Torrin allowed their journey to the fire temple to start at an easy pace, worried about pushing Tillien too hard. He simply followed Tillien in a jog across the grassy plain, its surface marred with hills. After many breaks, the journey came to an end as the sun brushed the horizon. They set up camp and rested for the night.

Tillien seemed to be fine, but Torrin was unsure. The elf would laugh and joke like he used to, but Torrin would catch a flash of emotion from him that indicated some turbulent feeling just below the surface when he thought Torrin wasn't looking.

The next day, they set out once again. This time Torrin took the lead and set a harsher pace. Only a couple hours passed before Tillien began to flag.

"Tired already?" Torrin asked over his shoulder.

"You try being locked inside a mountain for a couple weeks," Tillien said with a wry grin, "It kills your stamina." Torrin winced. The pair slowed to a walk, continuing on side by side.

"It's a joke, Rin," Tillien placed his hand on Torrin's shoulder, "Again, not your fault we were imprisoned by Yawnel, and also, whatever was in that potion you gave me fixed me right up."

Torrin huffed out a breath, trying to let his conflicted feelings go. It was harder than he thought it'd be.

"You're right," Torrin tried for a cheeky grin, "If you all were stronger, you'd have been able to fend them off in your sleep. We need to increase your training!"

Tillien swatted at Torrin and he dodged away. They both laughed, and it felt good. Torrin hadn't joked around in years, had almost forgotten how to. The last time he remembered being so lighthearted was in his old world. Perria would have liked Tillien. Torrin shut down that line of thinking with a grimace.

"What is it, Rin?" Tillien asked.

"Just thinking about the past..." Torrin trailed off solemnly, shaking his head and putting on a smile, "But seriously, we should work on your training. Is your core already empty?"

Tillien's brows furrowed, "Why would my core be empty?"

Torrin stared at the elf blankly, "From enhancing your body?"

Tillien returned the look, "Enhancing my body? I haven't meditated today, so that's not a problem. My core is full."

Torrin's face became confused, a line appearing between his brows, "What does meditating have to do with it?"

Tillien mirrored his expression, "That's when we infuse our body with our mana to strengthen them, or enhance them, like you said, and tie ourselves closer to the ambient mana."

Torrin stopped walking. He felt as if he were missing something. Felt as if he were trying to understand a foreign language. Tillien stopped a few steps ahead, "What now? You've got that look."

"What look?" Torrin shot back.

"The look that says you're about to ask a hundred questions because you don't understand something, and won't stop until you do." Tillien replied with a smirk.

Torrin faked a grimace, "I don't have a look..."

Tillien laughed, "Well, what is it?"

"Tillien," Torrin began, but had to pause to figure out how to phrase his question, "Are you saying that you don't cycle your mana when you're running, or fighting?"

Tillien's face blanked, "What do you mean?"

So, Torrin explained. As he led them to a hill to sit down, he went into depth about cycling mana through his pathways, allowing it to bolster muscles and lessen the strain of running, fighting, or training. How infusing your body could give you more strength, and ease sore muscles to some extent. Tillien's eyes were wide as he took in the lesson.

"I mean, sometimes when I'm fighting I'll instinctively push mana into my arms or legs for more power, but I hadn't really thought about trying it on purpose..." Tillien said in a distracted tone.

"Well, yeah. It is sometimes instinctive, and I'm just confused as to why they didn't teach you how to do it on purpose. I know Ollivel had to be using a cycling technique when he fought me, there's no way he wasn't. His strength was amazing. He also matched me in speed, which isn't easy with my Saen enhanced body." Torrin mused, "I'm just surprised that the trainers never mentioned it."

Tillien shrugged one shoulder, "In our early stages, we are told to focus on our elemental control. Our weapons training is basic at best, unless you hire a private tutor. The other focus is imbuing your body with mana through meditation. It's supposed to slowly adapt our bodies to be better vessels, more in tune with the world around us."

Torrin nodded thoughtfully, hand scratching imaginary stubble, "I'm not sure what the best method would be for you, then. I don't know what your mana pathways are like, for one. And also, since you've never done it before, consciously that is, it may be harder to learn."

"Well," Tillien said, "Only one way to find out."

The elf rose with a look of concentration, brows furrowed and forehead scrunched. He began walking around Torrin in circles. Torrin waited for the elf's tongue to stick out of the corner of his mouth. The whole scene made Torrin want to burst out laughing, but he held it back. After a few minutes, Tillien let out a frustrated huff.

"No luck?" Torrin asked sympathetically.

"It just doesn't make sense to me, Rin," Tillien lamented, "Everything we learn is based on instincts. Even manipulating the elements. That's why the testing stone is so important, it awakens those instincts through fear and desperation. It feels weird to try and move the mana on my own."

Torrin frowned slightly, "What do you mean? How do you manipulate the elements on instinct?"

Tillien looked flummoxed, "That's like asking how you breathe! How would I explain it to you?"

"Well," Torrin's brow rose, he spoke slowly and deliberately, "Your muscles move for your lungs to expand, pulling in air, then they contract to push it out..." Torrin stopped when he received a glare from the elf. He put on his best Grams face, a wide, shit-eating grin.

"Thanks..." Tillien groused, "I guess, we just reach for the element we want to control and our mana flows to do what we need. Say I wanted to form a wind blade, I would just think about doing that and reach out my hand. My mana would leave my core to do what I want it to."

Torrin stared blankly at the elf, "So... You don't use mana threads, or any special techniques? You just... Do it?"

Tillien grimaced, "Mana threads?"

Torrin returned the expression, going on to tell Tillien how he manipulates the elements. He explained his method of using mana threads to sink into the earth, or infusing them into the wind. He told him how he would reach for water vapor within the air and pull it together.

"So you do none of that? Just wish for it to be so, and it works?" Torrin asked, exasperated by the confused look Tillien was giving him.

"If I had to do all of that to make a simple spell, I would never have become a mage, Rin..." Tillien frowned in sympathy, "On the bright side, I'm even more impressed at your abilities now than I was before."

Tillien returned to his seat by Torrin and they sat in silence for a bit. Torrin's mind tried wrapping itself around the implications. Why could Torrin not instinctively control the elements? Was it his core, or just because he was a human?

"By the way, Tillien," Torrin began, "Why don't elves use runes to make spells?"

Tillien lifted a shoulder, "When we started training, they hardly even mentioned runes. Someone in my group asked before, and was told that it was an "unnecessary short-cut used by lesser races", I believe. After hearing your explanation on how you manage to control the elements, I'd say it's because we don't have to. We can control the elements directly, creating our spells how we please."

Torrin's brow furrowed once more, "I'd have to agree. Though I'm hesitant to think of humans as a lesser race, I really can't just will the elements to do my bidding. But I also think that runes can do things that most elves could only dream of."

"Like what?" Tillien asked with a self-assured grin.

"How would an elf put this spell together?" Torrin asked, rising to his feet. He stretched his arm before him, extending one finger to point at a hill some hundred feet away.

Torrin allowed mana to flow down his outstretched arm's pathway and coalesce before his finger. Two silvery, ethereal runes appeared on either side of the mana. He imbued them with the intent to absorb the ambient mana, forging it into an ever-growing, violently writhing ball, visible to the naked eye. Tendrils of silvery mana spun together, hued lightly by the color of the element each represented.

As the ball grew to the size of a person's head a third rune appeared, condensing the ball of energy to the size of a fist, the rune fading away. But he didn't stop it from gathering more energy and growing again. With a flex of his will, he cycled a burst of mana through his body and shot it out behind the deadly, spinning mana bomb. It shot the mana bomb to the other hill fast as thought.

The impact was riotous; a cacophony of sound as earth exploded. The fifteen-foot tall hill was replaced by a large crater. Cracks in the ground spread from the impact site. Grass and earth flew every which way, landing like a smattering of rain.

Torrin took immense pleasure from the look of shock on Tillien's face. He stared at his friend with one upturned brow. Tillien looked at Torrin sidelong for a long moment, before turning to face him fully.

"Okay, so runes can be somewhat useful." Tillien allowed.

Torrin's face broke into a wide grin, "Yeah, I'd call that somewhat useful in a pinch."

Torrin's face settled as the tendrils of mana he'd anchored into the ground began to warn him of an incoming threat from below, "Get ready, we've got company."

Tillien rose swiftly, his long staff appearing in his hands. The sun glistened across its smooth, polished surface. A moment later, two moles appeared at the site of the impact. They burrowed from underground, their noses snuffling as they tried to find the cause of the previous commotion.

"Can't you just, I don't know," Tillien whispered softly, "Do that big bomb thing again?"

Torrin kept his eyes on the moles, "I could, but where's the fun in that?"

After a moment of consideration, Tillien reluctantly nodded his acquiescence.

"You take the one on the left, I've got the one on the right." Torrin said.

Torrin didn't wait for a response. Saen slipped from his core, into his pathways, and flowed every which way. His body felt warm as power was imbued into his muscles, his tendons, his bones, and skin. He shot towards his target, his sword appearing in his hand as he went. Mana flowed into the jewel set in the pommel, and lightning sparked to life across the sharp blade, the runes lighting up with a silvery glow.

The mole was clearly surprised, but recovered quickly. Torrin's blade sliced across its nose, his intended target its neck. Lightning danced across the shallow cut. The mole let out a shrill squeal, one stubby arm raising to paw at its nose. Torrin infused his blade with sword energy and continued his assault, not allowing the mole time to recover from the stunning effect of his blade's enchantment.

Slashing and slicing, Torrin dodged around the beast. Each cut disabled a limb, or stabbed shallowly into its side. As he moved, he pulsed mana into the earth, raising spikes and pillars to attack from other angles. The spikes couldn't pierce through the mole's thick, tough, mana-infused hide, but the force of it helped keep the beast off-balance. Torrin continued his onslaught for a full minute, at which time the mole was no more than a mass of cuts and bruises, blood coating its hide as much as the earth below. It eventually fell to the floor with a thud.

Torrin turned to watch Tillien and his fight with the other mole. Tillien was struggling greatly with finishing the beast off. The elf's wind attacks failed to do much more than scratch the mole's hide. His staff slammed into the mole, who veritably ignored the blow, trying to swipe at the elf with its sharp claws.

Torrin watched his friend, amazed at the elf's agility. He activated his mana sight to better understand. Torrin couldn't fathom how the elf was so quick without using mana to empower himself. He saw slight fluctuations from time to time, noticing they indicated a strike or dodge as often as not. The elf truly wasn't consciously directing his mana within himself.

Torrin tried understanding how his friend was so quick without mana cycling, continuing his earlier thought. Was it because they imbued their bodies with mana during their meditations? It could have a similar effect to when he jumped into the container of Saen, just much slower, the benefits gained over time, he guessed.

"A... Little... Help?" Tillien asked between ragged breaths. Torrin left his thoughts behind as he flew forward to finish off the other mole.

"See? Wasn't that fun?" Torrin asked as he collected the corpses in his ring.

Tillien shook his head vehemently from his bent over position, "No... No, Rin. Running around in circles to stay alive isn't what I'd consider fun."

Torrin shrugged, "I can agree to disagree."

Tillien shot him a scornful look. Torrin laughed.

"Come on, let's go sit for a minute and you can meditate to recover a bit. I want to see how it works." Torrin said, moving back to their previous seats.

"What do you mean," Tillien said as he followed, "See how it works?"

"Sit, sit... Close your eyes and all that other nonsense. I'm going to place my hand on your shoulder. Don't resist. This will allow me to get a better picture of your meditation process." Torrin said.

Tillien opened his mouth to reply, but closed it quickly. He shook his head. Tillien sat with his back straight, legs crossed, and eyes closed. A moment later, Torrin felt a fluctuation in the air around them with his will, and closed his eyes as well. Instead of spreading his will around him, he pushed it into Tillien's body. He hit a wall.

"What the-"

"Don't resist." Torrin repeated.

After another moment of concentration, Tillien entered his meditation once more, the air stirring around them. Torrin pushed his will again, and instead of hitting a wall, it was like sinking through a layer of viscous liquid, then he was in. He spread his senses through Tillien's body and watched in fascination as the unfamiliar pathways were inundated with mana, the energy flowing slowly towards his core.

Torrin watched the mana enter Tillien's core, and already purified mana moved from the other side, meandering through his pathways to infuse itself into his flesh, muscles, and organs. The purified mana was almost languid in its approach. It was like it was being pulled along on a leash, rather than being rushed forcefully. After half an hour, Tillien was done.

"Well?" Tillien asked, sounding a bit self-conscious.

Torrin beamed at him, "I think I see the problem."

"P-problem?" Tillien stuttered out.

"I guess it's not exactly a problem," Torrin shrugged, "But it is an obstacle. In my old world, we used an energy called Chi." Torrin lay out a wolf-skin on the side of the hill to feel a bit more comfortable.

"Chi was much different than mana, though some of the principles of its use are the same. I'd never be able to make a fireball, for example. But, I could strengthen my body to the point that I'd be able to crush a boulder with a simple punch." Torrin explained.

"So, it was like...an internal energy?" Tillien asked curiously.

"Exactly," Torrin nodded, "It was used to enhance strength, speed, stamina, and longevity. Similar to your meditation, we would bring Chi into our vessels, that's what we called our core, to purify it. We could then store it there, to infuse our bodies with that energy later, granting the aforementioned boons. Similar to what you just did, we could simultaneously recover our Chi and strengthen our bodies, if we wanted. The method of your meditation is eerily similar to my old method, but it lacks any sort of focus, from what I can tell. It's as if you're just letting the mana do what it wants, the only instruction for it being to imbue itself."

Tillien sat for a long, pensive moment, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I just picture the mana flowing into me. At the same time, I hope for it to nourish my body."

"The difference is, you aren't forcefully directing your mana, more hoping it will do what you're envisioning," Torrin gathered his thoughts, "We had two different types of meditation. One for absorbing Chi, and one for strengthening our spirit. The stronger your spirit, the more control you'd have over Chi. It's the same principle with mana, and I think our second type of meditation will help you."

"What do you mean, strengthening your spirit?" Tillien asked, his face a mask of confusion.

"Your spirit. Your soul. Your willpower. Your senses. I don't know what you guys call it. But once you reach a sufficient level, your will, or spirit--the thing you subconsciously use to absorb ambient mana, or what you're instinctively using to command the elements--can be used like another limb, an ethereal extension of yourself." Torrin tried his best to put his thoughts into words, but Tillien's expression didn't change.

"Your soul? You meditated to strengthen your very soul?" Tillien asked, almost aghast at the thought.

Torrin shrugged, "I guess so. My will is as strong as it was in my old world, and I haven't meditated on it once over here. Since it took me years of practice to get it this strong, it has to be tied to my soul somehow."

Tillien nodded thoughtfully, before asking, "But how exactly does that help you imbue your body with mana, or cycle it, or whatever you said."

"I..." Torrin tried, failed, then tried again, "A stronger spirit equals stronger control, right? So a stronger will can help you. For example, I can spread it around me, sensing things from afar. Have you ever had that strange feeling where you just knew something was about to hit you, even though you couldn't see it? Or felt a sense of dread, just knowing that something dangerous was near without clear evidence?"

"Well, yeah, of course. Like some kind of survival instincts." Tillien replied quickly, seeming to understand the concept. Torrin nodded.

"That's your will. As it gets stronger, you should find you have more control over it. There are different ways to make it stronger. Fighting helps to develop it, as does the meditation I mentioned previously. Going through harsh situations will also bolster it, like when I extended my mana pathways." Torrin said.

Tillien nodded, "So you think if I meditate, like you did in your old world, I should be able to what? Use this will thingy to control my mana? Be able to cycle it? Wouldn't it take me years, like it did for you?"

Torrin scoffed playfully, "This will thingy?"

"You know what I mean," Tillien said, shoving Torrin lightly. Torrin grinned at his friend, and Tillien matched him.

"Yeah, if you train your spirit, you should have better control over mana. But I don't think it will take years. I think your spirit is already at a sufficient level, since you can control the elements so fluidly. Even your mana absorption rate doesn't seem terrible. It's the conscious connection to it that you're missing," Torrin said, standing and putting away his furs. "Let's move while we've still got some daylight, and I'll teach you the method tonight."

Tillien followed suit, and the pair took off across the plains once more. That night, Torrin taught Tillien the method he'd learned in his old world for training his spirit. It was simple, just a visualization technique. Picturing his body from an outside perspective was the first step. Tillien had been hesitant to try it, doubting its effectiveness. But after the first session, he claimed he was already feeling more in control of the mana within and around him.

Torrin led his friend across the empty plains, moving around hills and avoiding trees, for the next week. The time passed in a rush of traveling, training, chatting, and even some time spent reading Grams' journal.

Their progress was much slower than Torrin would have wanted, but Tillien's growing control over his will was worth it. By the end of the week, they no longer had to stop every few hours at Torrin's preferred pace. Cycling his mana, Tillien could now last from daybreak til lunch without stopping, his stamina practically doubled.

Over the week, Torrin took the time to meditate a bit himself, a practice he'd neglected thoroughly since coming to this world. He felt a greater connection to himself somehow, his body and soul growing closer together. He planned to keep up the meditations.

He also spent time sparring with Tillien, teaching the elf to consciously infuse his body to greater effect. Progress on that was slow, but there was a visible improvement overall. Torrin saw proof of this when he let Tillien take on a yellow-core mole by himself.

Using wind as a distraction, slightly more than an annoyance, he was able to pummel the beast into submission with just his enhanced strength. The elf moved like the wind, dodging claws and teeth. He bashed the beast, his staff wielded like a maul. His blows landing like a hammer on anvil, the beast rocking back with each hit. Torrin was impressed by the change he saw in his friend, proud of his improvements.

As they ran on the eighth day of their journey, Torrin was lost in thought. He now understood why the elves seemed so weak when they first came to the pocket dimension. They weren't enhancing their bodies with mana constantly like Torrin was, though he used Saen now. Their physical prowess was sorely lacking overall. Their stamina awful. Torrin's mind was trying to piece it all together as they traveled.

The more he thought on it, the more he came to think it was because the elven leaders only wanted their elites to be able to have such physical strength and agility. They didn't want their people defenseless, so they taught them magic. But he learned from Tillien that they didn't go into intensive body and weapons training until they became green core mages and pledged to join the elite division.

Was this to prevent an uprising? To keep the majority of strength with those who were most loyal? Torrin was brought from his musings as Tillien tapped him on the arm.

"Look." Tillien said, pointing to a disturbed patch of grass on the side of a small hill.

Torrin slowed, changing his trajectory to the indicated spot. He bent low, examining the area.

"This was disturbed recently," Torrin said.

"You think it was Dawn's group?" Tillien asked hesitantly.

Torrin shook his head, "It doesn't look like a group rested here. One, maybe two people, at most. Could be from the elves we banished, or a beast, for all I know. Hard to tell. Let's check around." The grass was flattened. It looked as if someone or something had laid on the area for an extended amount of time.

Torrin walked slowly around the hill, inspecting it for more clues. There wasn't any further evidence of travelers, though he did find an herb--A Dawnbloom, a flower whose petals spread open from a zesty yellow center, streaks of pink and red lining the petals like the rising sun. Knowing that it might be useful, he slipped the flower into his ring.

He returned to Tillien's side. He found the elf crouched low, examining something a few feet away from the spot he'd previously indicated.

"What is it?" Torrin asked.

"Looks like boot prints," the elf returned.

Torrin examined the spot and had to agree, "Yeah, could be. I don't think it's worth checking out, though. I didn't find signs of more people, so it was definitely only one or two if it wasn't a beast."

"Well, we'll figure it out either way." Tillien said, his face to the sky, "If I'm still leading us in the right direction, these tracks should lead toward the fire temple."

The words caused Torrin's muscles to seize up. Could some of the elves be going to try and warn the fire mages? Warn Dawn?

"Let's go." Torrin said, a chill entering his voice.

Tillien stood, wiping the dirt from his robe, "Yeah, lead the way."