Before Verunt, Amber and Virid could begin their training Antheia had told them to get Crystal Combat from the library. In it was detailed descriptions of stances used in combat and of how different movements directed the magic. Antheia blamed her back and knees for not being able to show them herself.

They returned to the greenhouse that afternoon and found Thelia talking with Antheia. When Thelia met them halfway on the gravel path Verunt noticed the absence of her bronze pin.

"Hi," she said, looking down at her shoes. "They, Egem and the rest, are planning to kill them, the council members. I can't... Well I don't want to be a part of that."

"So you agree with us?" Virid asked her.

"No," she said with a cold stare at him. "I just don't want anyone to get murdered in the process of taking it down."

"I know some of you are familiar with magic, or even experienced," Antheia said, as she walked towards them, stopping whatever fight that might have begun if they had been given a few more minutes. "Regardless, let us all cover the basics to get fresh eyes." She then led them to a corner of the greenhouse, where the floor was covered with soft moss.

When they were all seated in a ring on the moss she continued in a slow, clear voice. "Magic is not some power you create from thin air, it is the change and redirection of energy, inside and around you. Like energy, magic can not be destroyed nor created, only converted. To do this you need absolute focus. Your senses will get in the way of that so you need to peel them off layer by layer, until your mind is as clear as the crystals you're in contact with. Let us begin with your connection to the purple crystals. The lesson is not over until they glow."

Guess I'll never get to leave, Verunt thought.

"The first sense in the way is your sight," Antheia said as she handed out blindfolds. It completely shut out all light and made Verunt slightly uncomfortable. He fiddled with his hands for a while until his hearing and sense of smell sharpened. If he focused he could not only hear the song of the clay birds, but also the rustle of leaves they created. Inhaling deeply he picked up the smell of earth and hundreds of flowers.

"The second sense to remove should be your hearing, but we will leave it for now for you to be able to follow my instructions. Instead you will remove your sense of smell," she said as she put a clothespin over their noses.

Breathing through his mouth, Verunt painfully slowly began to pick up even the most subtle of sounds. Amber's slow, deep breaths made him believe she was only inches away. He could have sworn he heard Lux and Mitra play in the gravel on the other side of the greenhouse.

"When you have removed your hearing, there will not be much left." Antheia laid a pair of soft earmuffs in their hands. "Focus on the emptiness in your mind until you feel the presence of your crystal."

"Should we, like hold the crystalls?" Virid asked a bit hesitantly.

"No, you should wear them as usual, and they will form a bridge between your minds. Now, put on your earmuffs."

Now what do I do? Verunt thought. He sat on the soft moss, feeling mildly stressed. He wanted to move, to stretch, to hear and to see. He was annoyingly aware of the rise and fall of his chest, how his crossed legs had begun to ache and grow stiff, and how his heart boomed in his chest.

This is stupid, he thought.

But he sat there, stupid as it was, until he forgot about his body and began to notice how the air around him cooled.

Far away, echoing through his mind, was something calling for his attention. When focusing on it he began to sense how the others were close by, even though he couldn't see, hear or smell them. In his mind's eye he could see them sitting before him in the dark. Emotions that wasn't his own slowly flowed inside him; confidence from Amber, expectancy from Virid and cautiousness from Thelia.

I did it! he thought.  When Antheia removed his blindfold he saw how the crystal in his dagger shone intensely purple in the darkness that had fell.

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A/N: How would you describe the main characters? Btw, leave a vote if you enjoyed this chapter. :)