"Again!"
Corrin's scar seared with a burning fury. His body, once again, burst into a golden light, and he fell to the ground. Corrin looked up and saw Keris standing over him.
"Hone your connection to the Anees Energy hiding within the shard. "
Corrin hits the ground a few times.
"Get up."
The training in the training yard had been difficult. Though not in the same 'difficult' Corrin had experienced while training with the Hidden Vanguard. When he trained with them, most of their training was physical exercise and learning the fundamentals of using the Light Katana Style.
Corrin had been taught a few different techniques and attacks there, but was learning many, many more here. Corrin wondered how, in a culture where almost everybody Corrin had seen used a broadsword, Keris knew so much about katanas.
The training itself was much less physical exercise and more of a connection with both the Cornimax and the Anees Energy in the air. Tutsoi was only practicing what he had learned; he had graduated from the Academy as a soldier a few months prior, when he turned seventeen.
Corrin tried to do the math; he would be turning seventeen in a few months as well. He could hardly believe it; he had been fifteen and completely helpless when his village was burned.
Now, only a year and a few months later, he was sixteen and had taken down the queen of an entire empire.
Lukas's training consisted of learning and controlling his Resonance, Black Steel.
"Speaking of Resonances…"
Keris and the others sat down for food inside. Keris was speaking to Corrin.
"I'm not really sure if you'll ever obtain one, Corrin."
Corrin looked up from his meal. His jaw slightly opened in shock.
"What do you mean? Why don't you think so?"
"Well… A Resonance is the direct connection between your soul and the Anees Energy in the air. Resonances, as far as we know, work with all races because the Anees Energy in the air is so few that any race can call upon it with some consistency."
Corrin looked for a few moments, waiting for him to speak again.
"Didn't you hear me? A Resonance is the direct connection between your soul, Corrin. Because you and Lukas share two parts of the same soul, I'm not sure how it would work. If you both had the same Resonance, or different Resonances, or if one had a Resonance while the other did not. It's a very… confusing case."
Corrin looked at Lukas.
"Well… even if we are two parts of the same soul, it's not like we seem all that incomplete in our nature. We act similarly, but he's his own person and so am I."
Keris nods.
"On the outside, absolutely. But your soul is more complicated."
Keris gave Corrin more food for thought, not that he needed any of it. He constantly had things on his mind anyway.
As their training continued into the weeks, Corrin found a bit more relief and consistency with his connection. According to Keris, the reason he had been failing was that he was calling on too much power at once. He had to stop himself before it reached a difficult-to-control state.
He believed this was because Corrin had used a shard for so long that he was having trouble actually regulating the power.
Tutsoi, alongside practicing his own Resonance and fighting styles, had also been practicing how to hone using the Shard of Realms. Corrin had been giving as much advice as possible, but he had only ever used the Shard of Time, aside from a few times using the Shard of Realms, wherein he almost threw up whilst teleporting around.
Keris approached Corrin one evening outside on the stairs. Corrin had been sitting there, meditating and trying to connect with the Anees Energy in the shard.
"Corrin, I hate to bother, but I have a question."
"Not at all, what is it?"
Keris sat down on the steps next to Corrin.
"When is your birthday?"
Corrin was a little confused, so Keris explained.
"I ask for two reasons. One as a teacher, and the other as a father. As a teacher, I ask because I cannot legally train anybody under the age of 17 and need to know how much time I have left. As a father, I want to know what Lukas's real birthday is."
Corrin looked a bit confused.
"You… don't know your own son's birthday?"
"We found him nearly frozen to death in the tundra outside the city walls with nothing but a basket, a blanket, and his last name of Hisstion. We decided to make that his birthdate, but we're not actually sure what his birthday is."
Corrin smiled a bit; he found it sweet that Keris wished to know.
"My birthday is the third of September."
Keris smiled.
"So we were right. That means that the day you were born, your soul was split. And Lukas was sent through the realms, somehow."
Corrin hadn't thought of it yet, but he was slightly irritated that he had more to think about.
"How do you think Lukas was sent through the realms?"
"Oh, that one's easy. It was probably a Realm Ruin…"
Corrin made a strange face.
"Based on your expression, I doubt you've heard of them, have you?"
Corrin shook his head slowly. Keris is geared to explain.
"Don't worry, it's not going to take long. A long time ago, the guardians created Realm Ruins all over the world as gateways to the different realms with the help of the Shard of Realms. They all go to a specific realm in the world; they're connected in a sense. One Realm Ruin will always travel to a specific one in another realm."
Corrin nodded his head, taking it in. He found it interesting. There were still so many things about the world Corrin didn't know. But he was sure he would learn in the coming years.
As he was about to get up, he stopped.
"Wait a minute, what about Tutsoi? He's seventeen, isn't he?"
Keris laughed a bit.
"I was wondering if you would ask about that. Yes, he is over seventeen. And while I cannot directly train him as a student of the Academy, he's still allowed to use my training yard to train as long as both the council and I approve of it."
Corrin stood up.
"Ah… but then why does it matter if I or Lukas turns seventeen? Can't you just get that approved and have us still train here?"
Keris only smiled.
"I'll be seeing you, Corrin. Remember that I have my eye on you; you'd better not be slacking."
Corrin realized just then that Keris only wanted to know when Lukas's birthday was.
Their training soon continued, and Corrin found that time flew by; he could hardly believe that it was already August.
He had been in a coma for nearly a month after his fight with the queen, and in bed for weeks more. He was sent here and trained for even more time. His life, at least in the past months, seemed like a cycle of training and resting.
Though he had to admit, spending his time meditating and training in the blistering cold was not something Corrin was expecting for him this summer.
Keris explained that most people learn how to wield a Resonance much earlier, and so it would take Corrin, if he could use one, much longer than a few weeks to see even a faint glimmer of it.
With how cold the summer was, Corrin couldn't imagine what winter felt like. He already wore a fur coat constantly, even indoors, and thick pants that he had been graciously offered by Keris as it got colder.
Keris had them staying in the Academy dormitories, and Corrin hardly ever left the building or training yard. His days were spent training constantly.
However, during his training one evening, Omna came to visit them. He sat down on a bench by the training yard beside Keris and watched Corrin and Tutsoi spar. Both of them held wooden swords.
Tutsoi darted forward.
"Broadsword Style…"
Tutsoi flipped upside down whilst flying towards Corrin, his blade a glowing color.
"...False Attack!"
A black circle appeared in front of Tutsoi, and he flew inside it, disappearing and changing realms, and Tutsoi was completely gone.
Corrin quickly turned to look where he could have gone. Tutsoi suddenly appeared directly behind Corrin, slamming his sword into Corrin's neck. He flew back and slid on the ground.
Corrin couldn't have reacted in time to the attack unless he was much faster than he had been.
"Corrin!"
Keris walked up to him.
"If you had a stronger connection with the shard, then you could have dodged that attack easily. You slow down things around you, Corrin. That could have been an easy win for you."
Corrin got up slowly, angered. Keris turned to all of them: Lukas, Corrin, and Tutsoi.
"Everyone, Omna wishes to speak with you all. It would be rude to keep him waiting."
Corrin held the hit on his neck as he walked. It wasn't the first time he had been hit that hard.
As they approached, Omna stood. He seemed older than before. Of course, he was, but it was much clearer now. He had trouble standing. That isn't to say he wasn't amazing at it before, either, only that Corrin noticed it was more difficult for him.
"Thank you. Now, I've a few things to say."
His voice was as slow as always, though it seemed slightly slower than before.
"One, Keris told me that he's seen improvement in your training, even though it may have been slow. Two, due to our information division-"
Lukas interjected.
"Information division?"
Keris bopped him on his head.
"Don't interrupt a Council member, Lukas."
"No, no. It's quite right, Keris. The Information Division is a specialized group of some of the highest elites that come from this Academy, tasked with finding information for anything we may need. For a long time, they weren't needed, but recently they've been tracking the movements of the beasts. We would have sent them after you, Lukas, but they were far too busy."
Omna seemed saddened that he couldn't send them after Lukas.
"Well, they recently discovered that Nevarii may be hiding in the ruined city on the lake. It would be a dangerous journey, and a far more dangerous destination, but we may be able to strike tomorrow. Of course, I will not send three teenagers alone. They would go with the Information Division to fight against Nevarii."
Omna turned to Keris.
"This will only happen if you believe they are ready. If not, I will simply have the Information Division keep an eye on Nevarii."
Corrin, Tutsoi, and Lukas all stood, themselves nervous as to what Keris's answer would be.