Night had fully settled when Kael came to Aerys's room again.
Aerys felt him before he saw him—the subtle pressure in the air, the faint tightening around his Nexus.
"You're here," Aerys said quietly.
Kael nodded, closing the door behind him.
"I still have much to teach you," he said, voice low. "But tonight is the last time."
Something in his expression tightened. Regret, perhaps. Or frustration. Aerys understood—rules mattered here. Even for a Proctor.
"Sit."
Aerys obeyed.
Essence weighed heavily in the room, denser than before, as if the walls themselves were aware of what was about to happen. Kael paced slowly in a circle around him.
"Every human resonates," he said. "Some with fire. Some with water. Earth. Wind. Lightning." He stopped behind Aerys. "Everyone aligns with something."
Aerys remained silent.
Kael extended his hand.
From within his mantle, he produced a thin hexagonal plate—black metal veined with softly glowing runes—and drove it into the stone floor between them.
The air shuddered.
Aerys felt it instantly.
Pressure.
Direction.
An unmistakable pull.
"This is a resonance matrix," Kael said. "Each channel corresponds to a fundamental alignment. You're late compared to the others—but you'll survive." A pause. "Open your Nexus. Nothing more."
Aerys inhaled.
He reached inward.
The Nexus responded—not violently, not eagerly. It unfolded smoothly, like an eye opening in the dark.
The world sharpened.
The matrix ignited.
Water surged first.
Cold pressure crashed against him, the sensation of drowning beneath infinite weight. It pressed against his Essence, seeking passage.
Nothing.
Earth followed.
Density. Immovability. A promise of endurance. The stone beneath him trembled faintly.
Then it recoiled.
Again—nothing.
Wind screamed past him.
Lightning cracked and vanished.
Then fire surged.
Heat rushed toward him—hungry, devouring. It clawed at his channels, testing, probing.
There.
The flame slipped into his Nexus—
—and anchored itself.
Kael's brow twitched.
Same resonance as that red-haired bastard, kael thought. he was talking about Praetor Leos.
But it wasn't over.
With ODI's silent assistance, every breath Aerys took sent ripples through the leyline's saturated Essence deep within the forest. Normally, a newly awakened body could only accept a strict, limited flow.
That rule shattered.
ODI adjusted. Regulated. Expanded.
Aerys felt it—his capacity stretching beyond reason.
"This is insane," Kael muttered.
He wasn't the only one stunned.
Aerys felt it too. This body—because ODI—responded unnaturally well. Sensing Essence was effortless. Circulation formed instinctively. Resonance stabilized without resistance.
Only then did he notice the limit.
…So I'm not infinite, Aerys realized.
Not yet.
Today wasn't about volume. It was about alignment.
Aerys exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. Sweat soaked his skin, his muscles trembling faintly.
"So," Kael said at last, voice strained, "you really are a genius."
Aerys smiled faintly. "That's a compliment, right?"
"It's definitely… a compliment," Kael muttered, pulling him to his feet.
"proctor," Aerys said.
Kael frowned. "What is it?"
"Can you show me your sword skill ?"
Kael chuckled. "Heh. Fine. Consider this my gift to you."
He drew his blade.
It wasn't large—the name Light-Dance was etched cleanly along its edge.
"Catch."
The sword spun toward Aerys. He caught it easily.
"It's light," Aerys said.
"Lighter than you expected?"
"Yes."
"Most swords are heavier. Light-Dance is half the usual weight." Kael smiled faintly. "Necessary for my technique."
"The sky Sword Dance," Aerys said.
Kael raised a brow. "Sharp mind."
The style relied on speed, angles, overlapping strikes—requiring a sword that could move like thought itself.
"That doesn't mean it's weak," Kael said. "Give it back."
Aerys did.
Kael stepped forward and casually swung the sword into the bedframe. Wood sheared cleanly away.
Aerys quietly picked up the broken piece and set it aside.
He liked his room orderly.
"…Sharp," he observed.
"That's why it's treasured," Kael said.
They trained ,Steps. Transitions. Form.
Aerys mirrored them flawlessly—deliberately imperfect, intentionally restrained.
Kael stared.
He'd shown him the movements only a handful of times.
He swallowed. "You learn too fast."
If only you knew, Aerys thought.
The sky Sword Dance consisted of twenty-four forms, each divided into three sub-forms. Tonight, Aerys learned only the sub-forms.
"Ohoh…" Kael sighed. "With a month, I'd have taught you everything."
"Thank you," Aerys said sincerely.
Kael handed him a crumpled sheet—rough notes on Essence absorption circulation , and resonance.
"I'll check on you again," Kael said. "Don't waste this it will help undertand the scripture in the library more easly,look for the fire resonance section ."
Aerys nodded.
"Now," Kael added, stepping back, "watch carefully."
Kael's posture changed.
The air tightened.
This wasn't instruction anymore.
This was the core.
Inside himself, Aerys spoke silently.
ODI. Prepare.
I will offer you the echo of his technique, ODI replied.
And the blade moved.