There was no sleep for Aurelion. He had risen early and lay motionless on his back in bed, his eyes fixed on the faint shadows on the ceiling.
Vespera... The pink eyed Dark Elf, the White Serpent Seal on her palm. Little light. The implication that Seals had different abilities. Even her name having a price. The woman herself was an enigma. Approaching her was like playing with fire. But Aurelion wasn't afraid of fire. He just wanted to learn how to control it.
Roric... That was the real issue. Trust had been shaken. The man who demanded absolute honesty from him blatantly withholding information about the Seals was unacceptable. This hypocrisy had awakened a cold anger within Aurelion. Yes, the man was strong. Yes, his training was valuable. But Roric had now transformed from a respected mentor into an obstacle whose power and knowledge he needed to acquire, an obstacle he planned to eventually overcome.
This house, this room, being under Roric's control... It was perhaps more comfortable than the orphanage, but it was just a temporary, tolerable stop on the road to freedom. He would grow stronger until he was nine, enter the College, and then... he would carve his own path.
Primordia... A planet with its own will. This idea still felt strange. Though Sigrid's belief was naive, Vespera's existence, the mystery of the Seals, that change called "Evolution"... This world operated differently from what he knew. To completely ignore this will could be foolish. For now, it remained merely a note in a corner of his mind.
Then his mind inevitably drifted to today's first torture. Mind training. Roric's instructions were clear. Last night, despite his fatigue, he had made a little progress. He had managed to quiet that storm of thoughts, if only for a moment. But that absolute emptiness Roric wanted... Was simply trying not to think really enough?
"To think of nothing..." Aurelion slowly sat up in bed. His eyes focused on a point in the darkness. "What if... I didn't exist at all?"
This thought struck his mind like lightning. Perhaps this wasn't what Roric meant, but... he remembered that feeling. The time before he was reincarnated... Those dreamlike, blurry yet sharp memories...
Nothingness. An infinite, cold void. No body, no senses. Time and space were meaningless. There was only... himself. A pure consciousness, aware of its own existence but unattached to anything else, any thought, any emotion. There, in that absolute emptiness, there was a kind of... stillness. Unsettling, but at the same time, completely calm.
"Maybe this is it," he thought. "Maybe the Roric wants isn't about suppressing thoughts, but about achieving that pure, primal state of nothingness by completely abstracting consciousness from the body and the world? Not to stop thinking, but to pass into that dimension where thought doesn't exist... To merge with nothingness."
He quickly sat cross legged on his bed. He had time. He closed his eyes. He took deep, slow breaths. He tried to conjure that old memory in his mind, that consciousness drifting in the cosmic void. He focused on capturing that sensation. The coldness, the limitlessness, but most importantly, that absolute thoughtlessness, that pure perception of self.
"Don't think. Don't feel. Just... be. Beyond this room, this body, this world... Just exist. Merge with nothingness..." Instead of trying to silence his mind, he focused on leaving it completely behind, on drawing his consciousness to its original state, to that point of pure awareness. This was a path he had discovered himself, different from Roric's instruction. And perhaps the true key to control lay here.
However, this was not something that could be achieved just by wanting. His mind, no matter how hard he tried, kept returning to the confines of this body, to the silence of this room. The desire to merge with nothingness itself gave birth to thoughts.
"Am I succeeding? Is this the feeling? Why am I still here?" That past drifting was not a voluntary act, but a state of existence. Now, trying to return to that state from within this cage of flesh and bone seemed as futile as a rock trying to fly.
After a few minutes of futile effort, he opened his eyes. No, this method wasn't working. At least not for now. But he wouldn't give up. Perhaps the goal was wrong? Perhaps the aim wasn't to reach that absolute nothingness, but to remember it and use the focus that remembrance brought?
He closed his eyes again. This time he tried a different path. Instead of trying to free his consciousness, he sharpened it. Instead of trying to empty his mind, he focused it on a single point, on those oldest, most fundamental memories. What he had felt while drifting in the void.
First, he summoned that crushing, merciless feeling of loneliness. The cold weight of being alone among billions of souls, drifting in an incomprehensible darkness... Then came that strange, dizzying sense of infinity. That icy, indifferent state of existence where time didn't exist, space had lost its meaning, and neither beginning nor end was clear...
He pushed his mind further, delved deeper. He tried to remember the wearing, almost painful pressure his soul had felt in its unprotected state, exposed to the forces of the universe, to the cosmic winds. Was it momentary, or had it lasted for millennia? He didn't know. His memory was fragmented. Only the burning trace of that sensation remained. It was a painful but also a fundamental feeling of reality. Existence in its rawest, most unfiltered state...
He focused on these feelings with his entire being. His brows were furrowed, his lips slightly parted, his breath almost stopped. The outside world had completely vanished. There were only those memories, those feelings, and his own trembling consciousness within the darkness. He was so engrossed that...
Suddenly, a light, warm touch on his shoulder made him jump. His eyes flew open in shock. For a moment, he couldn't even comprehend where he was. His mind was still in the cold depths of that void.
Then the blurry image cleared. He recognized the face of the woman standing before him, her blue eyes filled with concern. Sigrid.
"Aurelion? Are you alright? I called out, but you didn't hear... You looked so... so pale."
Aurelion, slowly withdrew his mind from the void it was still swimming in. He blinked, focusing on the woman's face opposite him. He took a few deep breaths, waiting for those intense sensations in his mind to dissipate, for his heartbeat to return to normal.
"I'm fine," he said curtly. He ignored Sigrid's concern. Trust was shaken. "I was thinking about something."
He felt no need to offer further explanation. He got out of bed and went directly to the chest where his clothes were, and began to get ready.
Sigrid paused for a moment at the child's cold attitude and short answer but didn't press. "Alright then. If you're well... that's good. Breakfast is ready. You can come."
Aurelion just nodded slightly. After Sigrid left the room, he quickly took off his training clothes and put on a dark tunic and trousers.
A few minutes later, Aurelion silently took his seat. Brynja immediately placed a steaming bowl of stew, meaty and vegetable filled, with an appetizing aroma, in front of him.
Normally, Aurelion would have felt at least an internal satisfaction towards this delicious meal he had tasted yesterday.
But today was different. His mind was completely preoccupied with the meditation attempt from moments ago and those sensations. He felt he was on the right path.
He picked up his spoon and, in a thoughtful, dazed state, began to eat his meal with mechanical movements.
Brynja noticed the child's lack of reaction. She remembered how eagerly he had attacked the same meal yesterday.
Roric, too, while eating his meal, glanced at the small Elf opposite him. The child's usually sharp, gaze was replaced by a vacant stare, had caught his attention.
"Brat," Roric said suddenly, his voice deep and expressionless. "Are you alright?"
Aurelion startled out of his thoughts. He lifted his head. "Yes, I'm fine," he said clearly.
Roric studied the child's face for a few more seconds, then shrugged. "Alright." He returned to his meal.
Breakfast was completed in silence. When Roric finished his last bite and stood up, Aurelion immediately followed him. Their destination was clear. The Training Room.
Roric and Aurelion sat opposite each other on the mats in the middle of the room. Roric sat with his eyes closed, as unshakeably serene as ever.
"You made a little progress in mind control yesterday. But you're still at the beginning. Today, we will continue in the same way. Empty your mind. Forget external factors, thoughts, even your own body. Just seek stillness."
After reminding him of a few breathing techniques, he added. "Begin."
Aurelion just muttered, "Alright." He closed his eyes. But this time, his intention was different. His focus was on the sensations he had tried to capture in his bed that morning.
He turned his mind in that direction. The crushing feeling of being alone among billions of beings... That icy, indifferent state of existence where time and space didn't exist... The wearing, painful pressure his soul had felt in its unprotected state, exposed to the incomprehensible forces of the universe, to those cosmic winds...
Roric noticed the child opposite him slowing his breath, his body becoming completely motionless. But there was something strange. The child didn't seem to be trying to empty his mind. On the contrary, he seemed to be focusing with all his will on something specific, something deep.
This was different from the search for stillness Roric expected. However, the child's breathing was regular, and it was clear he was in a state of deep concentration. He decided not to interrupt for now, just observed.
Aurelion, meanwhile, was on his own inner journey. He focused on those sensations again and again. These feelings, which initially seemed frightening and unsettling, were now beginning to take on a different meaning.
That absolute loneliness... Perhaps it was proof of his uniqueness, of his difference from others. That icy infinity... It was a reminder of how far he could be from the limitations of time and body. And that cosmic pain... This was existence itself. Raw, unfiltered, merciless, but real. Instead of pushing these feelings away, he began to accept them. He drew them in.
His insignificance in that infinity, that loneliness, that pain... These were proof that he existed, that he felt, that he resisted. He began to feel a strange, dark pleasure.
Time flowed by. The only sound in the training room was the regular breathing of the two figures. Perhaps an hour, perhaps two, perhaps more passed.
Then, just as it had happened that morning, a touch pulled Aurelion back from that deep trance.
The Captain was leaning towards him, one hand still on his shoulder. Aurelion was less surprised this time.
"What was that, brat?" His hand was still on his shoulder, applying slight pressure, as if searching for a physical manifestation of that strange turmoil within Aurelion.
"It was difficult to empty my mind directly, Captain First... I tried to find that silence within, to focus on that point. I wanted to focus on this silence before directly emptying my mind. Doesn't one need to understand first, in order to control?"
The child's answer was logical, even consistent with Roric's own emphasis. But still, something didn't quite fit. The Captain could feel the child wasn't being entirely honest, but he decided not to press for now.
"Wanting to understand is one thing, but you focus too much while doing it. You don't even hear me when I call you. You will not attempt such focusing experiments again without my permission. Until you learn basic mind control, you will only do as I say. Understood?"
Aurelion looked calmly at Roric. "Understood."
"Good." Roric removed his hand from his shoulder. "You've sat enough. Get up."
"Let's review yesterday's basics," Roric commanded. "Northern Mountain Stance. Now!"
Aurelion immediately assumed the position. Knees bent, center of gravity low... Right now, there was only one thing. The Captain's commands and the necessity to execute these commands flawlessly. For himself. To test his body, to see his limits, to turn every repetition into a learning opportunity.
"Balance!" Roric's voice came again.
Aurelion corrected his stance with millimeter precision without the slightest hesitation. His face was expressionless, his movements mechanical. Like a robot, he was focused only on the given task.
"Block! Left!"
The left arm rose, the angle perfect.
"Elbow still a bit out! Pull it in!"
The elbow instantly came to the correct position.
"Breath! In sync with movement!"
His breath fell into the rhythm Roric wanted.
Stances, blocks, steps... Aurelion executed every command without question. Fatigue was increasing, his muscles burned, his wounds throbbed, but there wasn't the slightest change in his expression. No complaints, no hesitation, just a search for mechanical perfection.
He applied Roric's corrections instantly, waiting for the next command. This wasn't to please the Captain. This was to test the limits of his own body and will, to get the maximum benefit from this training. Every movement, every repetition, was a step on the path to his own power.
Finally, when Aurelion's legs began to tremble uncontrollably, when his arms could no longer fully respond to commands, Roric shouted "Stop!"
Roric approached him, scrutinizing him from head to toe. The child's exhausted but unbroken state, that robotic obedience...
"The basics are starting to set in "But fatigue cannot be your excuse. Mind and body are one. If one stumbles, the other follows. You will be better tomorrow."
"Go," Roric said finally. "Rest. And come to my study before dinner. I'll give you a few parchments to read."
Aurelion just nodded, exhausted but still defiant. With heavy, dragging steps, he left the training room.
Several hours had passed. The house, with Roric out, had fallen into an uncharacteristic silence. Aurelion sat in the armchair right next to the fireplace, leaning back. His eyes were locked on the dance of the flames, as if hypnotized. His mind, this time, was not filled with thoughts. He was just enjoying the moment.
In the living room, Brynja and Sigrid, were busy with their chores. Brynja was wiping the wooden console in the hall with a damp cloth, while Sigrid was polishing the panels on the walls.
Both did their work carefully and silently, occasionally casting furtive glances at the small Elf sitting motionless in the armchair. The child's deep silence, far from the energy of a normal child, his withdrawn state, caught their attention, but they were careful not to disturb him. Captain Roric's new apprentice was still a mystery to them.
At one point, Brynja finished her work and approached Aurelion with a tray holding a few red apples and a steaming mug of a hot drink. She stood beside the armchair.
"Aurelion?"
The child turned his head slightly.
"Were you able to rest a bit? You must be tired. Perhaps you'd like some fruit? Or hot milk?" She extended the tray towards him.
Aurelion's eyes shifted first to the apples on the tray, then to the hot milk. He paused for a moment, then just shook his head slightly. "No." Then he turned back to the dying embers in front of him.
Brynja shared a brief, anxious look with Sigrid. This little being's inner world was like an insurmountable wall.
As Brynja took the tray to the kitchen, the living room sank back into the silence again. Roric still hadn't returned. His business at the garrison or perhaps with the War Chieftain must have taken longer. This silence pleased Aurelion.
Just then, the heavy, runic oak door was knocked twice.
Aurelion, watched Brynja and Sigrid suddenly turn towards the door. Then Brynja straightened her apron and walked towards the hall. Sigrid followed her but stayed slightly behind.
Brynja, with the respect due to a guest arriving at Roric's house, carefully unlatched the heavy oak door and opened it.
The figure standing in front of the door, immediately drew attention with his imposing stature.
With his height of nearly two meters and ten centimeters, he seemed to completely fill the doorway. Long, silver white hair cascaded over his shoulders, and a thick, well groomed beard of the same color framed his stern features. He wore high quality, dark colored, fabric clothes.
However, what was truly striking were the details that contrasted with this aged and wise appearance: On the man's visible forehead, temples, and hands, thin, blue, crack like lines seemed to vibrate just beneath his skin. A faint, blue energy seeped from these lines. And his eyes... His pupils were like the deepest blue of the Northerner sky.
Brynja instantly recognized the man before her. The professional expression on her face gave way to deep respect and slight surprise. She immediately bowed in greeting. "Clan Leader Viggo! Welcome! This is an unexpected honor..."
Viggo acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod. "I apologize for the disturbance. I was looking to see if Captain Roric was in. I have a few matters regarding our clan's Silver Guard patrols that I need to discuss with him."
Brynja immediately straightened up. "The Captain has not yet returned, Clan Leader. But we expect him here soon."
Viggo calmly nodded again. "I understand." His gaze shifted over Brynja's shoulder into the hall. "In that case, would there be any objection to me waiting for his return here?"
"Of course not, sir!" Brynja said immediately, stepping back to clear the way completely. "Please come in. Let us take you to the living room." .
Viggo stepped inside. As his imposing figure filled the hall, with calm steps, he proceeded in the direction Brynja indicated.
Aurelion, from his armchair by the fireplace, silently watched this newcomer, who exuded an sense of power.
His eyes were fixed on the strange blue lines on the man's face and hands, his faintly glowing pupils, and the intense aura he radiated. This man was different from Roric, different from Thyra, but it was clear he was of the same kind as them. He was strong. Very strong.
As Viggo took a few steps towards the living room, his gaze turned directly to the small, golden eyed Elf sitting in the armchair by the fireplace, scrutinizing him with equal attention. His glowing blue pupils met Aurelion's sharp golden irises. At that moment, the silent, questioning gazes, locked onto each other.