"I'm... I'm doing it," Saguna whispered.
"Indeed you are," Professor Nyala confirmed, her voice betraying a hint of approval. "Now, direct it to the bowl."
Saguna hesitated. How was he supposed to—
The answer came instinctively. He simply thought the flame toward the bowl, and it drifted from his palms, maintaining its shape and intensity as it floated through the air to hover above the empty vessel.
"Excellent," Professor Nyala said. "The Trifold Seal responds to intent more than technique, especially in these early stages."
Saguna stared at the flame in wonder. He had created this. Drawn it from within himself and given it form. The realization was both terrifying and exhilarating.
"Look at us," Osa called, his voice bright with excitement. "We're actually doing magic!"
The water column above his bowl had grown more complex, splitting into multiple strands that twisted together like a living braid. Radji's earth had formed itself into a perfect sphere that rotated slowly above his bowl, its surface rippling with intricate patterns.
"Not magic, Mr. Hann," Professor Nyala corrected. "The Veil Arts have specific principles and limitations. They are neither supernatural nor entirely natural, but exist in the balance between."
"Close enough to magic for me," Osa grinned.
Saguna smiled despite himself. There was something infectious about Osa's enthusiasm, a reminder that this strange new reality wasn't only about danger and responsibility, it could also be wondrous.
The flame above his bowl flared higher in response to his brightening mood, its color shifting toward a more golden hue.
"Fascinating," Radji observed, his analytical mind clearly cataloging every detail. "The fire responds to emotional states, while earth seems to require mental discipline. I wonder if water has its own requisite condition."
"Very perceptive, Mr. Loma," Professor Nyala said. "Each element has its own nature, its own requirements for partnership. Understanding these distinctions will be crucial to your development."
Saguna's attention remained fixed on his flame. He tried experimenting, seeing if he could change its shape. The fire responded, stretching into a vertical column before reforming as a spinning disk, then a spiraling helix.
"The forms come naturally to you," Professor Nyala noted, watching him closely. "Your sister showed similar intuition."
At the mention of Sahara, Saguna's concentration wavered. The flame flickered, nearly extinguishing before he managed to steady it.
"I need to find her," he said, looking directly at Professor Nyala. "You said you were too late to help her before. Help me now. Tell me how to reach her in the spirit realm."
The professor's expression grew grave. "Veil Walking is not something to be undertaken lightly, Mr. Taksa. Especially not by one so untrained. What you experienced at the banyan tree was a momentary crossing. Your consciousness briefly touching the other side while your body remained anchored here. True Walking requires the physical self to cross over completely."
"Sahara did it," Saguna insisted, the flame above his bowl intensifying with his determination.
"Not voluntarily," Professor Nyala countered. "She was taken, or pulled through a tear in the Veil by the Soul Drainer. And even with her natural talents, the strain nearly destroyed her. That she has survived this long is... remarkable."
"All the more reason to find her," Saguna said. "She's been there for twelve years, Professor. Waiting. Fighting." His voice caught. "Calling to me every Wednesday."
Professor Nyala studied him for a long moment, her gaze measuring. "Your determination does you credit, Mr. Taksa. But walking the Veil requires more than just the fire affinity. It demands all three elements, the Triumvirate, united in purpose."
She gestured to the triangle they formed. "Fire to illuminate the path, water to flow between worlds, earth to maintain stability and connection. No single Walker can cross safely without the others anchoring them to this reality."
Saguna looked at Radji and Osa, virtual strangers he'd met only hours ago. Yet the connection he felt to them was undeniable, as if they'd been searching for each other their entire lives without knowing it.
"We'll help him," Osa said suddenly, his water braids forming a protective circle around his bowl. "Right, Radji?"
Radji adjusted his glasses, his expression thoughtful. "The statistical probability of our meeting today, of all three marks manifesting simultaneously, of Saguna contacting his sister through the banyan tree... the coincidences defy rational explanation." He nodded decisively. "I concur. We should assist."
Something warm that had nothing to do with fire bloomed in Saguna's chest. "Thank you," he said simply.
Professor Nyala shook her head, but Saguna thought he detected a hint of approval beneath her stern demeanor. "Your eagerness will either be your greatest strength or your undoing." She sighed. "But I cannot deny that time is of the essence. The Veil continues to thin, especially around places where it has been breached before."
"Like where Sahara was taken," Saguna said, understanding dawning. "You mean all these years, the breach has remained?"
"Not actively," Professor Nyala clarified. "But like scar tissue, it never fully healed. And now, as the Veil weakens throughout Zendirah, those old wounds are the first to reopen."
"Teluk Jati," Saguna whispered, thinking of his childhood village. A place he'd thought he'd left behind forever. "We need to go back there."
Before Professor Nyala could respond, a distant bell echoed through the chamber, three solemn, resonant tones that seemed to vibrate in the very stones around them.
"The warning bell," Professor Nyala said, her expression tightening. "Something has breached Academy grounds." She moved swiftly toward the stairs. "Remain here. Continue your practice. I will return shortly."
"But—" Saguna began.
"Do not leave this chamber," she ordered firmly. "It is warded against spirit intrusion. You'll be safe here while I investigate."
With that, she hurried up the spiral staircase, her purple robes swirling behind her.
Saguna looked at the flame hovering above his bowl, then at his new companions. "I'm not staying here if something's happening," he said, letting the flame fade as he stepped off the triangle.
"Did you miss the part where she said to stay put?" Radji asked, though he too was already moving away from his position.
"Pretty sure I also missed the part where I enrolled in Spirit Fighting 101," Osa added, his water flowing back into the bowl as he joined them. "But hey, what's the worst that could happen?"
"Death," Radji stated matter-of-factly. "Or spirit possession. Or being pulled into the Veil like Saguna's sister."
"Thanks for the pep talk," Osa grinned. "So, are we going or what?"
Saguna looked at them both — the analytical Radji, the carefree Osa — and felt the marks on his neck warm in response. These were his triangle points, his anchors. Somehow, he knew that together, they stood a better chance than apart.
"We're going," he decided. "But carefully. If it's another Soul Drainer..."
"Then you'll need backup," Osa finished, clapping him on the shoulder. "Triangle power, right?"
As they headed toward the stairs, Saguna felt the whisper return, softer now but unmistakably Sahara's voice:
Trust them, little brother. The triangle protects its points.
The flame that had manifested above the bowl suddenly reignited without his conscious intent, burning bright and steady.
A warning? A beacon? Saguna wasn't sure. But as they ascended the spiral staircase, he felt the three marks on his neck pulse in unison. A steady, rhythmic beat that matched his companions' footsteps perfectly.
Whatever waited above, they would face it together.