The weekend, at least at Galya, was similar and different from what he knew. Indeed, standard classes ended, allowing younger eltheans to go out, alter their routine, and take advantage of two days to do more than sleep. The adults continued to work, and although the pace changed considerably, that was the most remarkable thing. After all, his private lessons were not altered by it, no matter how busy Lunaluz was.

She continued to instruct him in controlling his energy, making new advances that left Finnian with more than just a headache each day. She didn’t manage to exhaust him, but it was a constant pressure that would drain the mental capacity of anyone, even the most prepared magician or witch in the world. They took care of the meals, doing more than just biadhe but constantly testing him to prove that he could survive beyond the limits of the forest. And there was much more.

“Do you know the concept of ‘resting’?” Finnian repeated after the Saturday meal. “Because even I have limits.”

But Elthea does not, nor his enemies either. The time he was there had to be worth it to give him the tools necessary to make a difference as soon as Finnian and the others returned to their mission. He was not on a summer holiday, no matter how much Finnian would love that, and he wouldn’t have one until he survived what was to come.

However, that Sunday was different since he woke up. Lunaluz did not appear early to continue instructing him, nor did Ailfryd, although it took little time to determine what was happening.

“We thought a change would suit you,” Rune began.

“How about trying climbing?” Aer said.

With his gaze illuminated, filled with emotion in the face of a new possibility, his partner was excited about that plan. After all, even they had extra practice, all by acclimating their current abilities. Finnian tried not to put a bad face, mainly because he had done things against what he always believed in the last few days. It’s not that he was terrible in sports because in Rapid Fire he started to perform exceptionally well after practising. Still, his father would love his current activities so much that he was less excited just thinking about it, although getting to it is not that he would be correct.

“I guess there’s a reason for this, isn’t there?” Finnian nodded, forcing a smile.

As in that magical sport, climbing was to acclimatize him and give him confidence in his abilities. At the Galya, they had fields where they could test their skills without having to leave, and although they did not find a giant stone wall, they did have something at the lower level that would open their mouth to the bravest.

“Why isn’t it surprising that you always do things big?” Finnian murmured.

It was a training field, but a particular one. It took advantage of the tree trunks, but there were also large wooden platforms, moving walls, lianas, slides and anything you could imagine with which to prepare for more than climbing.

“Agility is fundamental in any scenario,” Ead said, looking at the view at his side. “Whether it is an opponent or nature, you have to be able to adapt.”

“This comes to a different level when compared to Rapid Fire,” admitted Finnian, unable to hide a particular fear for those hights.

Because that game forced him to do more than maintain balance, but know where to stand and when to move. It was designed for something very concrete, but the school courtyard was paled compared to this one. Several eltheans competed and raced there to see who finished the tour before or didn’t fall into the process. Far from having safety ropes, the entire floor was enchanted to dampen its fall, thus avoiding more significant injuries, although the danger will not cease to be as accurate.

“We’ll start with the basics, promised,” Aer said.

And because of the confidence he had, his instinct whispered that it had been his idea, as well as that he would have help. Apart from Rune and Leith, new elthean joined their group. In this case, they were Keahi, who did not hesitate to hug those present as soon as he saw them, and the so famous Lizzie. At a glance, it resembled Aer in size and appearance. With big ears and jungle-green fur, anyone else would have thought that such a tone would only fit the plants, but that elthean was lovely, mainly because of the oversized glasses she wore.

“She will take care of watching everything with Ead,” Aer said, patting his friend’s back, “although you can always join if you want.”

“I’m ready to check if you’re still as agile as usual,” Lizzie replied, sticking her tongue out.

Because her eyes allowed her to see beyond what they initially received. Not only did she have an unrivalled sight, which made her capture even the slightest movements, but she rarely missed things. And although Aer assured him that she was outstanding on the climbing grounds, her capabilities were at a different level than they had seen so far.

“We will participate, too!” Rune said, high-fiving with Leith.

“Knowing how to fly doesn’t mean we have it easy. It never hurts to know how to act if our wings are wounded,” Leith said.

That would be more than a possibility. A scratch, a malicious attack, and their flying ability would be affected, making them as defenceless as himself. So, after agreeing on specific terms with one of the monitors, they began to prepare.

“You should put on your gloves, at least for the time being,” Aer said, as Ead took care of the difficulty.

The limiters were, in other words, the obstacles they could face. They installed spells to subtract skills, such as diminishing the ability to fly or preventing them from taking advantage of their wings for it, but not for gliding. There were others beyond the movement of walls, but they would not try for the moment. After all, if he was there to improve his physical abilities like jumping and running (among others), the worst thing they could do was scare him from the beginning.

Rune and Leith, together with Keahi, they started the first round, the most basic one with the least number of obstacles. Without stopping in that race, the three ran decisively, jumping from platform to platform to move toward the goal. At first, it was easy, even simple Finnian dared to say. Then, as soon as Leith put his legs on one of the last, it disappeared, showing that it was actually a couple of inches below what they thought.

“An illusion?” Finnian murmured.

“Yep. The purpose is not to trust blindly and to be prepared for what may happen,” Aer said.

Because jumping from one side to the other could weaken the ground, a lousy footprint would make it slip. Any small detail would mean the difference between falling or not.

“How are you supposed to move forward?” Finnian said.

“Analyzing your surroundings,” Lizzie said quickly.

“And using your skills to overcome the obstacle,” Aer added.

It was not the fact of jumping or using magic to advance without facing any problem, but knowing when to use each one without stopping at each step you took. Life, like that climbing ground, could surprise you in many ways. Except for those who could anticipate events, which their capabilities did not offer, they should be able to adapt to what they will face.

His turn came as soon as the first group finished, and although he would only go with Aer while the rest watched cautiously, a note of nervousness did not leave him.

“You know we can feel your anxiety, right?” Aer said, pronouncing a genuine smile.

“I try to control it, believe me,” Finnian admitted, biting his lip. “But heights give me a lot of respect.”

To say the least. The recurring dreams where he fell, together with a couple of experiences since arriving there, had done nothing but feed that fear. And that enjoyed the roller coasters, albeit to their fair extent.

“There’s also something else you’ve learned since you came to Elthea,” Aer reminded him, “and that is that with us nearby, you can do more than just fly.

Nodding without adding any words, how that obstacle field would end flourished in his mind as an electrical storm. The reality was that he could never control what would happen around him, no matter how much effort he put or everything he would learn. In the end, the most important thing was how he would get along with the difficulties, and that was something he was growing in his day-to-day life in Elthea.

After overcoming his first tour without falling or stumbling, the rest asked him how he felt about it.

“Well, I already knew something could happen, so I didn’t take anything for granted,” Finnian explained.

“It’s the easiest. You’ll see when we increase the difficulty,” Rune said, releasing a slight laugh.

“Why do I have the feeling you enjoy seeing me suffer?”

“Don’t talk so loud, Rune. Do you remember the last time you tried this?” Aer said with a smirk.

“You won’t dare, will you?”

That was worth telling, even when neither Leith, nor Ead nor him understood what was happening. But the great Rune, which rarely ran away from a challenge, was not as infallible as it appeared, although Aer did not detail to stop them from being misled.

“You behave as siblings. You know, right?” Leith said, managing to make a few of the group start laughing.

“She’s an older sister too proud of herself,” Aer said.

“And you are one of the most annoying little ones I’ve ever had,” she admitted.

Annoy each other, remember stories; all those details were part of their affection for each other. Perhaps they would not have been together for a long time, but Finnian hoped that those bonds they were forming would not disappear even though they were worlds away.