The morning air carried a bite of cold as Kael stretched outside Thornhaven's western gate, his breath misting in the pre-dawn darkness. Lyssa stood beside him, adjusting the straps on her pack while Granite rumbled contentedly nearby. Vera, Ember, Fulminus, and Mushy were all present—his full family now, ready for another day of intensive training.
Yesterday had been revelatory. With Lyssa knowing about his abilities and Divine Restoration, they'd pushed harder than ever before. The results showed in how Fulminus's lightning crackled with noticeably more intensity, how Ember's compressed flames burned hotter, how Vera's telekinetic grip had grown firmer. Even Mushy's poison mist had thickened considerably.
And Kael himself had felt the difference. Training all-out, then healing, then repeating—it was like removing a limiter he hadn't known existed.
"Ready for day two?" Lyssa asked, a slight smile playing at her lips.
"More than ready," Kael replied, rolling his shoulders. "Let's see how much further we can push today."
They set off toward their training clearing, the familiar thirty-minute walk passing in comfortable silence. The forest gradually came alive around them—birds chirping, small creatures rustling through undergrowth, the occasional distant roar of some wild mythbeast marking its territory.
When they reached the clearing, everyone dispersed to their established training zones without needing instruction. They'd developed a rhythm yesterday that carried over seamlessly.
Granite took position at the clearing's edge where Vera could brace against him. The massive crystal ox planted his feet, crystalline armor gleaming faintly in the growing dawn light. Vera's violet eyes glowed as psychic energy gathered around her form, creating visible distortions in the air.
Fulminus launched skyward immediately, electricity already sparking between his wing feathers. He'd been the most driven of all Kael's companions, that fierce determination to become stronger burning like a furnace. Blue-grey wings blurred as he accelerated, pushing his speed enhancement to its limits.
Ember hovered near a cluster of rocks, her translucent wings catching the early light. Small flames danced between her hands as she began her compression exercises—creating fireballs and then squeezing them smaller, tighter, hotter.
Mushy settled near a patch of moss-covered stones, their cream-colored cap already beginning to darken as they focused inward. The passive miasma that always surrounded them thickened, becoming visible as a faint greenish haze.
Lyssa began her own routine—not flashy like the mythbeasts' training, but no less important. She started with a jog around the clearing's perimeter, her breathing measured and controlled. As a normal human, she couldn't push to the brink of collapse and then heal like the others, but she could still improve her endurance and strength through conventional means.
Kael moved to his own space near the clearing's center, where he had room to work without interfering with anyone else. He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar weight of four different powers residing within him, gifts from the bonds he'd forged.
Psychic energy from Vera—cool and precise, like crystal-clear water.
Fire from Ember—warm and eager, dancing at the edge of his consciousness.
Lightning from Fulminus—sharp and fierce, crackling with barely restrained power.
Poison from Mushy—new and strange, heavy and dangerous, like liquid shadow.
Yesterday, he'd worked on each individually, pushing their intensity as far as he could manage. Today, he wanted something different.
He wanted all four at once.
Kael opened his eyes and raised his right hand. Psychic energy gathered first—it was the easiest to control, the most natural after weeks of working with Vera. A faint violet shimmer surrounded his palm as he lifted a nearby stone, holding it suspended through force of will alone.
Fire came next. Flames erupted from his left hand, orange-red and hungry. He fed them carefully, watching the fire grow from match-flame to torch-size. The heat washed over his face, but his fire resistance kept it from being uncomfortable.
Lightning took more concentration. Electricity sparked across his shoulders, down his arms, gathering at his fingertips. Blue-white light danced between his hands, creating a crackling connection between psychic shimmer and dancing flame.
Then poison. This was new, unfamiliar, and harder to grasp. But Kael reached for it anyway, finding that heavy, dangerous presence within himself. Toxic energy began to manifest as a faint greenish mist seeping from his skin.
Four powers. Four different energies. All are active simultaneously.
The mental strain hit immediately. It was like trying to solve four different complex equations at the same time while juggling and running a marathon. Each power demanded attention, required control, threatened to slip from his grasp if he didn't maintain focus.
Sweat broke out across Kael's forehead despite the cool morning air. The stone suspended by psychic energy wobbled. The flames flickered unevenly. Lightning sparked erratically. The poison mist dispersed and reformed in uncontrolled pulses.
He held it for ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
At forty-five seconds, his concentration shattered. All four powers cut out simultaneously, the stone dropping to the ground with a thump, flames extinguishing, lightning fading, poison mist dissipating.
Kael bent forward, hands on his knees, breathing hard. That had been exhausting—not physically, but mentally. Like his brain had just run a sprint.
But he'd done it. Forty-five seconds of maintaining all four powers at once.
Yesterday his record was thirty seconds.
He straightened, a grim smile crossing his face. Progress. Measurable, concrete progress.
Kael glanced around the clearing. Vera had Granite actually sliding backward across the dirt despite his massive bulk, violet energy pressing against crystal armor with tremendous force. Fulminus was a blue-grey blur overhead, electrical trails marking his path through the air. Ember held a flame compressed to the size of a grape, her entire form trembling with the effort of containing such concentrated heat. Mushy's poison cloud had expanded to nearly fifteen feet in diameter, thick enough to be almost opaque.
Everyone was pushing their limits.
Time for round two.
Kael raised his hands again, reaching for that quartet of powers. This time, he'd try for a full minute.
---
The training continued in cycles. Push hard, reach the breaking point, then Kael would use Divine Restoration on whoever needed it most. The golden-white light would wash over them, returning them to perfect condition, and they'd immediately resume training.
After healing Fulminus from near-exhaustion following a particularly intense speed run, Kael returned to his own exercises. He'd managed to hold all four powers simultaneously for fifty-three seconds on his last attempt. Now he wanted to push further—not just holding them, but actually using them.
He gathered psychic energy and lifted three stones this time, arranging them in a slow orbit around himself. Then fire—larger flames this time, a proper campfire's worth of heat dancing from both hands. Lightning crackled across his chest and arms, enhancing his reflexes, making everything seem slightly slower. Finally, poison, that greenish mist rising from his skin like steam.
The mental strain was immense, but Kael gritted his teeth and pushed through. He had the stones orbit faster. Made the flames burn hotter. Channeled more electricity through his body. Thickened the poison mist.
More. More. More.
His vision started to blur at the edges. A headache built behind his eyes. Everything felt like it was vibrating at the wrong frequency.
Just a little more—
One of the stones fell from orbit, his psychic grip failing. The domino effect was immediate. Fire guttered. Lightning sparked wildly. Poison mist collapsed.
Kael stumbled, catching himself before he fell. His head pounded like someone was using it as a drum.
"You alright?" Lyssa called from across the clearing, having noticed his stumble mid-jog.
"Yeah," Kael managed, waving her off. "Just pushed a bit too hard."
"That's what the healing is for," she pointed out, slowing to a walk. "Don't be stubborn about it."
She had a point. Kael reached for Divine Restoration, feeling that well of power that existed separate from his elemental abilities. Golden-white light erupted from his hands, washing over his own body. The headache vanished instantly, the mental fatigue evaporating like morning mist under sunlight.
And just like that, he was ready to go again.
Kael couldn't help but laugh. This was almost unfair. Almost.
He glanced at the sky—the sun had climbed considerably. They'd been training for nearly three hours already. Time for another healing cycle for the mythbeasts.
Ember, Kael called through their bond, projecting the thought rather than speaking aloud.
The fire fairy zipped over immediately, her form flickering between solid and flame. She'd been holding a marble-sized fireball compressed for the last several minutes, and tremors ran through her tiny frame from the sustained effort.
Kael placed his hand gently on her shoulder, careful of the heat radiating from her body. Divine Restoration flowed through him and into her. The golden-white light enveloped Ember completely, and he felt her gratitude and relief wash back through their connection as exhaustion vanished.
Without another word, she zipped back to her training spot and immediately created another fireball to compress.
One by one, Kael made his way through his companions. Fulminus got healed after pushing his speed enhancement so hard that his wings had started trembling uncontrollably. Mushy received the golden light after maintaining their thickest poison cloud for so long that they'd actually started to sway on their tiny appendages. Vera got her turn after a particularly intense bout with Granite that left her visibly winded despite her typically calm demeanor.
And then Granite himself, because even though he was Lyssa's companion, the massive crystal ox had been training just as hard as everyone else, resisting Vera's psychic pressure while trying to maintain his position.
"Your turn if you want it," Kael offered to Lyssa when the hour cooldown ended again.
She shook her head, breathing hard from her run. "Save it for the ones pushing supernatural limits. I'm doing regular human exercise—this is supposed to be hard."
Kael respected that. She wasn't being prideful, just practical. The mythbeasts benefited far more from the healing cycles than she would from recovering from standard physical training.
The morning stretched into the afternoon. The sun climbed to its peak and began its descent. None of them stopped except for brief water breaks and quick snacks from the supplies they'd brought.
Kael's progress with maintaining all four powers simultaneously had jumped from forty-five seconds at the start of the day to a full minute and thirty seconds by mid-afternoon. He could feel the mental pathways growing stronger, like muscles being exercised. Each attempt became slightly easier, slightly more natural.
Fulminus's speed had increased noticeably—his blur across the sky now left afterimages even to Kael's enhanced reflexes. Ember's compressed flames had gone from marble-sized to pea-sized, burning white-hot at their cores. Mushy's poison clouds were thicker, responded faster to commands, and had nearly doubled their maximum radius. Vera's telekinetic strength had grown enough that she was actually winning the pushing contest with Granite more often than not, forcing the massive ox to actively resist rather than just brace himself.
Even Granite showed improvement—his stance had become more solid, his crystal armor seemed to gleam more brightly, and he'd developed better techniques for distributing the psychic pressure across his entire body rather than fighting it at a single point.
When the sun touched the western horizon, they finally called it quits. Everyone was exhausted despite the healing—mental fatigue couldn't be completely erased, and they'd all been operating at peak intensity for nearly ten hours straight.
"Same place tomorrow?" Lyssa asked as they began the walk back to Thornhaven.
"Absolutely," Kael confirmed. "One more day of hard training, then a rest day."
"Right, right. I'd forget my own head if it wasn't attached after today." She smiled tiredly. "But damn if it doesn't feel good to see real progress."
"Tell me about it," Kael agreed. He glanced back at his companions. Vera walked steadily, unbothered. Ember had actually dozed off mid-flight, drifting along on autopilot. Fulminus's usual fierce intensity had mellowed to simple contentment. Mushy swayed slightly with each step, their cap bobbing.
They were all tired. They were all happy.
They made it back to the city as the last light faded from the sky. Rather than heading straight to the Sleeping Drake, Kael suggested they grab dinner at the Round Table—the restaurant that could actually accommodate larger mythbeasts comfortably.
The meal was hearty and satisfying. Large cuts of roasted meat for the carnivores, fresh fruits and vegetables for Mushy, and even some kind of crystalline mineral arrangement that Granite seemed to genuinely enjoy. Kael and Lyssa both ordered the house special—some kind of seasoned bird with roasted root vegetables that tasted amazing after a full day of intensive training.
Conversation was light and easy, mostly recounting the day's training achievements and joking about particularly spectacular failures. Ember had accidentally set a small bush on fire when one of her compressed flames got away from her. Fulminus had misjudged a turn at high speed and crashed into a tree trunk—thankfully, his enhanced durability meant he'd just bounced off with his dignity more wounded than his body. Mushy had created such a thick poison cloud at one point that they'd actually lost track of where they were inside it.
By the time they finished eating, full darkness had fallen. They parted ways outside the restaurant—Lyssa and Granite heading to their lodgings while Kael and his companions made for the Sleeping Drake.
Merra greeted him at the front desk with her usual efficiency, though her eyes seemed brighter than normal. "Good evening, Kael. Your regular room?"
"Please," he confirmed, sliding the payment across the counter. "And we'll want breakfast before dawn again tomorrow."
"Another early training day?"
"One more hard push, then a rest day." He smiled. "We're making good progress."
"That's wonderful. I'll make sure everything is ready for you in the morning." She handed him his room key with a slight smile that made something warm settle in Kael's chest, though he couldn't quite identify what.
As Kael headed up the stairs with his companions in tow, he missed the way Merra's gaze lingered on his retreating form for just a moment longer than strictly professional.
---
The third day of intensive training dawned with the same crisp cold as the previous days. Kael and his companions met Lyssa and Granite at the western gate, and they made the now-familiar trek to their training clearing.
Everyone fell into their established routines immediately. Granite took his position. Vera began gathering psychic energy. Fulminus launched skyward. Ember started her compression work. Mushy focused on poison generation. Lyssa began her run.
And Kael returned to his multi-element exercises with renewed determination. This time, he wasn't content with just maintaining all four powers simultaneously. He wanted to use them in combination.
The fire-lightning fusion he'd already achieved—white-hot explosive attacks that could obliterate trees. That was his baseline, his proof that fusion was possible.
Today, he wanted something new.
Poison and fire.
It made sense theoretically. Both were dangerous, destructive forces. Both could spread and consume. The question was how to make them work together rather than separately.
Kael started by summoning both elements individually—fire in his right hand, poison mist in his left. He could maintain both simultaneously now without much difficulty. The trick was merging them.
He tried the straightforward approach first. Just combining the energies, letting them mix and blend. Fire met poison mist, and... nothing happened. They coexisted in the same space but didn't interact. The flames burned clean and bright while the toxic mist drifted nearby, completely unchanged.
Okay, so simple mixing wouldn't work.
Kael let the powers fade and tried again. This time, he attempted what he did with lightning—weaving the energies together at a fundamental level, making them into something new rather than just two things occupying the same space.
Fire and poison began to merge. For a moment, he thought he had it—the flames took on a slight greenish tint. But then the energies rejected each other, snapping apart like opposite magnetic poles forced too close together.
He tried three more times. Then five. Then ten.
None of them worked. The energies either coexisted without truly fusing or repelled each other.
Kael stood in his training area, breathing hard from mental exertion, and forced himself to think. To actually analyze the problem instead of just throwing power at it.
Fire and lightning worked because they were both energetic, aggressive forces. They wanted to move, to strike, to explode. Combining them just made them more intense versions of what they already were.
But poison wasn't like that. Poison was patient. Insidious. It didn't explode—it corrupted, transformed, spread slowly but inevitably.
So maybe the problem was he was trying to make poison behave like lightning. Trying to force it into a fusion pattern, it fundamentally didn't fit.
What if instead of merging the energies, he attached the concept?
Kael's eyes widened slightly. That was it. That was the key.
He raised his right hand and summoned fire—normal, orange-red flames dancing above his palm. Then, instead of calling poison mist or energy, he reached for something deeper. The concept of toxicity. The fundamental nature of what poison was—corruption, decay, the transformation of healthy into harmful.
And he attached that concept to the fire.
The flames shifted. Orange-red became purple-tinged, darkening like a bruise. The fire still burned, still danced, but something else moved within it now. Something wrong. Something dangerous in a way that went beyond simple heat.
"Holy shit," Kael breathed.
He looked around the clearing. Everyone else was focused on their own training. Good—he wanted to test this before anyone worried about it.
Kael focused on a tree at the clearing's edge—thick trunk, healthy canopy, standing strong. He drew his arm back and then thrust it forward, releasing the purple-tinged flames in a concentrated burst.
The attack crossed the distance and struck the tree's trunk with an impact that seemed... underwhelming. A small purple explosion, barely larger than his fist. Nothing like the devastating white-hot detonations he achieved with fire-lightning fusion.
For a moment, Kael thought he'd failed after all.
Then he noticed the purple flames hadn't extinguished on impact. They clung to the bark, spreading. Slowly at first, then faster. Not like normal fire that consumed wood through heat, but like some kind of disease, dark purple discoloration racing up and down the trunk.
The tree began to groan.
The bark turned black where the purple flames touched it, not burned but corrupted, transformed into something else. The wood beneath cracked and splintered. Branches began to sag as structural integrity failed.
Then, with a sound like breaking bones, the entire tree snapped at its base and toppled over, crashing to the forest floor. The purple flames continued spreading even as they fell, racing along fallen trunks and scattered branches. They reached the ground and kept going, spreading outward in a perfect circle, transforming grass and soil and leaves into that same blackened corruption.
And the spread was accelerating.
Kael's satisfaction turned to alarm as he realized the fire was moving faster and faster, expanding beyond what he'd intended. Twenty feet in diameter. Thirty. The corruption was feeding on itself somehow, growing stronger as it consumed more.
"Shit, shit, shit—"
He reached out with his will and dispelled the flames, cutting off the flow of power sustaining them. The purple fire guttered and died instantly, leaving behind a circular scar of blackened, corrupted earth and one very dead tree lying at its center.
A loud crash behind him made Kael spin around. Vera had stopped her pushing contest with Granite and was staring in his direction. Fulminus had abandoned his aerial exercises to perch on a branch, head cocked curiously. Ember had frozen mid-compression. Even Mushy had paused their poison cloud generation to focus their dark little eyes on the destruction.
Lyssa stood at the clearing's edge, having just returned from her run, eyes wide as she took in the scene.
What was that? Vera's mental voice carried careful neutrality, though Kael could sense her concern underneath.
He turned back to look at the corrupted circle of earth, at the fallen tree, at the evidence of what he'd just created. Then he put one hand behind his head and let out a slightly shaky laugh.
"Nothing to worry about," he called back. "I just... think I made a pretty scary attack just now."
Lyssa approached slowly, still staring at the destruction. "That purple fire. What was that?"
"Fusion," Kael explained, lowering his hand. "Fire and poison. Except instead of merging the energies as I do with lightning, I attached the concept of toxicity to the flames. It worked. Maybe too well."
"That tree just... fell apart." Lyssa crouched near the edge of the corrupted circle, careful not to touch the blackened earth. "And the fire kept spreading, getting faster. If you hadn't stopped it..."
"Yeah." Kael's expression grew serious. "It would have kept going. Maybe burned the whole forest. That's... something I need to be careful with."
"Scary attack is right," Lyssa muttered, standing back up. She looked at him with an expression caught between impressed and concerned. "Promise me you'll only use that one as a last resort? At least until you figure out how to control the spread better?"
"I can promise that," Kael agreed readily. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally set a forest fire that consumed half the kingdom. Or worse, use it on a person. The thought of that corruption spreading across human flesh made him feel slightly sick.
But as a weapon of absolute last resort? When facing something truly dangerous?
Yeah. He'd just created something terrifying.
The rest of that training day proceeded more carefully; everyone was perhaps a bit more cautious after witnessing what happened when power combinations went too far. Still, the work continued. Still, everyone pushed their limits. Still, the healing cycles rotated through, allowing impossible levels of sustained effort.
By the time they returned to Thornhaven that evening, Kael's ability to maintain all four elements simultaneously had reached nearly three minutes. His control had sharpened dramatically. His understanding of how the different energies interacted had deepened.
He now had three fusion combinations: fire-lightning for pure destruction, psychic-lightning for enhanced mental processing (though he hadn't perfected that one yet), and fire-poison for spreading corruption that couldn't be allowed to run wild.
They grabbed dinner at the Round Table again—the routine was comfortable now, familiar. Tomorrow would be a rest day, and they all needed it after three consecutive days of pushing their absolute limits.
---
The rest day came as a relief. Kael spent it in comfortable idleness—sleeping late, having a leisurely breakfast, playing with his companions in their room rather than pushing for growth.
Vera seemed content to simply lounge, her large form taking up a significant portion of the floor space. Ember flitted about, examining everything with renewed curiosity now that she wasn't exhausted from training. Fulminus preened his feathers meticulously, a maintenance ritual he'd skipped during the intensive training days. Mushy settled into a corner and seemed to enter some kind of meditative state, their cap barely moving.
It was peaceful. Quiet. Exactly what they all needed.
Lyssa stopped by mid-afternoon with Granite, and they spent a few hours just talking—comparing notes on training progress, discussing strategy for potential future training cycles, speculating about what they might focus on next.
"The progress these last few days has been incredible," Lyssa said, lounging back in her chair. "Vera's telekinetic strength, Ember's compression, Fulminus's speed—they've all improved dramatically. And your multi-element control has jumped forward by what, weeks of normal progress?"
"At least," Kael agreed. "The healing-assisted training method is exactly as effective as we hoped. Maybe more so."
It's exhausting, Vera's mental voice chimed in, though Kael could sense her satisfaction beneath the complaint. But worth it.
Fulminus sent a pulse of fierce agreement through their bond. The thunder eagle's determination hadn't wavered even slightly—if anything, seeing concrete results had only made him more eager to continue improving.
Ember projected feelings of warmth and happiness. She was growing stronger, yes, but she seemed just as pleased about the time spent together as a family.
Mushy's contribution was quieter—a steady sense of gratitude and belonging that made Kael's chest tighten. The newest member of their family had settled in so completely that it was hard to remember a time without them.
They talked until evening, then parted ways with plans to check in at the Tamer Guild the next day. There had been rumors about an official announcement regarding the tournament, and Kael wanted to see if any details had come through.
---
The next morning, Kael and Lyssa made their way to the Tamer Guild after a leisurely breakfast. The building was busy as always—tamers coming and going, collecting quests, reporting completions, checking the notice boards.
They approached the front desk, where a familiar receptionist greeted them with a professional smile.
"Kael, Lyssa. Good to see you. What can I help you with today?"
"Just wanted to check if there's been any news about that tournament in the capital," Kael said. "We heard rumors, but nothing official."
"Oh!" The receptionist's expression brightened. "Yes, actually! Information came in yesterday. It's all posted on the notice board in the rest area if you want to take a look."
"Perfect, thank you." Kael gestured for Lyssa to follow him toward the rest area—a comfortable space with chairs, tables, and several large boards covered in notices, quest postings, and announcements.
Vera padded along beside them while Ember perched on Kael's shoulder. Fulminus, Mushy, and Granite remained outside where there was more space and comfortable resting areas for larger mythbeasts.
The tournament announcement was hard to miss—a large, official-looking document pinned prominently at the center of the main board. Kael leaned in to read, Lyssa standing beside him while Vera looked on with interest.
ROYAL TOURNAMENT - OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Welcome all to the Royal Tournament, hosted in the Capital
Requirements to Enter:
* Tamer Guild Rank between 2 and 8
* Age between 15 and 22 years
* Valid Tamer Guild identification
Date: 25 days from today's posting
Prizes: 1st Place: 10 Gold Golems 2nd Place: 1 Gold Golem
3rd Place: 50 Silver Sirens 4th Place: 40 Silver Sirens 5th Place: 30 Silver Sirens 6th Place: 20 Silver Sirens 7th Place: 10 Silver Sirens 8th Place and below: Participation honor
Additional Prizes: ???
Registration closes 5 days before tournament commencement.
Kael let out a low whistle. "Ten gold golems for first place. That's..."
"One thousand silver sirens," Lyssa calculated quietly. "That's the most I would have seen yet if we were to win'.
"Yeah. That's life-changing money." Kael studied the rest of the announcement. "And those three question marks for additional prizes..."
"Has to be the bodyguard position we heard about in Ironpeak, right?" Lyssa suggested.
"What else would they keep mysterious?" Kael turned to her. "How long would it take to reach the capital from here?"
"Six to eight days of steady travel, depending on conditions and how fast we push. Why?"
"Because if we leave in seven days, that gives us a comfortable buffer before the tournament starts. Time to rest from travel, get oriented, maybe scope out the competition." Kael looked back at the announcement. "I think I want to do this. Actually compete."
"You sure?" Lyssa's tone was neutral, not questioning but genuinely asking. "Tournament combat is different from real fights. There'll be rules, crowds, pressure."
"I'm sure." He met her eyes. "This is a chance to test everything we've been working toward. To see how we measure up against the best tamers in our age group from across the kingdom. Plus, that prize money could fund a lot of training resources. Maybe even let me get that ranch estate I joked about."
Lyssa laughed. "Fair enough. So what about me? Should I register too?"
"Do you want to?"
She shook her head, reaching down to scratch behind Vera's ears. The psychic tiger leaned into the touch contentedly. "No need. Granite isn't a fan of unnecessary fighting—you know that. Whether regulated or not, tournaments remain a fierce competition for glory and prizes. That's not really our style."
"But you'll come with me?" Kael asked, and hated how much hope colored that question.
"Of course I'll come with you. We're a team now, remember? That's what teams do—support each other." She bumped her shoulder against his lightly. "Someone needs to cheer from the crowd while you're showing off down there."
Warmth spread through Kael's chest. "Thanks, Lyssa. Really."
"Don't mention it. Just try to win me some betting money, yeah?"
They made their way back to the front desk, where the same receptionist looked up expectantly. "So? Planning to compete?"
"I'd like to register, yes," Kael confirmed.
"Excellent!" The receptionist pulled out a ledger and began making notes. "Oh, before I forget—I owe you both points from that escort mission with Lord Cedric. Completely slipped my mind with everything else going on. Let me add those now."
Kael had honestly forgotten about it, too. "No worries. Thanks for remembering."
The receptionist made adjustments in the ledger. "Kael Veyrin, for completion of escort quest with no incidents despite... difficult client conditions, 25 points awarded. Lyssa Thornwood, 15 points awarded. Your cards, please?"
They handed over their bronze tablets. The receptionist held each one, and Kael felt that subtle sensation of change as the points were added directly to the card's record. When he received his back, he could see the numbers had updated: Rank 2, 45/100 points.
Almost halfway to Rank 3. At this rate, he might achieve it before or during the tournament itself.
"There we are, all set. And as for tournament registration—" The receptionist made another note. "I've registered you under Kael Veyrin, Thornhaven branch, Rank 2. When you arrive at the capital, just present your guild card at the tournament venue on the morning of the first day. They'll verify your registration and provide all the additional details you'll need."
"That simple?"
"That's simple. The guild network communicates across all branches—your registration will be in their system within a day or two." The receptionist smiled. "Good luck, Kael. Represent Thornhaven well."
"I'll do my best."
They thanked the receptionist and headed outside, where Granite, Fulminus, and Mushy were waiting patiently. Once everyone was assembled, Kael laid out the plan.
"Alright, everyone, here's what we're doing. We'll keep training for the next week—three more days of hard work, then another rest day, then three final days before we leave. The tournament is in twenty-five days, travel takes six to eight hours, which gives us time to recover and prepare once we arrive."
Finally, Fulminus projected eagerly. The thunder eagle's excitement about tournament combat was palpable.
Vera's mental touch brushed Kael's mind with approval. Ember sent waves of enthusiasm. Even Mushy bobbed their cap in what Kael had learned to recognize as agreement.
Granite rumbled contentedly, apparently unbothered that he wouldn't be competing. The gentle giant seemed perfectly happy with his role as support and companion rather than combatant.
"Any objections?" Kael looked around at his family and Lyssa. "Speak now if you're not on board with this plan."
No one objected. Of course, they didn't. They were with him, always.
"Then let's make the most of this next week. We're going to arrive at that capital stronger than we've ever been."
Kael and Lyssa parted ways at the usual intersection—she and Granite heading north to their lodgings while Kael and his companions turned west toward the Sleeping Drake.
The inn's familiar facade brought the usual sense of homecoming, even though he'd only been staying there for a few weeks. Funny how quickly a place could start to feel like home.
Merra looked up from the front desk as they entered, her professional smile in place. "Good evening, Kael. How was your day?"
"Productive," he said, approaching the counter. "Actually, I wanted to give you an update. About plans and all."
Something flickered across her expression—was that apprehension? But she nodded. "Of course. What's the update?"
"We'll definitely be leaving in seven days to travel to the capital for the tournament. I've officially registered and everything." He paused, making sure she understood he wasn't abandoning the inn permanently. "We'll be gone for a few weeks at least, maybe longer depending on how things go. But I'll probably come back to Thornhaven afterward. This place has been good to me."
Merra's expression was carefully controlled, but Kael thought he saw something in her eyes—disappointment? Sadness? It was gone too quickly to be sure.
"That sounds like quite an adventure," she said, her voice perfectly pleasant and professional. "The capital is supposed to be amazing. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully in the tournament."
"Thanks. I'll certainly try." Kael slid payment for the room across the counter. "I'll need to keep my room through then, but after that I'll be checking out for the journey."
"Of course. I'll make a note." Merra handed him his key. "Anything else you need?"
"That's all. Have a good evening, Merra."
"You too, Kael."
He headed upstairs with his companions, missing the way Merra's professional mask cracked slightly once his back was turned. Missing how her shoulders slumped just a bit, how she stared at the ledger without really seeing it.
He also missed Elara emerging from the kitchen, having listened to the entire exchange. The innkeeper's wife took one look at her daughter's carefully neutral expression and sighed softly.
"Merra, sweetheart, can you watch the desk? I need to speak with your father about something."
"Sure, Mama." Merra's voice was steady, but Elara knew her daughter well enough to hear the strain beneath.
She found Borin in their private quarters, polishing his armor as he often did in the evenings. Her husband looked up immediately when she entered, reading her expression.
"Let me guess," he said, setting down his polishing cloth. "This is about Merra and the boy."
"You like him, don't you?" Elara asked, sitting down beside him. "Kael, I mean."
"The lad's good people," Borin confirmed without hesitation. "Respectful, kind, treats everyone well—his mythbeasts, the staff, other patrons. Why do you ask?"
"Because I think our daughter might have feelings for him. And he just told her he's leaving in a week for the capital. Tournament business. He'll be gone for weeks, maybe longer."
"Ah." Borin stroked his magnificent beard thoughtfully. "And our Merra's trying to pretend she's fine with it."
"You know her. Professional to the end." Elara leaned against her husband's solid shoulder. "But I saw her face. She's not fine."
"Aye, falling for an adventurer is never easy. I put you through hell with all my wandering before I settled down." He squeezed her hand gently. "But that's for them to figure out, not us. All we can do is be there if she needs us."
"Agreed. I'll talk to her soon. When the timing is right." Elara stood and kissed his forehead. "I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page."
"Always, love. Always."
Elara returned to the main inn area, where Merra was still at the front desk, organizing papers that probably didn't need organizing. She made a mental note to have that mother-daughter conversation soon—not tonight, but soon.
Some things couldn't be rushed.
---
Upstairs in his room, Kael settled in for the evening, completely unaware of the conversations happening two floors below. His companions arranged themselves in their usual spots—Vera taking up significant floor space near the window, Ember finding a perch on the bedpost, Fulminus claiming the top of the wardrobe, and Mushy settling into a corner.
Kael lay back on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Seven more days. One more week of training here in Thornhaven, then they'd travel to the capital. To a tournament where he'd face the strongest young tamers in the kingdom. To crowds, competition, and challenges he couldn't even imagine yet.
His hand flexed unconsciously, phantom flames and lightning and psychic energy and poison dancing through his memory. The purple fire that had nearly gotten away from him. The progress everyone had made. The strength they'd built together.
They were ready. Or they would be, after one more training cycle.
Excited? Vera's mental voice was warm with affection.
"More than I can say," Kael admitted aloud. "The capital. A royal tournament. Mysteries to solve and battles to win."
We'll be ready, she assured him.
Fulminus sent a pulse of fierce determination. Ember radiated contentment and joy. Mushy projected steady gratitude.
They were with him. They believed in him. And together, they'd face whatever came next.
Kael's eyes drifted closed, and sleep took him quickly—the deep, satisfied rest of someone who'd worked hard and had even greater challenges to look forward to.
Tomorrow would begin their final training cycle before departure. Then the journey would begin.
The capital awaited.
And Kael was going to make sure he arrived ready for anything.