The following morning, Cael arrived at school earlier than usual. The courtyard was still relatively quiet. A few students were already training. Cael stopped near the edge of the practice field. He looked at his hands. Then he created a small stream of Wind. It moved around his fingers. He changed its direction. Left. Right. Then upward. The stream disappeared. Cael took a breath. Yesterday's assignment had made him realize something. He had spent a lot of time learning how to control Wind. But he had rarely asked himself what he actually wanted to do with it. Mobility? Defense? Attack? Support? He didn't know yet. And that was fine. He was only a Beginner. He didn't need to have every answer now. "You're here early." Cael turned around. Liora was standing a few steps away. "Morning." "Morning." She placed her bag beside the bench. "Practicing?" "Just thinking." "About yesterday?" Cael nodded. "You?" "Kind of." Liora raised her hand. A small sphere of Water appeared above her palm. It rotated slowly. "I realized something too." Cael looked at it. "What?" "I'm good at controlling Water." She paused. "But I'm not sure what I'm good at using it for." Cael smiled. "So we're in the same situation." "Seems like it." A few seconds later, Evan arrived. He looked at the two of them. "You guys started without me?" Cael smiled. "We weren't doing anything." "That's what people say when they've already started." Liora laughed. --- Their teacher arrived shortly afterward. Today's lesson was different from their usual practice. The teacher stood in front of the class. "Yesterday's assignment showed you something important." The students listened. "Having an Affinity doesn't automatically tell you how you should use it." He wrote three words on the board. Strength. Control. Purpose. "Strength is obvious. How much energy can you produce?" He pointed toward the second word. "Control. How accurately can you use it?" Then he pointed toward the third. "And purpose. What are you actually trying to accomplish?" Cael looked at the board. The teacher continued. "Two people can have the same Affinity and use it completely differently." "One Wind user may focus on speed." "Another may focus on range." "Another may use Wind primarily for movement." "None of those approaches are automatically better." Evan raised his hand. "So we just choose whatever looks cool?" The class laughed. The teacher stared at him. "No." Evan lowered his hand. "Had to ask." The teacher sighed. "Your Affinity gives you possibilities. Your training determines which possibilities you develop." Cael wrote that down. Possibilities. That word stayed in his mind. --- During practical training, the students were given a simple exercise. They had to use their Affinity to move a small object from one point to another. There was no time limit. No score for speed. The only requirement was that the object had to arrive without being damaged. Evan went first. He surrounded the object with Earth. The ground lifted it. The object moved slowly across the field. Halfway there, it tilted. Evan quickly adjusted his energy. The object stabilized. He successfully reached the destination. "Good recovery," the teacher said. Evan smiled. "Thanks." Liora went next. Water wrapped gently around the object. She moved it across the field with a steady flow. The object reached its destination without a single drop touching it. Cael watched carefully. Then it was his turn. He stood in front of the object. Wind gathered around it. At first, the object moved too quickly. Cael immediately reduced the energy. The movement became slower. More stable. He guided the Wind from behind, then slightly from the side. The object reached the destination. Cael released the energy. The teacher nodded. "Good." Cael stepped back. The teacher looked at him. "You adjusted your output quickly." Cael nodded. "I didn't want it to move too fast." "Why?" "Because then I'd have less control." The teacher smiled slightly. "Exactly." --- After class, Evan walked beside Cael. "You know what?" "What?" "You're getting good at this." Cael looked at him. "At what?" "Thinking." Cael laughed. "That's a weird compliment." "I'm serious." Liora walked beside them. "I agree." Cael looked at her. "You're both making me uncomfortable." Evan laughed. "See? He can actually be embarrassed." Cael shook his head. "You two are annoying." "You're welcome," Evan said. Liora laughed. --- That afternoon, the three of them returned to the training field. This time, they didn't have an assignment. They simply practiced. Evan worked on controlling the size of his Earth formations. Liora practiced maintaining multiple streams of Water at different speeds. Cael practiced changing the direction of Wind without increasing its strength. They didn't compete. They didn't keep score. They just trained. After nearly an hour, Evan sat down. "I'm tired." Liora sat beside him. "Already?" "Yes." Cael remained standing. "You used too much energy." Evan looked at him. "I know." Cael smiled. "Then you're learning." Evan stared at him for a moment. "Was that supposed to be motivational?" "Maybe." "It sounded weird." Liora laughed. Cael laughed too. The three of them stayed there until the afternoon began to fade. Cael looked toward the sky. A spacecraft passed between the buildings. For a moment, his attention followed it. The thought returned again. The Void. But this time, he didn't think about reaching it. Not yet. There were still many things he didn't understand about himself. His Wind. His Core. His future. And maybe that was where he needed to start. Not by chasing the farthest place he could imagine. But by understanding the person who wanted to reach it.

Chapter 12 — Understanding Yourself