The room they gave her was… excessive.
Melaina stood just inside the doorway, staring.
High ceilings. Polished stone floors. A bed that looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel. Tall windows overlooked a sprawling city of white stone and gold accents, stretching far beyond what she could see.
"This is… a guest room?" she asked.
Selena, already halfway down the hall, didn't look back.
"You're a Forerunner," she said. "Not a prisoner."
Melaina stepped inside slowly.
"Still feels like a lot."
Selena shrugged.
"Founder's orders."
She paused at the door.
"You have one hour."
Melaina blinked. "One hour for what?"
Selena finally looked at her.
"To adjust."
Then she left.
One hour later, Melaina found herself in a different room.
The training hall was massive and circular, carved from dark stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Strange symbols etched into the walls glowed faintly, shifting when she wasn't looking directly.
The air felt heavier here. Denser. Like unseen fingers pressed against her senses.
At the center, Able Colosseum waited.
Melaina's footsteps echoed softly as she approached.
"I'm here," she said.
"I can see that," Able replied calmly.
He studied her for a moment, then nodded.
"Good. You are not overwhelmed."
Melaina exhaled lightly.
"Give it time," he added. A faint smile touched his lips. "It will come."
He gestured slightly.
"Before you use power," he said, "you must understand what it is."
Melaina straightened.
"This is where I learn about magic?"
Able shook his head.
"No. This is where you learn why magic exists."
Able raised one hand. Melaina felt a shift in the air—like reality itself had moved.
"There are two absolute concepts that govern all mana," he said. "Everything else comes from them."
Melaina leaned forward. "Spirit… and Reality?"
Able nodded.
"Spirit Mana is will, consciousness, intent. It responds to thought, emotion, identity."
A faint glow pulsed around his hand. Melaina felt it brush against her mind like a whisper.
"Reality Mana is structure, form, the rules that define existence. Without Spirit, there is no direction. Without Reality, there is no result. Together, they form everything."
Melaina frowned. "So… Spirit is control, and Reality is effect?"
"A simplified understanding," Able said. "Sufficient for now."
He began walking slowly around the hall.
"From these absolutes come the governing forces."
He raised a hand. The air pressed against her shoulders.
"Gravity Mana," he said. Pressure sank in; Melaina's knees bent slightly. She forced herself upright. The pressure vanished.
"Time Mana." Everything slowed. Her heartbeat, her breath, then snapped back. She staggered.
"Felt wrong," she whispered.
"Time always does," Able said.
Then he held out both hands. Four lights appeared—Fire, Water, Earth, Air.
"Most mages have one affinity," he said. "It defines them. The path they deepen becomes their strength."
The lights pulsed, collided, shifted. Fire and Air sparked lightning. Water and Air folded inward. Earth and Fire fused into molten light.
Melaina reached out instinctively, letting her hands hover near the glowing energies. She felt their heat, their flow, their weight—and instinctively twisted them, experimenting. Lightning arced briefly from her fingertips. A cold ripple passed over her palms.
She gasped, heart racing.
Able nodded, pleased. "Good. Interaction, not observation. Power grows through touch and understanding."
She spent what felt like hours moving, experimenting, feeling the pulse of each base element. The sun outside shifted—a golden sliver now visible through the tall windows—but she had no way of knowing the hour.
When she finally lowered her hands, Able's gaze met hers.
"Now," he said, "a question."
Melaina looked up. "What about Light and Darkness?"
Able paused. The first time his expression shifted slightly.
"They are not base elements," he said. "They are higher expressions. Fundamental in how Spirit shapes reality."
Melaina crossed her arms. "So… stronger?"
Able shook his head. "Not stronger. More… essential."
"They reveal and conceal. They exist in tandem, tied to Spirit Mana."
Melaina's chest tightened. "They feel… important."
Able studied her. "Then you sense them correctly. Now, begin."
Melaina sat cross-legged. Eyes closed. Able's voice echoed: "Do not search. Do not force. Feel."
At first—nothing. Then warmth, soft and alive, like sunlight through closed eyelids. She let it flow around her.
Then, a quieter presence. Cold, still, watching. Darkness. She hesitated. Then accepted it, letting it exist alongside the light.
A faint ripple passed through her awareness. Recognition.
Her eyes snapped open.
"I felt them," she whispered. "Both of them."
Selena straightened, smiling softly.
Able's gaze sharpened. "Describe them."
Melaina swallowed. "The first… warm, bright, easy to feel. The second… quieter, harder to notice. But just as real."
Able nodded slowly. "Again."
She closed her eyes once more. The sensations came faster this time—light flowing, darkness waiting beneath it. She reached for both. No force, just understanding.
Time passed. The sun outside shifted again. Minutes or hours—she could not tell—but something inside aligned.
A system window appeared.
Elemental Affinity Detected
Light Affinity: 1%
Darkness Affinity: 1%
Melaina blinked, heart pounding. "…Light and Darkness."
Selena stepped forward, expression warm and curious. "That's… unusual," she said quietly.
Able said nothing. Just watched.
For the first time, Melaina realized: this path was not going to be simple.