The morning in Vailor was quiet.
I was sitting on the balcony of my mansion, watching the garden still covered by the soft light of dawn. The wind moved slowly through the trees, making the leaves rustle with a low, constant sound. It was one of those rare moments of tranquility after intense days.
On the table in front of me was the sword.
I had been staring at it for several minutes.
The blade reflected the sunlight like any ordinary sword, but I knew that wasn't true. That weapon hid something much greater. Something I still didn't fully understand.
I slowly ran my fingers along the hilt.
I could still clearly remember the battle against the Fourth General of the demons.
The moment everything changed.
In the middle of the fight, when the situation seemed impossible, the sword reacted. An intense energy enveloped my body, and a golden armor appeared around me. In that instant, my strength and speed increased absurdly.
I had defeated the General with ease.
But there was a problem.
I didn't know how I did that.
I let out a small sigh as I leaned back in the chair.
"I won… but it wasn't really under my control."
If that armor appeared again, I wasn't sure I would be able to activate it at will.
And that bothered me.
A lot.
If stronger enemies appeared in the future, relying on something I didn't understand would be extremely dangerous.
I heard soft footsteps approaching behind me.
"You're thinking about the battle, aren't you?"
Liriel's voice was calm and familiar.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw her approaching the balcony. Her light hair moved gently with the morning breeze. Right behind her came the others.
Elara walked with her usual composed posture, observing everything carefully.
Rai'kanna looked relaxed, but I knew her well enough to know she was always alert.
Lyannis had that curious smile she always wore when she sensed something interesting.
Vespera was the last to appear, calmly leaning against the balcony railing.
They were already used to this kind of situation. When I got too lost in thought, it usually meant something was bothering me.
"You've been staring at that sword since early morning," Elara said, crossing her arms.
I slowly lifted the sword.
"The battle against the Fourth General… you saw what happened."
Liriel nodded immediately.
"That golden energy armor."
"Exactly," I replied.
The memory of that moment was still vivid in my mind. The sensation of power flowing through my body was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
But that was also the problem.
"I don't know how to activate that."
Lyannis tilted her head slightly.
"You mean it was automatic?"
"Yes."
I looked at the sword again.
"It just reacted."
Rai'kanna rested her arms on the table.
"So the problem is that you have absurd power… but you can't use it whenever you want."
"Basically that."
Vespera observed the blade in silent focus.
"If that sword truly has that kind of power," she said calmly, "then you need to learn how to control it."
I agreed.
That was exactly it.
But there was another problem.
"I don't know where to start."
Magic had never been my specialty. I had always been a direct combatant. Sword, movement, battle strategy.
Deep mana control was something much more complex.
Elara thought for a few seconds before speaking.
"There is a place where mages learn this kind of thing."
We all looked at her.
"The Arcane City."
Lyannis gave a small smile.
"The city of mages?"
Elara nodded.
"Exactly."
I had heard of that place before. It was famous across the continent.
A place where the greatest mages in the world gathered.
Massive libraries.
Study towers.
Advanced magical research.
If there was any place capable of teaching refined mana control… it was probably there.
Liriel seemed interested.
"You're thinking about going there?"
I looked again at the sword in my hand.
If I truly wanted to master that power… maybe that was the best choice.
"Yes."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Then Rai'kanna gave a small smile.
"A trip to the city of mages… that sounds interesting."
Lyannis laughed softly.
"We'll probably end up getting into trouble along the way."
"As always," Vespera replied calmly.
Elara simply nodded.
"If the goal is to learn mana control, then that is the best possible place."
I placed the sword back on the table.
A sense of firm decision settled within me.
The battle against the Fourth General had ended.
But something told me that was only the beginning of much bigger things.
If I truly wanted to be prepared for what was coming, I needed to understand the power in my hands.
I stood up from the chair.
"Then it's decided."
I looked at all of them.
"We're going to the Arcane City."
The morning wind passed through the mansion's garden once again, making the trees sway gently.
The tranquility of that place contrasted with the decision I had just made.
A new journey was about to begin.