In the misty silence of Aethelgard, the roar of the waterfall had faded into a distant, rhythmic hum. The world outside—the war, the demons, the academy—felt a million miles away.
Kairen Zephyrwind sat in the center of the crystal platform, his legs crossed, his hands resting on his knees. He was no longer sweating. He wasn't shaking. He was perfectly, unnervingly still.
Sage Vanamali stood at the edge of the water, watching him with an intensity that belied his calm demeanor. The Sage could see what others could not. He could see the intricate, glowing web of the "Essence" flowing into the boy, not as a raging torrent, but as a steady, breathing tide.
"The Heart is a filter," Vanamali's voice drifted through the air, quiet and guiding. "It takes the raw, chaotic noise of the world and refines it into Meaning. You have opened the door, Kairen. Now, step through it."
Kairen didn't move his physical body, but inside his "Inner Sanctum," he was walking.
