Nyra was the first to wake. Her eyes shot open with a brightness that ignored the faint ache of yesterday's training.

She was up and moving before the others had even stirred, brushing down her long hair as she nudged Rael's bed with her foot.

"Up," she said, her tone sharper than usual but the grin on her face gave her away.

Rael groaned, dragging himself upright. "You're too excited for this. It's not even dawn."

Arden pulled the blanket over his head but his voice came muffled. "She'll keep pestering till we move, Rael. Better get up before she freezes the sheets off us."

That earned him a glare from Nyra but it was softened by her laugh. Soon all three were up, strapping on their usual training clothes.

Even Zephyra lifted her head from where she lay curled in the corner, her ember-like eyes flickering open before she let out a low grunt.

On the way to the hall, their usual banter filled the streets.

When they reached the tall doors of the training hall, Nyra pushed them open with a little too much eagerness. What she saw inside stopped her steps. Her father stood there, already waiting.

Her heart thudded, nerves rising fast.

Arden's quiet cough broke the silence. He had sensed the lord's aura even before they entered.

He leaned toward Nyra with that crooked grin of his. "Guess someone couldn't wait to see his daughter swing some ice."

Nyra bit down the smile that wanted to show, though her shoulders loosened slightly at Arden's words. Together they walked in.

The lord of Greyhold acknowledged them with a small nod. "Early, good. That's how training should begin." His eyes rested on Nyra. "And you, my daughter, seem ready."

Arden and Rael drifted to the side, pretending to go about their business though both kept subtle ears on the exchange.

The lord removed a few layers of his regal outerwear, setting them neatly aside. What remained was simple, but the aura around him shifted sharply as he raised his hand. "Watch carefully."

A faint chill spread through the hall. Frost crept over the stone beneath his feet, not wild or jagged, but smooth, refined, as if every crystal had been placed deliberately.

The air itself felt heavier, like the room had bent slightly to his will.

Nyra's eyes widened. She'd only seen him use his power once in the previous battle. To witness it again made her chest tighten with something between awe and pride.

"This is a partial domain," he explained, his voice calm. "The first steps toward what we strive for at the Vein Crown realm. But remember, it does not simply appear once you reach the realm. You must walk toward it long before, refining your control so the veins in your core understand. Only then does it open."

He knew the boys were listening, and his gaze flicked briefly toward Rael. "Pay attention as well. This path isn't just hers. You may find your own reflections in it."

Rael gave a small, respectful nod, though his lips twitched like he wanted to make a quip.

Turning back to Nyra, the lord's tone softened. "You have ice, like me, but also the wind. I cannot teach you everything of it, but I've crossed blades with enough strong wind users to give you some direction. One of them…" His jaw clenched faintly. "The hybrid elder. A traitor. May his name rot."

Nyra stayed silent, though the name etched itself into her mind.

"Now," he said, lowering his stance. "Show me how you wield the gifts you've sharpened."

The spar began with a swirl of frost rising from Nyra's hands. She pushed forward with jagged shards, the ice shooting toward him in sharp bursts.

The lord raised a wall of crystal-clear ice, each block interlocking so smoothly it looked like one sheet. Her shards shattered harmlessly against it.

Without pause she shifted, wind curling around her feet as she dashed in close. A blade of ice extended from her hand, thrusting at his side. He met it with a flick, his own frost reinforcing the air and knocking hers aside.

"Better," he said, voice even. "But your footwork drags when you change pace."

Nyra gritted her teeth, correcting herself at once. She called both elements together, wind rushing behind her as ice followed in streaks, spiraling into a sudden shift of movement. "Cryowind Shift!" She disappeared in a blink and reappeared at his flank, ice blade swinging.

The lord's brows rose slightly, surprised by the tactic, but he caught it with another refined shield, frost layering precisely where she appeared. "You've learned tricks from your companions." His gaze flicked to Arden and Rael again. "Battle mage skills."

Arden leaned casually against the wall. "She picks things up fast."

Rael smirked. "And stubbornly won't stop until she nails it."

The lord didn't scold her though. Instead, a faint pride touched his eyes. "Good. If you can adapt across classes, you'll hold advantage against elemental users who only expect the old patterns."

Nyra's chest lifted at his words, though sweat was already dripping down her face. She launched another series of moves, ice spikes following wind bursts, sometimes rushing in, sometimes leaping back with sweeping gusts to deflect his counterattacks.

Each time he blocked, he noted a detail. "Angle your wrist more— yes, better." Or, "Don't waste your wind burst on distance, save it for evasion." And when she pulled off a neat combo, a smile tugged faintly at his lips. "Good. Very good."

Minutes stretched. Her ice came sharper, her wind more precise, but his control was simply deeper.

His attacks weren't flashy, but each shard he threw cut sharper, each shield blocked smoother, each movement carried the weight of years.

He pushed her, just enough. And though she stumbled, she also rose to each correction.

Finally, with one last attempt, she flung a gust forward, weaving frost into it to create a chilling gale.

He countered with his own burst of ice, the clash bursting into snow that filled the hall. When it cleared, Nyra's knees buckled. She collapsed, breath ragged, chest heaving.

A/N:

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