The feeling of the wind gently caressing her skin, the scent of flowers mingled with the musky stench of wet dog, the sound of clashing sticks and birdsong intermingled with human groans, and the warmth generously provided by the sun were all Yura could perceive. She tried her best to go beyond that, as Thyme had instructed her, but she couldn't.

"I failed once again," she mumbled to herself, opening her eyes.

Before her, Yue-liang and Whurel swung pieces of wood at each other. Her friend did his best to strike the much older man, but no matter what he did, his attacks were perfectly blocked, and he would be smacked by the warrior's heavy hand or the stick. Each time, Yue-liang grew visibly angrier.

Beside her, Milo observed the scene just as attentively as she did. Suddenly, the frustrated boy threw his makeshift weapon to the ground, but before he could storm off, the man grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay. At that moment, Thyme entered the scene, emerging from the cave between the roots of the massive tree, and heading straight into the forest.

He noticed the unfolding scene but chose to ignore it.

"What?!" Yue-liang yelled.

"You wanted to train, so I'm training you," Whurel responded calmly.

"All you do is hit me and laugh in my face! You're not training me, You are making fun of me. Humiliate me! Instead of helping me, you're enjoying yourself!" the boy shouted.

"No. What I'm doing is taunting you and, at the same time, punishing your mistakes. If you let anger take over in a fight, you've already lost. If you make as many mistakes as you do, you'll lose as well. Do you want to get better? Focus," the man argued.

For some reason, Milo took it as a signal to jump to his paws and run straight toward the arguing pair, just as the old man was passing by.

"I'm trying my best! It would be better if you just showed me what to do!" Yue-liang yelled.

"I have already shown you multiple times, and you don't remember a thing! You swing like a child. Your footwork is giving me a headache, and your posture is a crime in itself," the warrior began to raise his voice, though not quite to the point of yelling.

Yura got up from the grass as well, deciding to speak with Thyme. She took a few steps after him when the wolf snatched the stick from the ground and bolted, capturing the attention of both Whurel and Yue-liang.

"Hey!" the warrior shouted. "Give it back!"

"Hey!" the boy also shouted, before he decided to run after the animal that was already dashing across the meadow.

Watching this, Yura was left behind by the old man, who continuously ignored it all. She decided to run after him, catching up soon before he vanished behind a line of trees.

"How can I help you, my dear?" he asked without looking at her.

"I... I wanted to speak with you about this meditation you taught me," she said.

"It's not working, and you want more guidance," he interrupted her.

She nodded, but then she realized he wasn't looking, so she also spoke: "Yes."

The old man sighed. "I told you only what I told you because there is nothing more to say," he informed her before stopping briefly to finally glance at her. A moment later, he resumed his walk. "Magic is hard by itself, and the one you want to learn is twice as hard. You need harmony for it. You need a union of body and mind with the outside world. It might never happen for you…"

"Is there nothing that can be done?" she asked, helplessness starting to take over her expression. Her lips twisted, and her eyes narrowed.

"There is something you can do," Thyme said without stopping.

"What?" she asked, her voice regaining energy.

"Practice. Try and try again, and when you don't want to try anymore, you still have to keep trying. This is the only way…"

His words made her stop. She watched him as he slowly moved further and further away, soon vanishing between the nearby trees. Strength left her body, her hands fell limply at her sides, and she stood there so fragile that a stronger gust of wind would knock her down. Although in the peripheral view, she was able to see Yue-Lianch running after Milo, who zoomed through the grass like a silver blur, her conscious mind didn’t register it at all.

Contrary to the wolf, whose sharp, yellow eyes caught her. The beast changed direction rushing straight at her, and stopping several steps away, sliding on the grass. He dropped the stick, and barked at her: „Woof!”

Right after him came Yue-Liang, who almost fell on his face stopping so abruptly. He picked up his makeshift weapon from the ground, and then his eyes fell upon Yura, who stood there lifeless.

„Are you alright?” He asked, a shadow of worry cast on his face.

The words jolted her back to reality, and her eyes moved to him. Upon recognizing the face, she smiled. „What? Oh… Yes. I’m fine.”

„If something happens, you know you can tell me,” he pointed out. „We only have each other now.”

„I’m good,” she replied, broadening her smile before she turned around and left.

He watched her for a moment, but couldn’t just let her go like this. „Is this because of Whurel and his training?” He called after her, but she ignored him, continuing to walk. „Is it…” He didn’t finish his sentence, sighing deeply. Then he looked at the stick in his hands, only to shift his gaze to the massive man, standing quite a distance away, clearly waiting for his return. „Demn it,” he mumbled, before grabbing the makeshift weapon with both hands. He snapped it before he ran after the girl.

The warrior saw it all, but kept his silence, observing the boy chasing Yura. His eyebrows frowned. „This doesn’t look good,” he whispered to himself, then sighed heavily. „Why the hell did I even agree to take part in this mess? I should have stayed home… This bald asshole always manages to put me in some mess… This time I’m a fucking nanny for a bunch of dumb kids,” he growled, then dropped his stick and marched toward the cave.