Before they left, Brightblade told them to inform their teachers that they would be absent for several weeks . Though she was eager to depart, that was a common courtesy that could not be skipped .
Arran headed over to Doran at once — while the adept wasn't his teacher, strictly speaking, he was the person in the House of Swords who would most notice Arran's absence .
He found Doran in the gardens of the adepts' quarters, casually practicing some style he didn't recognize .
When Doran noticed him, he immediately paused his practice and gave Arran an enthusiastic wave . "Up for some extra training tonight?"
Arran shook his head . "My teacher just informed me I'll be gone for a while . She plans to train me and Snowcloud in private . "
There was some jealousy in Doran's expression when Arran told him the reason for his absence . "I wish I had a teacher like that . " He sighed regretfully, then asked, "When will you be back?"
"No idea," Arran replied . "From what she said, it'll be at least a few weeks . "
Doran scowled . "That long?" An idea seemed to pop into his head, however, and he raised a questioning eyebrow . "If she teaches you anything good, you'll share it, right?"
"Sure," Arran said with a laugh . "But don't get your hopes up . I think she'll have us focus on magic, not sword fighting . "
"Magic?" Doran made an ugly face . "You can learn that anywhere . With a teacher like her, why waste your time on magic?"
Arran shrugged . "Not my decision . She's the teacher . "
"I still think it's a waste . " Doran sighed . "But I guess there's nothing you can do about it . I'll pass word to Master Kallias about your absence . "
After they said their goodbyes, Arran hurried back to the mansion, where he found Brightblade and Snowcloud already waiting in the gardens .
"All done?" Brightblade asked, obviously impatient to leave .
Arran nodded in reply . "So the estate, where is it?"
"A few hours from here," Brightblade replied . "If we hurry, we can make it before nightfall — and I hope we do, because I'm not confident in finding it after dusk . "
They departed at a run, heading south toward the mountains .
In the first hour, they encountered several more strongholds, along with a number of estates that could be seen from the road . Yet the further they moved, the sparser the habitation grew .
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When they had gone a quarter-hour without meeting any other travelers or seeing any buildings, there was a sudden increase in Brightblade's pace to something well beyond the capabilities of normal adepts .
Arran and Snowcloud quickly matched her speed, and although Snowcloud struggled to keep up, she did not fall behind — after half a year of growing her strength, the gap between her and Arran's was no longer the gaping chasm it had once been .
Several more hours passed in silence, Brightblade leading the way as her students focused on following her . By then, they had already reached the edge of the mountains, and the terrain around them was filled with tall, rocky hills .
Suddenly, Brightblade stopped in her tracks .
When Arran stopped beside her a moment later, he saw that her forehead was creased in thought .
"We should be close," she said . "But I don't see it anywhere…"
"We're lost?" Snowcloud asked, a frown on her face that suggested she was less than impressed with Brightblade's pathfinding skills .
"We're not lost," Brightblade replied sharply . "I know exactly where we're going . " She cast a frustrated look at the mountains ahead of them . "I just haven't found it yet . "
They set off again some moments later, moving slower than before as Brightblade tried to figure out where their destination was . And despite her words, Arran was growing increasingly that they were, in fact, lost .
Another hour passed fruitlessly, and by then, the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains in the west .
As it grew dark, Brightblade finally came to a halt . "I think we're lost," she said reluctantly . "It should be here, but…" She shook her head . "In the dark, we won't be able to find it . We'll have to camp out here for the night . "
They quickly set up a small camp, and a short while later, the three were sat around a fire upon which several chunks of dragon meat were roasting .
"Since the evening is wasted," Brightblade began, "I might as well tell you my plans for the next few weeks . "
Both Arran and Snowcloud immediately sat up, eager to hear how they would spend the next few weeks — and if there were any unexpected benefits ahead .
"You have both worked hard these past few weeks," she continued, "but Snowcloud, your progress isn't fast enough . "
"I tried," Snowcloud replied, a dejected look on her face . "But without the Tempering… I just can't keep up with the adepts . "
Brightblade nodded . "Correct . So the first thing we'll do when — if — we find the estate is have you undergo the Tempering . I would prefer to wait until you're ready to become an adept, but that's still far ahead, and this is hindering your training . "
At once, Snowcloud's eyes lit up with joy . "You're having me take the Tempering?!"
"I am," Brightblade confirmed . "Or, well, a Tempering . You — both of you — will still need to undergo the Tempering thing when you become adepts, of course . "
Arran frowned . "When I become an adept, I'll have to go through the Tempering again?"
Brightblade nodded . "Correct . And having undergone it once already, you will face a Tempering far stronger than most — although it should bring you greater benefits, as well . "
Arran frowned, unsure of whether this was a good thing or a bad thing . The first time had been bad enough, and if the second time would be even worse, he could barely even imagine how painful it would be . And yet, he immediately felt the lure of power .
"While I take Snowcloud through the Tempering," Brightblade continued, "you should work on unsealing that Destruction Realm of yours . You've struggled with it long enough — I expect you to break through within a year . Once you do, I'll allow you to become a novice . "
A jolt of shock went through Arran when he heard the words . He was still far from opening the Realm, and doing so within a year seemed like an insurmountable task . Even if Master Zhao had originally told him it would take several years to open it, he had long begun to fear that it would take decades, instead .
Yet before he could object, Brightblade had already turned her attention to Snowcloud . "As for you," she said . "Once your Tempering is complete, I will spend some days teaching you the basics of Shadow seals . Properly learning them will take far longer — well over a year . But only when you succeed in doing so will you be allowed to become a novice . "
Snowcloud's eyes went wide with shock . "I have to wait more than a year before I can become a novice again?!"
"Unless you manage to master Shadow seals faster than that, yes," Brightblade confirmed . "Now, there are other matters to discuss . To start, once we return from the estate, you will begin your training with the other Houses . "
Though Arran's thoughts still focused on the task of unsealing his Destruction Realm, this immediately caught his attention . After several weeks of training with the House of Swords, he had already begun to imagine what training with the other Houses would be like .
"Before we return, I will give you instructions on how to avoid drawing too much attention," Brightblade continued . "But more importantly, the year ahead will be far more difficult than anything you have faced so far . There should be little danger, but you will spend every waking moment training, until even your dreams are filled with nothing but magic and swords . "
Then, a small grin appeared on her face . "And by the end of this year, I expect both of you to be capable of facing Masters on equal terms . "
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