For my first lesson, I wore a white T-shirt and baggy pants.
Across from me, Seirath wore the exact same thing, but somehow he made it look like a campaign poster. The fans would have gone feral seeing him like this. If they weren't delusional already, this would've pushed them off the cliff.
The training arena was empty with sunlight pouring through a square opening in the ceiling. There was nothing here but heat, air and expectation. It felt less like an arena and more like a crucible.
"Xana is the breath of the Fluxers and Humans. It is the essence that turns a body into something greater. Every Flux is fueled by Xana. It is unlocked at the Second Awakening and from that moment onward, your existence bends around it."
I nodded, keeping my mouth shut for once. This wasn't the time for snark. He continued, pacing slowly across the sand.
"There are four primary methods of using Xana which every Fluxer interacts with their reserves. The world teaches them in order, as if all Fluxers are uniform. But we do not bow to uniformity."
"The first is Evocatio, to evoke or summon. When you call upon your Flux to manifest, it is Evocatio that shapes it. Without it, your Flux is imagination without form. Evocatio is what allows you to take thought and turn it into substance. Whatever your Flux touches, Evocatio binds it to reality. So whenever you use your Flux, Evocatio is used."
In my head, I pieced it together. That was the bread and butter of every battle I have ever seen. Evocatio was the showman's trick but beneath that, it was the foundation. Without it, we would all just be kids waving sticks and calling them swords.
"The second," Seirath said, his hand flexing into a fist, "is Roborare. This is reinforcement. Xana, when turned inward, becomes armor. With Roborare, you can stop a blade with your hand. You can fall from a height and land without shattering. You can endure poison in your veins because Xana burns it out."
Seirath tapped his chest.
"The ignorant treat Roborare as a barrier but the wise understand it is transformation. It does not only defend. Each battle fought with Roborare sculpts the Fluxer into something beyond normal."
Yeah. That tracked. That was exactly the kind of hell my body needed to survive the summer.
"The third is Occultare. Think of it as concealment. With Occultare, Xana suppresses and even erases the Xana signatures that Fluxers sense. Assassins make it their creed. The unseen is always the most dangerous."
That one surprised me. I always thought stealth was a Flux, not a Xana application. Occultare wasn't a trick. Thankfully, Phasnovterich has the speed and stealth of a Fluvium he consumed when he was five so this shouldn't be too hard.
"The average Fluxer uses Occultare to hide in darkness. But a master can stand before you in the light of day, speak to you, and you will not register their presence."
Okay, I hope he doesn't do that to me.
"And the fourth is Augere, Amplification. Ire the most difficult, dangerous and the most vital."
I held my breath as he explained.
"Augere is the act of forcing Xana into greater output. It's not simply using it but multiplying it, flooding your body until the very cells ignite. Amplification makes the weak strong but it exacts a cost. Train it poorly, and you will burn out your reserves. Train it recklessly, and you will rupture your channels. Many have died trying to touch Augere. Fewer still have mastered it."
Seirath let the words hang before finally stepping back. His voice shifted from teacher to judge.
"The world trains its Fluxers through these methods in order. Evocatio first, then Roborare, then Occultare, and finally Augere. They treat it like a staircase.to climb one step, then the next. The House of Rameses is not the world. We look at the Fluxer... or Human, in your case, not the textbook. We do not bind our students to a ladder. If your potential lies in concealment, we begin with Occultare. If your blood burns with reinforcement, we begin with Roborare. The sequence is irrelevant. Only results matter."
That was brutal but brilliant. The world played checkers while Rameses played chess. While other Houses raised cookie-cutter soldiers, Rameses forged individuals into storms. Seirath's eyes pinned me like nails against a wall. He didn't waste time with flowery speeches. He went to the point.
"We'll start with Occultare."
I tilted my head. "Why that one?"
"Because it's your specialty. You do not have the strength most Fluxers rely on. If you tried to fight head-on, you would be crushed before you could even take a breath."
Ouch. Not exactly the pep talk I was hoping for but he wasn't wrong. I wasn't the kind of guy who threw punches and broke walls. He didn't soften it either.
"You are weaker in strength. Accept it. But your speed and stealth are your weapons. By the way, which weapons do you use?"
"I fight with strings."
He nodded once, like he'd been waiting to hear that. "Good. Strings are not weapons of strength. They are weapons of speed and stealth. They are perfectly suited for Occultare."
That was the first time in this whole lesson I felt like I wasn't being told what I lacked, but what I had.
"Using Xana isn't complicated. People overthink it. All you need to do is push it outside your body."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
I hesitated for maybe half a second, then tried. It was almost like tugging at something under my skin. Almost immediately, black inky energy bled out over my body. It clung to my skin, swirling like smoke underwater. I felt heavier and lighter at the same time.
Seirath didn't even flinch.
"Good. You see? Summoning Xana itself does not require training. It's instinct. To a Fluxer, it's as natural as walking or lifting your arm. The challenge is not in calling it. The challenge is in telling it what to do."
He stopped in front of me again.
"Occultare is about concealment. You have to make yourself vanish, not with illusions, but with silence. Xana is the only way to do it. For the next month, you will focus on nothing but Occultare."
I blinked. "A month? Only that?"
"Yes. And to do so, you will undergo physical training."
I narrowed my eyes. Okay, he's making less sense.
"Why physical training? If it's about using Xana, shouldn't I… you know… practice that?"
Seirath gave me a look, the kind that told me my question was stupid but he was going to humor me anyway.
"Because training your body will make you use your Xana. Every strain of muscle, every breath pushed to the edge will draw out your energy. Training your body is training your Xana. Understand?"
I let that sink in. Slowly, I nodded.
"Speed and stealth is your path. The more your body learns them, the more your Xana will shape itself into Occultare."
"So… speed training and stealth training."
"Correct. From six in the morning until noon, speed training. From noon until evening, stealth exercises."
That was… brutal. But then again, what did I expect? A month of naps and motivational speeches? I glanced up at the arena's roof or lack of it. The sky above was blue.
"What time is it now?"
"Seven. Which means we begin immediately."
I swallowed hard. "Speed, then?"
"Speed," he confirmed.
And just like that, my first lesson officially began.