The trees filled the place, it was a very dense forest, its trees trying to penetrate the clouds in the sky but failing.
Two figures were moving very quickly, trying to hide their tracks, the first always succeeded, but the other either destroyed the ground or collided violently with trees, but he was the one who got hurt.
They were indeed Theo and Celia, but it seemed that Celia was trying to get Theo used to moving and dodging while moving at high speed, but he was still failing.
Suddenly, Celia stopped, and raised her hand forcefully, there was no need for words, as Theo felt the ground begin to shake beneath his feet, and an aura of heavy, oppressive mana began to fill the air.
"Earth Dragons." Celia whispered, her eyes fixed on a specific point deep within the dense forest. "Two of them, a mage who has just formed his sixth ring can barely face one."
Theo's features hardened, he felt a coldness sweep through his body. The sixth ring! He hadn't even fully stabilized his second ring.
Memories of the fight in the village returned to him, his helplessness before the wild beasts, his mother's bloody face, and Kyle's torn body. A suffocating feeling of guilt began to squeeze his heart.
'Will I be helpless again?'
Celia slowly extended her hands, and a green aura glowed around her, forming violent mana swirls, her deep voice echoed, as if the wind was trying to carry the sound from thousands of miles away, as she chanted a spell that Theo could not understand.
The trees shook, leaves flew, and then an invisible wave of energy swept through the forest, hitting two hidden things with force.
Two huge Earth Dragons emerged from among the trees, their rocky scales gleaming under the filtering sunlight, their eyes blazing with anger.
Their size was enormous, their bodies a mass of solid muscle, but the terrifying aura that surrounded them had significantly faded, as if an invisible restraint had tightened its grip on them.
"I have sealed a large part of their power." Celia said, her face still devoid of any expression, as if she were a statue. "But they are still very strong for you. This is not a fight to the death, Theo, this is a lesson. I want you to fight, it's important for you to know your current limits, and you will only know your limits by fighting someone stronger than you."
One of the Earth Dragons roared loudly, hundreds of kilograms of muscle and rock charging towards Theo.
Theo didn't wait, his mind was frantically working now trying to find a way to stop them. He pushed himself forward, using darkness, threads of darkness surged around his body, denser than ever before, but they remained unstable. He moved with astonishing speed, barely avoiding the devastating blow the dragon dealt with its claws, which left a deep crater in the ground.
"Darkness is not a weak cloak, Theo!" Celia shouted, her voice echoing in his ears. "Make it a shield! Make it dense! Don't let it vanish like smoke! Focus! Mana is not something you summon, it is a part of you!"
Theo tried to gather the dark mana in his hands, focusing all his hatred and anger into one fist. He charged towards the other dragon, which was slowly advancing, and tried to deliver a punch to its head.
His hand collided with the solid scales, he felt a sharp pain in his joint. It had no significant effect.
"Fool! Don't attack the head directly! And don't use your useless emotions!" Celia screamed, her voice sharp and harsh. "Did you learn anything from Kyle? Weak points! Limbs! Joints! Where are the weakest places on your opponent's body? Where does he not expect an attack?"
Theo quickly retreated, barely avoiding the huge dragon's tail that almost knocked him down. He was sweating profusely, and every muscle in his body screamed from exhaustion. Frustration began to consume him.
'I am weak... very weak.'
Images of Elena and Kyle returned to him, silently blaming him for his weakness. He felt a new pang of guilt, as if this weakness was the cause of everything.
"Don't let guilt consume you!" Celia's voice came, this time as if she had read his thoughts. "Are you trying to make it fuel? Stop now! Your darkness will consume you if you get used to your emotions!"
Theo charged towards the first dragon again, narrowly avoiding another attack from the second dragon, his mind working quickly, he remembered Celia's words about the "channel." He tried to imagine mana as a flowing current, directing it towards a single target.
This time, instead of a punch, he unleashed a sharp dagger of darkness, formed from concentrated mana in his palm. The dagger pierced an area of flesh between the dragon's thick scales, sinking into its neck, eliciting an angry cry from the beast.
"Good! Excellent, Theo!" Celia's voice came, but it was still emotionless. "That's focus! Now, don't stop! Keep attacking! Use your shadow speed to move around them! Don't let them corner you!"
He saw the connection between Celia's words and his power. Hatred, pain, guilt. All were fuel. But he needed control. He dodged the dragons' attacks, moving quickly, sometimes partially disappearing into the shadows, attacking again with dark daggers that formed and vanished rapidly.
But the Earth Dragons were much stronger, even with their power sealed. One blow from one of their tails violently knocked him down, throwing him to the ground, and he felt his ribs shatter. He tried to get up, but the second dragon pressed down on him with immense force, as if trying to crush every breath out of him. He saw the dragon's fangs approaching his face, its foul smell filling his nose.
"Enough!"
Celia's voice cracked like thunder. She moved with a speed Theo had only seen as a green blur.
In a fraction of a second, her hands glowed with an overpowering light, and a massive wave of mana erupted from them. The wave collided with the dragon that was pressing on Theo. The dragon's rocky body turned into particles of dust that vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.
Then Celia stood before the other dragon, which was trembling in terror. She wasted no time, dealt another blow, and the second dragon vanished in the same way.
Theo remained lying on the ground, his whole body aching, his eyes staring into the void where the two beasts had been moments ago. The shame of defeat consumed his soul.
Celia approached him, stood before him, and looked at him with her statue-like face, "If you truly feel guilty, then get up and move now! We will continue our journey."
Theo nodded slowly, unable to speak, and the pain was overwhelming.
"You made many mistakes, Theo." Celia said, as they moved through the forest. Celia was walking a little slower so Theo could keep up. She had not treated his injuries, and Theo could barely walk now. "Your impulsiveness was reckless at first. Your focus was quickly scattered by your emotions. You did not use your element correctly, but you began to understand how to direct it."
Celia lit a small fire, and began to cut the meat of the Earth Dragons. "Earth Dragon meat is rich in mana." She said, offering him a roasted piece. "It will help you regain your strength quickly. And it will teach you something about the nature of mana itself."
Theo sat silently, eating the meat that left a warm sensation of energy spreading through his body. He felt strength slowly returning to him.
"Your mistakes were clear." Celia began to explain, her voice a mixture of teaching and analysis. "When you tried to hide yourself with darkness, your focus wasn't complete. Darkness is an entity that can be dense, it can absorb light and sound, it can be tangible. This is what you must learn. It's not just a flimsy veil of shadow, but a vortex that absorbs everything. This is what distinguishes darkness, its ability to absorb, kill, infiltrate, and torture, and it doesn't just devour light, but everything."
"The daggers of darkness you unleashed were better, because you concentrated mana at a single point." Celia continued. "But their power still depends on the extent of your focus and the mana energy you direct. Remember, emotions are fuel, but focus is the key that directs that fuel. Anger pushes, but discipline is what makes the arrow hit its target."
Theo listened, his eyes following Celia's movements as she spoke. He was completely focused, and very careful not to miss a word of what she said.
"Your element, darkness, has a natural tendency for duality, Theo." Celia said, pointing to the flame and the fire. "Darkness and light, darkness and wind, and even darkness and fire. This element of yours has a strange ability to absorb and transform other elements, and this is what gives it that unique ability to be a strong duality with fire. When you use the element of darkness with fire, you can create a black flame that devours everything, not just by burning, but by devouring."
Theo nodded, this information was new and interesting.
"Power comes not only from the amount of mana, but from your control over it, and your ability to understand the nature of your element. You are on your way to becoming a master of your darkness, not its slave." Celia was silent for a moment, then opened her closed eyes and looked at Theo, "And also, darkness is not supposed to consume emotions in the same way you do."
Theo was shocked at that moment and seemed to understand and not understand anything at the same time. He was now trying to count the number of times he had tried to use his emotions, whether he succeeded or not.
Theo looked at the glowing flame, and at the shadows dancing on the trees, and at the sky that began to be colored by the stars.
The sky was so beautiful. Theo had always loved looking at the starry sky since he was young, he felt that it completely absorbed his worries and negative emotions, leaving his soul completely pure.
But he felt that this session missed someone.