Mountain air was biting. Cold enough to cut through the mind but not cold enough to shave it off.
Vaen stood at a still, cloak blowing behind him as the vice-captain of Yu Rael's squad looked back for the final time.
"Tch. You'd better not die there," the man snarled with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Vaen said nothing. Nodded simply.
With a flash of his flying sword, the vice-captain vanished into the horizon, leaving Vaen alone at the base of the mossy stairs climbing up the side of the jagged peak.
The steps were oddly spotless. No dust. No trace of beast or man. Only the smell of smoky incense and something stranger—like paper that had been left out in the sun.
The pressure shifted with each step. Not spiritual pressure. Something intimate. As if the mountain itself was judging him.
By the time he reached the summit, his heart had been paced down. Not through effort, but through rhythm.
There, in the center of a wide cave surrounded by withered trees and floating scrolls, sat a man with white hair tied lazily behind his back. He wore simple robes, completely clean, eyes half-lidded like he hadn't slept in decades.
Vaen bowed.
"I Vaen of Dravidian have come to request the honor of being your disciple."
The old man looked up.
He didn't smile. He didn't speak.
Instead, he waved a single finger—and the courtyard roared to life.
Sheets of paper unrolled in the wind. Pulsating symbols hung in the air. The earth beneath Vaen undulated like the surface of a stagnant pool. And then the illusion passed.
"Hah."
At long last, the old man spoke. His voice snapped like dry bamboo.
"I thought Rael would send another fool."
He stood up, not a bone creaking, and made a slow circuit around Vaen as if inspecting a beast in a pit.
"No bloodline. No soul marks. No root. But… there's something." His fingers stopped above Vaen's chest, not touching. "You're… the one."
Vaen didn't move.
The old man turned his back.
"You aren't human. Not entirely. Not a beast either. Something that never should have existed. The...fate bearer."
Vaen frowned. "I was born human."
"You were born human, perhaps," the old man cut in, his voice slicing now. "But what have you become? I do not see. And I have seen it all. The Blood of the Ancient Phoenix, the Shadow Worm Monarchs, the Dune Reaver's curse. You smell of something that still hasn't been decided."
He breathed out.
"This is dangerous."
There was silence. Even the wind hesitated.
Vaen stood frozen, letting the old man drink it in.
Lastly, after what felt like an eternity, the old man parted his lips a second time. This time, in an exhausted tone.
"Do you understand why I teach?"
Vaen's head nodded in response.
"Because humans are losing. Losing to greed, losing to stagnation, losing to monsters that call themselves men. Our Bloodlines… our culture… all diluted. The only thing that has kept us whole is knowledge."
He looked over his shoulder.
"And you? You have no idea what you are. You have power that is of something other than this world. And here you are. Requesting the holy arts of the human."
"I don't wish to save humankind," Vaen spoke quietly. "I do not wish to destroy it. I wish to ascend. That's all."
The old man laughed, acidic and deep.
"That is what makes you dangerous.".
He turned all the way around and glared Vaen in the face.
"Why would I teach you?"
Vaen didn't even blink.
"Because you already know I'll just go get someone else. Might as well leave the deadly thing out here where you can see it."
The old man's face contorted. Not a smile, not an approval.
"You little cocky bastard."
There was another awkward silence. Then, the old man waved his hand, and a scroll floated over to Vaen.
"Take this. The outermost shell of what we teach. If you can master the fundamentals… I'll give it some thought."
Vaen caught it.
"And if I can't?"
The old man settled back down once more, folding his legs as the incense re-lit around him.
"Then you weren't worth the gamble."
Vaen nodded and moved to seat himself to meditate.
Behind him, the old man spoke one last time.
"Oh, and you, Whatever motivates you. it's still holding out. I hope you're ready for what comes next."