Eldryn Academy Of Elementals

The sun had barely crested the horizon when the students of the Grandmasters' Hall were assembled in the southern combat arena. A wide, obsidian-floored coliseum carved into the mountain shelf behind Eldryn Academy, the open arena shimmered faintly from the protective wards etched into the stone. At its center stood a single figure-tall, broad-shouldered, and cloaked in ember-hued robes that rippled with restless fire.

Grandmaster Pyrrhus Embermane.

His long red hair was tied back into a loose warrior's tail, and his eyes glittered with the uncontainable energy of someone who was far too excited to be awake this early.

"Good morning, fledglings!" Pyrrhus boomed, his voice carrying across the ring like a rolling flame. "Today, we throw you straight into the forge. Because that is what the fire does-it tempers, it tests, and it reveals the true shape of the blade beneath the rust."

Some students exchanged nervous glances. Others, like Zara and her circle, straightened eagerly, clearly hoping to impress.

Pyrrhus spun on his heel, arms wide. "The Elemental Hunt has changed you. Some of you succeeded in bonding. Others grew in control, in reflex, in understanding. So today-each of you will demonstrate how your training, your instincts, and your powers have evolved. One by one, I will set challenges tailored to your affinity and your observed weaknesses."

He pointed a finger dramatically toward the sky. "And today, we test not your strength alone-but how well you think in the heat of battle."

Just as he clapped his hands to begin, a quiet ripple of air bent inward at the far edge of the arena.

A second figure stepped through the breeze-Grandmaster Ashen Vail, wrapped in a dark, high-collared coat, his expression unreadable. Unlike Pyrrhus's theatrical energy, Ashen radiated a calm that stole all urgency from the wind.

Pyrrhus grinned as he spotted him. "Ah! Decided to observe the show, did you?"

Ashen didn't respond, but gave a single nod, his eyes flicking to Mira for the briefest moment before settling on the broader arena.

---

The first to step forward was Kael, the fourth quad-elemental in their year. Pyrrhus conjured a rotating wheel of runes mid-air and spun it dramatically.

"Adaptation test," he declared. "Rapid elemental shifts. Thirty seconds per change. Let's see how you dance."

Kael closed his eyes, sweat beading on his brow as Pyrrhus conjured one environment after another-raging winds, a tremoring ground, jets of heat, sheets of ice. The boy held his stance and adjusted quickly, drawing on two, sometimes three elements in succession.

Ashen murmured to Pyrrhus from the sidelines, "Improved muscle recall. Better control over earth and air than before."

Pyrrhus grinned. "Still needs to find the rhythm of water, though. He's overcompensating with brute force."

---

Zara followed, summoned to a defensive scenario.

Pyrrhus conjured a barrage of molten stones, directing them from multiple angles. Zara erected a shield of fire and a secondary bulwark of earth, her form precise-but rigid.

"She's learned," Pyrrhus said, arms crossed. "But she's still too reliant on structure. No improvisation."

"She doesn't trust herself," Ashen said quietly. "She builds walls because she's afraid of failure. Her energy locks into predictable patterns."

Zara managed to repel the attack, but stumbled at the final feint-missing the hidden spike of rock beneath her. Pyrrhus caught it before it landed, but her pride had already taken the hit.

---

Then came Aria. Her expression was calm, her movements fluid.

Pyrrhus summoned a windstorm, then shifted it to heavy, blinding fog-each turn designed to strip away visibility. Aria countered with sweeping arcs of compressed air, using sound and pressure feedback to gauge distances, directing precise elemental strikes through the mist.

Ashen raised an eyebrow. "She listens better than she sees."

"She's becoming her element," Pyrrhus nodded. "That's what we want."

---

Riven's test was next. A fast-paced reactive challenge: switching elements in rapid succession to navigate traps.

He began with water, flowed into lightning to propel himself midair, then shifted into wind to break his fall. The sequence was breathtaking.

"His instincts are maturing," Ashen murmured.

"He's holding back," Pyrrhus replied. "Water is his comfort zone, but he thinks like lightning."

Ashen's gaze lingered. "Then one day, he'll strike like it."

---

Finally, Mira stepped forward. She took a steady breath, fingers flexing subtly.

Pyrrhus tilted his head. "You've changed," he said simply. "Let's see what you've become."

He summoned a triple wave of pressure: fire from the front, wind blades from behind, and rising spires of stone beneath. Mira didn't flinch.

With a flash, she burst forward-fire spiraling around her arms, lightning cracking from her heels. She leapt, twisted, and countered mid-air, using a burst of wind to redirect the last assault. The ground sizzled where she landed.

Silence fell.

Pyrrhus let out a long whistle. "Well. That's new."

Ashen didn't move, but his eyes didn't leave her.

"She's starting to listen to the harmony," he said quietly.

Pyrrhus gave him a look. "You taught her that breathing technique, didn't you?"

Ashen said nothing at first. But there was a faint tilt at the corner of his mouth.

"I just set the base, I think her creature taught on top of it well"

"Oh stop trying to be modest" Pyrrhus said clapping on his shoulder.

---

As the sun climbed higher, the rest of the students cycled through the arena, each revealing how much-or how little-they had grown. Pyrrhus's laughter, fire-laced praise, and razor-sharp critique filled the arena.

At the end, he addressed them all.

"You're no longer just students-you're elementals in the shaping. Keep forging. Because the world will not wait for you to be ready."

As the students filed out, Mira lingered for a moment. Ashen watched her, but said nothing. She gave him a small nod-gratitude, recognition, understanding-and turned to leave.

And for the briefest moment, Ashen allowed himself to exhale.

She's beginning to stand as her own storm.

---