Chapter 17: Foundations Before Power
1228 Words
The first rays of sunlight slowly slipped through the towering trees, bathing Dorothy's cottage in a warm golden glow.
Morning dew still clung to the grass, sparkling like countless tiny crystals.
The forest was quiet.
Not silent...
Just peacefully awake.
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of fresh herbs from Dorothy's garden.
Somewhere nearby, birds greeted the new day with cheerful melodies.
Echo stepped out of the cottage, stretching his arms above his head.
"...This place never gets old."
He took a deep breath.
The cool morning air filled his lungs, washing away the last traces of sleep.
For a brief moment...
Everything felt perfect.
"...Good morning."
Echo turned around.
Mira stood near the herb garden, already dressed neatly, a small notebook tucked beneath one arm.
A watering can rested in her hands.
"You've been awake for a while?"
She nodded.
"I usually wake before sunrise."
Echo stared blankly.
"...Before sunrise?"
"...Yes."
"...Voluntarily?"
"...Yes."
Echo slowly looked toward the sky.
"...Maybe we're not the same species."
A quiet laugh escaped Mira before she quickly covered her mouth.
"...I'm sorry."
Echo smiled.
"I'll consider that today's first victory."
The smile on Mira's face stayed this time.
Just a little longer than yesterday.
---
The cottage door creaked open.
Dorothy stepped outside carrying three wooden practice swords.
Not polished.
Not decorated.
Simple.
Worn by years of use.
She placed them carefully on a wooden bench.
"Good."
"It seems everyone is awake."
Before anyone could answer...
A loud snore echoed overhead.
All three looked up.
High above them...
Kodie was sleeping peacefully across one of the thick tree branches.
One arm hung freely.
One leg dangled lazily.
A squirrel had somehow made itself comfortable beside him.
Echo blinked several times.
"...How..."
"...How does this keep happening?"
Dorothy looked up without the slightest surprise.
"He climbed there after dinner."
"...Yesterday?"
She nodded.
"...He said the breeze felt nice."
Echo rubbed his forehead.
"I have so many questions..."
"...Most of them don't have answers."
Dorothy gently tapped the trunk with her staff.
"Kodie."
"...Morning already?"
"...Yes."
"...That's unfortunate."
The squirrel jumped away as Kodie lazily climbed down.
He landed surprisingly gracefully.
Echo folded his arms.
"You know..."
"For someone who sleeps all day..."
"...You're oddly athletic."
Kodie thought for a moment.
"...Sleeping efficiently is also a skill."
"...That's definitely not what I meant."
---
Dorothy handed each of them a wooden sword.
Echo examined it curiously.
"...Wood?"
"I thought we'd finally start learning magic."
Dorothy smiled.
"We are."
Echo looked at the sword again.
"...With this?"
She nodded.
"A blessing..."
"A spell..."
"A legendary weapon..."
She gently rested her own hand on one of the practice swords.
"...None of them matter..."
"...If the person holding them lacks a foundation."
The morning breeze quietly passed through the clearing.
Echo lowered his eyes to the wooden blade.
Dorothy continued.
"A mage who relies only on magic..."
"Will panic when their mana runs dry."
"A swordsman who relies only on strength..."
"Will fall to someone wiser."
She looked directly at Echo.
"And a person who relies only on their blessing..."
"May never discover their own potential."
Echo instinctively touched the small pouch hanging from his waist.
The pouch containing every gift he had ever received.
"...I understand."
Dorothy smiled gently.
"...Not yet."
"...But you will."
---
"Take your stance."
The three students obeyed.
Echo stood confidently.
Mira carefully adjusted her footing.
Kodie...
Simply stood there.
Dorothy slowly walked between them.
Without warning...
She lightly pushed Echo's shoulder.
He immediately lost balance.
"W-What?!"
"Too stiff."
She walked to Mira.
Another gentle push.
Mira shifted her feet naturally and remained standing.
Dorothy nodded.
"Better."
Finally...
She stopped before Kodie.
He smiled sleepily.
"...Am I doing well?"
"...You're holding the sword upside down."
Kodie looked down.
"...Oh."
He quietly turned it around.
Echo burst into laughter.
"...How did you not notice?!"
"...I was still waking up."
---
The lesson began.
Swing.
Recover.
Step.
Again.
Again.
Again.
At first...
Echo felt confident.
The movements seemed simple.
Too simple.
Then...
After fifty swings...
His shoulders burned.
After one hundred...
His hands trembled.
After two hundred...
His breathing became uneven.
Sweat rolled down his forehead, dripping onto the ground beneath him.
"...My arms..."
"...They're going to fall off."
Dorothy calmly replied,
"If they do..."
"We'll pick them up."
Echo stared.
"...That was supposed to be encouraging."
"...It was."
Kodie nodded seriously.
"...I felt encouraged."
"...Whose side are you on?"
"...Ma'am's."
"...Traitor."
Even Mira couldn't stop herself from laughing.
---
Hours passed.
The sun climbed higher into the sky.
The clearing echoed with nothing but wooden swords cutting through the air.
Every mistake...
Dorothy corrected patiently.
"Relax your shoulders."
"Watch your footing."
"Don't swing with your arms."
"Swing with your entire body."
Little by little...
The awkward movements became smoother.
Not perfect.
But better.
---
Finally...
Dorothy raised her hand.
"Enough."
Echo immediately dropped onto the grass.
"...I survived."
Kodie lay beside him.
"...Barely."
Mira quietly walked over carrying a small basket.
Inside were fresh fruits she had picked earlier.
She handed one to Echo.
"...Here."
Echo accepted it gratefully.
"Thanks."
As he reached for it...
She noticed the blisters covering his palms.
"...May I?"
Echo looked confused.
"Hm?"
A soft green light gathered around Mira's fingertips.
Warm.
Gentle.
The soreness slowly disappeared.
Echo blinked several times.
"...It doesn't hurt anymore."
Mira smiled.
"It's only a minor healing spell."
Echo looked at his hands with amazement.
"...Healing magic is incredible."
Kodie quietly took an apple.
"...So is free food."
"...You never change."
"...Hopefully not."
---
After a short rest...
Dorothy placed three smooth stones before them.
"Now..."
"We begin magic."
Echo immediately jumped to his feet.
"...Finally!"
Dorothy chuckled.
"Not your blessing."
"Your mana."
Echo's excitement faded slightly.
"...Oh."
She knelt beside the stones.
"Mana isn't something you command."
"It's something you guide."
She held out her palm.
A tiny sphere of pale blue mana slowly formed above it.
Calm.
Stable.
Almost alive.
"No force."
"No impatience."
"Simply breathe."
The students copied her.
Mira's mana formed first.
Small.
Perfectly round.
Kodie's flickered lazily...
But remained stable.
Echo's...
Pop!
The sphere burst apart like a soap bubble.
Echo sighed loudly.
"...Seriously?"
Dorothy smiled.
"What did you do?"
"I tried to hold it."
She shook her head.
"You squeezed it."
Echo frowned.
"...What's the difference?"
Dorothy gently tapped the center of his chest.
"The same difference..."
"...Between forcing someone to trust you..."
"...And earning their trust."
Silence.
Echo slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing steadied.
He stopped trying to dominate the mana.
Instead...
He simply followed its rhythm.
Little by little...
A tiny sphere appeared.
Small.
No larger than a marble.
Yet...
It remained.
Without shaking.
Without bursting.
Echo slowly opened his eyes.
"...I did it."
Dorothy looked at the tiny sphere.
Then...
She smiled.
"It is small."
"...But every great river..."
"...Begins with a single drop."
Echo looked at the glowing mana resting above his palm.
For the first time...
He wasn't thinking about becoming stronger.
He was simply happy...
That he had taken his very first step.
Far above them...
The forest whispered gently in the afternoon breeze.
And somewhere beyond the trees...
A new journey quietly waited for them.
---
End of Chapter 17
«The tallest trees were once fragile saplings...
Power is not born in a single moment.
It is built... one step, one lesson, and one choice at a time.»
- Writer
