for a moment before looking at Kaien. "And you?"
Kaien hesitated. He couldn't tell the truth. He couldn't say, I failed because I stole my ability.
"I wasn't able to hold the shape of my constructs," he said, choosing his words carefully. "They weren't durable enough."
Aedric didn't question it. Instead, he folded his arms and nodded. "Good. You each understand where you fell short." He turned, walking toward the shelves, and pulled out a small wooden box. "The Institute failed you because they expect perfection from the beginning. But mastery is not something you achieve instantly."
He set the box on the table and opened it. Inside were six silver pendants, each etched with a different symbol representing the four Inner Tides. He picked one up and tossed it toward Kaien, who caught it instinctively.
"These marks you as my students," Aedric said. "You will live here, train here, and prove that the Institute was wrong to cast you aside."
Kaien ran his fingers over the cool metal of the pendant. It was simple, unadorned—nothing like the elaborate emblems of the Institute. And yet, it meant something.
Aedric turned away, moving toward a door at the back of the room. "There are rooms upstairs. They aren't large, but they will be your home for now. Get some rest. Training begins at dawn."
Kaien and Lyra found their room at the end of the narrow hallway upstairs. It was small—barely large enough for two simple straw-filled mattresses and a wooden chest—but it was theirs.
Lyra sat down on one of the beds, running a hand through her hair. "I still can't believe we're here."
Kaien leaned against the wall. "Me neither."
She glanced at him. "Do you think this is a second chance?"
Kaien let out a slow breath. "I don't know… but I think it's better than nothing."
They sat in silence for a while, the weight of the day settling on them.
Then, Lyra spoke again. "I'm going to do better," she said quietly. "I have to."
Kaien nodded. "We both do."
But deep down, he wondered—could he?
He wasn't just someone who had failed. He was someone who had stolen his power. He had something dark inside him, something dangerous.
Would Aedric still teach him if he knew the truth?
Kaien wasn't sure.
But one thing was certain.
No matter what it took, he was going to learn.
And he was going to survive.
The next morning, the sun had barely risen when Aedric woke them.
They gathered in the main room, the air still heavy with sleep, but Aedric wasted no time. He stood before them, his expression hard.
"Your training begins now," he said. "And I warn you—it will be harsher than anything the Institute would have put you through."
He gestured to the courtyard behind the building, where several wooden training dummies stood, along with crates of unknown materials.
"The first step to mastering your Inner Tide is understanding it completely. The Institute teaches control, but they ignore instinct." His sharp eyes met theirs. "You will learn to feel your Tide before you attempt to shape it."
Kaien frowned. "What does that mean?"
Aedric smirked. "It means you're going to spend today doing something most students of the Institute would never dare."
He turned to the group and said, "For the next twelve hours, you will push your Inner Tides to their limits. No structured lessons. No easy guidance."
He stepped back.
"Your task is simple: Adapt. Or break."
And with that, their true training began.