I let out a soft yawn as I rolled over to my side. It was another morning, and another morning meant another day of training.

The puddle of limbs next to me was in a sorry state. A little ball of orange was curled around her favorite knight doll, and the pile of purple and black hair was off to the side. I reached across the way and gave the bundle of hair a poke. As usual, she didn’t immediately react, so I poked her a bit harder.

“Wagh, it’s not mah turn,” a beautiful yet groggy voice complained.

“You’re right. It’s not your turn. Dad is watching Mila this morning, so let's get up. I’m training with Mom today, so I need your help,” I told her.

I made sure to get out of bed as gently as possible. Conversations rarely woke Mila since she was a deep sleeper, it honestly took quite a bit to wake her at this hour, but I just couldn’t bring myself to be loud when she was sleeping peacefully. That was the thought I had when I looked down, and she was drooling with her mouth open and one eye half peeled.

Adorable nonetheless. Speaking of cute things…

Sylvia rolled up and stretched her arms high over her head so hard her body shook. Her hair was a complete and utter mess, probably because she didn’t brush it before bed. She let out a long yawn and lazily stood up with lumbering steps.

I wasn’t sure what chain of events led to these two always ending up in my room every morning when they had their own rooms, but it was just one of those things that started to happen more frequently. Like they were conditioning me over time, it’s not like it bothered me or affected my sleep at all, I enjoyed their company, and sleeping alone these days felt weirder than not.

Besides, waking up to this sight wasn’t so bad.

I was just worried that they would get too used to it. Within the week, we would be moving back to our dorm room full-time. The time spent here at my parent’s new house had been nice, but it was never meant to be a permanent ordeal. I just hoped Mila would adjust back quickly.

But I supposed she would be on her own schedule then. So it was agreed that Mila would go with Sylvia and me to class in the morning, and once our first break rolled around, she would spend the rest of our school time with Grandpa, learning with him and Dallin until we got off.

It was a tentative plan, but all seemed well. Mila agreed to it as well, so the chance of success was high. Now then, it was time to get ready.

—

I finished our morning cardio by running through the school’s artificial woods. It used to be a place that made me uncomfortable to be in, primarily because of my Elven blood screaming at me that something was unnatural about the area. However, not only has the place grown on me, but Bowen has managed to mend that problem somewhat.

The place still felt off in a way, but it wasn’t nearly as egregious as before. There was wildlife here in the woods now, albeit small, harmless critters and monsters, but it was a vast improvement. Harmless was relative since this place was supposed to be off-limits for all students, but I had special authorization to use this place along with some of my closest friends and family. And it’s not like Bowen would put a monster that would attack people in a place like this.

Bowen also mentioned that he would introduce insects that were native to the area once spring came around. And speaking of spring…it felt like it was nearly upon us.

The winter blizzards that had consumed us the last few months had finally subsided, and a chilled breeze rattled the purple trees above. Snow was piled up on the ground, but it wasn’t nearly as thick as before. Green grass was beginning to sprout in places. Well, even if spring was late, that was fine with me. This weather was perfect as far as I was concerned.

Far better than the hellish heat and humidity of the jungle. And not nearly as bone-chilling cold as the middle of winter.

The third person out of the woods was Tsarra. She looked a little winded, but even after coming through the bushes, she stood tall and concentrated on her breathing. Not too long ago, Tsarra used to be an absolute mess after finishing the basic warm-up, but not anymore.

If I had to give someone the most improved award, it was Tsarra, without a doubt. Tsarra never trained in combat or magic with us, but she stuck to her physical training every day and was in far better shape now than she had been, and it showed in not only her actions but her appearance.

Her face and limbs seemed a little fuller, and her skin wasn’t so pale. I also swore that her crimson-red hair shined just a little more than it did before. She also didn’t look like she went through a sauna after every run and didn't collapse onto the ground painting, so maybe that was a big difference.

She smiled and waved at Sylvia and me only to sit on a tree stump to rest. Tsarra was a mage through and through. Unfortunately, her mana enhancement was abysmally awful and wasn't something she got to rely on all that much. Like most people with massive mana pools, Tsarra used mana enhancement whenever she could, even if it wasn’t for long.

This, paired with her lifestyle of a sedentary book worm meant that she was in awful shape, and if she hadn’t followed my training regimen of not using mana enhancement, she probably would have spent her entire life that way. Well, she was changing. I just wished everyone followed in Tsarra’s and Ren’s footsteps regarding training.

Varnir slogged through the bushes, his face red and caked with snow and dirt. It looked as if he had taken a tumble somewhere, judging by his dirty pants. The man worked hard, and his training had bore fruit just like everyone else.

He was in far better shape now, and his training under my father with the spear had helped him tremendously. If I had to compare Varnir and myself on purely weapon-based fighting with no mana enhancement or magic, he was noticeably better than me still. Of course, I have been working to close the gap, but I’m starting from behind, so getting worked up over it was useless.

But…even with all this praise…Varnir hasn’t changed in one way.

“Gah…I hate this. Running—it just sucks, man. Does it ever… like—get better? Like, Ren…I swear she shines after running, but me? Damn. I just feel—like dying,” he groaned in between breaths as he flopped onto the ground.

“That depends on your point of view. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you went into it with better intentions?” I offered.

“That’s nothing but crap. There’s…nothing fun about this at all. At least when we lift weights, I can feel and see the progress. With spear training, I can get noticeably better. But running? I can just…run slightly more and in slightly less pain? I could go without it,” he complained back.

“Maybe some people just aren’t meant to run?” Tsarra said back with an awkward smile.

Varnir nodded his head and grinned as he stood up. “That’s right. Not all of us can adapt like you can, huh?” Varnir said to Tsarra.

Tsarra blushed and averted her eyes in her usual meek manner, and Varnir just laughed to himself. He rolled his shoulders and looked around. “Speaking of spears and stuff. I don’t see your dad. Is he off with Mila this morning?”

“He is indeed,” I confirmed.

Sylvia let out another yawn. “Honestly, I don’t see a lot of people here today. No Lin or the King. Not even Ren is here,” she pointed out.

“Lin and King Maxwell said they would be busy for the next few days, but…now that you mention it, I don’t see Ren at all, which is unusual. It seems not even Cerila woke up this morning, which was odd.”

Cerila always trained with us in the morning. Cerila would wake up, do the morning routine of cardio, and if we lifted weights, she would also join us. From there, she would even go find Grandpa or King Maxwell and train under one of them.

She had never missed a day, as far as I knew. Even on the days I didn’t train, she would still train by herself or with someone else. I often had to convince her to take a break and spend the morning with her so that she wouldn’t go outside to train.

I even had to stop her not too long ago from going straight outside the backyard into a blizzard to do some simple exercises. I’d say she was obsessed, but I was the same way, so it was hard to find fault in her. It’s also not like she was pushing herself to the point of collapse, she rested like anyone else, and she put down food as needed. It seemed that training was something she genuinely enjoyed doing.

Huh, maybe I should check on them after this. I’ll go to Ren first, she should be in her dorm room, and it’s unusual for her not to give a heads-up before missing.

“Well, shall we move on? It’s about time to start picking heavy things up and putting them down.”

—

“Now, that was a good time!” Varnir said as he wiped off his sweat.

All I could do was admire the change in his attitude and chuckle at Tsarra, who was sprawled out on the ground now. These two were opposites in many ways, which made them quite the couple. And speaking of them being a couple…I wondered if those two were truly together.

On the surface, they appeared to be romantically involved, but at the same time, they didn’t. It was odd, and a part of me wanted to ask, but it also wasn’t my place to pester them. Besides, Varnir and Tsarra never bothered me about my personal matters, so it was only fair that I did the same for them. And I wasn’t one to talk, considering my situation either.

Well, Varnir has a few times, but I won’t count those. I did ask him for his opinion.

“Are you guys ready?” Mom asked as she walked over to our group.

Tsarra meekly waved at her, and Mom just returned it with a kind smile. Varnir looked on awkwardly, not sure what to say, so he just chuckled to himself. I suppose it was a bit of an awkward place for him to be.

Sylvia let the weights collapse to the side of the makeshift bench and let out a loud huff as she wiped her face with her shirt. “Yeah, I’m getting hungry,” she said as she licked her lips.

Varnir gave me a worried look. “Does it bother you that your blood is her…food?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “You get used to it.”

I let them chatter away for a bit while I prepared my training. Varnir and Tsarra would go off on their own to train, and it was time for me to put in some work. I hauled over the stone weight I formed from my magic and raised the floor to make it easier for me.

The weight was designed to be heavier than what I could lift without mana enhancement. And to add another layer of difficulty, I purposely positioned myself in such a way that would make lifting the weight nearly impossible without the assistance of my mom’s lightning magic.

I laid flat on my stomach, arms above my head, and gave the weight a quick pull upward. But with it being so far away and using nothing but my shoulder without mana enhancement, it was truly impossible. Or it should be.

Mom showed me that lifting the weight without mana enhancement was possible using lightning magic the same way that she did. I had yet to replicate it, though and had been struggling for months now. And my struggles came with a dangerous side effect.

Who knew trying to maintain a volatile lightning spell inside your own body came with running the risk of backfiring?

Mom’s way of using lightning magic was unique. She once referred to herself as a Lightning Blade, which was someone who couldn’t use lightning magic in the traditional way. From what she explained, Lightning Blades were all but extinct and were seen as an inferior and outdated way to practice lightning magic.

However, they were unique. It was common knowledge that one could not form a spell core inside of a living being. People had many theories on why that was the case but it prevented certain magical phenomena from happening, like a mage creating a Fireball inside someone’s chest and killing them instantly.

But it wasn’t impossible for a mage to create a spell core and then use it on themselves. I did just that whenever I used gravity magic on myself. I formed the spell core like normal, but instead of casting it, I maintained it. And from there, the spell would be enacted on me as long as I maintained the spell core with a constant stream of mana.

Mom’s Lightning Blade magic was closer to my gravity magic than any other type I could use. Which meant it was somewhat similar to mana enhancement. But even then, it was also vastly different. Everything from forming the spell core to guiding the spell core inside my body was a different process.

I understood why it was a dying practice and how it could seem inferior to regular magic and spell core forming. It was also dangerous. Because if I lost control, put too much mana or too little, or even messed up slightly, I was rewarded with an injury of varying degrees.

For example, if all I wanted to do was put the spell core inside of me and guide it to my finger after it failed, I would burn myself from the inside. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed, and it could hardly be considered life-threatening.

However…if I wanted to make actual use of Mom’s magic, then I had to dive deeper and really focus. Enhancing my body with multiple spell cores filled with lightning magic was the goal, and if I couldn’t do that, then it was a waste of time. It would increase my speed and strength beyond the norm if I succeeded. Mom swore up and down that she perceived things faster than an average person. And all of that could be combined with natural mana enhancement to stack the effects.

Which would be huge if I could get this down. I wonder if I could mimic the type of moments that would only be possible by a War God? My casting magic might be limited, though.

But, the more spell cores I formed and subsequently failed, the more significant the backlash was. When I first attempted to enhance a leg, I failed by getting confused about the spell core’s path and tore the muscles in my leg. They tore in a horrific way that left even my mother screaming. It was pretty gruesome.

Regardless it wasn’t easy. I was basically trying to unlearn everything I knew about magic and going at it in a completely different way. Which was good and one of my primary goals for having my mother teach me magic. It was just one of those things that were going to take some time and practice, just like how it took me some time to figure out gravity magic truly. And even then, I was still lacking.

But for today, all I wanted to do was enhance my shoulder…

Mom stood over me and traced her finger along her arm. I was meant to visualize the spell core forming in the palm of my hand, going inside of me, and traveling along my arm and into my shoulder. My biggest problem was visualizing the path that I was meant to take.

There was no clear indicator for the spell core. It was all abstract imagery which wasn’t exactly my strong suit. Mom described it as feeling mana for the first time and once I told her about my warm droplet of water experience from the very first time controlling mana, she said that it was close to that, so I’ve been trying to mimic that feeling, but the opposite way around.

It hasn’t been going all that well.

My arm violently convulsed as my muscles spasmed uncountably. I let out a stifled groan as the nerves in my arm were singed from the inside. I couldn’t feel anything below the elbow on my right arm, which was preferable to agonizing pain. But once again, the spell core had…what could only be described as “veered” off the path I intended for it. I even used my Soul Sight to observe the spell core, only to find that it moved on its own regardless of any input I gave it.

Why was it doing that? What was I doing wrong?

“Why did my spell core stop moving the way I wanted it? Do you have any ideas, Mom?” I asked as Sylvia climbed onto my back.

I felt her fangs sink into my shoulder. I was so used to it that the feeling barely registered in my brain, along with the soft noises she made as she drank my blood.

“Uh, Sylvia, I know I’ve asked before, but is it possible to heal him another way?” Mom asked, sounding a bit worried.

I couldn’t see Sylvia since she was on top of my back, but it felt like she shrugged as she removed her fangs. “Not really. I have to bite him.”

“Can’t you bite his finger or something?” Mom suggested.

“I could. It just doesn’t taste as good,” Sylvia commented nonchalantly as she sank her fangs back into me.

I think you were supposed to say it was more efficient or something…

Mom gave me a worried smile as she parted her hair from her face. I gave her my best apologetic look. It’s not like I minded it. I just got used to it.

“I believe I’ve thought of another way,” Mom said, suddenly breaking the awkward tension.

Mom stared down at the ground with a blank expression. “I asked Doctor Jacobs about it, and he gave me the idea of forming “mental pathways” inside of you. He suggested using mana enhancement first and then working up to spell cores. I thought maybe we could try that next since I’m having such a hard time explaining it to you,” Mom said dejectedly.

I felt bad as my mom stared at the ground. I could tell that she was bothered by not being able to help me, but it really wasn’t her fault. It’s not like she was a lousy teacher or I was a failure of a student. It was just a complex subject to grasp.

Mom had never learned conventional magic, so this was all she knew. Even the way she enhanced her weapons with lightning magic or used her fire magic was by using that technique. And it’s not like there were books on this stuff nor was there another mentor to ask. This was the style of fighting my mom had to learn in order to survive. And she had over three hundred years of experience. It was just going to take me time.

I felt Sylvia’s Blood Sorcery work its magic, and the feeling of my arm working again came to me. I gave my hands a few test squeezes as was customary and nodded to myself. “Sure, that sounds like a plan. But before that, I’m going to try something. I felt something was off when the spell core started to drift. So I’m going to try and control it.”

Mom furrowed her brows in worry. “I’m not sure what you are feeling, but…give it a try. Just be careful,” Mom said anxiously.

The last time I tried something, my leg was torn apart, so her anxiety was warranted. Now then…let’s try this again.

Once more, I started the spell core and guided it down my arm. Somewhere along my forearm, the spell core drifted away, and instead of allowing it to do so, I created a mental barrier with mana inside of my arm. The effect was immediate.

Yellow lightning danced atop my forearm and arced against each other. For a moment, I thought I had done it as I started to lift the weight with just this strength in my forearm alone. But then, a sharp pain spiked in my brain.

“Kaladin! Stop! Stop feeding mana to the core!” Mom yelled frantically.

Her words came to me too late. I death gripped the weight so hard that my fingers dug into the stone, and I lost control of my own arm. I realized that the moment I had “bounced” the spell core off the wall and back into me, I had essentially detonated it.

I received the momentary increase in strength only for my forearm to balloon up and implode. I just watched in pain and mild shock as my arm literally exploded into a fountain of blood.

Just another morning, huh?

I looked over to my side to find my mom covering her mouth and looking on in horror. Sylvia winced and gave me a pitying look as she walked over to heal me again.

This was…not how things were supposed to go. I guess it was a good thing it was only us three here.