Professor Nyala led them through a part of the Academy that Saguna was certain wasn't on any official map. They descended a narrow spiral staircase hidden behind a sliding bookshelf in her office, the steps worn smooth from centuries of use. Torches ignited as they passed — without anyone touching them — casting long, flickering shadows on the ancient stone walls.
"The Imperial Academy was built for a specific purpose," Professor Nyala explained as they descended deeper beneath the campus. "Teaching history, sciences, and governance is merely its public face. Its true purpose has always been to prepare for moments like this, when the Veil thins and the Triumvirate reawakens."
Saguna's mind was still reeling from his encounter with Sahara. His sister was alive — trapped but alive — and somehow connected to these marks on his neck. To his new companions. To the strange whispers that had tormented him for years.
"Professor," he called, hurrying to catch up with her, "you said you knew my sister. Before she... disappeared."
Professor Nyala's pace slowed. "Yes. Sahara Taksa showed remarkable abilities at a young age. Spontaneous fire manifestation, primarily. A village elder recognized the signs and contacted me." Regret shadowed her features. "I sent word for her to come to the Academy, but before arrangements could be made..."
"The shadow came," Saguna finished, the memory still raw despite the years. "The Soul Drainer."
"Yes." Professor Nyala's gaze was appraising. "Most children who witness such events block them out, rewrite them into something their minds can accept. But you remembered."
"I tried to forget," Saguna admitted. "Everyone thought I was crazy. Traumatized. Making things up."
"The mind protects itself," she replied. "But the truth has a way of surfacing, especially when the Veil thins."
They reached the bottom of the staircase and entered a large circular chamber with a domed ceiling. Unlike the academic spaces above, this room was clearly designed for practical use. The floor featured a massive inlaid triangle of different coloured stones — red jasper, blue lapis, and green jade — each section perfectly equal. At each point of the triangle stood a waist-high pillar bearing a simple bowl: one filled with still water, another with loose earth, and the third empty.
Radji, who had been silent during their descent, finally spoke. "This is a training room for elemental abilities." It wasn't a question. "The positioning follows ancient mandala designs for channeling energy."
"Very astute, Mr. Loma," Professor Nyala said, sounding genuinely impressed. "This chamber predates the Academy itself. It was built by the First Triumvirate, nearly five centuries ago."
Osa whistled, running his hand along one of the worn stone walls. "So we're not the first trio with these weird marks?"
"Far from it," Professor Nyala replied. "The Triumvirate follows a cycle, appearing whenever the Veil between worlds grows dangerously thin. You are the fifteenth such group in recorded history."
"What happened to the others?" Saguna asked, though something in him already feared the answer.
Professor Nyala's expression grew solemn. "Some succeeded in their purpose. Repairing breaches in the Veil, restoring balance between realms. Others... failed." She straightened her shoulders. "But we haven't time for history lessons now. Your training must begin immediately, particularly yours, Mr. Taksa."
"Why me specifically?" Saguna asked.
"Because you're already walking between worlds, whether you intend to or not," she answered. "What happened at the banyan tree was no accident. You crossed into the spirit realm, if only partially. Without training, such crossings can be fatal."
Saguna thought of Sahara, trapped for twelve years in that nightmare landscape. His resolve hardened. "How do I control it? How do I go back for her?"
"First things first," Professor Nyala said. "Before you can walk the Veil, you must master your elemental affinity." She gestured to the triangle on the floor. "Each of you, take your position."
"Our position?" Osa asked, glancing between the three points.
Professor Nyala sighed impatiently. "Water, earth, fire. You surely felt the pull of your affinities even before the marks appeared."
Osa shrugged and moved toward the blue section of the triangle, standing beside the pillar with the water bowl. Radji, after a moment's consideration, took his place on the green section near the earth pillar.
That left the red section for Saguna. He stepped onto the jasper stones, and immediately felt a resonance with the marks on his neck—a pleasant warmth that spread outward from those three points.
"Good," Professor Nyala said, taking a position outside the triangle where she could observe all three of them. "Now, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. In ancient texts, the life force that flows through all living things is called 'qi.' Feel it moving through your body with each breath."
Saguna closed his eyes, trying to ignore the flutter of anxiety in his chest. What if he couldn't do this? What if his sister had overestimated him? What if—
Quiet your mind, little brother. Feel the fire inside you.
Sahara's voice, clearer than it had ever been outside of Wednesdays. Saguna's breath caught, but he did as she suggested, turning his attention inward. For several moments, he felt nothing but his heartbeat and the cool air of the underground chamber.
Then... something else. A warmth at his core that didn't come from physical exertion. A tiny spark, like an ember buried in ash, waiting to be kindled.
"The element is already within you," Professor Nyala's voice seemed to come from very far away. "You need only give it permission to manifest."
Saguna focused on that inner spark, imagining it growing brighter, hotter. To his surprise, the warmth intensified, spreading from his core out through his limbs. The marks on his neck burned, not painfully, but with purpose, as if responding to his intent.
"Good, Mr. Hann," Professor Nyala said. "Control, not force."
Saguna opened his eyes a fraction and saw Osa with his hands extended over the water bowl. The water was rising in a slender column, following the movements of his fingers as he traced patterns in the air. Osa's expression was one of pure concentration, but there was joy there too, a child discovering a new game.
On the earth section, Radji stood perfectly still, eyes closed, his breathing measured and precise. The loose soil in the bowl before him had begun to stir, grains rising and falling in rhythmic patterns that matched his breaths. Even from across the triangle, Saguna could feel the steadiness emanating from him, a grounded certainty that seemed to anchor the entire chamber.
Saguna turned his attention back to his own station. The empty bowl before him remained just that—empty. Frustration flickered through him, disrupting his focus. The inner warmth receded slightly.
Don't force it, Sahara's whisper returned. Remember—fire doesn't obey. It partners.
Saguna took a deep breath, trying a different approach. Instead of commanding the fire to appear, he invited it, extending a mental welcome to that spark inside him. The warmth surged again, stronger this time, racing along his veins until it pooled in his palms.
"Open your eyes, Mr. Taksa," Professor Nyala instructed.
Saguna did. And gasped.
Floating above his upturned palms, a small flame danced—orange-gold with hints of deep red at its core. It cast a gentle light that seemed to push back the shadows of the chamber without brightening the actual space. The flame moved as if alive, responding to his breathing, growing slightly with each inhale, steadying with each exhale.
"I'm... I'm doing it," he whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly might break his concentration.
For the first time since he was seven years old, watching Sahara summon fire to protect him, Saguna felt not fear at the sight of flames, but possibility. If he could do this, perhaps he really could find his sister after all.