He paused, reaching for a cup of water on the nearby table and taking a slow sip. Asta, Mira, and Jabber were all leaning forward now, completely absorbed in the story."By the time they turned nineteen." Kael continued, setting the cup down. "Their father decided it was time. He brought them both into the clan warriors, into the formal training program. There was a ceremony and everything,the whole village came out to watch."FLASHBACK: THE INITIATIONThe training grounds were packed with people. Matthias and Brick stood side by side in the center of a large circle, both dressed in the simple gray uniforms of warrior initiates. They looked older now, their boyish features sharpened by years of work and training. Matthias stood with perfect posture, his expression serious and focused. Brick kept shifting his weight from foot to foot, barely containing his excitement.Their father, Commander Aldric, was a mountain of a man with a voice that could silence a room. He stood before the

Brick agreed, but both of them knew that once you stepped off the path, there was no guarantee you'd find your way back before time ran out.They moved through the forest with the skill of boys who'd grown up hunting and tracking. Broken branches here, disturbed leaves there, drops of blood on a rock,someone had come this way, and recently. The trail led them deeper into the woods, away from the safety of the road, away from their duty.Then they heard voices. Male voices, rough and crude, punctuated by ugly laughter.Brick and Matthias exchanged a glance, and without words, they split up, moving silently through the trees to flank the sounds. Years of working together meant they didn't need a plan,they knew instinctively how the other would move, where they'd position themselves.The clearing came into view through the trees.There were five of them,bandits, clearly, dressed in mismatched armor and carrying weapons that looked well-used. Three of them were going through bags and pack

And Matthias realized with a sinking feeling that it didn't matter what he said. It didn't matter that they'd saved a life. It didn't matter that they'd defeated five bandits. All that mattered was that they'd abandoned their post.He tried anyway. "We heard screams from the forest. A woman in distress. Brick wanted to investigate, and I…""You should have stopped him." Commander Aldric's words hit like physical blows. "You are the smart brother. You know better. You've been trained better.""But Father…""Silence." The Commander took a step forward, and now he was addressing both of them, but his eyes stayed locked on Matthias. "You were given a mission. A simple mission. Escort a caravan. Protect vital supplies. You had one job, and you abandoned it the moment something more exciting came along.""Someone was dying!" Brick burst out, unable to stay quiet any longer. "What were we supposed to do, just ignore that?""Yes!" Commander Aldric rounded on him now, and his voice fin

Old man Kael's voice faded into silence. The clinic felt heavy, like the air itself had absorbed the weight of the story he'd just told. The shadows had grown longer while he spoke, and someone had finally lit a lamp, but the warm glow did nothing to chase away the cold understanding that had settled over everyone.Asta was the first to break the silence. He leaned back in his chair, his expression troubled, his fingers drumming against his knee in an unconscious gesture of processing what he'd heard."So they're rivals now." he said slowly, testing the words. "But they're also still brothers. That's... that's complicated."Old man Kael nodded, a tired movement that made him look every one of his many years. "Yes. Though they don't speak to each other, though they've chosen different paths, though they stand on opposite sides of that old argument about duty versus conscience…" He paused, his weathered hands spreading in a gesture of helpless acceptance. "They're still brothers. B

Old man Kael sat down on the edge of the bed, his hand coming to rest on Jabber's shoulder in a gesture of comfort and concern. "That's what we need to figure out. Because if you accessed that kind of power once, you might be able to do it again. But if you can't remember how, if you can't control it…" He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear."It could be dangerous." Jabber finished for him. "To me and everyone around me.""Not necessarily dangerous." Kael corrected. "But unpredictable. And in a place like this, with warriors training and fighting every day, unpredictable power can become dangerous very quickly."Asta sat back down on his stool, his elbows resting on his knees, his expression intense. "Okay, so what do we do? How do we figure this out?"Kael was quiet for a long moment, thinking. When he spoke again, his voice was measured, careful. "We start by monitoring Jabber closely. Any unusual symptoms, any strange feelings, anything at all out of t