Sunbeams poured through the castle windows, lighting corridors where the breeze still carried whispers of the tournament's news. Asori walked slowly, arms still bandaged and body aching, yet with a new light in his eyes. A strange mix churned in his chest: fear and pride, anger and hope.
When he reached the training hall, the great door swung open—Eryndor was there. The sage, white hair tied back, looked him up and down. For the first time in a long while, his face showed more than sternness. He pulled Asori into a firm embrace.
—You've come back, boy. —His voice was deep, but warm.— I thought you wouldn't make it.
Asori, startled by the gesture, smiled awkwardly.
—I came… close to not making it.
After a few seconds of quiet, anxiety pushed the words out of him.
—Master… during my fight with Kael, my eyes changed. I felt I could see everything with impossible clarity; my body moved on its own… faster, stronger than I've ever moved.
Eryndor listened without interrupting, then nodded gravely.
—What you're describing… is Hakiri.
The word fell like a thunderclap in the hall. Mikrom, leaning against the wall, straightened at once.
—I knew it! When I watched him fight I thought he was crazy… but you've confirmed it, Master.
Asori frowned.
—Hakiri? What exactly does it mean?
Eryndor crossed his arms, his tone turning solemn.
—Listen closely, Asori. Before we speak of your Hakiri, you must grasp the essential: Astral is not infinite. Not even for bearers. Every human is born with a limited flow, a vital current that connects the soul to the world. Use it without control and you wear it down. Push past your limits, you'll drain it… and if you drain it completely, you die.
Silence pressed down on the hall. Asori's eyes widened.
—Even bearers… can lose it?
—Yes. —Eryndor's answer was blunt.— In fact, faster than others. Astral runs stronger in you, but that very force consumes you more if you don't learn control. Every technique, every transformation, carries risk. Astral is a river: let it flow with you and it will carry you beyond the impossible to make miracles; force it, and it floods—destroying whatever it touches.
Mikrom folded his arms, expression dark.
—That explains why you collapsed against Kael. Your own flow turned on you.
Eryndor continued.
—Hakiri is an awakening. A rare evolution born of exposure to absurd quantities of pure Astral. Your body carved new internal paths to survive that pressure. But this "evolution" isn't a gift… it's a double-edged weapon.
Asori swallowed.
—So… my body changed?
—Yes. And what you awakened has a name. —Eryndor's gaze was utterly serious.— Dalf.
The term echoed, strange and heavy.
—It's an offensive Hakiri—one of the most dangerous. It grants reflexes and strength beyond human limits, but it drains your Astral like a black hole. It's incomplete for now: what you saw in the coliseum was only the first phase. The true Dalf has another shape, another color. When it reaches completion… I'm not sure your body will be able to withstand it.
Mikrom clicked his tongue, incredulous.
—There are "levels" of Hakiri?
—There are. —Eryndor glanced at him.— Jason awakened one as well—sensory. He can see opponents' Astral flows, read their bonds and weaknesses. That's why he recognized the tie that binds you to Blair immediately. He doesn't wield it to hit harder, but to see beyond what others can.
Asori clenched his fists.
—Then… Jason and I share this.
—Don't forget the important part. —Eryndor leaned in, voice lower.— Dalf must not be used lightly. Each time you activate it, your life hangs by a thread. Use it only in emergencies, when there is no other way. While it remains incomplete, it's more poison than power.
Asori lowered his gaze. His breath was rough, but a new fire burned in his eyes.
—Even so… I want to learn to master it. I can't keep falling and waiting for others to save me.
Eryndor held his look for a long moment, then smiled with pride.
—Good, boy. Then we'll truly train. No half-measures. You'll learn Astral isn't something to spend… it's something to honor. And if you master that respect, perhaps one day Dalf will become your greatest strength—rather than your doom.
After the explanation about Hakiri and Astral, Asori stayed quiet a moment, breathing still uneven. At last he bowed his head and spoke softly:
—Master… there's more I must tell you. Before everyone, at the tournament… I said I'm the bearer of the Orb of Wind. I also said I'd help Blair in whatever it takes to end this war. And… —his cheeks flushed— I confessed what I feel for her.
Eryndor studied him in silence, not stern but like someone watching a son grow. Before he could reply, the door eased open. Blair peeked in, wearing a simple dress, her eyes a mix of tenderness and worry.
—Am I interrupting?
The sage shook his head calmly.
—Not at all. In fact… you were precisely whom we were speaking of.
Blair blushed at once, glancing sideways at Asori.
—About me?
Eryndor nodded, folding his arms.
—Yes. But first— —he turned his head toward Mikrom.— I need a moment alone with these two.
Mikrom arched a brow, then understood.
—All right. —He sighed, half-smiling.— I'll go scare up something to eat… though I doubt the pantry has much left.
He left, the door closing softly behind him. The silence that remained felt intentional.
Eryndor stepped forward and planted himself before the two youths. His gaze carried a judge's firmness and a father's warmth.
—Asori has confessed what he feels for you, Blair. And I must say this: you two are no longer merely traveling companions. You now bear the weight of something far greater.
Asori squirmed, embarrassed.
—Master…!
Eryndor lifted a hand, stopping him.
—Listen well, boy. Blair is no longer just your friend. She is a princess, a bearer, and a symbol for this realm. Her burden will be heavier than ever, and your duty is not only to protect her in battle. Your duty is to support her as a man, as a warrior… and as someone who chose to walk at her side.
The words struck Asori like a hammer, yet filled his chest with a strange pride. He bowed his head, heart thundering.
—I will. I promise.
Blair froze. Heat rushed into her cheeks, and without thinking she stepped closer and took his hand. Her fingers trembled, but her grip was firm.
Eryndor watched them, his severity softening into an almost paternal smile.
—Good. And now… Blair. —She lifted her head, startled.— It's your turn.
—My… turn? —she asked softly.
The master nodded, grave.
—You've lived hidden, afraid, carrying a weight you never asked for. But the time to hide is over. The Orb of Fire burns within you, and sooner or later, you'll have to let it out. You're afraid of losing control… I know. —His eyes narrowed.— I'll speak with Tifa, and together we'll find how to contain that power when the moment comes. But remember this: the task isn't to smother the fire. It's to learn to make it burn only where you decide.
Blair swallowed. The certainty in his tone brought a strange relief, though it didn't lift the weight of his words.
—I… will try.
—No. —Eryndor shook his head.— Trying isn't enough. You are going to do it. —He pointed, finger firm.— Because your people need you. And because that boy beside you has staked his entire life on you.
Asori and Blair shared a look. No words were needed: they knew their fates were no longer separate roads that crossed now and then, but a single path marked by a common purpose.
Eryndor sighed at last and set a hand on each of their shoulders.
—Everything you've lived through… wasn't chance. It was preparation. The forest, Lira, Jason, Kael, the tournament… every wound and every tear had a purpose: to forge you. You are no longer children trying to survive. You are the wind and the fire this realm needs.
Silence filled the hall again—not the silence of tension, but of an unspoken vow. With Blair's hand in his and his master's hand on his shoulder, Asori felt he wasn't alone. With Eryndor's words in her chest, Blair understood it was time to stop fearing her power.
The hardest training was about to begin. And with it, a destiny that no longer belonged to a mountain boy and a lost princess, but to the warrior who had ridden the wind and the heiress who must learn to rule with fire.