Kiro stood up, sighing. "Rynn. If you want to apologise, apologise to my sister. She's been hurt by you much more than I have, and whatever she does, I'll follow."

With that, he stepped out, leaving only Rynn and Seira.

"Well?" Seira rubbed her temples, and Rynn could almost feel her irritation. "State your case."

"R-right." He looked into his core, head hung low. "Before our duel, I was a step away from the peak. Another hour, maybe even another minute of cultivation, and I could have broken through. Instead, because… because of my arrogance, I've only just now achieved the Infusion stage again."

And that was the result of days of non-stop cultivation, along with the attention of a Saint. He shuddered, thinking of what would have happened had Aer not been there.

"This is not to demonstrate how fast I have recovered, but to hopefully show to you that I have seen the costs of my actions. While I was recovering, I started to think about how Mai would react, if she saw me now. And… I believe she would be horrified. Ever since her father did this to me," he motioned to the remnants of the burns on his neck, "I've only thought of other people as threats to my power. Even Aer, who took us in when we were trapped on that prison of a world, I was sure had ulterior motives. But you two have proven me wrong. You two support each other, even though there is no reason to."

Seira gave a slight nod. That was good. At least she hadn't kicked him out yet.

"If Mai had cared at all about power, or if she had been as selfish as I have been, she would have never even given me a second glance. All this time, I've been thinking about vengeance, about becoming so strong that none could oppose me. Now, I have realized just how wrong I was. And how inconsiderate I was being towards you. And for that..."

He took a deep breath, bowing low before her. "This humble mystic hopes you will forgive his insolence."

He winced, fully expecting her to be glaring down on him. He knew he would have done the same if he had been subject to his own antics. Instead, she simply motioned for him to stand

"So you've really changed?"

"Yes, honored mystic."

"So you acknowledge that Kiro and I really have been trying our hardest, and that Aer's methods really do work?

"... Yes, honored mystic."

"You know," she murmured, "when I envisioned this moment in my head, I was planning on lecturing you for hours before accepting your apology. I wanted to remind you of all the times you've dismissed our struggles, of every second of shit that you've spouted from your mouth, of every time you've lectured us about how you were chasing perfection."

He swallowed, closing his eyes. There it was. He had known that she would be angry —

"... Instead, why don't we just make up?"

He blinked. "What?"

She sighed. "You've already suffered enough, Rynn. I'm just glad you've learned from it."

"Truly?"

"Yes, Rynn. I really forgive you. Though you were incredibly annoying, I can see that you've learned from your pain."

Rynn bowed again, pressing his fists together in gratitude. "T-Thank you. I know that this is more than I deserve. I've realized that when I get Mai back from the matriarch, I don't want her to see that I've become the same as her father. And while I will need the power to do that, it is not power for power's sake."

Seira gave him a small smile. "That's good to hear. Now stop with this 'honored mystic' stuff — we're both disciples, I won't rip your head off for calling me by my name. But Rynn?"

He looked up, confused.

"No more of those lectures, alright? Or else I really might rip your head off."

"... of course, Seira."

"Wonderful!"

They jumped, turning towards the new voice.

Aer stood in the doorway, grinning. "Now that you've made up, we can get back to training!"

***

Kiro sipped a vial of Starlight's Drop, watching as the others filed into the room. Rynn had said that he was there to apologise, and they didn't seem to be arguing, but he didn't know how much he had truly changed. Maybe it was all just an act.

Aer stepped in behind them, and he turned his mind back onto the topic of the lecture.

"As you all have probably seen, the First Circle doesn't require a whole lot of technique. Purification and Condensation are all about gathering as much mana as possible, which makes them incredibly easy to advance through as long as you have enough resources. And while Infusion involves a semi-complicated concept to grasp, the technique itself is pretty easy to understand."

He nodded, dipping his quill into ink. Compared to how he had to work his mana in his alchemy, his cultivation had been deceptively easy so far.

"The difference between that and the jump between circles is like heaven and earth. For Soul Formation, if you don't understand what's going on in your core, there's a high likelihood that you'll fail."

Seira winced, and he placed an arm on her back. She hadn't fully grasped the mental exercises yet, but he had full confidence in her.

Aer, seeing her conflicted expression, gave her a calm smile. "Don't worry, Seira. Understanding only gets more important later on, and if I could wrap my mind around the advancement to Aspectual Linking at your age, you'll be more than capable of this."

The Saint conjured a ball of wind, bouncing it between her palms. "Now, while I've been giving you exercises and adjacent techniques to help you familiarize yourself with the fundamental truth of the Second Circle, I've yet to actually —"

Kiro cleared his throat. "Ah, Aer? I believe that I've..."

The Saint gave him a wry grin. "You've found it on your own, haven't you?"

He blushed. "It's only a theory. It could be wrong, but I feel as if it fits with what you've been telling us."

Seira poked him, frowning. "Well? What's your theory?"

He conjured flame in his palm, holding it up for them to see. "Mana cannot be destroyed, only changed and dispersed."

He looked to Aer for confirmation, and his master gave him a wide smile. "Yep! Look at you, treading the same path as the first humans to ascend!"

"Wait, what?" Seira's frown deepened, and she sighed. "That doesn't make any sense! We use mana all the time."

He patted her back. "Open your mana sense."

She did as she was told, squinting.

He carefully grabbed at the mana released from the fire, holding it in front of him for a moment before re-integrating it into his channels.

"Alright? I don't see anything. You're just gathering the mana generated from..."

Realization dawned on her face, and she pulled him into a hug, forcing him to extinguish the fire. "I understand now! The mana doesn't conjure new fire, it simply becomes it. But… what about naturally occurring flames?"

Aer patted her head. "That's something for another lesson, but that's a good question. For now, though, we need to build the foundation of your understanding. I applaud your demonstration, Kiro — that's a great way to show it!"

Rynn looked like he wanted to say something, but he ultimately stayed silent. Hmm. Maybe he actually had learned.

"Now, back to the basics: When you form your nascent soul, you're willing your mana together, forcing it into a vessel for your conscience to rest in. This is why it's important to understand both your aspect and the process itself. As for the actual technique to form it, it requires you to connect your mana to both your mind and spirit, which is usually accomplished via a swirling motion…"

***

"... To answer your question, Rynn, I like to equate souls to tornadoes. They stay together on their own and have clear power, but any physical attacks that you mount on them are incredibly ineffective. But, just like a tornado, if your soul isn't strong enough, it will simply dissipate over time. Any more questions?"

Finally, the trio seemed satisfied.

Aer yawned, stretching her arms towards the sky. Her disciples had had a lot more questions than she had thought they would have, but it was nice that they had such a thirst for knowledge. Even moreso that they were getting along again. While Rynn had definitely been a tough nut to crack, she thought that she had finally —

An alarm went off in her spirit, and her eyes widened. In an instant, a gust of wind blew her apprentices into the immortal's cave, and another caused a landslide to block up the entrance. She instantly launched in the other direction, cobbling together a simple message in the wind.

Whatever you do, stay inside the cave and suppress your auras as much as you can. Do not go outside, and do not use any mana until I get back.

A local Saint had finally found her.