"Again."
From the moment their sparring began, that single command had been the only word Ferzen allowed between them.
And each time, without fail, Leon would respond not with words but with his blade.
How many times was that now?
Leon had lost count after their 45th clash, instead choosing to focus all his attention on landing at least on hit before their sparring was over.
And so, their sparring continued, until his thoughts narrowed to nothing but his next move and the steady refinement of his technique, all in the hope that his blade might one day reach the mountain that was his father.
*****
"..."
Leon found himself frozen mid swing as his sword was knocked clean out of his hand.
The sword careened through the air to finally end up at the edge of the training arena.
Clank!
He could barely register how it had happened; one moment he had his blade poised for a slash at Ferzen's side, and then in the next, that same sword was nowhere to be seen.
Leaving him with a faint throbbing in his hands where his sword had been, caused by the impact that had forced him to release his blade.
"That's enough for today, son."
Ferzen's calm voice broke him from his stupor, grounding Leon just enough to realise his sword was no longer in his hands.
"What... how?" He unconsciously let out his thoughts, as his mind was trying to grasp how he had been so effortlessly disarmed.
It happened so quickly that even as he tried to recall it, the moment only appeared as a gap in his memory.
The question sounded as barely above a whisper, but to it was still audible to Ferzen's near superhuman senses.
"..."
For a moment, he thought about ignoring his question, but when he remembered that they had a spectator, he took it upon himself to use this as a teaching opportunity.
His silently mused over an appropriate approach, before calling out to Leon as he walked to where his sword had landed.
"Son."
Leon couldn't help but be startled at being suddenly called, causing his voice to crack as he replied, "Yes, fæther?"
"Where does an aura user's strength come from?" Ferzen asked, bending down to pick up the sword.
Leon blinked at him confused for a moment before answering, "An aura user's strength is from their battle arts, right?"
Ferzen met his eyes and cocked a questioning brow.
"Right?" He echoed.
"Oh, no—I mean that aura users are strong because of their battle arts." Leon stumbled a little at the start but managed to get his answer out.
"Your answer is technically correct, but no."
Ferzen met his son's eyes and then turned his attention on the training sword in his hands.
"Battle arts, like this sword, are still just a tool used to enhance the effectiveness of what is already there.
"And what we call aura, is simply they by-product of when it is released, whether that be physically through what is referred to as battle arts or externally as magic."
Leon, seeing that their sparring was over, let himself sink down to sit onto the stone arena and think over his father's words.
"Hmm..." The answer was at the tip of his tongue; he just couldn't quite make out what it was.
'What do mages and aura users have in common... internal and external release—Oh, right!" He slammed his fist into his palm, as the answer he had been chasing seemed to have been hiding in plain sight.
"The answer is mana." Leon answered with a confident smile.
Ferzen let out an amused breath at his display and set Leon's training sword down in front of him, before continuing.
"Mana is an integral part of both magic and battle arts, and without it, neither of them would exist or take form.
"Think of them as two forests growing parallel to one another, separated only by a river.
"Though they may appear vastly different when viewed side by side, they rise from the same soil, receive water from the same source, and warmth from the same sun.
"Yet they were never the same tree, and in time, the buds on their branches would bloom into different flowers, bearing fruit of their own making."
He paused his lecture to glance at where their spectator was hiding and couldn't help but be surprised at what he was seeing.
Ferzen had turned his back earlier to give him a chance to sneak away, but his youngest must have seen that as an invitation because now he was seated middle of the path with an innocent smile with his curious eyes fixed on his face.
Their eyes met for a moment, and instead of turning away, Thorsten innocently tilted his head at him. Drawing his attention to his clear blue eyes that were almost overflowing with curiosity.
The sight of his youngest brought a small smile to his face.
Ferzen then turned his attention back to his son, who was still trying to make complete sense of his father's analogies.
Noticing his confusion, Ferzen couldn't help but wonder if the metaphor's he used were too vague, of if Thorsten had understood it all— 'No, as bright as he is, he's still too young to learn about this.'
He mused over it for a moment before returning his attention to Leon, who was still in deep thought.
"Is there anything you're struggling to understand?"
'Yes, everything!' Leon wanted to reply, but he kept it in and asked about the main thing that had been bothering him.
Leon sat there in silence, Ferzen's earlier words echoing in his mind.
Two forests, separated by a river.
The image itself was simple enough to visualise, with the reiver's meaning being as easy to grasp. Mana—flowing evenly between them, watering without bias.
'Each forest is probably just a placeholder for being either an aura user or a mage... So, all that's left is the nurturing, and then the flowers and their fruit.'
Leon chewed at the tip of his thumb as he considered the latter.
He was thinking that they had something to do with the abilities that would develop in their certain paths, but he was still ignorant to what a mages abilities were beyond them simply being able to do magic.
"Hmm."
His thoughts circled back to the part he had skipped. With the little he knew, an idea began to take shape.
'Nurturing is most likely just training... but then how does one even train to use magic—do they need to train?'
He let out a quiet sigh at that, then lifted his head to meet his father's calm expression.
Leon couldn't help but tense slightly under Ferzen's gaze—more curious than intimidating, and yet somehow managing to be both.
"I got that the river symbolizes mana, and that the two forests represent the path of being either a mage or an aura user. And the..."
Ferzen listened quietly as Leon cautiously presented his understandings.
His training had started only around a year ago, so this was a chance to test his understanding as well as to create an estimate for his growth.
"... Though, I'm still not sure on whether mages train or not?"
Ferzen gave an approving nod after hearing Leon's full explanation.
He didn't fault him for not knowing how mages trained. As someone walking the path of an aura user, such knowledge would serve him little at this stage.
"They do," Ferzen said simply. "Just not in the same way."
He gestured lightly toward Leon's chest.
"Before either path splits, there's something both must learn first."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Breathing methods."
Leon raised a curious brow at this.
As far as he knew, the breathing methods used by aura users were meant to strengthen the body, and a strong body would be useless to someone who could throw around balls of fire.
"The breathing methods used by mages work similarly to aura users, it's just that their mana is directed towards the brain instead of their bodies.
"This leads to the mana they emit naturally flowing upwards, opposed to an aura user's which flows outwards."
"Oh, I see." Leon started nodding his head as the new information settled in his head.
Ferzen, out of the corner of his eye, caught the confused look on his youngest face and decided to add a visual element to his explanation.
He dropped his practice sword and held out both of his hands; a closed fist and an upward facing palm.
A deep crimson, viscous looking mana began to flow outward.
From his closed fist, the mana flowed outward in all directions, and drooping slightly as if it had weight.
And from his left, the mana rose upward like a candles flame before tapering into a steady upward stream.
"You will be able to understand it better when you can sense it, but for now, this is how you can imagine it."
Leon and Thorsten's mouths fell open at the sight before them, their faces a healthy mix of wonder and awe as the mana flowing from Ferzen's hands.
Ferzen noticed it at once.
To him, shaping mana like this was no more difficult than breathing, something done without thought or effort. Yet seeing that same amazement reflected in their eyes stirred a quiet warmth in his chest.
It had been a long time since he had last seen it.