Dawn gently breaks over the forest. The pale light filters through the cave's entrance, casting long shadows on the rocky ground. A faint but constant wind whistles outside, finding its way into the cave. Alynia sits near the entrance, her eyes fixed on the horizon. Her tail sways gently, a sign of deep thought. Her gaze is distant, but her mind is on Veil. The memory of the wind from the previous day still lingers in her thoughts. Alynia (internal thought): He shouldn't have been able to do that… Not at this stage. Not like this. She turns her head toward him. Veil is already seated for training. Sitting cross-legged before the puddle of water, his eyes are closed, his face calm. His breathing is slow and steady. Alynia (soft sigh): "Today, I take control." She stands and moves slowly toward him, positioning herself just behind him. She crouches and places a firm hand on his shoulder. Alynia (sharp but steady voice): "Today, we go further. I'm in charge. No excuses, no breaks. You'll do exactly what I say, when I say it. Got it?" Veil (serious, without opening his eyes): "Got it." Alynia lifts her hand from his shoulder and positions herself beside him. She extends her own hand over the puddle. A perfect sphere of water forms instantly. No trembling, no ripples. Stable and smooth. Alynia (calm voice): "You're going to do this. Not drops, not fragments. One sphere." Veil opens his eyes, fixing them on Alynia's sphere. His gaze carries a hint of defiance. He regulates his breathing and extends his hand over the puddle. Veil (internal thought): Step by step… Bit by bit… Droplets rise. Two, three, then six. They tremble, but Veil maintains control. This time, he doesn't rush. Slowly, he gathers them at the center of his palm. They orbit a shared focal point, forming a small, unstable sphere. Alynia (eyebrows raised): "Not bad. Now bigger. Gather more droplets." Veil inhales, then exhales slowly. His focus remains on the forming sphere. He draws more droplets from the puddle. The circle widens, and the sphere grows in size. It quivers occasionally, but he stabilizes it with each tremor. Alynia (internal thought): He's more precise. He's finally starting to understand. Mid-Afternoon Veil's sphere of water floats above his hand. It's larger than the one he managed the day before, but it still vibrates, unstable. Alynia approaches and crouches at his level. Alynia (calm tone): "You've taken control of the water. Now, you're going to do something else." She lightly taps the sphere with her finger, creating ripples across its surface. Alynia (intense gaze): "Feel it. Not just its surface—feel inside it. You see the flow of water, right? Now, you'll tint it with a breeze. Not a gust. A breeze." Veil (confused): "Tint it? What does that even mean?" Alynia (serious): "Water flows. Wind is free. You must merge the wind's freedom with the water's flow. Focus on the sensation of the wind in your hand and push it into the sphere." Silence. Veil closes his eyes, his hand steady over the water. He feels the liquid, senses the thread, but the wind eludes him. Veil (internal thought): Feel the wind… Feel it… But where? Multiple attempts end in failure. The water falls repeatedly, and the sphere collapses each time. Alynia (sighs, arms crossed): "We're stopping. This was my mistake." Just as she turns her back, a cold gust flows through the cave. A frosty breath. Alynia spins around abruptly, her ears erect. Veil's sphere of water rotates slowly. Not a gust, but a steady, fluid motion. The surface of the water begins to crystallize. Veil (staring at the sphere): "It's… cold." Fragments of ice emerge on the surface. The sphere turns translucent and takes on a bluish hue. Alynia (whispering, wide-eyed): "…Ice?" The wind subsides. The sphere falls, shattering on the ground into shards of ice. Total silence. Only the faint wind at the cave's entrance lingers. Alynia steps forward cautiously. Each step is deliberate, her eyes fixed on the shards of ice. She crouches near one fragment, picks it up delicately, and holds it to the light. The crystalline blue catches the fading sunlight. Alynia (murmuring): "Pure ice… You're not just some ordinary cub, are you?" Veil remains motionless, his hand still raised, his eyes wide. His breathing is light, almost inaudible. He stares at his fingers as if they belong to someone else. Veil (internal thought): I did that… Was that… me? His hand closes slowly. The chill he felt doesn't fade immediately. The sensation lingers, etched into him. Alynia (intense gaze): "Congratulations, Cub." She stands and looks down at him, arms crossed. Her posture is commanding, but her expression has changed. Alynia (serious): "You've achieved more than I planned for. And that's rare." The wind sweeps through the cave again, lifting the ashes of the extinguished fire and swirling them around. The shards of ice on the ground glisten briefly in the sunlight. Veil exhales a long, heavy breath. He lowers his head, but a faint smile graces his lips. His hand clenches again—not from fear, but from determination. Veil (internal thought): I'm not the same as I was four days ago… And I never will be again.