INT. INN – COMMON ROOM
Pushing through the door, the brothers stepped inside, only to be met by Herb's puzzled expression from behind the counter.
"Huh? What are you two doing here?" he asked, raising a brow. "Shouldn't you be with Leon?"
Towan slumped into a chair, exhaling. "Yeah, well… that was the plan. But turns out, finding a clock tower in a city this big? Not as easy as we thought."
"We missed the meeting time, so we figured we'd just wait here instead," Elliot added, arms crossed.
Herb blinked. Then shrugged. "I guess… that works?"
A beat of silence.
"You guys really didn't think to ask for directions?"
Towan groaned, dropping his head onto the table. "Don't start."
Golden sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm streaks across the wooden floor. The morning air was still, quiet—until the thunderous stomp of boots echoed down the hallway.
Then—BAM!
The door slammed open with enough force to rattle the walls.
"Wake up, sleeping beauties!" Leon's voice boomed through the room.
Towan and Elliot jolted awake, eyes blinking in confusion.
Towan groaned, raking a hand through his messy hair. "Isn't it a little early for—"
"Not when you left someone waiting for hours yesterday," Leon interrupted, arms crossed, scowl in place.
A beat of silence.
"Oh."
Towan and Elliot exchanged a glance.
"Right."
They definitely weren't getting out of this one.
Leon leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Pack up your things. We start training today."
Towan froze mid-stretch. "Wait—seriously?" He blinked, almost not believing it. "I thought this day would never come."
Leon just nodded. "I got Selene to cover my work for a while."
Elliot frowned. "Wasn't she, y'know… the bad guy?"
Leon exhaled through his nose. "I did consider handing her over to the Royal Knights for—" he cleared his throat, "—some questionable activities I'm aware of… but instead, I figured I'd use the opportunity to free up my schedule."
Elliot's frown deepened. "And you trust her?"
Leon waved a hand. "Don't worry. Herb's keeping an eye on her." Then, pushing off the doorframe, he turned. "I'll be waiting downstairs. We've got a journey ahead of us."
Towan perked up. "Journey? Where are we going?"
Leon smirked. "To my old dojo."
As Leon descended, Towan glanced at his brother. "Well?"
Elliot smirked. "Took us long enough."
A short while later, they packed the clothes Herb had given them, stuffing them into their bags with practiced ease.
As they made their way downstairs, the bartender glanced up from cleaning a glass. "Leaving already?"
"Yep," Towan replied.
Herb huffed, crossing his arms. "'Bout time, punks… Try not to get yourselves killed. And swing by once in a while."
Elliot grinned. "Don't worry, we will."
With that, they stepped outside, the door creaking shut behind them.
"Let's go," Leon called, already waiting outside.
The three of them set off down the road, exchanging brief nods and greetings with villagers and merchants along the way. The warmth of the town slowly faded behind them, replaced by the quiet rustle of leaves as they stepped into the forest, leaving Lockeheart behind.
Leon's voice cut through the silence. "Listen up."
Towan and Elliot turned their attention to him as he continued. "As you both should know, Essentia is the energy that flows through every living being."
They nodded, following his words carefully.
"By controlling that flow, we can shape it in different ways," Leon explained. "Most commonly, people use it to control elements. The four basics: fire, water, earth, and wind."
Towan's eyes lit up. "So, which one are we learning first?"
Leon sighed. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Towan."
There was something different about him now, the brothers realized. Out here, away from the city, he seemed... wiser. As if he'd shed a mask he had worn back in Lockeheart.
"Before anything else, you'll learn to control Essentia itself," Leon stated firmly.
Towan frowned. "Wait… no element?"
"Like I did?" Elliot asked, clenching his fist as he recalled the fight against the bandits.
"Exactly," Leon confirmed. "You, Elliot, managed to make your Essentia flow purely through determination. But we need to see how well you actually did it—if your channels held up or if you forced it too much."
"They can get damaged?" both brothers asked at once, taken aback.
"Of course. There are efficient flows and inefficient ones. Some let you do more with less, while others waste energy. If you force it through unprepared channels…" Leon paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Well, let's just say damage isn't fun to deal with."