Another day had come, and like all others, Ares was seated in his room in the usual position every morning. The soft morning light filtered through his window, casting gentle shadows across the floor as he sat cross-legged on his bed.
The mana in the room could be seen seeping into Ares' frame like tiny streams of silver light, flowing and dancing around him in slow, mesmerizing patterns. He dedicated every morning to this particular ritual, as he felt this was the only way to enrich his connection to mana. The air around him seemed to shimmer with each breath he took.
He immediately had a thought. "That's right, the High Matron asked me to come to her office today. Something about an appraisal."
He began to think back to the part of the book which talked about appraisals. "Yes! That's right. When children turn five, an appraisal is carried out, mainly to know their potential and see which affinity they had awakened. Even though they showed compatibility as infants, it doesn't mean they would awaken these elements."
Someone who awakened the ice element could resist heat from the fire shrine. This could look like compatibility, but it was just the law of one element over another.
"Well... it wouldn't hurt. That's one more fun thing to add to today's plan. I would like to know which elements I have awakened so I can start training. Even though I want to enjoy this second life, I would also like to protect myself, thank you very much."
Right after gathering mana, Ares stretched and yawned before padding barefoot across the cool stone floor to his washroom. The warm water felt good against his skin as he had his bath and changed into fresh clothes. Soon after, Junia appeared at his door with a smile, carrying a tray of steaming breakfast that made his stomach growl appreciatively. After eating every last bite, he rushed off for training while Junia hummed softly as she cleaned up his room and gathered his laundry.
– – –
In the training ground at the martial ring, sunlight streamed through tall windows, warming the polished stone floors. The children had started to arrive gradually, their footsteps echoing in the spacious room. First was Evandor, who moved with quiet grace to one corner, his shoulders tense and jaw set. His final trial would be coming up in a couple of days, so he seemed the most detached of all the brothers, like a warrior preparing for battle.
Caelum arrived next, his silence hanging around him like a cloak. He paid Evandor no attention as he started his morning drills, his movements sharp and focused as he jogged around the ring's edge. Then Rowan trooped in with his usual playful grin, though today his face clearly showed he'd rather be anywhere else. The expression practically screamed, "I don't want to be here, but here I am anyway." But sadly, the family he was born into were absolute freaks when it came to training.
Ares finally arrived, slightly out of breath from hurrying. Being the newcomer, not all the brothers had opened up to him yet, so he had been treading carefully, like walking on thin ice. Though Rowan was genuinely nice to him, he had never really had close relationships with others, even in his previous life. The awkwardness of making friends was still new territory for him.
The instructor for the day, Velna, then stepped in with confident strides, her boots clicking against the stone. Today was elemental combat training, and she would be teaching an element they all had in common, the wind element. Her presence immediately commanded attention, and even the chattering boys fell silent. Though Ares hadn't yet awakened his elements, it would be good practice for him to watch and learn.
Velna walked to the center of the room with purpose, her red hair catching the light as she clapped her hands sharply, the sound echoing off the walls. "Boys, form up at the center," she called, and they all moved like well-trained soldiers, gathering around her in a loose circle.
"We will be working on wind element control today," she announced, her voice clear and strong. "I know we all have that element in common, apart from our newcomer here," she nodded toward Ares with a small smile, "but you could still learn a thing or two from this particular class."
She pushed her arms wide, the gesture graceful yet commanding as she motioned for the boys to give her space. They shuffled back, creating a proper circle around her. "I will teach you one basic form of the Eisenklinge family elemental arts called mimicry."
She paused and studied each face in the ring, her sharp eyes taking in their expressions, some eager, some nervous, some trying to look bored. Satisfied with what she saw, she continued. "Elemental mimicry usually wasn't part of your syllabus, but the new patriarch insists we add it. He believes it would give you a real edge when training, so we will now begin."
Velna calmed herself as she exhaled, and then it happened. The space around her began to shiver as though the air was vibrating with her. Her eyes snapped open, and then there was a gust of wind swirling around her like a mini tornado.
"This is my mimicry of the wind. Every person's mimicry is different from the other. Mine is well-suited for power since I'm more of a close combat specialist." Velna wasn't shouting, she spoke in the same voice as she always did, but her voice boomed as though the air moved with every word she spoke.
She immediately punched the air, and a gust of wind followed, blowing away Rowan, who was unfortunately standing there. Though Ares figured that Velna had done it on purpose, judging by the small smirk on her face.
Rowan picked himself up from the ground, brushing dust off his clothes with an annoyed expression. "Really? Did I volunteer to be your practice dummy?" he grumbled, earning a few snickers from the other boys.
She later showed them some forms before allowing the others to try what she had taught them. Ares just watched since he hadn't yet awakened his elements, but from watching them, he hoped he would survive the strain when he got his powers while secretly praying not to get the wind element. 'Being blown around like Rowan doesn't look fun,' he thought.
Training had ended, and everyone headed out. Rowan headed towards the library, Caelum followed too, while Evandor continued to train. He wouldn't slack even a bit with his final trial coming up—he needed all the experience he could get.
– – –
The appraisal chamber was a place that seemed to swallow sound and warmth alike.
No cozy warmth. No cheerful light. Just thick silence broken only by the low, steady hum of mana pulsing through ancient symbols carved deep into walls of black stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The air itself felt heavy, almost alive with old magic.
Ares stood in the center of the circular room, small but surprisingly calm, his white training robes looking almost ghostly against the dark, lifeless walls. Floating crystals provided the only light, dim, blue-white gleams that cast eerie shadows that seemed to dance and shift on their own.
He didn't fidget or shift his weight.
He didn't blink or look around nervously.
He simply waited, hands at his sides, though his heart was beating faster than he'd like to admit. The chamber made him feel like he was standing inside the heart of some sleeping giant.
Veltrissa watched from a raised platform carved into the chamber wall, her arms crossed, fingers drumming silently against her sleeves. Her eyes, always cold as winter morning, now held something sharper in them, like a hawk studying its prey. Several other instructors stood behind her in the shadows, their breathing shallow and careful.
The Eyes of Veyr began to hum, quietly at first, like a sleeping cat's purr, then louder and more insistent, making the air feel thick and electric. The floating wheel of glowing symbols flickered to life above Ares, rings of blue and purple light spinning slowly like the gears of some divine clockwork waking up from centuries of sleep. Sparks of mana danced between the symbols, creating tiny lightning shows in the air.
'This should be simple,' Veltrissa thought. 'Earth and wind, maybe lightning. Something normal. Something safe.'
But the symbol wheel didn't stop at two rings.
It didn't stop at three.
It spun again. A fourth ring appeared. Then a fifth.
Veltrissa's eyebrows shot up.
Then—impossible as it seemed—a sixth ring formed.
Her heart nearly stopped.
The room grew dimmer as the Eyes of Veyr glowed with an eerie white-blue light. Ancient symbols crackled in the air, old, forbidden signs that hadn't been seen since the founding of Eisenhold itself. The very air seemed to shiver with power.
Potential: PRIMORDIAL
Elemental Affinities: Fire. Wind. Ice. Lightning. Earth. Water.
Ares didn't flinch, even though inside he was thinking, 'Well, that's either really good or really bad news.'
Not when the mana twisted wildly around him. Not when the shrine's crystal walls cracked from the sheer force of energy. Not even when the symbol wheel began to fall apart into golden dust, like a machine that couldn't handle what it had discovered.
He simply let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
Veltrissa stepped forward, her boots silent on the stone floor. The other instructors behind her hadn't dared to breathe since the third ring appeared, and one of them looked like he might faint.
"Sixteenth," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
He looked up at her with curious eyes.
"You may return to your routine."
No bow. No smile. Just a small nod. He turned and walked away, leaving a trail of lingering mana in his wake like invisible footprints.
The room remained frozen in silence long after the door closed.
One of the instructors finally dared to whisper, "Should we... inform the Patriarch?"
Veltrissa didn't answer right away. Her fingers trembled slightly just once as she stared at the dying glow of the magical device.
"Not yet," she said at last. "Not until he chooses power for himself."
"But if Lady Cassia finds out—"
"She won't find out through me." Her voice was like steel now. "Even if she finds out eventually while he's under my watch I'll make sure he's safe at least until he leaves the cradle."
Another instructor shifted nervously. "Six elements... that's Eisenhart's legend. I thought it was a lie told to scare branch houses into loyalty."
"Neither have I," Veltrissa admitted, her gaze turning back to remains of the Eyes of Veyr which still echoed a fading hum like a heartbeat that should not have returned.
'Welcome back, War-Father's shadow.' she thought grimly. 'Let's see if your heir survives long enough to matter.'