Chương 63: Chapter 62 Edited

Ellara"Cale. It drives me crazy when you do that." He didn't answer me. We were sitting out in the quad several days after everything with the Ghost, and whatever had happened up north. Crazy days. The Academy had mostly gone back to pretending things were normal, and the students hadn't. You couldn't walk ten steps without hearing the word Ghost whispered like it was some kind of spell. People said they'd seen him downtown, leaping between buildings and being chased by agents in floating vehicles.

Some swore there were maps circulating, made by someone who had witnessed the chase, tracing his routes like he was a storm you could chart if you tried hard enough. Rade wouldn't shut up about it. He was still talking about paths and sightlines and how someone had tracked the Ghost across three districts before losing him near the old aqueducts. He had diagrams, because of course he had diagrams. I turned to look at my brother.

Cale was sitting cross-legged on the stone, hands resting loosely on his knees, his eyes closed. The breeze moved through his blue-black hair, lifting it just enough that it caught the light. His breathing was slow, deliberate in a way that made the rest of the quad feel chaotic by comparison. At first, I thought he was just ignoring us. Then I noticed the shimmer. Soft and warm, with a faint shift along his skin, like light passing through very clear water.

His mana wasn't expanding outward the way most people's did when they focused. It was moving inward, circulating in a smooth, continuous loop. It was strange that I could see it so clearly.

"Cale," I said again.

"You're not even listening." His mouth curved slightly on one side.

"I'm listening to every word," he said, eyes still closed.

"You're complaining about Rade talking about the Ghost. If you don't want him to talk about the Ghost, you need to tell him to stop." I huffed.

"I'm not complaining. I'm making an observation." He opened one eye and looked at me, the stormglass violet catching the sun a little too brightly.

"That's what complaining is," he said. I leaned closer, lowering my voice.

"Then what are you doing that's so important you have to pretend to meditate instead of paying attention to your adorable little sister?" This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. That did it. He laughed quietly, his shoulders shifting as the loop of mana adjusted without breaking.

"Breathing," he said.

"It helps keep things clean."

"Clean?" He opened his eyes fully then, the shimmer fading and not quite disappearing. I'd seen that look before, the one he got when he decided how much he was going to say.

"It keeps everything moving the way it's supposed to," he said.

"Stops things from… pooling." I frowned.

"Is that why your mana feels like that?" He blinked.

"Feels like what?" I paused. It was hard to explain.

"I don't know. Just different," I said.

"Clearer. Like it's been purified somehow." That caught his attention. He studied me a second, the way he did when he was reassessing something he'd already decided.

"That's part of it," he said slowly.

"Some people are born with cleaner channels, more pathways, stronger mana. Some people aren't. How you move mana through those channels matters more than most people think."

"What does that mean?" He smiled at me.

"It means you can change your mana the same way you can change your muscles, your lung capacity, or your flexibility. Your mana capacity, your flow rate, your mana purity — all of it can be affected if you work with it enough."

"Can you change mine?" He smiled again, softer this time.

"Yes." My heart jumped.

"Will it help me form my first core?" The noise of the quad seemed to dip, like the world was listening. Cale's expression didn't change, and something in his posture did. He uncrossed his legs and turned toward me fully.

"You're not forming a core yet," he said. I stared at him.

"Why not? I'm almost fifteen. That's when everyone—""That's when most people try," he said gently.

"Not when they should." I folded my arms.

"You don't get to say that like it's obvious." He tilted his head.

"I kind of do."

"Then actually explain."

"No, I don't think I will." I scowled.

"That's not fair." He considered.

"Who told you life was fair? What were they trying to sell you?" I glared at him. He smiled and tapped the stone between us.

"Come here, little sister. I'm going to teach you something important." I hesitated, then shifted closer.

"Close your eyes," he said. I did.

"Breathe like this," he continued, setting the rhythm without counting.

"Slow in. Slower out. Don't force it. Don't hold it for more than a moment. Feel the breath." I followed it instinctively. He touched my forehead.

"Do you see those words in your head?" I nodded.

"I want you to think the words as you breathe." At first, nothing happened. Then I felt it. A subtle warmth tracing paths I'd never noticed before, smoothing over places that always felt tight when I practiced.

"Don't push," he murmured.

"Just let it pass." My breath caught, and then it settled again.

"Cale," I whispered.

"What is this?" He didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was quiet.

"A better start." I opened my eyes.