Silence slowly returned to the training grounds.
Only moments ago, reality itself had seemed uncertain.
Light had bent in the wrong direction.
Shadows had betrayed their owners.
Even the simple concepts of up and down had lost their meaning.
Now, everything looked normal again.
The stone floor was still.
The air was calm.
Only the faint glow of ancient runes lingered along the walls.
⸻
At the center of the arena stood Ermis.
Alone.
He lowered his gaze toward his hands.
They looked ordinary.
Yet moments ago, those same hands had twisted the world around him.
And he still didn't understand why.
⸻
"Alright."
Silas's voice broke the silence.
"That's enough for today."
⸻
Aren blinked.
"That's it?"
"We just started!"
⸻
"No."
Silas shrugged.
"He doesn't need lessons about power right now."
⸻
Florence watched Ermis with her usual cold expression.
"He doesn't understand his own ability."
⸻
"Exactly."
Silas nodded.
"So teaching him how to use it would be pointless."
⸻
Nox stretched lazily.
"For once, you said something intelligent."
⸻
"I always say intelligent things."
⸻
"That's the scary part."
⸻
Aren immediately burst into laughter.
⸻
Then Itsuki, still leaning against the wall, spoke quietly.
"He's empty."
⸻
The room fell silent.
⸻
Ermis tilted his head.
"…What does that mean?"
⸻
Mirey pressed a hand against her forehead.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"
⸻
A faint smile appeared on Silas's face.
⸻
"Exactly."
⸻
The Journey
The next morning, before sunrise had fully painted the horizon,
Silas and Ermis left the palace.
⸻
The stone walls of the capital faded behind them.
Roads became dirt paths.
Dirt paths became trails.
And eventually, the trails disappeared into the forest.
⸻
Ermis observed everything as they walked.
The trees.
The wind.
The birds.
⸻
"Why do they sing?"
he suddenly asked.
⸻
"Who?"
⸻
"The birds."
⸻
Silas thought for several seconds.
⸻
"I don't know."
⸻
Ermis looked at him.
"You don't know?"
⸻
"I don't know everything."
⸻
For a moment, Ermis fell silent.
⸻
"That's strange."
⸻
Silas laughed.
⸻
"Yeah."
"The world is strange."
⸻
The House
By the time the sun began to descend,
they reached the edge of the forest.
⸻
There stood a small wooden house.
⸻
Not a palace.
Not a mansion owned by powerful Nature users.
⸻
Just a home.
Simple.
Quiet.
Lived in.
⸻
Thin smoke drifted from the chimney.
Chickens wandered through the yard.
A few sheep grazed peacefully in the grass.
⸻
For some reason,
Ermis couldn't stop looking at it.
⸻
He didn't know why.
⸻
At that moment,
the front door opened.
⸻
An old woman stepped outside.
⸻
Wrinkles marked her face.
Her hands were rough from years of work.
Her movements were slow.
⸻
There was no aura around her.
No overwhelming energy.
No sign of power.
⸻
And yet…
everything around her somehow felt complete.
⸻
"Weak."
Ermis said honestly.
⸻
The old woman raised an eyebrow.
⸻
"What was that?"
⸻
Silas covered his face.
⸻
"Here we go…"
⸻
The old woman walked over and stopped in front of Ermis.
⸻
"My boy."
⸻
"Yes?"
⸻
"Do you always say exactly what you're thinking?"
⸻
"Yes."
⸻
"That's going to be a problem."
⸻
"Why?"
⸻
The old woman chuckled.
⸻
"You'll learn later."
⸻
Then she simply turned and walked away.
⸻
Leaving Ermis completely confused.
⸻
The Conversation
That night,
Ermis had already gone to sleep.
⸻
Outside the house,
beneath the soft glow of a lantern,
two figures sat together.
⸻
Silas.
And the old woman.
⸻
The sound of insects filled the night.
The wind gently moved through the grass.
⸻
The old woman spoke first.
⸻
"So?"
⸻
"What exactly is that child?"
⸻
For a moment,
Silas said nothing.
⸻
Then he smiled faintly.
⸻
"You trust me, right?"
⸻
"No."
⸻
"Fair enough."
⸻
The old woman laughed quietly.
⸻
But Silas's smile slowly faded.
⸻
"He's going to become very powerful."
⸻
"I can already see that."
⸻
"No."
Silas shook his head.
⸻
"Much more powerful than that."
⸻
The wind passed between them.
⸻
"So?"
⸻
"So power isn't what he needs."
⸻
The old woman remained silent.
⸻
Silas looked toward the house.
A faint light still glowed through one of the windows.
⸻
"He doesn't understand friendship."
⸻
"He doesn't understand kindness."
⸻
"He doesn't understand family."
⸻
"He's simply… existing."
⸻
The old woman followed his gaze.
⸻
For a long moment,
neither of them spoke.
⸻
Finally she asked:
⸻
"What do you want me to do?"
⸻
Silas answered immediately.
⸻
"Teach him how to be human."
⸻
The night grew quiet.
⸻
The old woman looked back toward the house.
Toward the boy sleeping inside.
⸻
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
Tired.
Warm.
Gentle.
⸻
"That's a difficult task."
⸻
"I know."
⸻
The old woman slowly stood.
⸻
"Still…"
⸻
"I'll try."
⸻
For the first time that day,
Silas looked relieved.
⸻
When Ermis woke up the next morning,
he wouldn't know it yet.
⸻
The most important lesson of his life was about to begin.
⸻
Not a lesson about power.
Not a lesson about becoming king.
⸻
But a lesson about
what it truly means to be human.