The sun yawned above the hills, slowly pushing its warm golden fingers into the sleepy corners of the world. Inside the cozy cottage nestled between a hill and the forest, Keal Veyr stretched his arms as if he were about to wrestle the morning sun itself.
"Good morning, my beautiful gothic mother!" he yelled out dramatically, striking a ridiculous pose in the doorway of Nylessa's room.
Nylessa, still brushing her long raven hair, raised a perfect eyebrow and turned slowly. "Gothic?" she asked, her voice layered in amusement and suspicion.
Keal laughed. "It's a compliment! You've got that mysterious elegance and dark charm thing going on. If I wasn't your son—"
She threw a brush at him.
Dodging with the grace of a theater actor, Keal pirouetted and winked. "See? Mysterious and violent. Classic gothic."
Nylessa rolled her eyes and returned to grooming. "And you're still hopelessly dramatic."
After a lazy breakfast filled with Keal's humming and Nylessa pretending not to smile, the conversation turned toward magic.
"I've been thinking," Keal said as he stuffed his face with berry toast, "I wanna be the best battlemage in the world. Maybe even marry a princess. Or two. Do they allow that?"
Nylessa sighed. "Before any of that, you should understand the basics of magic. Do you remember me mentioning the Arcane Core?"
Keal tilted his head. "You mean that shiny-sounding thing inside people?"
Nylessa nodded. "It's the heart of all spellcasting. Without it, true magic is impossible. Everyone has a dormant Arcane Core. But unless it awakens, they can't do anything beyond the most basic spells."
"So if I'm not awakened, I can't do cool stuff like explosions or summoning meteors?" Keal asked, dramatically pretending to cry into his toast.
Nylessa chuckled. "Exactly. Only those with an awakened Arcane Core—what we call Awakeners—can manipulate high-level magic. The rest can only perform low-level spells, and even those require focus, practice, and patience."
Keal clapped his hands. "So you're saying I can shoot sparks and squirt water, but not turn into a fire tornado?"
"Not yet," Nylessa said, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "But maybe someday."
Keal stood up and saluted. "Then I shall squirt with pride until I explode with honor."
"Don't say that out loud in front of others," Nylessa said quickly, rubbing her temple.
After breakfast, Keal, armed with his dreams and a piece of toast in his mouth, skipped his way to Lina's house. He knocked dramatically, holding a leaf like a rose.
The door creaked open.
"Good morning, Princess Lina," Keal said in a mock-charming voice, bowing low.
Lina narrowed her eyes. "You trying to make me blush again?"
"Every day," Keal grinned.
Moments later, they sat across from Nylessa inside the cottage's small study.
Nylessa placed two dusty tomes in front of them. "Time to learn the history of the Arcane Core."
Keal looked at the book, then back at Nylessa. "Wait, there's history too? You never said anything about homework."
Lina smirked. "Scared already, future battlemage?"
"Never!" Keal declared. "Lay on the pain!"
Nylessa cleared her throat. "The Arcane Core is believed to be a fragment of the world's original source of magic—what ancient texts call Aetherium. Thousands of years ago, mages didn't need to awaken. Magic simply flowed through the air. But after the Cataclysm of Twelve Moons, the world's natural mana was sealed, and magic had to be drawn from within."
"Sounds dramatic," Keal whispered. "I like it."
"The only way to fully access your inner mana," Nylessa continued, "is to awaken your Arcane Core. Most people never do. Some are born awakened. Most need extreme training or a powerful event to trigger it."
Keal raised his hand. "Like love at first sight?"
Nylessa paused. "That's... not impossible, I suppose. But unlikely."
Lina looked sideways at Keal. "So what do we do until we awaken?"
Nylessa opened the second tome. "You learn the low-level fundamentals—water shaping, basic fire conjuring, wind direction... all spells that don't require an awakened Core but still let you manipulate the elements slightly."
Keal rubbed his hands together. "Let's start with fire. Fire's romantic."
"You're hopeless," Lina mumbled, trying to hide her smile.
Keal raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a mischievous grin as he turned to Lina, who had just teased him about being hopeless.
"Hopeless? Me? My dear Lina, if I were truly hopeless, you'd be running away, not blushing so prettily beside me. Admit it, you like this hopeless charm," he said, striking a dramatic pose with his hands on his hips and a wink that made Lina snort with laughter.
"Enough, both of you," Nylessa cut in sharply, but her tone was light. Her arms were crossed, yet her lips betrayed the hint of a smile. "If you two are done flirting like birds during spring, we have actual learning to do. Today, you'll learn something that most adults barely grasp."
Both Keal and Lina straightened up, the air shifting as Nylessa's gaze turned serious. She took a seat on the mat in the center of the training room, motioning them to sit.
"Let's start with the origin of the Arcane Core," Nylessa began, her voice steady. "In the oldest scrolls, from the time known as the Ancient Era, the Arcane Core was described as a divine spark embedded in every living being. Not everyone could access it, but those who did were revered as 'Blessed Flames.' Back then, magic wasn't something taught—it was awakened through divine trials, harsh and unforgiving. Many died trying."
Keal leaned in, his eyes wide. "Divine trials? Like... gods made people suffer just so they could do magic?"
Nylessa nodded solemnly. "Exactly. That's why only a handful could ever reach that level. But it changed during the Middle Epoch. Magic began to be understood more scientifically. Scholars of that time discovered that the Arcane Core wasn't purely divine—it was a construct, a fusion of willpower, mana pathways, and emotional resonance. This discovery changed everything."
She drew a circle on the floor with chalk, splitting it into three. "The Arcane Core has three components: the Will, which fuels it; the Flow, which governs how mana travels; and the Resonance, the emotional attunement that shapes spells. If even one is missing or weak, your magic crumbles."
Lina raised a hand. "So... if someone's really emotional, does that make their magic stronger?"
Nylessa smiled. "Not quite. It means their magic is more volatile. A controlled emotion creates strong, focused spells. Uncontrolled emotion? It can backfire, sometimes even kill the caster. That's why mastering Resonance is the hardest part."
Keal scratched his head. "So how do people awaken now? We didn't do any divine trial... unless that dog's tail counts."
Nylessa chuckled. "These days, people awaken through intense personal experiences—emotional trauma, deep fear, joy, or loss. Something that shakes their core. Most awaken around twelve to fifteen years old. You two are unusual cases, showing magical sensitivity this early. But until you awaken fully, you can only cast the most basic spells."
"But what if I want to be the strongest battle mage ever?" Keal asked, puffing out his chest.
"Then you'll need to survive long enough to awaken properly," Nylessa said, her voice quiet but firm. "And that means discipline. Not just flirting and running into forests."
Keal and Lina exchanged a sheepish glance.
"Alright," Lina said, sitting upright. "Let's learn this properly. How do we train the Will, Flow, and Resonance?"
Nylessa gave them an approving nod. "We begin with breathwork. Magic starts with focus, and breath is the anchor. Close your eyes..."
And the lesson began, ancient knowledge flowing into young minds eager for strength, their laughter fading into the silence of serious study.