The other initiates stared at Arran as if he had told them he had never seen the sun.

"You don't know what stages are?!"

Arran could not see who spoke, but the voice sounded dumbfounded. From the looks on the initiates' faces, it could have been any of them.

Adept Kadir turned toward the initiates. "All of you, get back to your training," he said in a firm tone that allowed no argument.

Reluctantly, the initiates followed Adept Kadir's command, although several of them shot curious looks at Arran. It was obvious that his words had shocked them.

"Did I say something wrong?" Arran asked Adept Kadir, feeling uncomfortable.

The man turned toward Arran. "Not wrong, exactly. Follow me, we should talk."

Arran followed Adept Kadir to a small room at the side of the training hall. Inside were a desk and some chairs, but little else. The stone walls were bare, and the room looked as if it saw little use.

"What has your master told you about magic?" Adept Kadir asked, closing the door behind them.

"Not much," Arran replied honestly. He went on to repeat what little he knew of magic, Realms, and Essence.

"I see," Adept Kadir said with a serious expression that did not suit his friendly face. "I'm afraid your master has done you a disservice."

Arran was startled at the harsh words about Master Zhao. Clearly, the man thought Master Zhao had failed in his duty as a teacher.

"I do not know why your master failed to explain this, but I will do it in his stead."

Arran sat up, listening attentively. He understood that what Adept Kadir was about to tell him was important.

"When learning magic, mages start at the Foundation level," Adept Kadir began. "Within the Foundation level, there are nine stages."

"Nine stages?" Immediately, Arran wondered what his own stage was.

Adept Kadir nodded, then continued, "The first three stages form the initiate level, the second three form the novice level, and the final three form the adept level."

"So what do the different stages mean?" Arran asked.

"The first stage merely requires opening a Realm," Adept Kadir answered. "The second stage requires you to control Essence to the point where you can expel it from your body. As your display in the training hall showed, you have already reached that stage."

Arran nodded, eager to hear more.

"The third stage," Adept Kadir continued, "requires you to fully control a single strand of Essence."

"Fully control a strand of Essence?" Arran asked, slightly confused. "What does that mean?"

"Fire isn't my strongest Realm, but I'll give you a small demonstration," Adept Kadir said.

He raised his hand, then stuck out his index finger. A moment later, an orb of fire the size of a marble appeared above his finger.

Once the orb fully materialized he flicked his wrist, and it began circling around his hand. With another flick of his wrist, the orb suddenly flew toward Arran, stopping only inches from his face. Finally, with a snap of Adept Kadir's fingers, the orb vanished in a blink.

Arran watched in amazement. While he had seen Master Zhao perform magic, the man had never shown him this kind of delicate control.

"From the way you're staring, I take it you haven't reached this level of control yet," Adept Kadir said, giving Arran an amused look.

Arran shook his head. Then, he asked, "So what is the fourth stage?"

"Initiates reach the fourth stage, and become novices, once they learn to use spells," Adept Kadir said.

"But wasn't what you showed me a spell?" Arran asked.

Adept Kadir shook his head. "That was just a technique."

"There's a difference?" Until now, Arran had thought the two were the same.

"Techniques control raw Essence," Adept Kadir replied. "They require constant attention and effort to maintain."

"And spells?"

"Spells are different. They weave strands of Essence, and once cast, they can be maintained without effort."

Thinking of how Master Zhao had changed his appearance, Arran understood. He had wondered how the man could maintain the illusion without any apparent effort, but what Adept Kadir had told him explained it.

"So I'm a second stage initiate, then?" Arran asked.

"Correct," Adept Kadir answered, although his expression was troubled.

"When I threw that fireball, the other initiates looked at me as if I had just turned into a goat," Arran said with a thought. "Why was that?"

Adept Kadir chuckled for a moment, but when he spoke, his gaze turned serious. "You are an initiate of the second stage. Yet what you did…"

"Didn't I just use a technique?" Arran asked. "You said that's normal for initiates, right?"

"The technique itself was normal," Adept Kadir said. "The amount of Essence you used, however… It was far beyond what a typical novice could use, much less an initiate."

As Arran considered it, he was sure that it must be due to the black pill Master Zhao had given him. Yet he understood that if the black pill's effects were so unusual, it was something he could not discuss freely. Not without Master Zhao's permission, at least.

"Has your master told you how mages strengthen their power?" Adept Kadir asked.

"Master Zh—" Lost in thought, Arran almost misspoke. "Master Fireheart told me that a mage's connections to his Realms grow stronger as he uses them."

"Indeed," Adept Kadir said. "But usually, it's a slow process. To reach the point where a mage can draw as much Essence as you did can take years if not decades. Yet in your case…" He shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it."

Arran was starting to worry. Adept Kadir clearly sensed something was amiss, and the man seemed smart enough to see through Arran's clumsy lies.

"So does that mean I'm as strong as a novice?" Arran asked, attempting to steer Adept Kadir's attention away from the origins of Arran's power.

Adept Kadir laughed, then shook his head. "You have strength, but you lack control. In magic, the latter is far more important than the former."

"But if I'm strong enough, can't I just overpower my enemies?" Arran asked.

"Skilled mages can easily deal with raw strength," Adept Kadir said. "Let me show you." He stood up, walked toward the bare stone wall, then turned around. "Throw some of those fireballs at me."

Arran blanched. "Are you sure?" Adept Kadir looked confident, but Arran was afraid he would hurt the man.

"No need to worry. You won't hit me." Adept Kadir seemed completely at ease.

Arran didn't like the idea, but he stood up and faced Adept Kadir. Ignoring his reluctance, he gathered up Fire Essence in his hand, then threw a head-sized fireball straight at Adept Kadir.

The fireball missed its target by a good three paces, crashing harmlessly into the stone wall.

"How?" Arran was dumbfounded. At this distance, it should be impossible for him to miss.

"Again," Adept Kadir said.

Arran tried again, but the result was the same. Once more, his fireball flew into the wall, well away from Adept Kadir.

At Adept Kadir's urging, Arran tried again, then again. After eleven fireballs his Fire Essence ran out, and he stared at Adept Kadir, who was completely unscathed.

"How did you do that?" Arran asked. He had seen nothing out of the ordinary, but it was as if his fireballs had simply refused to come anywhere near Adept Kadir.

"I used Wind Essence to deflect your fireballs," Adept Kadir said. "Without you fully controlling your Fire Essence, even a slight sliver of it was enough to send them off course."

Arran was taken aback. Until a moment ago, he had believed the fireball technique to be a fearsome weapon, but now he understood that other mages could easily defeat it.

"So I should improve my control," Arran said, recognizing the problem. With his current command over Fire Essence, to other mages, he would be little more than a toddler clumsily throwing rocks.

"You should," Adept Kadir said. "But with your power, and you using Fire as well… It would be far too dangerous for the other initiates to practice with you."

"Then what should I do?" Arran asked, hoping the man would have a solution.

For a moment, Adept Kadir sank in thought.

"I will ask Grandmaster Windsong to give you a Wind Realm scroll," he finally said with a smile. "That way, you should be able to practice magic without setting the other initiates on fire."

Hearing this, Arran was overjoyed. Not only would he improve his magical skills, but he would also receive a new Realm.

So far, their stay with Windsong was turning out even better than he had hoped.