The next morning in Lunel was all glare and gold.
The lake had turned into a mirror again — but this time, Rynn didn't stare at it like it was magic.
He knew better now. The beauty was just the surface.
Everything below it was movement waiting to happen.
Eren stood a few meters away on a flat platform, the compass on his wrist faintly humming.
"Yesterday you learned how to listen," he said. "Today, you'll learn how not to explode while doing it."
Rynn groaned. "That's… reassuring."
---
Holding Energy
Eren tossed him a small metal disc. It was smooth, cold, and heavy for its size.
"Relic scrap," he said. "Soaked in Mirra residue. Perfect for practice. Feel it."
Rynn closed his hand around it.
Instantly, his palm prickled with a static buzz. It wasn't pain — more like pressure trying to crawl out of his skin.
"Don't push it out," Eren said. "Breathe. Let it sit."
Rynn focused. The vibration climbed his arm, slow and patient.
He pictured the pressure folding inward, compacting — a ball of invisible tension pressed between his fingers.
A faint glow shimmered around his hand — not bright, just a soft blue pulse.
Eren nodded. "That's a Node."
---
Understanding Mirra Nodes
Eren crouched beside him and drew a small diagram in the dust — circles within circles, lines curving like waves.
"Every time energy moves, it leaves a residue — a pocket.
When you compress your Mirra into those pockets, you get control points.
Too loose, and it leaks. Too tight, and it ruptures."
"So basically," Rynn said, "don't explode?"
"Exactly."
He flicked a stone into the lake.
The ripples spread, then paused halfway, holding their shape for a heartbeat before resuming.
"That's what balance looks like," Eren said. "It's not about stopping energy. It's about giving it permission to rest."
---
Practice
Rynn tried again.
He pressed his hands together, felt the air between his palms grow thick and warm.
Then — thunk — a flash of pressure burst outward, pushing his hair back and making him stumble.
Eren raised an eyebrow. "You're not folding it — you're strangling it."
"Maybe it deserves it."
"Maybe you do."
Rynn sighed, flexing his fingers. "So how do you make it… stay still?"
"Simple," Eren said, pointing at the water. "Don't tell it what to do. Ask it where it wants to go."
Rynn frowned, but tried again.
This time, he stopped thinking about his hand and thought about the space between them.
The glow steadied, rippling softly like liquid caught in invisible glass.
A Mirra Node — stable, contained, alive.
---
Small Victory
He placed it on the ground. It hummed faintly, leaving a faint circular mark that faded after a few seconds.
Eren crouched beside it, nodding. "Good. You just built a muscle most people never find. You've got your first storage point."
Rynn smiled a little. "Feels like holding lightning in a jar."
"Not bad," Eren said. "Except lightning doesn't fight back."
He picked up a small stick and tossed it toward the Node.
The moment it crossed the invisible field, it snapped backward, the air popping softly.
No flame, no noise — just pressure rebounding.
Rynn's grin widened. "That was—"
"Controlled," Eren finished. "Don't get used to it. Tomorrow, we start combining them."
Rynn flopped backward, arms spread. "You're seriously going to kill me, aren't you?"
Eren smirked. "Only if you're not fast enough to stop me."
---
Evening
They trained until sunset again.
When they finally walked back through Lunel's narrow bridges, Rynn noticed something new — wherever they stepped, the water shimmered faintly under their feet.
Not reflections this time. Just Mirra residue, soft and harmless, like the world saying "I saw that."
He smiled. "Guess I'm getting better."
Eren didn't look back. "You're getting louder."
---
End of Chapter 17
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