Brevia – Ashen's Backyard, Moments Later (continued)
Katrina stood tall, boots planted like stakes in the earth, arms folded, still sizing Ashen up like he was a strange puzzle she half-wanted to punch into place.
Lira narrowed her eyes, standing protectively between them.
Lira
> "Wait... so you are Katrina from Whisper's Light? Weren't you on a mission? Week-long or something."
Katrina (pausing mid-glance, brows lifting)
> "How do you—... wait."
(She looks back to Ashen, both hands on her hips)
"You ARE that kid?"
Ashen (internal, expression twitching)
> "Why is she looking at me like I just ran over her dog?"
Katrina (squinting like he's personally offended her)
> "If you're the kid Master Madhav mentioned, where's your guild mark?"
Ashen (raising a hand defensively)
> "He said you'd have the final call. I'm just a… 'temporary candidate' until you evaluate me or something."
Katrina (grinning like a predator that just found prey limping)
> "Huh. Of course he did."
Ashen saw the smirk first. Then felt it. Like a drop in temperature.
Ashen (internal)
> "Oh no. That's not a normal smirk. That's a 'this is gonna be fun for me, and hell for you' smirk."
Katrina (making eye-contact with Lira, her voice calm but clear)
> "Ma'am, with your permission… I'd like to take your son with me to the outskirts tomorrow morning."
Lira (taken aback, arms crossing slightly tighter)
> "Excuse me? You just crashed into my backyard and flipped my son upside down like a sack of grain."
Katrina gave a small nod of guilt. Then took a step back, her expression softening — just a touch — and unclipped the front of her coat. As it parted, the wind caught the fabric just enough to reveal her outfit beneath: sleeveless, dark combat gear... and on her left forearm, etched in deep ink — the unmistakable symbol of the Whisper's Light Guild.
She held her arm out toward Lira, letting the tattoo speak.
Katrina (quietly, respectfully)
> "I understand the timing is bad. The entrance? Worse. But I was told your boy might be one of the few who matter. I'm not taking him far. Just to the edge of the town. For one day. You'll have him back by dusk."
Lira stared at the tattoo for a long moment. Then at Katrina's face. Then at Ashen — still awkwardly brushing dirt from his pants like this was all a weird fever dream.
Lira (measured, guarded)
> "If he comes back with so much as a bruise… you'll be the one upside down next."
Katrina (with a half-grin)
> "Fair."
Ashen opened his mouth. Closed it.
Then finally said what any sane boy would.
Ashen
> "Bruises are part of the process."
Outskirts of Brevia – Next Morning
A low wind rolled over the grass, brushing the edge of the woods.
Ashen stood beside Katrina, arms folded, watching her like she might explode at any moment.
Which, to be fair, she kind of did.
Katrina raised one gloved hand. The bracer on her wrist flickered, humming with faint energy.
Ashen felt it before it happened — the air grew dense, the hairs on his arms stood up, and the wind paused like it was holding its breath.
Then—
CRACK!
A bolt of electricity arced from her palm, slamming into the thick trunk of a tree ten paces away.
The bark burst inwards. Smoke curled up. The tree groaned like it had been punched in the gut.
Ashen blinked.
Ashen (internally)
> "Cool. And slightly terrifying."
Katrina turned to him, utterly calm.
Katrina
> "You can do magic. But only if your body's strong enough. Which you'll get through training."
Ashen nodded slowly, trying not to look at the smoking tree again.
Katrina
> "Humans have mana. It's in you. But you can't convert it into elements by yourself."
Ashen (internally, deadpan)
> "There goes my dream of sneezing fireballs."
Katrina
> "There are two ways you can channel your mana into magic.
One — magic items. Like this."
She lifted her bracer.
"Two — crystals. Rarer. Stronger. Most of them aren't found in any of the Four Seas. They're from the Veilstream."
She turned and started walking into the woods. Ashen followed, stepping around a rock like its a landmine.
Katrina (over her shoulder)
> "With magic items, the damage you can do depends on your mana strength. The stronger you get, the stronger the output. And you can use multiple items, depending on your limit. I can handle three at once right now."
Ashen
> "So… you're a walking armory."
Katrina
> "Cute. Don't push it."
They passed under a thick canopy. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in flickering patches.
Katrina kept talking like she'd rehearsed this speech.
Katrina
> "Crystals are different. You can only use one. And if you do, you can't use any magic items with it."
Ashen furrowed his brow.
Ashen
> "So why are you saying crystals are stronger? Sounds like a downgrade."
Katrina slowed, smirked, then looked back.
Katrina
> "Because when you bond with a crystal… you don't just use the element.
You become it.
It doesn't cast spells.
It changes what you are
For example- A fire crystal will turn you into a fire man."