Connect

Can all the time in the world be mine? I kept asking myself that every time the fire refused to bend the way I wanted. Inhale. Exhale. How do I make my fire unique? All I see is shooting it. Too simple. Too expected. Fire may be one of the strongest elements, but adaptability? Almost zero. Wind bends. Fire just burns. Is that all it can do? So why bother to master the fire? It’s tough. Guess that’s why we’re given both a mentor and an instructor. I’m resting enough in the living room. Let’s get back to the rooftop to meet Ruri. We split off from Emil and Elka. They’re doing basic training at the Witch Club.

Ruri rested on the rooftop ledge, quietly watching the spiral rise from the middle of the city. I walked up quietly. She didn’t look back. “Why did Ilan keep the portal on his own? I walked to school for one year,” Ruri said. “I don’t think we can use every day. The shop is not ours.”

“Well, if someone buys the shop… or we learn the portal spell ourselves, maybe. Anyway, ready to keep going?”

“I have questions. Many of them… Can we talk about it first?”

“Sure, what's on your mind?” Ruri crossed her arms. “Why fire, Ruri. I know for you it’s a specialty for dragonkin. But I want to have a unique skill.”

"You melt some ice, warm a pot, and suddenly want to get a skill?"

“I train every day—you’ve seen the sweat. At least give me something for that.” She trains me every day without breaking a sweat. Sometimes I wonder if dragonkin even know what it means to tire? She lowered her arm. “What’s the biggest problem for you? Training every day? Sweat? Achievement?” Sweat ran down my arms. A shower could fix the sweat. But the dull burn in my head? That stuck. Every day. What choice did I have? “It’s an achievement, Ruri-Senpai.” I stared at her as she smiled.

“That’s what drives humans, as I thought.” Ruri lifted her palm, signaling me to give her a hand. She drew a circle on my hand. “Do you feel warm?”

“There are two ways to build immunity to fire spells: either use insulation gear to cover your body, or train your mana to form a heat-resistant layer around yourself… Which one would you choose, Auron?”

“It has to be heat-resistant… I can’t rely on equipment.”

“Good.” Ruri let my hand go. “The theory relies on imagination—casting a spell around your hand, and the fire takes shape. But it’s hot, right? That’s why fire users need more than strength, they need protection.”

“Does this theory apply to all elements?” I raised my hand. “Depends, Most do. And some spells, when cast directly on the body, can awaken specific traits—but it's risky. That’s why most avoid it.” I followed what she said, but still couldn’t picture it. Spells as armor? My brain didn’t know where to begin.

“The mana shield lets you shape fire close to your body. By combining both skills, you can use fire as a melee weapon.” Ruri pointed her finger at a hand. Flames wrapped her hand like a gauntlet. “Something like this.” She clenched her fist—another flame flared to life around it. Fire as a weapon? I’ve only ever thought of it as distance. Range. Not shield and fists. “The more you train and expand your mind, the faster it becomes and the broader your sense of the impossible grows."

Imagination… So it all starts with how I see it… How I shape it in my mind. I clenched my fist, trying to mimic her… It doesn’t look powerful like Ruri does. Importantly, it’s hot as she says. “My arm feels numb—like needles are pricking it.” “You’re pushing past what your body can handle,” she replied.

“Try mastering heat resistance first—but it won’t make you immune to all fire. If a stronger mage casts a spell at you, flames might still break through your mana shield.” Ruri pointed her finger like a gun at me. The fireball hit, my palm tingling like heat pressed through a thick towel, but never touched skin. “Your instincts as a mage kicked in; that’s how incredible the brain can be.” Ruri looked satisfied.

“How long would it take for me to use a mana shield?” I asked. “Sometimes it just happens. You’ll know when it does. You can cast by hand already, compared to normal people, there are millions of possibilities. Just keep your consistency, the payoff will show.”

I hadn’t mastered it, but understood what I’d been missing. Most of the day was spent on personal training for Ruri and me. Everyone else trained in pairs like us, getting ready for Brendwyn. Some days, I stretched time. Other days, I just warmed a pot. One day, just silence. The next day was sweaty. It was a strange kind of youth, seven days of nothing but magic. School wasn’t just school anymore, it was a cycle: mornings, lunch, and training. Repeat. After training, the week continued like this; today is finally a day off.

Waking up on a rest day without guilt. An empty sofa in the dorm’s living room. I just want to sit there alone, not talk to anyone. But not every day—just sometimes, the feeling comes. And when it does, I deal with it by sitting in silence. “Good morning,” a whispered sound. I flinched, waking up. Usually, it’s annoying when someone wakes you, but seeing Aeter there somehow felt… relieving. “Hi…” I replied awkwardly. We hadn’t spoken in a while. I wasn’t sure what she felt, and part of me feared I’d say the wrong thing.

“How is your day?” Aeter sat beside me. “Nothing much. We just decided to rest—Ruri said, seeing my face every day is getting boring.” Aeter giggled. “I understand her.”

“Am I really that boring?”

“Nah, I trained with Caelis every day too, remember? We’re taking a break today as well.” Aeter looked tired, I could feel it. She hunkered down on the sofa with a sleepy face. “It’s been a while since we talked… I felt like we were drifting apart. I’m glad I ran into you… Want to hang out today?” Aeter asked, voice barely above a whisper. She’s always so considerate… maybe that’s why I started feeling this way, too. I’d be happy if we could reconnect today, even just a little.

“Sure, but you look sleepy. Why don’t we head out when you’re fully rested?” “If not today, it has to be in Brendwyn. I don’t know when they’ll even let us off during training.” She leaned on my shoulder. I froze… then stayed exactly where I was. My heartbeat drowned the silence. I didn’t want to. “Then why don’t we find some place together today… I haven’t been to Keryndale in a while—if that’s where you want to go.” “Nah, I already found my spot, maybe I just need some rest.” Sitting beside her on the living room sofa felt better than going out. A quiet privilege I didn’t know I needed. Sometimes we just want warmth—it doesn’t always need to be lighting a fire. Part of me wished I could stretch this moment forever. If only time could stop right here.