***

The Katrak was brutal. Against my wildest expectations, the Caldera didn’t send their strongest out to fight the Scions. Instead, they sent older members with the power of a Peak Expert to challenge the Rulers’ students.

As far as I could tell, the Katrak was a disaster. The Peak Experts thrown into the arena barely made it out alive. That’s not to say they didn’t fight masterfully. Their combat experience, weapon mastery, and control of ether far surpassed even the Scions. That surprised even the Rulers, although it did not change the final results–the Scions nearly killed their opponents. They crushed them mercilessly, forcing the Spiritcaller, Ruler Sera, and the Caldera healer to leap into the arena at a moment’s notice.

Ruler Sera did not seem particularly happy about that, but she helped anyway.

“Good job,” I congratulated Daniel quietly when he stumbled back to the group.

He, too, won against his opponent, a Peak Journeyman Caldera. His victory was not as absolute as the Scions’, but it was just as bloody. Ruler Sera had to reattach his left arm and ear and knit his chest together after the Caldera tore into him. Daniel fought well, fusing with the Thunderhorn Bull to leverage his advantage of physical and elemental might, yet he appeared exhausted.

“Thanks, I guess,” Daniel grunted, retrieving and emptying a potion from his spatial storage. “Though I don’t think I did a good job out there. I was stronger, faster, and my lightning dissipated his flames. He was at a lower Rank, but he almost got me.”

He let out a series of curses, clearly disappointed with his performance. His gaze dropped to the ground, fists clenched in the silence that followed.

“I’m pretty sure he spent the last 20 or 30 years mastering a few saber techniques,” I slung my arm around his shoulder, consoling my friend.

“Most of his attacks didn’t use ether, and those that did use it unleashed power surpassing his Rank,” Scott said in a more analytical tone. “He may only be a Peak Journeyman, but you advanced to the Expert Rank not too long ago either. You’re basically a rookie Expert. Plus, I am pretty sure that Caldera was in his forties. He probably awakened his ether reservoir in his mid-twenties, which is actually the average awakening age for them.”

Scott knew a lot more about the Caldera than he let on most of the time. Where he got all that information, I didn’t know, but it was nice to have a walking encyclopedia beside me.

“Most Caldera gain access to ether in their mid-twenties?” Daniel raised an eyebrow at Scott, but I was the first to speak.

“I guess that makes sense. There weren’t many children with access to ether. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Zegrath and Orieath are among the youngest Caldera I’ve seen here.” I tilted my head as memories of the Giant Forest resurfaced and added, “There were one or two others among the Caldera group we fought in the Giant Forest, but I haven’t seen more. But that would explain why they’re so good with their weapons. If most Caldera awaken their reservoir when they’re already adults, they could easily spend most of their teenage and early adult years mastering one or multiple weapons.”

That, for one, would explain why the Caldera were such masterful combatants.

“Weaponmasters of the highest Rank train us as soon as we can wield a sword. It is an honor and a burden. Torture if you ask me, Pyaera,” Orieath said loud enough for me to hear as he walked over alongside Zegrath and a few more younger Caldera. They radiated power, their thirst for combat palpable.

“It is rare for Caldera to receive the Primal Spirit’s touch prematurely,” Zegrath explained with a faint smile, her crimson orbs shifting momentarily to the Scions. “Receiving the blessing at a young age is a great honor. It fills us with more of the Primal Spirit’s power than others, destining us for greatness.”

Scott and I nodded slowly, all while Daniel blurted out, “Does that mean old members of your kind can still receive the Primal Spirit’s blessing even if they’re like…let’s say sixty years old?”

A few Caldera frowned at Daniel. They stared at him like he’d just insulted their entire race.

“It is possible … theoretically. However, older Caldera struggle with the blessing. They cannot accept it as easily as the young,” Zegrath exhaled deeply, her features distorted in genuine sadness. “The Spiritcaller preaches the Primal Spirit’s power, yet even the Primal Spirit cannot awaken all of us. He cannot see everything.”

“We pray to the Spirits, but we are not as important to them as they are to us,” Orieath added lightly. He grimaced when everyone turned to glare at him, but ignored them after a moment and continued. “There are so many lifeforms on this plane of existence. How could the Spirits only focus on us? Countless beings follow the Spirits, dozens of races, hundreds of tribes.”

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He shrugged nonchalantly when the glares intensified and turned to me. “I think we’re lucky to receive the Spirits’ blessing. That they chose us as their blades and tools in the eternal conflict. What do you think, Pyaera?”

That was the third time he called me Pyaera. What exactly did that mean, and why in the Rulers’ Names was he suddenly so nice to me? It would make a lot more sense if he hated me.

“I don’t know?” I answered, half-asked, not quite sure what Orieath wanted from me.

“You don’t know? I don’t believe that. The Primal Spirit’s blessing is strong on you. So strong you have attracted the attention of–”

“Control your tongue,” Zegrath snapped, smoke coming from her body.

She stared at Orieath, who stared back in defiance.

The tension escalated, and I quickly cleared my throat, hoping they’d turn to me.

“What exactly is a Pyaera?”

I was nowhere near as subtle as I wanted to be, but the Caldera turned to me in unison.

“Pyaera is respect,” Zegrath said in my language but shifted back to Pyra after pointing at Orieath. “He respects your prowess. In a way, calling you Pyaera means that he acknowledges your superior abilities. Knowing you did not use your greatest power against him, I understand that.”

“It also means friend.” Orieath nodded when Zegrath said that. His lips parted to expand on that. “It means friend, rival, and ally. I sensed the tug from–”

The Caldera’s mouth closed shut when Zegrath stared at him, but he quickly added, “Just take it as an acknowledgment of your power, Infant Adam.”

He said the last part mockingly, though there was no barb in his voice. It was a friendly banter, if anything, and I was not opposed to that. The corners of my lips curled upward.

“You are not that much older. Barely a Youngling as far as I’m concerned.”

Actually, I was quite confident Orieath was a little younger than I was–somewhere between fourteen and fifteen. Then again, Caldera were not human. They aged differently, and it was not like I was a grandmaster at guessing my people’s age either.

Orieath looked like he had something to say, but Zegrath came first.

“We can chat later,” she spoke in the human tongue. “The Katrak will end for today. Tomorrow, we will continue. Until then, please feast and train with us,” she pressed her fingers against her forehead, eyes trained on the Scions as she bowed deeply. “We were told to bring you to your chambers while the Spiritcaller and your strongest are occupied otherwise.”

Zegrath’s accent was a little odd, her words far from smooth, but the understanding was clear.

Turning to the Rulers–or where they had been a few minutes ago–I found no one. The Spiritcaller and the devotees were nowhere to be seen either. It was like they vanished into thin air, which may as well be for the best. Not necessarily the older Caldera, but I was rather fond of being in the Caldera’s territory without a Ruler nearby.

Do you not trust them?

Aureus asked in my head. I wanted to say no. Say that I could trust them with my life, yet I couldn’t. Not after Ruler Kazriel’s threat and the things I’d seen today.

Kazriel. Bad! Rewards. Good.

Nox was nowhere near as simple as he used to be. The Ferronox Mantis had grown a lot–not necessarily in size, but his mind was far more developed than it used to be.

The rewards are great. Perfect even.

And that was a problem. No one, not even a Ruler, would promise anyone a World Aspect, a new Soulkin–growth resources included–for no reason. At first, I was sure he used me as a replacement for a Scion–to make it look like he found and trained me to squash the other Scions in the Katrak. Sure, I was not stronger than them, but I was confident in my chances at the Katrak.

The Caldera seemed to realize as much. They treated me as well as the Scions, if not better. Zegrath and Orieath certainly did.

The Caldera nodded to the cadets who did not lose as badly and paid their respects to those who won the challenge. As to those crushed to smithereens, they were treated like they didn’t exist.

“Please follow us to the chambers,” Zegrath bowed again and walked off to a tunnel opposite the massive entrance that pulled me closer.

I quickly followed Zegrath and the others and slowed beside Orieath, pointing to the tunnel covered in thick vein-like mana streams. “I’m not sure if it’s rude to ask. Don’t hesitate to call me out for being rude, but what is down there? It feels… I don’t know how to put it.”

“You sensed that, didn’t you? I knew it!” Orieath glanced at his people, lip tugging upward when nobody looked. “You see, Pyaera, down there you will find something very special. For one, lots of heat. The elite’s training grounds. And, well, you will also find the reason our tribe has moved to the Elemental Spires in the first place.”

Before he could say anything else, a hand coated in flames raked across the back of his head. Orieath’s head jerked to the side, and he spun back, fiery sparks erupting from his body.

“What was that supposed to–”

A second slap echoed through the cavern tunnel we’d just entered.

“What part of ‘control your tongue’ do you not understand? Do you want me to spell it out for you, or do you need me to pull your tongue out until our guests have left?” Zegrath snapped, looking truthfully terrifying this time. Even the Scions stared at her, curious for the first time.

Orieath clicked his tongue but didn’t say anything. He rubbed the spots where he’d been hit and led us silently through their home.