Rain sat near the Spring of Vitality, his stamina already replenished because of the sip he took from the spring earlier, but the mental exhaustion from the battle still lingered.

  'The spring has its limits after all,' he thought, rubbing his temples.

  He couldn't help but dwell on the questions he had left unasked during the fight, silently cursing himself for getting too caught up in the spar.

  'Idiot...'

  Rain fell into deep thought. ‘If I get the chance ter, I should ask Diego about the stages of Essence Whisperers.

  Rain's fingers traced absent patterns on the ground as his thoughts drifted.

  ‘I know the Initiate stage and its levels, but after that… nothing. How many stages are there? What changes with each one? Diego would know.’

  As Rain was lost in thought, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up—it was Emily.

  Emily wore a sly smile. "Ready for your second training of the day?"

  Rain let out a sigh before saying, "Yeah, let's get this over with."

  Emily chuckled, "Follow me then."

  Rain stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes. Emily had already made her way to their designated training spot, moving without hesitation. Not wanting to fall behind, Rain hurriedly followed. The vibrant blue leaves of the trees drifted down like rain, painting a serene yet surreal scene around him.

  He admired the scenery while following Emily, his thoughts drifting. This pce truly is beautiful... It's a shame it will disappear soon. Diego said it only sts for three days, and it's already the second.

  His admiration for the scenery was broken by Emily’s voice.

  "We're here," she said, snapping him back to reality.

  Rain analyzed the space. It was definitely spacious, with trees spread far enough apart to allow for unrestricted movement.

  Emily was fairly apart from Rain, with a yell she said, "Were getting starte—"

  But before she could finish her sentence Rain cut in.

  "Can I ask a question before we start, I had something in my mind that I forgot to ask Diego earlier. I get pretty heated while training."

  Emily raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Oh? And here I thought you were just that focused."

  She gestured for him to go on. "Alright, ask away. But make it quick—you're not getting out of training that easily."

  Rain looked at Emily and asked, "What are the stages of an Essence Whisperer? And what gifts do they grant me?"

  Emily crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly. "Honestly, I never paid too much attention to the specifics. I just know that each stage and level makes you stronger. I don't know if each stage or level gives you a unique ability. So I can't really answer the st part of your question" She let out a small sigh before adding, "But since you're curious, I'll expin what I know—just this once, so listen up."

  Rain's eyes locked onto Emily, his expression serious as he made sure to listen carefully, not wanting to miss a single word.

  She raised a finger. "There are three main stages: Initiate, Adept, and Ascendant. Each stage has four levels, and moving up means getting stronger, faster, and expanding your essence pool."

  She continued, "First is the Initiate Stage, where you start off as an Essentia. Then, when you grow stronger, you become Awoken, then a Seeker, and finally, if you push far enough you reach the peak of the Initiate stage which is Enlightened."

  Emily took a step forward. "Next is the Adept Stage. Once you break past Enlightened, you become a Resonant. Then, Harmonizer, Binder, and finally, Amalgamate."

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And then there's the final stage—Ascendant. Only the strongest reach this. The first level is Penumbral, then Umbral, followed by Somniarch, and at the very peak, Essenceborn."

  She smirked. "So, if you wanna be someone who can stand at the top, you better keep climbing."

  Rain took a moment to process everything, his violet eyes narrowing in thought. 'Three stages, twelve levels… That’s a lot more than I expected.' He let out a slow breath before shaking his head. "Figures I’m still at the very bottom."

  His grip tightened slightly. "But that just means there's plenty of room to grow." A determined glint fshed in his eyes as he looked at Emily. "Alright, that answers my question. Let’s get started."

  Emily cpped her hands together. "Alright then, let's start your training." She took a few steps back, giving Rain some space. "First, show me how you’ve been gathering essence. I need to see what I’m working with."

  Rain took a deep breath and gnced around, his eyes locking onto the essences drifting through the air. He inhaled slowly, steadying himself, before drawing the surrounding essence toward him, guiding it into his body.

  Emily frowned, watching Rain’s method. "Stop."

  Rain opened his eyes, confused. "What? What did I do wrong?"

  Emily crossed her arms. "You're overthinking it. You're trying to make the essence come to you instead of just letting it flow naturally."

  Rain tilted his head. "Isn't gathering it what I need to do?"

  Emily sighed. "Yes, but not by forcing it. Essence isn’t something you see and chase after—it’s something you feel. It’s supposed to be instinctive, like breathing. You don’t think about every inhale and exhale, right? It just happens. That’s how gathering essence should be."

  She took a step forward, gesturing around. "You're treating it like a tool instead of an extension of yourself. Stop trying to pull it in like some kind of lever. Just let yourself sync with it, and it’ll come naturally."

  Emily stepped back. "Try again, but this time, stop thinking so much. Just feel."

  Rain closed his eyes, taking a steady breath. Instead of watching the essence with his eyes, he focused on feeling it—like sensing the warmth of sunlight on his skin or the pull of a gentle current in water. He let himself become aware of its presence, how it moved, how it lingered.

  Then, carefully, he reached out—not forcefully, but with intent. The essence around him responded, drawn to him like embers drifting toward a fme.

  Emily crossed her arms, watching. "That’s more like it," she said. "Don’t treat essence like something you have to grab. Let it come to you naturally, then guide it where you need it."

  Emily guided Rain, "Raise your hand, open your palm, and let the essence flow outward from your body."

  Rain stretched out his hand and opened his palm, feeling the traces of essence still flowing through him.

  Rain struggled to push the essence outward, managing only a few faint droplets of light to flicker from his palm.

  Emily noticed his struggle and said, "You're forcing the essence out instead of guiding it—think of it as an extension of your body, not something separate from you."

  Rain followed Emily's instructions, this time sensing the essence flow through him—smooth and natural, like running his fingers along his own skin.

  Rain focused, guiding the essence toward his palm rather than forcing it out. He felt a shift, something forming in his hand—cool and fluid, yet weightless.

  Emily's voice cut through the quiet. "You did it."

  Rain's eyes snapped open. Floating just above his palm was a small, wavering blot of water, rippling gently as if responding to his own breath.

  "Now, try sending it upward," Emily instructed, her tone patient but firm.

  Rain focused, guiding the essence on his palm. He willed it upward, and the water shot up, rising a few meters before bursting into tiny droplets that shimmered in the air before falling back down.

  Emily smiled and said, "Good job, Rain."

  Rain let out a ugh, surprising Emily. "How ironic," he said.

  Emily raised a brow. "What's ironic?"

  Rain chuckled to himself. "My first magic is water, but with my fiery red hair and even my personality, it just feels off. The only thing about me that connects to water is my name."

  Emily looked at Rain, a subtle warmth in her gaze. There was a sense of camaraderie in the way she watched him—like a friend proud to see another take their first real step forward.

  Emily smirked. "Well, maybe it's a sign that you need to cool your head more often."

  Rain rolled his eyes with a grin. "Yeah, yeah, very funny."

  Rain stared at the droplet of water that fell on his palm.

  'So this is magic…'

  It felt surreal. He had seen others wield essence before, bending it to their will, but actually doing it himself was something else entirely. The sensation of guiding the essence, shaping it into something tangible—it was both exhirating and humbling.

  For the first time, he truly understood what it meant to be an Essence Whisperer.