A new day brings a new challenge—and so, Cael's story continues.
Once again, Cael and Elena were in the middle of their forest training. The two could be seen running through thick trees, ducking low branches, and hopping over twisted roots. After a while, Elena suddenly shouted:
"Alright, stop! From today, you're starting your real Mana control training."
Cael came to a halt, panting. Elena continued firmly,
"You'll begin with pure meditation. Every day. No excuses. And when I tell you something—you listen. Got it?"
Cael didn't argue. He quietly walked to a tree, sat under its shade, and began to meditate—almost like he had finally accepted Elena as his master.
Elena looked at him, then spoke in a calm, serious tone:
"Magic—or Mana—is not just what you think it is. It's far beyond what anyone really understands.
At its strongest, Mana can sustain the world… or destroy it. There are people in this world who wield such power that they can end wars with a flick of their hand. Some summon the dead from the pits of hell. Others have walked away from it all, afraid of what they've become."
She paused and added with a faint smile,
"You're thinking you're just a tiny speck in this world, right? Like a little ant. But remember—
even an ant can make an elephant itch if it crawls into the right spot."
"If you want to become powerful, Cael, you'll have to do something different. Something difficult.
And that something… is my secret technique."
She leaned forward, whispering slightly,
"With it, you can absorb the ambient Mana around you and make it your own. But be warned—external Mana can be harmful to your body if you're not careful."
Cael slowly opened one eye and asked,
"That's cool and all, but… what's this 'secret technique' called?"
Elena rolled her eyes, then smacked him lightly on the head.
"Focus on meditating, you little monkey!"
But then, after a pause, she muttered,
"You know, that was a good question. I haven't really named it yet, but maybe… Mana Absorbing?"
Cael opened his other eye now, squinting at her.
"Mana Absorbing? That's the best you could come up with? That sounds like something a five-year-old would name."
SMACK!
Another hit to the head—this one louder.
"Shut up! I worked really hard to create that technique! I can call it whatever I want!"
A new day began, and once again, Cael and Elena were deep into training. Cael was sitting under the same tree, focused on meditation, while Elena stood nearby explaining the Mana Conflux technique to him.
"I spent an entire year figuring this technique out," Elena said, "and now, you'll have to do the same. It's not that hard—once you learn to sense your own Mana, the next step is sensing the Mana around you."
She crossed her arms and continued, "Most people can control their own Mana, but detecting external Mana and distinguishing it from everything else is incredibly difficult. Because everything around you—trees, animals, even the wind—contains Mana. If you can learn to feel all of it and tell it apart… then you can master this technique. Once you do, the world's Mana will become yours to command."
Elena clapped her hands. "Okay, Cael. That's enough training for today!"
She helped him up, and the two of them began walking back slowly. On the way, Elena gently placed a hand on Cael's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"You did really well today."
Cael looked at her, a little surprised. She was smiling at him—softly, sincerely. Something about the way she looked at him made his chest feel strange, like a feeling he couldn't quite understand. He quickly looked down and muttered, "...Thank you."
Elena chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Alright then, tell me—what do you want to eat tonight?"
Without thinking, Cael replied, "Can we have that steak we had last time? That was really good…"
Elena laughed. "Alright, alright! You don't have to be so shy about it."
But something felt off to her. "Why are you speaking so quietly today? Everything okay?"
Cael just said, "It's nothing."
She raised a brow. "Tell me."
Again, he mumbled, "It's nothing…"
"Come on, Cael!" Elena nudged him.
Cael finally looked at her, half-smiling. "I said… it's nothing."
They both shared a light laugh. There was something simple and peaceful in that moment—just two people teasing each other like old friends. As they walked home together, Cael smiled too—perhaps for the first time, truly smiling because someone cared about him.
Four months passed.
Elena and Cael had spent all their days training and living their life in peace. That night, as they sat down for dinner, Elena looked at Cael and said gently,
"I'll have to leave for four days. There's something important I need to take care of. Do you think you can stay here alone until I'm back?"
Cael's face fell a little. His eyes drifted downward as he quietly replied,
"Someone who's spent his whole life alone… what difference will four days make?"
Elena immediately stood up, walked over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"There's no need to say something like that," she said firmly. "I'm only going for a few days. It's not like your whole world is going to fall apart. You can trust me, Cael."
That was all Cael had ever longed to hear.
That someone—anyone—would say he could trust them.
That someone would promise not to leave him behind.
And the next morning, Elena was gone.
Cael gets up from his bed and sees that Elena has already left. On the table in front of him, there's a warm, freshly cooked meal — and a small note beside it. Written on the note are the words:
"Don't forget to eat, and never skip your training."
He smiles to himself and says softly,
"She really thought of everything before leaving..."
Without wasting time, he heads out for his training.
As he walks alone through the forest path, it all feels a bit strange. The silence is heavier than usual — maybe because he's grown used to hearing Elena's voice echoing through the trees.
Eventually, he stops at the same spot where he meditates every day, sits down, and begins his practice.
But just as he's starting to find his focus, a loud dog's barking suddenly breaks the calm.
Frustrated, unable to concentrate, he grits his teeth and storms deeper into the forest in annoyance, hoping to escape the noise and clear his head.
He goes deeper into the forest and sees a dog barking furiously near a pit. When he approaches and looks into the pit, he finds two children — a boy and a girl — crying inside. They're both terrified and shouting,
"Someone please help us!"
Realizing the urgency, Cael quickly scans the area and begins breaking off branches and vines from the nearby trees. He gathers as much as he can, and with determination, weaves them together to form a strong makeshift rope or ladder.
He then lowers it carefully into the pit, creating a path for the children to climb out.
And he says to the two children, "Both of you, climb up slowly." As they begin to climb, Cael helps them by holding their hands and pulling them upward.
He manages to rescue the boy easily, lifting him up and setting him safely outside the pit. But while he's helping the girl up, just as he's pulling her toward the edge, his foot suddenly slips.
Realizing he's about to fall, he quickly uses all his strength to push the girl upward with one final motion, sending her safely over the edge.
But Cael himself loses balance — and falls into the pit.
As he hits the bottom, loose rocks and jagged stones from the surrounding walls collapse in with him, crashing down painfully on top of his body.