Chapter 3 - Part 1

The early winter sunrise cast it's fiery-pink rays over the foggy city of Elo'yn, setting it ablaze like a wild fire. The Lady of Red glowing true to her name in the bright light. With her open arms she stood tall and proud at the gate of the mighty city, like a mother welcoming her child into her warm bosom.

Like clockwork, at daybreak, the city sprang back to life with the bustling of people of all social classes minding their mundane business. The same, of course, went for the Academy in which Haiden had settled himself the previous night.

The constant buzzing of hurried paces, chattering of servants and laughter resounded just beyond his door, drawing him away from his first, in a long time, peaceful and dreamless sleep.

Reluctant, Haiden flutered his long lashes to reveal a set of amber eyes that shone like gems in the dimmed daybreak light. Groaning with annoyance at the racket outside he turned on his other side only to realize the softness of the mattresses on which he laid upon, the green of the walls, and even the smell of fresh herbs and flowers paired with something warm was unfamiliar. He took a sharp breath in shock, carefully surveying his body with his hands he found soft fabric that snugged him tight keeping him warm. The events of the previous day flashed in his mind: Tasgal, the woman, old man Uligarth, Headmistress' study and Master Rwoy.

I'm at the Academy, he realized finally letting himself exhale. Looking around he took in the sight of the room that was now his own. When Master Rwoy showed him his room, at that point he was in a complete daze from exhaustion. It had been a full day. He only remembered eating something, scrubbing the stench off his body and then nothing, his mind drew blank. The room was small, allowing for a simple desk, bed and wardrobe. It had only one window, just above the desk and two doors which Haiden, figured that the one opposite to the window, from which all that racket came, lead to the corridor outside, and the one next to the wardrobe was what Master Rwoy had called a lavatory.

He spotted his dirty clothes on the floor next to his trunk and backpack. Relief surged through him. He didn't care much about the backpack, but the trunk held his most treasured possessions.

Deciding that he ought to unpack the few things in his backpack, he reluctantly pulled the warm covers off of him.

"Uff," he grabbed his arms and shivered. A crisp chill had shocked him, snapping him completely awake. While folding his clothes neatly inside his wardrobe he noticed several items of clothing already inside. Clean clothing. Taking them out and sizing them up to his body they seemed to be just his size. Once dressed in his new acquired clothes, he ran his hands over the quality fabrics. He was now dressed in black fitted breeches, a short dark green sleeveless tunic that stopped just below his waist and a pair of black leather boots he found at the bottom of the wardrobe. The fabrics felt luxurious and comfortable on his skin. Smooth and creamy. Up until now he only had rough fabrics that itched and scratched him in all the wrong places. Inside the same wardrobe he found a dark green cloak that was made of a strange and fuzzy fabric. It tickled his palm as he brushed it lightly. He couldn't resist and tried it on, giving a twirl as the cloak fanned.

I could get used to this, he mused.

The fog outside grabbed his attention and he leaned to the window sill. He saw young men and women walking about on stone tiled ways in only their green tunic. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

Aren't they cold? he told himself. Haiden could clearly see their breath in the air, and the trees and shrubs seemed to have a layer of frost on them, yet everyone moved with unhuman comodity. He quickly dashed to his wardrobe checking everything inside.

Only. Green. Tunics. "AND SLEAVE- ACK!" he screamed. The door slammed open with a loud bang, the shock of which made him instinctively cover himself as if he was naked. He turned to see a man in dark robes towering in his doorway with a tray of food floating just next to him.

"Don't you know how to knock? Creator's mercy you scared the living crap out of me! " he whined.

"Good morning to you too, Haiden." Master Rwoy said with a chuckle and entered the room without asking for permission.

"Wh-what are you doing? I didn't say you could come in." Haiden scowled, his tense muscles relaxed once he smelled the aroma of freshly baked bread and hot stew. His stomach audibly grumbling as he swallowed dry.

"Oh, so I gather you're not hungry? I guess I'll see you later then." Master Rwoy turned on his heels and went for the door only for Haiden to reach out a hand and stop him.

"Wait. I...you can come in." he said to which Master Rwoy just raised an eyebrow and smiled. He sent the tray of food floating past Haiden, lowering it gently on the desk. He immediately dug in without waiting for the man who just brought him breakfast to say anything else.

"I see you found your uniform. It fits you well." he said appreciatively. Haiden briefly glanced at the man while stuffing his face and moaning with each bite. "You can slow down, there, kid. It ain't going nowhere." Master Rwoy chuckled again. Haiden ignored him and continued smashing his face with food. Once he was done and satisfied he gulped the glass of water that was on the tray. "All done?" Haiden just nodded. "Good. Now, from Danil's letters I know that he only showed you a few...tricks. What you did last night in Headmistress' study was, simply put, beyond everything we have ever seen from a young man like yourself, especially one lacking the necessary knowledge. " he looked at Haiden with a curious gaze.

"That..." he said referring to the incident. "that happens sometimes when I'm scared. I-I can't control it." he admitted turning his head away from Rwoy's gaze, embarrassment washing over his cheeks.

"I see. Can you show me what Wielding Danil thought you?" Master Rwoy asked.

"I can try," Haiden got to his feet and wiped his hands on his black breeches. Cupping his palms together he felt the energy in him building up. Static gathered in his arms and palms shooting tingles through his fingertips. He pushed the energy trying to mold it to his will.

He kept pushing. Energy, fios oozing out, emanating from his hands and nothing was happening. Frustrated he groaned and pushed even harder until beads of sweat formed on his forehead and yet, nothing. His face went a deep color of pink.

Master Rwoy placed a warm hand on Haiden's to stop him. "It's alright. Tell me. What were you trying to do?" he said in a calm tone.

"A spark. Master Danil showed me how to spark a fire." Haiden said and Master Rwoy nodded.

"Can you walk me through the process, Haiden? I want to understand what you're doing." Haiden nodded.

"When I concentrate, I feel this thing inside like a river. It flows, never stopping. I reach out within and touch it. Then I feel it as it courses through me. I also feel it around me. It's prickly and fuzzy. Then I concentrate really hard on what I want to happen and it... it just does. Master Danil explained how to make a spark with big words that I didn't understand." he confessed. "But, after I saw him doing it, I could do it too... I just thought about it" Haiden voice quivered. He looked anywhere but Master Rwoy's eyes. He was embarrassed that he couldn't understand Master Danil's brief teachings, he did not want to feel stupid and even more out of control. However, the expected judgemental gaze never came. Instead, he was met with understanding as he felt Master Rwoy nodding to his words.

"I could feel your fios, Haiden. You know what they call people that can feel the energy around them?" he asked.

"No..."

"Empaths. We are both empaths. We're susceptible to other people's emotions or energies sometimes even both. This is why we're more... sensitive" he said with a slight flourish of hand after finally finding the right word. A lot of people are empaths but with various degrees." he carefully watched Haiden as he nodded, looking for signs that he understood then continued. "I sensed your fios. It filled the entire room with wild energy. You are indeed blessed, that's for sure. But, your mind," he lightly touched his forehead with a finger. "Your mind is somewhere else." Haiden avoided Master Rwoy's gaze. He couldn't help but audibly swallow a dry lump in his throat and Master Rwoy sighed. "There are four basic components to Wielding, Haiden." he began. "The first, is fios, the source of our powers, which you clearly have in abundance. Second, is will. You must want something to manifest through fios. Third is imagination. With your mind's eye you see the outcome of your desire. And lastly, the fourth component is knowledge. You must know how to make your desire become reality." Haiden was nodding slowly, listening carefully. "Innates like you, stop at the third component, focusing only on imagination alone. It works, barely, yes. But, it's highly dangerous. Without knowledge of what you're doing mistakes that can result in self harm or harm of others is inevitable." Haiden immediately tensed at Master Rwoy's words.

"So..." Haiden started with his brows furrowed. "I lack the knowledge to use my wielding." at which Master Rwoy nodded.

"Yes, and the little knowledge that you do have is being overshadowed by something strong that occupies your mind's eye. I can feel it radiating from you. A painful memory, I believe." at once Haiden took a sharp intake of air drying his already parched mouth. His heart started pounding in his chest.

Calm down, he can't know. he can't. he told himself.

"I can help you if you let me." Master Rwoy offered and Haiden pursed his lips.

"Can't I do this on my own?" he asked.

Disappointed, Master Rwoy nodded and said. "Of course, if that is what you wish. We have until the end of this week to get you up to speed and in full control. The year will start and you will need to be at near the same level with the other newcomers. If by tomorrow evening you don't manage to free yourself of this...burden, I will insist on helping you. Agreed?"

"A-agree. Can you show me how to do that, Master Rwoy?" Haiden asked with another dry gulp.

"Of course," he replied, a smile replaced his worried upturned lips. "I'm guessing I was correct in assuming this is regarding a bad memory?" Haiden just nodded not wanting to reveal anything and not trusting his mouth to calmly answer. His eyes already glistened as he thought of Regor. "Very well. It's quite simple, actually. You have two options, Haiden. You can either get over the trauma, but that takes too long, sometimes even years. Or you can compartmentalize your emotions and memories."

"Compartmentalize..." Haiden repeated and blinked at Master Rwoy in confusion.

"Yes. Remember last night when I asked you to shove everything you didn't want me to see behind a locked door. It's the same concept, just applied a bit differently. Try it now. Close your eyes" he instructed "and imagine the memory behind a door with a lock. You close the door, and lock it with a key that only you have. You will need to practice this constantly throughout the day. By the end of this week, you will need to lock the door instinctively when you use your Wielding. You understand?"

"Yes, Master Rwoy." Haiden with furrowed brows.

"Good. Remember that this is just a temporary fix. In the long run, you will have to deal with whatever has you disturbed, Haiden." he said concerned and sighed. He rummaged through the inside of his robe and pulled a thin maroon book. "I assume you know how to read." he said earning him a scowl from Haiden and a quick nod. "Touchy," he chuckled. "This book explains the most basic concepts of our world and has a few minor spells that you can try. At the end of the week I will make sure you master three of them of your choosing. I suggest you pick the shield spell as one of them. Quite handy in your situation if you ever...uhm get scared again." he said picking his words carefully.

"Thank you," Haiden reached over to take the thin book. He studied it curiously before opening it and flipping through its pages.

"I'm glad you like it, Haiden. Before I go do you have any questions? Danil informed us of your memory loss, so it's alright to ask anything." he assured him with a firm hand on his shoulder. Still defensive, Haiden just nodded.

"I don't have any questions right now, Master Rwoy. But, maybe after I go through this," he held the book up. "I'll have a few." he tried to upturn his lips in the hopes that it looked like a smile and not a grimace.

"Alright, I'll leave you at it. I will come back at lunch, and I'll show you around the grounds and grab something to eat in the dinner hall." and with that Master Rwoy left his room.