After his talk with Grev, the last day of his week under Master Ayvir wrapped up. Weapon class was more of the same, Teacher Vigo opting not to expose the dummies, and students, to more throwing competitions.

Ranvir was more than happy for it. He was feeling weak kneed and soft armed, by the time the class rolled around. He suspected it was as much the physical exercise—which had added a focus on strength exercises, to compliment the running and sprinting—as manipulating space, leaving him in such as state.

Their day off rolled around and all four of them took the time to get a little more sleep in, just a couple hours more. No one could argue that the sun wasn’t up, but only a few very respectable and disciplined adults would call it all the way up.

Staggering to the cafeteria they grabbed some food, before discussing plans for the day. Or rather, Sansir opened up the discussion pretty quickly.

“Could you help me find a rime oak?” He asked, looking pointedly at Ranvir. It took the tired boy a while before he’d gathered himself enough answer.

“I think so. My dad taught me how, but I’m a little rusty, haven’t done it in a couple years.” He ran a hand over his face. Too exhausted for the question to even cause a blip of curiosity.

“Could we find one today, then?” Sansir continued. “I’d like to take a look at one.”

Ranvir grunted an affirmative before diving back into his food, not really registering the question.

Two hours later, he, Sansir, Grev, and Esmund—the latter two complaining loudly—were trekking through the forest near the academy, looking for signs of a rime oak.

“We would’ve found it by now, if there were any.” Esmund groaned, the collar of his shirt damp along with the entirety of his back.

It had drawn up to be a particularly warm spring day, which ordinarily meant they would be happy to be underneath the shadowed cover of the trees, but the wind stood entirely still and the moisture from the night time foliage was all too happy to evaporate in the heat.

It all lead to the forest being not only unseasonably hot, but muggy as well. Each of the boys were covered in sweat, completely disregarding how well their conditioning was. It was simply impossible to avoid in the weather, even for the ice tethered.

Though Sansir did looked the least displeased.

“It’s here.” Ranvir grunted, gesturing vaguely in the area.

“How could you possibly know.” Grev stopped walking to voice his complaint. “There’s no fucking way to tell.”

Ranvir didn’t stop climbing the hill he was currently on, though, the constant complaining from Esmund and Grev was starting to sent irritable yellow-orange embers flying around his thoughts.

“Feel the soil.”

“What the fuck?” Grev exclaimed, clearly exasperated. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

A clump of soil smacked into his chest. Sansir was walking not far behind Ranvir, but had stopped to throw the clod of dirt. “It’s wet.”

“It’s wet, fucking… stupid… whatever.”

Ranvir heard him grunt, but his footsteps soon continued. A rare breeze washed past Ranvir, sending refreshingly cold wind over him causing his skin to pimple. A bright blue bolt of excitement jolted through him.

He searched the area. Within minutes he found the tree where water was crystallizing on the bark. It was young rime oak. It’s influence was still small, barely reaching beyond it’s own roots. The roots, being the warmest part of the tree, themselves weren’t actually covered in rime, but dewing with water. They were cold enough to gather water to them, but not enough to freeze it.

As he approached a few smaller critters scurried into the canopy above, hiding behind the still growing oak leaves.

“You found it.” Sansir stepped up next to him, also examining the tree.

Light was speckling through the forest creating an almost idyllic look, which would’ve been true if not for the muggy heat.

Now though, they’d found a solution. Ranvir slung off his backpack, pulling out a blanket and spreading it on the forest floor. The tree was cold enough to appreciably lower the temperature around it, which also did wonders for the clammy air.

Striking the right balance of not sitting too close, but not being so far away was a bit of an art, but Ranvir had done it enough times with his father, that he had a good guess.

“This was so worth it.” Grev groaned, hugging the tree. Ranvir wondered idly how long he would be able to maintain contact with the frosty plant. Little bits of hoarfrost was falling off it as his friend rubbed the tree’s bark.

“At least, he’s not complaining anymore.” Esmund stage whispered to Ranvir, who gave him a questioning glance. “What? I was just playing along with him. Don’t be ass, he needed a friend.”

“Uh huh.” Ranvir nodded, while squinting at Esmund.

“Anyway, why did you want to see the tree?” Esmund turned to Sansir, when he found Ranvir to be a less than eager verbal partner.

“That book I read, spoke of feeling water freeze over and sensing the change as it achieves purity.” Sansir explained. “It should help with my understanding.”

“Understanding?” Ranvir asked. Figir’s primer glossed over understanding and it’s importance, though it was mentioned in greater detail in her later book. Just never how she achieved it.

“It’s supposed to become more relevant as you advance beyond your first stage.” Grev dislodged himself from the tree, his skin visibly pimpling from the cold. “Though it should still help before achieving your Discipline.”

“Yeah, but how?”

“It’s the tether.” Esmund spoke up, absently rubbing against his arm. Ranvir’d had to change the bandage a few times, but he’d gotten it off yesterday, after they both determined it to be healing well. Ranvir was a little surprised by how quickly it had. It was apparently due to the bright-torches scattered around the campus. Most of them were made by light Masters and specialists that have some healing ability, which lended the torches that same function.

“Understanding can strengthen your tether and the connection to the Goddess. Kurri, Face of Benevolence, smiles to you through that connection. Her touch will strengthen your tether, preparing you for advancement.” He looked up realizing the others were staring at him. “At least, that’s what Master Svenar told me.”

Sansir cleared his throat. “Right, so I’m going to be examining the rime oak in order to better understand or, at the very least, find out what happens to the water as it purifies.”

“I think, Master Ayvir mentioned something similar.” Ranvir said, thinking back. “He liked to sit under the sunlight, feeling the effects of it on himself. I guess that would be similar.”

“Well, move the blanket, then.” Grev had stepped further away from the tree, apparently having had enough of the cold after his embrace. He was gesturing towards a hole in the canopy above them, allowing a larger splotch of sunlight through. Big enough for someone to lie down in. “Come on!”

Ranvir rolled his eyes, but did as Grev wanted. After shifting the blanket over, Grev threw off his shirt and laid down in the sunlight, taking up a third of the blanket space. Ranvir shrugged, sitting down next to his pack.

They were a little farther away from the tree now, and it was noticeably hotter, but they were no longer moving and the tree was still purifying a lot of the water in the air into ice, so it was more bearable.

Ranvir considered digging through his pack for Figir’s book, which he’d packed just in case, but didn’t feel like it would afford him any great rewards. It was largely useless for anyone who was still pre-stage.

Instead, he left Esmund, who’d sprawled out in the shadow next to Grev and was already beginning to snore lightly, and headed over to Sansir. He was holding a clay jug wrapped in hide and pouring the contents over the bark of the rime oak.

When he turned his bald head to look questioningly at him, Ranvir simply shook his head and nodded for him to continue. Sansir shrugged, lifting the jug and poured more water. He was spilling it onto a knub that was growing out from the tree, near its base. There was a slight divot that would catch some of the water, which was already showing signs of growing colder.

Sansir reached close, without quite touching the water, and shut his eyes. Ranvir recognized the look of a tethered using their power. He thought for a second that he even felt something shiver through the air before fading.

Ranvir watched Sansir’s process, how he would sense for the water. Then once it froze to ice, break it up, scrape it out, and fill the divot again. It was a lengthy process freezing the water took nearly fifteen minutes, by his estimate, but Sansir was sensing it the entire time.

Curious, the next time Sansir poured water, Ranvir extended his own hand. “May I?” His friend just shrugged and closed his eyes.

Slipping through tether-space he barely needed to assert any pressure on his chest, something he noticed Sansir didn’t do at all. He felt the space in front of his hand.

He couldn’t guess what Sansir felt when using his senses, though, as he thought about it, it could be very different.

Ranvir felt the tiny puddle of water, barely sticking in the divot, it almost seemed to be holding itself together. He got a sense of the temperature, feeling it plummet downwards, though, it was nowhere near as cold as the tree surrounding it.

There was little wind, only noticeable when he looked for it. The Constant, as he was coming to call it, was still there but different somehow. Opening his eyes, he tried to determine what it was. Ranvir had been suspecting the noise from the Constant was keeping him from sensing space.

Feeling pale-yellow frustration, he leaned back from the tree. He froze mid movement. Something big had changed about the Constant. Just for a moment. Then it returned to normal. Slowly, he leaned forward closing his eyes to enhance his tether-sense further.

There. It suddenly it boomed to life, much… brighter? Ranvir opened his eyes, but there was nothing in or over his palm. It was just hovering, in a splotch of light…

He moved it a span to the left, and the Constant fell off, not disappearing but weakening. He put it back under the light and the Constant grew in intensity. He turned to a different spotlight and moved his hand into it, the Constant bloomed once more.

It’s light. It’s light! How the fuck do I get rid of light? Ranvir glared at his hand.

He got up, leaving Sansir to his freezing water and returned to the blanket.

Esmund must’ve awoken under his approach. He took one glance at first and spoke up. “What did you fuck up this time?”

“First of all: Fuck you. Second: I think I need to remove the sun.”

Grev yawned loudly. “Give it another half a day, or so and it’ll take care of itself. Now hush… I’m training.” He barely got the last words out through his yawn.

Ranvir tried to stifle the surge of pink embarrassment that burned into his cheeks. Right, of course. I could just wait for night.

“Dick.” Esmund grunted, punching Grev lightly on the shoulder before sitting up. “Since you can’t train.” He started say reaching into his own pack and pulled out a ball. “Wanna play?”

“Sure.” Ranvir agreed.