Kael noticed his father walking toward him before the others did.
Garrick's stride was steady, but there was something thoughtful in his expression that Kael didn't miss.
The miners nearby slowly drifted away, returning to their tools or the evening preparations around the camp.
Darius was still speaking with one of the older workers, clearly enjoying explaining academy theory to someone who didn't entirely care.
Aria, however, noticed Garrick approaching.
Her eyes moved briefly between father and son before she quietly stepped away as well.
Soon Kael and Garrick stood alone near the ridge.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The wind carried the familiar smell of dust and stone from the terraces below.
Finally Garrick rubbed the back of his neck.
"That professor wants to take you to the academy."
Kael blinked.
"He does?"
"Full scholarship."
That caught Kael off guard.
"The academy's paying?"
"That's what he said."
Garrick leaned against one of the wooden posts marking the edge of the ridge.
Kael stared out across the mining terraces, trying to process what he had just heard.
The Terrava Academy.
Everyone on the planet knew about it.
It was where elemental specialists trained.
Where scholars studied ancient Aethari ruins.
Where the most talented elemental users learned to refine their abilities.
It was also very far from the mining ridge.
Kael had never traveled beyond the nearby settlements.
"I thought the test showed I was Groundless," he said.
Garrick shook his head.
"That stone turning to dust seems to have changed the professor's mind."
Kael let out a quiet breath.
"So what did you tell him?"
"That it wasn't my decision."
Kael looked at him.
Garrick shrugged.
"You're eighteen now."
That surprised Kael more than anything else his father had said.
"You're serious."
Garrick gave him a sideways glance.
"You want me to decide your life for you?"
Kael hesitated.
"No."
"Good."
Garrick looked back toward the ridge where the academy group was packing away their equipment.
"That professor thinks you've got potential."
Kael let out a quiet laugh.
"I've spent my whole life digging holes in rock."
"Exactly."
Garrick's voice softened slightly.
"You've spent your whole life digging holes in rock."
Kael frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means maybe you don't have to do that forever."
The words hung in the air between them.
Kael had never really considered that possibility.
The mines were simply life.
Work the tunnels.
Extract the crystal.
Keep the camp running.
That was how things had always been.
Garrick straightened.
"We should talk to your mother."
Kael winced slightly.
"Yeah."
That conversation would not be easy.
The Holt family home sat near the edge of the camp, overlooking the lower terraces of the mine.
It was small but sturdy, built from reinforced stone blocks hauled up from earlier excavations.
Warm light spilled through the windows.
Kael stepped inside behind his father.
His mother was already waiting.
Lira Holt stood near the table with her arms folded, watching them with the kind of expression that told Kael she already knew something important had happened.
"Mara told me the academy people tested you," she said.
News traveled fast in a mining camp.
Garrick pulled out a chair and sat down.
"They did."
"And?"
Garrick looked toward Kael.
"They want to take him to the academy."
Lira froze.
"What?"
"Full scholarship," Garrick added.
Silence filled the room.
Kael watched his mother carefully.
Lira Holt had always been protective of him.
Perhaps more than necessary.
"You're not sending him away," she said.
Garrick leaned back in his chair.
"I didn't say I was."
"But you're considering it."
"I'm considering his future."
Lira looked toward Kael.
"You nearly died three days ago."
"I'm fine," Kael said.
"That's not the point."
Her voice softened slightly.
"The academy is far away."
Kael said nothing.
She turned back to Garrick.
"He's spent his entire life here."
"And maybe that's the problem."
Lira frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Garrick gestured toward their son.
"That professor thinks the boy's got talent."
"And you believe him?"
"I believe the stone turned to dust."
Lira was quiet for a moment.
She walked slowly toward the window overlooking the terraces.
The mining lights stretched across the mountainside like scattered stars.
"This ridge is dangerous," she said quietly.
Garrick snorted.
"It's a mine."
"That's exactly my point."
Kael shifted slightly.
Neither of his parents had ever spoken openly about the dangers of the work before.
Lira turned back toward them.
"If he goes…"
She hesitated.
Then sighed.
"He'll have a future beyond this place."
Kael blinked in surprise.
His mother met his eyes.
"I won't pretend I like the idea," she said softly.
"But I won't keep you here if there's a better path for you."
The room grew quiet again.
Garrick nodded once.
"Well," he said.
"That settles that."
Kael felt a strange mixture of excitement and uncertainty settle in his chest.
The academy.
Training.
Leaving the ridge.
Everything he had known his entire life was about to change.
And somewhere deep beneath the mountain…
The earth whispered quietly in approval.