The years passed peacefully.
Within the hidden valley, time seemed to move slower than the outside world.
The seasons changed.
Flowers bloomed and withered.
Snow blanketed the mountains before giving way to spring once more.
Kieran was now five years old.
Though still young, he possessed an unusual composure that often made Crystal forget his age.
---
The crisp morning air carried the scent of dew as Crystal stood before a flat stone platform she had carved years ago.
Kieran stood opposite her, his small hands resting calmly at his sides.
Today...
His true education would begin.
Crystal looked at him silently for a moment.
"Kieran."
"Yes, Mama."
"Do you know why practitioners cultivate?"
He thought carefully before answering.
"To become stronger."
Crystal nodded.
"That is one answer."
"But not the correct one."
Kieran blinked.
"The desire for strength is merely the beginning."
She walked past him, her gaze fixed upon the distant mountains.
"Some cultivate to protect."
"Some cultivate for revenge."
"Others seek glory."
"Wealth."
"Knowledge."
"Freedom."
She turned around.
"But strength without purpose..."
"...is no different from a sharpened blade abandoned in the wilderness."
"It exists."
"But it has no meaning."
Kieran lowered his head thoughtfully.
"Then..."
"What should I cultivate for?"
Crystal smiled faintly.
"I cannot answer that."
"That is something only you can discover."
---
She stepped onto the center of the platform.
"Before anyone learns techniques..."
"They must first learn to feel Magna."
She slowly closed her eyes.
"Everything around us contains Magna."
"The trees."
"The wind."
"The earth beneath your feet."
"The water flowing through the valley."
"The air you breathe."
She opened one eye.
"But Magna cannot be commanded."
"It must first be understood."
Kieran nodded seriously.
"What should I do?"
"Sit."
He obeyed immediately.
Crystal circled him slowly.
"Close your eyes."
"Empty your thoughts."
"Do not search for Magna."
"Allow Magna to find you."
Silence descended upon the valley.
Only the flowing river could be heard.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Most children would have become restless long ago.
Kieran remained perfectly still.
His breathing gradually synchronized with the rhythm of the valley itself.
Crystal watched quietly.
'Excellent focus...'
Even so...
Feeling Magna for the first time often required months.
Sometimes years.
She had no expectations.
Suddenly...
A gentle breeze swept across the platform.
The surrounding leaves began circling Kieran.
Not violently.
Almost...
Affectionately.
Crystal frowned.
She hadn't used any Magna.
The wind simply...
Moved.
---
Within Kieran's consciousness...
Darkness.
Boundless darkness.
Then...
A tiny light.
It drifted lazily before him.
Soon another appeared.
Then another.
Blue.
Green.
Brown.
Golden.
Silver.
Countless tiny lights danced around him like playful children.
"They're beautiful..."
Kieran whispered unconsciously.
One tiny emerald light floated closer.
It gently touched his forehead before retreating.
The others followed.
They laughed.
Or perhaps...
It only felt like laughter.
Kieran instinctively reached toward them.
Instead of fleeing...
The lights gathered around his hand.
Then...
Everything vanished.
---
Kieran slowly opened his eyes.
Crystal stared at him.
"What happened?"
He tilted his head.
"I saw little lights."
"They were playing."
"What color?"
"Lots."
"Green."
"Blue."
"Brown."
"White."
"Golden."
"There were so many."
Crystal's heart skipped a beat.
"...How many?"
"I don't know."
"Hundreds?"
"Thousands?"
"They were everywhere."
Crystal remained silent.
According to every known record...
A person's first perception of Magna should reveal only the element corresponding to their affinity.
One element.
Never more.
She carefully asked,
"Did one color shine brighter than the others?"
Kieran thought for several moments.
"...No."
"They all felt..."
"...friendly."
Crystal concealed the storm raging within her heart.
'Impossible...'
Had he mistaken ambient Magna for elemental Magna?
Or...
Was this another mystery surrounding his unknown physique?
She chose not to press further.
"For now..."
"Simply remember what you saw."
"Don't force an answer."
Kieran nodded.
---
Over the following weeks...
Crystal began teaching him the fundamentals of reading and writing.
Unlike most children...
Kieran learned astonishingly quickly.
One explanation was enough.
Two if the subject was particularly difficult.
Within months...
He could read basic texts.
Within a year...
He had begun asking questions that even experienced practitioners rarely considered.
One evening...
As Crystal explained elemental affinities, Kieran suddenly interrupted.
"Mama."
"Yes?"
"If fire and water oppose each other..."
"Why does hot water exist?"
Crystal blinked.
"...Continue."
"If wind feeds fire..."
"Why can wind also extinguish it?"
"And if Earth is stable..."
"Why do earthquakes happen?"
Crystal slowly placed her book down.
Those weren't questions from memory.
They were observations.
Reasoning.
He wasn't merely learning.
He was trying to understand the principles beneath what he had been taught.
A warm smile appeared on her face.
"Excellent."
"Never stop asking questions."
"Sometimes..."
"The answers hidden beneath a question are worth more than the question itself."
Kieran smiled happily.
"I like learning."
"I know."
Crystal looked toward the night sky beyond the cave entrance.
At this rate...
The valley would no longer be enough forever.
One day...
Kieran would have to leave.
He would need teachers she could not replace.
He would need to meet others.
To experience the world.
But...
Not yet.
For now...
He was still simply a child.
And she intended to let him enjoy that childhood for as long as fate allowed.
End of Chapter 9