The morning was bright and warm. The sky stretched wide and blue without a single cloud, and sunlight bathed the vast, dry field where they had trained the day before. Sylveras and Elara walked side by side along the rocky path toward Yur'Gan's training valley.
"I wonder what kind of training we'll get today," Sylveras said, stretching his shoulders. "Yesterday he was so smug, turning lava into cold sludge."
Elara chuckled softly. "Yeah, he's annoying. But he's strong. I have to admit that."
When they arrived at the training ground, Yur'Gan was already waiting in the center of the arena, sitting lazily on a large boulder just like the day before.
"So you showed up. I was almost bored waiting," he called out sarcastically. "This time, you won't need to cross a river."
Two bubbling lava pools glowed in front of them, radiating intense heat that prickled their skin.
"Focus. Look closely," Yur'Gan said, pointing at the pools. "Today, you'll train on your own. No teamwork allowed."
Sylveras and Elara exchanged confused glances.
"What do you mean?" Sylveras asked.
"Silence, idiot. I'm not done yet!" Yur'Gan snapped. "I won't explain the method. You must cool the lava—turn it into sludge, rock, whatever you want. I don't care how you do it."
Elara hesitated. "But I use light magic… I can't counter heat like this…"
"Don't give up so easily, girl. Your power is more than you realize," Yur'Gan said, his sharp eyes locked onto her.
Sylveras raised his hand. "What about me?"
"You?" Yur'Gan let out a long sigh. "I hate to say it, but this should be easy for you. You can use all elements, can't you?"
Yur'Gan flopped back into his stone seat. "I'll wait until sundown. Don't come back until that lava is cold."
Sylveras nodded and got to work. He fired a stream of water magic at the lava, but it only created a hiss of steam. The lava still boiled violently.
"Ugh… total failure," he grumbled.
Next, he tried wind magic, hoping to lower the temperature through air circulation. But instead of cooling, the lava flared even more.
"Hahahaha! You fool!" Yur'Gan shouted. "Air only fuels combustion if you can't control it!"
Meanwhile, Elara stood frozen, sweat trickling down her temple as she stared at her lava pool.
"Try something," Sylveras called out. "You can do it!"
Elara nodded slowly, still unsure. Sylveras returned to experimenting, this time combining water and wind. The lava's temperature dropped slightly.
But before he could continue, Yur'Gan barked, "Ah, ah! Only one spell per person. In a real fight, there are no second chances."
Sylveras groaned. "Alright... I'll try another way."
He paused, then shouted, "Damn you, Yur'Gan!" and channeled three elements at once—water, wind, and earth. The combination finally worked. The lava flowed sluggishly and transformed into cold sludge. Yur'Gan looked surprised but smiled.
"Well done. You figured it out. You pass." Then he smirked. "But who were you calling 'damn you,' you lousy elf?"
Yur'Gan tossed a hot pebble at Sylveras. One struck his forehead, while another accidentally hit Elara's hand. She winced, a small burn mark forming on her skin.
Elara fell silent, staring at her reddened hand. Then, a memory resurfaced.
When she was a child, she had burned herself while cooking for Ardan. Sylveras's parents had left him in Ardan's care while they went to the capital. Despite the pain, Elara had brought the food to Ardan.
"Did you use healing magic, Elara?" Ardan had asked.
"I did... but the heat still hurts," Elara had replied with watery eyes.
"That's because you used the wrong technique. Light can heal, but if misdirected, it amplifies heat. But it can also reduce temperature—if you know how," Ardan had explained.
Back then, he had taught her a special technique—light magic that could lower temperature.
Light magic could not only heal but also absorb thermal energy from its surroundings. Like photons "eating" the heat from hot molecules, this magic pulled warmth from the lava, drastically cooling it down.
Additionally, light magic could accelerate the radiation of heat, causing the lava to cool in seconds. Visually, the lava would briefly glow brighter, then suddenly dim and harden.
Recalling that technique, Elara stood tall and raised her hand. A gentle light glowed from her palm, growing into a white-gold radiance.
"Cold Radiance," she whispered.
The spell enveloped the lava pool. It hissed loudly, then darkened... and solidified completely into hard rock within seconds. The steam that rose from it felt cold to the touch.
Sylveras stared in awe. "You... did it? How?!"
"I remembered Ardan's spell. Long ago, when your parents were away in the capital and I was staying at your house, Ardan once showed me how to use light magic to reduce heat."
"Oooh... right! I remember! That was amazing, Elara!"
Yur'Gan crossed his arms, nodding. "Now that's real training. You understand now? There's no such thing as a strong or weak element. It all depends on how you use it."
He turned around. "That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
When they returned home, the house was quiet. Gorion was nowhere to be seen. On the table, there was only a single note:
"I've gone to the Magic Council. Take care of the house."—Gorion
Sylveras stared at the note. "He's gone again."
"We better get ready for tomorrow's training," Elara replied.