Miles checked his watch for about the tenth time since breakfast. “First actual spells, huh?”

    Cole glanced over. Good to see the man excited about something – anything. Nothing like new toys to get an operator’s mind right and away from the reality of being tossed into another world.

    “Betcha it’s gonna be fire,” Ethan said, mirroring Miles. “Fantasy shit always starts with fire.”

    Miles snorted. “Hell, wouldn’t shock me if they had us crunchin’ numbers on specific heat or some shit.”

    Out of everyone, Mack would probably love this the most. But no point in saying that out loud. A simple ‘yeah’, a chuckle, and an external interruption worked wonders.

    A woman in her late twenties waltzed through the training hall’s entrance – pretty, with brunette curls matching the bounce of her steps. “Good morning!” She greeted them with a warm smile. “You must be the new Slayers – Lieutenant Mercer, Sergeant Walker, and Sergeant Garrett, if I’m not mistaken?”

    Cole nodded. “That’s right. And you’re Lady Verna?”

    “Indeed, the very same!” Her personality seemed a bit more upbeat than what he’d have expected, especially out of a Celdornian office. But hey, it could be fun.

    Verna approached them. “I’ve been most eager to make your acquaintance. Sir Fotham spoke in glowing terms of your barrier work on the day of your arrival. And then that dreadful business with the demons – utterly extraordinary, having to face them on your very first night!” She leaned in, covering a part of her mouth with her hand. “And then having to deal with the bureaucrats the very next day... Truly extraordinary indeed! How do you fare this morning?”

    “We’re managing,” Cole admitted. “Can’t get any worse than rock bottom, eh? Think we’re all ready to learn something a bit more offensive than barriers, though.”

    “A touch of restlessness already, I see.” She grinned. “Well, I suppose I can’t fault you for that. But do not be so hasty to dismiss barriers – they’re one of the most versatile conjurations.”

    “Yeah, can’t lie, they sure as hell saved our asses,” Miles said.

    Verna sat on a nearby table. “And how fares your companion?”

    “Safe and sound, ‘lethargy’ aside,” Ethan sighed. “Least he’s stable, I guess.”

    “That is heartening to hear. The healers here are exemplary in their craft – he shall be quite himself before long, I am sure.” She took in the room, eyes settling on the tables behind them. “Now then, as you’ve already demonstrated remarkable aptitude with barrier magic, Sir Fotham deemed it appropriate you expand your options. ‘Something a bit more offensive than barriers,’ yes?”

    Cole followed her as she got up from the table.

    “Just here by the basins, if you please. We shall begin with temperature manipulation.”

    “Starting slow, then?” Ethan asked.

    “Quite so – one cannot have the castle reduced to ash, after all.” She brought them to a group of unadorned metal basins arranged atop a table, each brimming with clear water.

    Verna rolled up her sleeve. Her tone shifted ever so slightly as she started their little lecture. “Now then, let us address the fundamental principles of heat. Am I correct in assuming you are acquainted with its natural tendencies – how it seeks to equalize disparities between warm and cool bodies?”

    Cole recognized it: basic thermodynamics. “Yeah, pretty much.”

    She dipped her hand into the basin. “Good. Touch the water. Do you feel it? The chill?”

    Cole submerged his hand. ‘Chill’ was probably the understatement of the year; the water was fucking cold; freezing. Almost reminded him of the good ol’ days of Arctic warfare training, or when he lost a bet and jumped into that ice bath. R

    “Yeah.”

    Verna continued, “That is the warmth of your body seeking escape, eager to lend itself to the water. Now, focus. You should feel yet another warmth, distinct from the heat of your own flesh.”

    The contrast was immediately apparent. The sensation in his hand revealed two distinct feelings, sure enough: the chill of the water and that familiar warmth of mana flowing through his system.

    “Consider heat as though it were a fluid – one which instinctively flows from the warmer object to the cooler. The more energy you impart, the greater this caloric fluid will move through the water.”

    Caloric fluid? That was a new one. Though treating heat transfer like a fluid wasn’t far off – it was just energy moving through the medium. But temperature manipulation didn’t transfer bodily heat; if that were the case, anyone performing ice or fire magic would straight up die. So... how?

    Verna lifted her hand, water slipping from her fingers. Then, without a gesture or a word, the droplets began to steam. Thin wisps curled upward like it was the most natural thing in the world – though it probably was, at least, here in Tenria.

    Cole’s first attempt with the dome came naturally – after watching enough waterbending, the visualization was second nature. The dome formed smoothly, and what little he knew about fluids helped him keep the form stable.

    “How about this?” Verna directed a stream upward and around her body, the water flowing like one of those gymnast ribbons dancing through the air.

    Miles whistled as his water stream twisted through the air. “Shit’s wild.” His grin said it all. Cole hadn’t seen him this pumped since they’d gotten those new NODs.

    Cole found this even easier than the dome. Of course, he couldn’t imagine the pressure gradients and velocity vectors like his brain was some MATLAB program, but experience with scuba and pipes rendered the physics familiar enough. The principles were second nature to him and his team; they knew the underlying mechanics of why things worked – far better than anyone in Celdorne or even the whole of Tenria, most likely.

    “And, as you might expect,” she said, eyes lighting up, “the same principle applies in reverse. Rather than adding energy to encourage steam, we draw it away to invite the water to crystallize.” At her touch, the surface crystallized into ice.

    “Now that’s just showing off,” Ethan said, despite his ice coming out just as clean.

    Cole had seen enough freeze-thaw cycles fuck up pipelines to understand exactly how water behaved during phase changes. His attempt created ice just as clear, all the cloudy shit from trapped air bubbles absent from his basin.

    “Why, I must say I’m rather glad to have happened upon such talent.” Verna’s dramatic gesture at the ice had to be at least half-genuine. “Some Slayers I’ve had the displeasure of working with have spent weeks just trying to manage a frost!”

    Miles carved a small castle out of his ice. “Well, I’m glad to disappoint, ma’am.”

    “Disappoint? My dear Sergeant, should this be disappointment, I must declare myself eager for more,” Verna said, amused. Yeah, she was definitely enjoying herself, though it wasn’t like Miles minded; he was smirking right back.

    “Though,” she continued, “perhaps I ought not to praise you too highly just yet. Let’s see how you fare with air and earth, shall we?”

    She brought them over to the wind chimes and flags from earlier. “It may seem elusive, being unseen to the eye. Yet surely you are acquainted with the marvels of steam? How it propels pistons forth and draws them back again, powering mighty machines with naught but its breath?”

    Steam power... interesting. Gas was just another fluid – hell, steam engines were basically practical demonstrations of the ideal gas law. Just how much did they know? “Like... trains?” Cole probed.

    “Ah, yes! Precisely so; steam harnessed to serve our will. Air and wind magic follow much the same principle.” She raised her hand toward the wind chimes, and a gentle breeze sent them tinkling. “A visual guide oft proves helpful. I shall summon some steam to–”

    She paused as the wind chimes sang again, but not from her magic. Apparently Miles had already created his own current, sending a soft gust of wind over their heads. Pretty damn impressive control for a first try, though maybe Cole shouldn’t be so surprised.

    “I– well!” Verna smiled. “That’s rather unprecedented.”

    Cole created his own breeze. Simple enough visualization; no need to overcomplicate basic fluids. Ethan’s gust picked up stronger than his, sending the flags fluttering. Must’ve been thinking industrial scale rather than residential.

    Verna scratched her head, standing speechless for a moment. “Well. Eager for more, then. Let us see how you fare with earth.”

    She brought them outside to the training yard, the bare soil seeming perfect for whatever she had in mind. “Earth differs greatly from the other elements. Where water yields and air scatters, earth is resolute; it clings to its nature with remarkable obstinacy.”

    Earthbending 101: dirt and rock were stubborn – that much was obvious. He’d dug enough holes to know exactly how tough it could be. Though watching Verna shape a perfect sphere of soil mid-air suggested there were better ways than grappling with a shovel.

    “Watch carefully.” Verna reached out, willing the soil to form a small column. “Start small.”

    Cole focused on the ground. Start small – just like she said. He pictured lifting the dirt like he was shoveling, but without the shovel. Break, then lift. The soil separated with a thought, about a cup’s worth coming up.

    “Lady Verna?”

    Some aide approached across the yard – Fotham’s office, according to that uniform. “Might I have a moment of your time?”

    She stepped aside with the aide. Their conversation lasted barely a few seconds.

    “Well!” Verna turned back. “It seems our lessons are to continue for some weeks yet. Sir Cullen’s office finds itself rather in want of hands, and so... I daresay we shall dedicate the coming days to refining these fundamentals – getting you quite at ease with the elements.” With a possibly magical flick of her wrist, the dirt vanished from her hands. “Next week we shall venture into proper spellcasting.”

    Ethan perked up at that. “Combat techniques?”

    “Indeed! But let us first master lifting dirt before we aspire to hurling pillars of stone at demons, hmm?”