The first rays of dawn had not yet touched Shadowreach when Lysandra led Kael into the heart of the city's abandoned warehouse district. The streets were silent, shrouded in mist, the only sound the distant clatter of shutters and the soft wind whispering through cracked windows.
"This will be your classroom," Lysandra said, stopping in front of a large, decrepit warehouse. The wood groaned as the wind passed through broken panels, and the smell of damp earth and rust filled the air. "Magic is not a toy, Kael. It is a force. If you fail to respect it, it will burn you."
Kael swallowed hard, eyeing the massive space. "And you're sure I can even… control it?" His voice wavered. He could still feel the warmth thrumming in his veins, unpredictable and insistent.
Lysandra's gaze was steady, almost piercing. "You can. But only if you learn its rules. Tonight, you were lucky. Now, luck won't save you. Are you ready?"
Kael nodded, though uncertainty gnawed at him. "I… I'll try."
She raised her hands, and a thin line of silver light traced the cracks in the floor, forming shapes and symbols Kael had never seen. "First, understand your power. Absorption magic is rare. You can take what others wield, but only temporarily. It is not infinite. Each use drains you, sometimes more than you realize. Overreach, and it will burn you from the inside out."
Kael focused, lifting his hands. He tried to summon the small spark of fire that had surprised him the night before. A tiny flame flickered into existence, then vanished. He frowned. "It's… weak. I can't hold it."
"Control comes with focus, patience, and pain," Lysandra said. She extended her hand, and a soft sphere of energy floated between them. "Touch this. Absorb its essence. Feel it. Do not fear it."
Kael hesitated. His fingers trembled as he reached forward. The moment his skin brushed the sphere, a surge of energy shot through him. Pain. Fire. Ice. Light. Every sensation at once, threatening to tear him apart. He gasped and fell backward. The sphere collapsed, leaving him panting on the cold floor.
Lysandra's voice was calm but sharp. "Yes. That was fear. That is what will kill you if you do not learn control. Again."
Kael's chest heaved. He had expected training to be hard, yes, but not… this. "Again?" he asked weakly, voice trembling.
"Yes. Until you can touch it and remain yourself. Magic will test you, Kael. It will probe your limits, your patience, your mind. Only then can you survive it… or wield it."
He forced himself to his feet, swallowing down the fear that clawed at him. "Alright… again."
Hours passed in a blur of sparks, energy, and exhaustion. Kael tried absorbing the energy, controlling it, molding it. Each failure sent pain shooting through him, each small success left him shaking, exhilarated, terrified. Sweat clung to his hair, dust coated his clothes, and still, Lysandra remained, a silent figure of guidance and scrutiny.
By the end of the day, Kael's hands glowed faintly, controlled for just a few seconds, but that was progress. He slumped against the wall, trembling. "I… I don't know if I can…"
Lysandra crouched beside him. "You can. But this is only the beginning. Magic is never fully mastered—it is tamed, moment by moment, choice by choice. Today, you learned your first rule: power is dangerous, and control is everything. Fail to respect it, and it will destroy you."
Kael nodded weakly, exhausted but strangely exhilarated. For the first time, he felt a sense of purpose beyond surviving the streets. This… power, terrifying as it was, could change everything.
A sudden noise made him jump. Lysandra's eyes narrowed. Footsteps—light, precise, deliberate—echoed in the distance. Kael's stomach twisted. He had hoped the danger of the night was behind him, but it seemed the world was not ready to let him rest.
"They've found you," Lysandra whispered. "Veilmaster's agents. They won't stop until they claim the artifact… or you. It's time to test more than just your magic. Run."
Before Kael could argue, Lysandra grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shadows. They moved like ghosts through the empty streets, the faint hum of the magic within him responding to the chase. Panic surged, but for the first time, Kael realized something: fear no longer controlled him entirely.
He could use it. Bend it. Harness it.
The night stretched on, filled with near captures, bursts of uncontrolled magic, and the first lessons of survival with his new abilities. By dawn, Kael collapsed against a rooftop, his body aching, clothes torn, hands glowing faintly with residual power.
Lysandra's gaze softened as she looked at him. "You survived the night. That is your second lesson: your body, your mind, and your courage are as important as the magic. One without the other is nothing."
Kael nodded, trembling, exhausted, but alive. And for the first time, he understood the terrifying promise of his own power: mastery could make him unstoppable… but failure could mean death.
Above them, the city stirred, oblivious to the war unfolding in its shadows. And somewhere, Kael could feel it—the agents were still out there. Watching. Waiting. Learning.
The game had only just begun.