The sun had not yet crossed the horizon when Lygni kicked me out of bed. There were no gentle words or a gradual awakening. Only the heavy sound of her footsteps against the wood.
"To the courtyard. Now."
"I am the prince, you know," I muttered, still sprawled on the floor, trying to process the impact of the sudden awakening.
"As a royal guard, I am doing what's best for my prince," she said. The sarcasm in her voice was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
I dragged my body, still aching from the excavations, to the back courtyard. The morning dew left the stones cold beneath my bare feet, forcing me awake. Lygni was already there, as motionless as an ice statue, watching the mist rising from the damp soil.
"So, how was it yesterday?" she asked, staring me down. "What did it feel like?"
"Well... it was a strange sensation," I replied, sitting on the cold ground. "It was as if..."
"You were connected?" Lygni finished.
"Yes."
"Well, everything you felt is normal, but now it's time for you to start molding it," she said. "The easiest place to start is the earth."
Lygni crouched down, touching the soil with her fingertips. "Expand your will. Make it respond to your command."
Suddenly, a small clump of earth rose, forming a small mound. "Give it the shape you want. Think and act." As she spoke, the earth took the form of what looked like a tiny ballerina—detailed and stable.
"Make the work easier. In the beginning, create names for each technique; it will become simpler with practice," she explained. "Uniform Wall."
The moment she uttered the words, a man-sized wall rose from the courtyard, forming a solid barrier. "Feel the threads, don't fight them," she said, looking at the structure. "Sublime Fire."
She extended her hand, and flames erupted from it. But the fire wasn't chaotic; it followed a precise pattern, striking the wall with controlled violence.
"Did you see it?" she questioned.
"It seemed to follow a rhythmic pattern," I commented, fascinated by the geometry of the energy.
"Yes. All elements come from nature; we are not bound to just one. But our proficiency reveals how skilled you will be in that element. Fire has a limit for me; I cannot create perfectly uniform flames," she said, looking me in the eyes. "Don't let your enemy know that. In a real fight, all your weaknesses can be used against you."
"But it can also be your ace in the hole, since an opponent always lets their guard down when they think they have too much information," Lygni said.
My first lesson was a revelation. We aren't just bound to the world; we are connected to it.