Ronan and Darius stood rooted in place as Amara stared at them with a glare sharp enough to peel skin. The morning air had been cool moments ago, carrying the scent of dew and fresh earth from the surrounding trees, but now it felt suffocating. A thin trickle of sweat slid down Ronan's back beneath his clothes, while Darius felt his throat go dry.
In perfect, terrified unison, they bowed their heads.
"G-Good morning, ma'am."
Amara marched toward them without a word.
That silence was somehow worse.
Then two hands shot out.
"Ah—!"
"Mm—!"
Their ears were seized and twisted upward mercilessly.
"So..." Amara's voice came out dangerously soft. "You two decided sneaking into the Cinderspire Nest was a brilliant idea?"
She twisted harder.
"A place that even seasoned veterans avoid..." Her smile widened in a way that made Ronan want to cry. "And a freshly advanced Master Tier mage and an Adept Tier mage looked at it and thought—yes, this seems perfectly reasonable?"
Darius squeezed his eyes shut. The pain stung, but he didn't move.
Because he knew he deserved it.
"I'm sorry, ma'am." His voice lowered. "I dragged Ronan into this. It was my idea. He only came because I asked him."
"Oh really?!"
Amara immediately increased the pressure.
"Aaaaaah! My ear's going to fall off!" Ronan yelped, flailing one hand wildly while his other hand gently patted her wrist in surrender. "Mercy, ma'am! Mercy! Please! I'm young! I still need this ear!"
Amara raised an eyebrow.
No mercy came.
"So hunting monsters was your idea, Darius?"
"Yes, ma'am," he admitted through gritted teeth.
A moment later, the pressure vanished.
Darius immediately grabbed his ear and rubbed it, hissing quietly. The side of it felt like it had been dipped in boiling water.
"Darius."
The calm voice from the veranda cut through the chaos.
Everyone looked over.
Lady Ishulane sat there with her usual graceful posture, morning sunlight spilling across the polished wood beneath her. The soft breeze stirred several loose strands of silver hair around her face.
She pointed toward the spot in front of her.
"Come here and sit."
Darius blinked.
The shift was so abrupt that he nearly looked behind himself to make sure she was speaking to him.
"...Yes."
Removing his shoes, he stepped onto the smooth wooden floor and sat cross-legged before her.
Lady Ishulane slipped a small white jade bottle from her sleeve and extended it toward him.
"This will stabilise your Aether fluctuation. Drink it."
Darius stared.
His hand stopped halfway.
How...?
A few days ago, during the hunt, he had recklessly tried to force both his elements together at once. The backlash had nearly torn through his core pathways. Even now, he could occasionally feel that faint instability beneath his Aether circulation, like cracks hidden beneath ice.
Except for Ronan...
No one should know.
His fingers hovered uncertainly.
Then he looked up.
Lady Ishulane was watching him quietly.
No pressure.
No questioning.
Just patience.
And for some reason...
His chest tightened.
A distant memory surfaced.
He remembered limping home as a child after hurting himself during training. His mother had scolded him relentlessly while wrapping bandages around his scraped arms.
"Always running around like an idiot..."
But her hands had been gentle.
Always gentle.
And afterwards, she'd smiled at him—a small smile filled with warmth he hadn't realised he'd missed until much later.
For a brief moment, Lady Ishulane looked frighteningly similar.
Darius lowered his gaze.
"...Thank you."
He took the bottle and drank it in one gulp.
Warmth spread through him almost immediately.
A soft blue glow emerged around his body as he closed his eyes and began circulating Aether.
Lady Ishulane turned her head.
"Rai, come out."
Amara was still holding Ronan hostage by one ear when a thick cloud of smoke suddenly appeared beside them.
Poof.
Another Ronan stepped out.
The clone bowed politely.
"Good morning, ma'am."
Amara stared at him.
Then slowly nodded.
"...Good morning."
"Come."
Rai removed his shoes and walked over before sitting neatly beside Darius.
Lady Ishulane observed him quietly.
"I'm surprised," she said. "I expected this to take longer."
Rai scratched his cheek.
"It wasn't easy," he admitted. "But I think I've grasped enough of the concept to manifest independently."
Lady Ishulane nodded faintly.
"Then I will share everything I know regarding the Phantom Clone technique."
Rai's eyes widened instantly.
Without another word, Lady Ishulane raised a hand toward her forehead.
A small white glow emerged.
It floated outward like a tiny spirit, drifting toward her fingertips and pulsing gently.
"The Phantom Clone technique isn't merely a spell." Her voice remained calm and measured. "It is a philosophy, a system of thought, and an extension of the soul itself."
The white light hovered between them.
"I will embed the knowledge directly into your inner world."
Rai swallowed.
"But understand this carefully."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"It is still foreign knowledge. Your inner world will instinctively reject it. Integrate it slowly. If you force it..."
Her tone remained gentle.
"...the backlash could cripple your mind."
Rai stared at the glowing light.
Then stared harder.
Then—
A thin line of drool slowly escaped from the corner of his mouth.
Lady Ishulane stared at him.
"...Did you hear anything I just said?"
Rai immediately straightened.
He wiped his mouth with alarming speed and coughed.
"Y-Yes, ma'am. Slow and steady."
Lady Ishulane sighed.
With a flick of her finger—
The white light shot forward.
It entered Rai's forehead.
His body immediately locked up.
Pain flashed across his face.
His brows twitched violently as his teeth clenched together.
A strained sound escaped his throat.
"Steady," Lady Ishulane said softly.
Meanwhile—
Amara slowly turned her head back toward Ronan.
Ronan suddenly felt an icy chill crawl up his spine.
"...Ma'am?"
She smiled.
Then grabbed his ear again.
"AAAAAH!"
"So you're the mastermind behind dragging everyone into Cinderspire?"
"My ear! My poor ear!"
Ronan twisted desperately.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait! Ma'am, I have a gift! A gift! Something guaranteed to make you happy! Just please release the ear!"
Amara narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"...Oh?"
Still, she let him go.
Ronan immediately covered his ear with both hands and rubbed it dramatically.
"It still hurts, you know..."
Touching his storage ring, he infused Aether.
A shimmer of light appeared.
Two crystal orbs floated into the air.
Inside each orb, golden cores pulsed rhythmically like living hearts. Threads of molten gold spiralled through them, swirling and weaving together like miniature stars trapped inside crystal.
The warm light painted their faces gold.
"Behold!" Ronan spread his arms proudly. "Two Primordial Flame Cores—for you, ma'am!"
Amara's eyes widened.
"You..."
Her gaze slowly lifted toward him.
"...you went into the depths of Cinderspire?"
The pride on Ronan's face vanished instantly.
Because the anger was gone.
Completely gone.
What replaced it made his stomach drop.
Worry.
Actual worry.
He panicked immediately.
"N-No! No, ma'am!" He waved both hands frantically. "We stayed near the outer ring! Darius and I only crossed the perimeter! Oliver and Orin were outside waiting! We moved fast! Carefully! Very carefully!"
He pointed violently toward Rai.
"Only Rai went deeper!"
Still meditating, Rai remained perfectly still.
Ronan continued shamelessly.
"If something exploded, it would've exploded on him! That was his idea!"
Silence.
Amara walked slowly toward the veranda.
She sat on the edge with her feet dangling in the air, staring at the trees beyond the courtyard.
The leaves swayed softly in the breeze.
Birds chirped somewhere in the distance.
Everything felt strangely quiet.
Ronan looked down.
His throat tightened.
Because suddenly the excitement from before felt hollow.
He knew the danger had been real.
Even if they had avoided the deepest parts.
Even if they had been careful.
He knew it.
And Amara had known it too.
That was why she had been furious.
Because for all her shouting and ear-twisting...
She'd been scared.
And somehow—
That felt far worse.
Amara swung her legs lightly over the edge of the veranda before glancing sideways at Lady Ishulane.
"Well?" she asked. "Want to say something to this brat?"
Lady Ishulane tilted her head slightly before a small smile touched her lips.
"What should I say?"
Her gaze drifted toward Ronan.
"I am curious, though." Amusement flickered in her eyes. "Who exactly taught him trade negotiations? He came asking me for the complete Phantom Clone Technique while bringing something no alchemist could possibly refuse."
She let out a soft laugh.
"Bold little thing."
Then she rested her chin lightly against her hand.
"Hmm... I suppose all I can say is this—train him well."
Her eyes curved gently.
"Then perhaps you won't have to worry later."
Amara stared at Ronan for a long moment.
Then she let out a long sigh.
Tired.
Heavy.
The kind that seemed to carry more feelings than words ever could.
She raised an eyebrow.
Ronan suddenly felt the instinctive urge to run.