The walk to the testing chamber felt heavier than usual, tension hanging just behind Caleb's steps. His instructor, Master Vaelin, strode beside him with his usual straight-backed poise, hands clasped behind his back.
"So, tell me," Vaelin began, his voice casual in a way that never boded well. "What are the stages of mana cores?"
Caleb straightened slightly. "There are five stages for all elements. Each starts with a different color, but after the first stage, some of the core colors start to look similar."
Vaelin cast him a sideways glance, one brow lifting. "Correct. And for fire mages?"
"In order—red, orange, yellow, blue, then white." Caleb grinned, pleased with himself. "Which is universal, of course."
The older man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That's not entirely true. White is shared by the four base elements, but it isn't pure white. There are streaks of all previous colors woven in."
Caleb shrugged. "Yes, yes. Wasn't that already obvious?"
It wasn't. Not at all.
Vaelin's eyes narrowed. He folded his arms, tapping his forearm with slow, deliberate precision. "You're lucky we've arrived. Go place your hand on the orb."
Relieved to avoid further questioning, Caleb stepped inside. The chamber was just as he remembered it—dim, circular, and empty save for the pedestal at its center. Upon it sat the orb: smooth, faintly luminous, and swirling with dormant power.
He remembered seeing Rhydian test his core here. It hadn't seemed all that special then. Just a glowing rock in a quiet room.
"Begin circulating your mana," Vaelin instructed.
Caleb nodded, settling into a stance and focusing inward. He drew on the knowledge he'd gleaned from long hours of study—however reluctantly endured. Slowly, he tugged at the energy coiled within his core.
It felt strange. Foreign. Like something asleep inside him had begun to stir.
"Good," Vaelin said. "You've started. Now, try speeding up the flow."
"I am," Caleb hissed. "Can't you see I'm sweating over here?"
The instructor didn't blink. "You're forcing it. Don't treat mana like a guest you're trying to shove out the door. The key is to understand it's not separate from you. You and your mana are one. Lead it. Don't push it. And watch your reserves."
Caleb's fingers twitched. A warmth built in his hands. Lead it? The idea didn't help at first. If anything, it made controlling the flow harder. But something clicked when he stopped thinking of mana as a tool and started thinking of it like blood—circulating naturally, mindlessly.
He imagined a loop. Mana flows from his core through his limbs, down his arms, and back again.
His breathing steadied.
"I think I've got it," he murmured, glancing at Vaelin. "You could've just told me to visualize the flow. Would've saved me the headache."
Vaelin smirked. "And where's the fun in that? You're doing well. Few first-stage mages get this far so quickly. Only Rhydian managed the same."
A surge of pride lifted Caleb's chest. Rhydian? That meant something.
"Now, go to the orb. Circulate mana and push some into your fingertips—give it short jabs."
Caleb stepped forward, placing both palms against the orb's cool surface. He pushed small bursts of energy through his hands. The orb flared red for a second, then dimmed again.
"Very good," Vaelin said. "Now fill it. Sustain the red color for several seconds."
Caleb tried the same technique again, but the flickers wouldn't last. Frowning, he changed tactics—circulating faster, then releasing in a larger wave. He pushed hard. Too hard. The mana surged, rushing through him like a torrent. His chest clenched as the orb flared a deep, burning red.
"So how long do I—"
"Stop!"
Startled, Caleb yanked his hands away. "What?"
Vaelin's face had turned stone-cold. "Why were you using so much mana?! You nearly drained your entire core. Do you understand what that means?"
Caleb blinked. "Doesn't it just make you pass out for a little while?"
Vaelin's expression darkened into fury. "Yes, it does. It also damages your core and your mana channels. You might recover from a short depletion, but do it again—and you could destroy your ability to use magic permanently."
Caleb paled. "Oh." His stomach sank. A creeping heat rose to his ears as shame settled in.
Vaelin folded his arms, jaw set. "Perhaps I should teach you directly instead of leaving it to books. Maybe then you'd remember the things that matter."
Images of Rhydian dragging himself out of Vaelin's training room half-dead danced through Caleb's mind. "Nope. No need. The current schedule is amazing. Perfect. Nothing needs to change."
Vaelin exhaled sharply. "Then start remembering the things that can kill you."
"Yes, Master Vaelin."