Chapter 19 - First Lesson
The large training hall felt strangely empty.
No spectators.
No commentary.
No Lucian asking unnecessary questions.
No Amy making fun of her.
Just silence.
And Erix.
Which honestly wasn't much better.
He stood near the center of the platform with his arms crossed.
Waiting.
Watching.
Lyra didn't like how calm he looked.
Neither of them spoke.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
"Sit."
Lyra blinked.
"...What?"
"Sit."
"I thought this was reinforcement training."
"It is."
"Then why am I sitting?"
"Because standing clearly isn't helping."
She narrowed her eyes.
He somehow made every sentence annoying.
Still—
she sat.
Erix sat opposite her.
The distance between them wasn't large.
Silence settled briefly.
Then—
"When was the last time you used astral reinforcement properly?"
Lyra's expression changed immediately.
"That's none of your business."
"When?"
"Erix—"
"When?"
The question remained calm.
Unmoving.
Like he intended to wait forever.
Eventually—
"...Two years."
Silence.
For the first time, Erix looked genuinely surprised.
Not visibly.
But enough.
Two years.
Not months.
Not weeks.
Years.
The realization settled heavily between them.
"Why?"
Lyra looked away.
"I'm not answering that."
To his credit—
he didn't push.
Not this time.
Instead he stood.
"Use reinforcement."
Lyra stared at him.
"...That's your training method?"
"Yes."
"That's disappointing."
"Try."
She inhaled slowly.
Focused.
Reached inward.
Attempted to guide astral energy through her body.
Nothing.
The familiar resistance appeared immediately.
Like hitting a wall.
She stopped.
Erix waited.
"Again."
Lyra tried again.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Five attempts later—
"Again."
Lyra looked ready to commit violence.
"Nothing happened."
"Again."
"Nothing happened the first five times."
"Again."
Ten attempts.
Same result.
The irritation slowly grew.
Not because she was failing.
Because he was watching her fail.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Eventually she stood abruptly.
"This is pointless."
"No."
"It clearly is."
"No."
"You only know one word, don't you?"
"What do you think?"
"I regret asking."
She hated him.
A little... no..
Possibly a lot.
Erix folded his arms.
"The problem isn't your control."
Lyra froze.
"It isn't?"
"No."
That answer surprised her.
Every instructor before this had blamed control.
Discipline.
Practice.
Technique.
Erix shook his head.
"You stop before the flow stabilizes."
Silence.
"You do it intentionally."
Lyra immediately looked away.
That answered the question.
Erix continued.
"You're afraid of it."
The words landed harder than expected.
For several moments neither spoke.
Then—
"You make everything sound simple."
"It isn't simple."
"Then stop acting like it is."
Something shifted slightly in his expression.
Not pity.
Understanding.
Which somehow felt worse.
"Fear doesn't disappear because people ignore it."
Lyra laughed once.
Without humor.
"Very inspirational."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Of course it wasn't.
Silence returned.
Then Erix spoke again.
"A mage who cannot use astral reinforcement properly is crippled in combat."
Lyra's head snapped up.
Anger immediately surfaced.
"That's a terrible way to say it."
"It's the accurate way."
Silence.
The words lingered.
Sharp.
Unpleasant.
And far too close to things she already thought about herself.
"You have the ability," Erix continued.
"You have the control."
Another pause.
"The problem is that you stop yourself."
Lyra looked away.
Because deep down—
she knew he was right.
The realization made her more uncomfortable than the insult.
"We'll use astral synchronization."
Lyra blinked.
"We'll use what?"
"Astral synchronization."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Tomorrow."
"I said no."
"You did."
"Then why are we still having this conversation?"
"Because you'll be here."
Lyra stared.
"I won't."
"You will."
"You're impossible."
"I've been told that before."
For the first time all evening, Erix turned toward the exit.
"The session is over."
Lyra grabbed her bag.
A headache pulsed faintly behind her eyes now.
Every failed attempt had felt like forcing against a locked door.
And somehow that had exhausted her more than actual combat.
Halfway to the exit, she stopped.
"...What exactly is astral synchronization?"
Erix didn't answer immediately.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.
"It means allowing another person's astral flow to enter your own."
Silence.
Lyra immediately hated that explanation.
Because somehow—
that sounded significantly more dangerous than combat.
And judging by the complete lack of concern in Erix's expression—
tomorrow was going to be a disaster.