CHAPTER 26: LIGHT, LINES, AND LESSONS

Daylight filtered through the tall windows, carving soft rectangles of warmth across the polished floor. The three of them stood in the center of the training room, surrounded by quiet energy from previous sparring runs. The runes embedded in the tiles pulsed gently, like a heartbeat that waited for motion.

Kai stretched his arms out wide. "Alright. What’s the plan for today?" His tone was light but interested. He studied his roommates closely, both of whom had changed in the last few days.

Ethan cleared his throat. "I was thinking defense," he said. "After those duels, it feels like we could tighten up. Maybe learn more about glyphs, blocking spells, redirecting attacks."

Aiden stepped forward, placing his hands behind his back. "That makes sense. We’ve shown what we can do on offense. Now it’s time to control the field. I can walk you through the basics of glyph defense. It would help all of us."

Kai nodded. "I want to try that. Think it’ll help my earth stuff too?"

"Definitely," Aiden replied. "Glyphs are light magic, but they rely on line control and structure. If you can form them reliably, you can shape mana in any element."

Ethan’s eyes brightened. "Light magic glyphs—show us your technique."

Aiden paused to gather his thoughts. "Glyph casting is about precision. You draw shapes in the air or on the floor, then you charge them with mana so they hold. For defense, I use layered lines—one to absorb, one to redirect."

"So lesson one: layered rune lines," Kai said, grinning. "Sounds manageable."

Aiden smiled slightly. "Yes. Easy to say. Less easy to execute. Want to start with a basic redirection glyph? Something to take a shove spell and push it down into the ground?"

Ethan nodded. Kai looked eager. Aiden kneeled, brought his hand down to the floor in front of him, and traced a square with a central downward arrow mid-line. Faint light bloomed across the rune. He whispered an activation phrase, and the lines glowed steady. He stepped back.

"That’s it. Take that—absorb and channel it downward. I’ll walk you through the flow."

With a word Aiden summoned a low pulse of mana-bound force from his palms. He funneled it into the glyph, and the arrow line directed the force into the floor in a single clean push. Dust rippled across the tile, then settled.

"That’s what I wanted to show," he said. "If I face an incoming strike, I can cast this and redirect the energy into the ground. It gives me breathing room."

Kai advanced first. He traced the same rune with firm strokes, but when he activated it, the glyph sputtered and fizzed, light sputtering uncertainly. The pulse of mana knocked him off balance.

Aiden stepped forward quickly. "Slow your mana. You’re sending too much too fast. Let it settle before releasing."

Kai shook his head. "Right." He crafted the rune again, this time inhaling slowly as he pulled energy into his palms, releasing gently. The line formed steadily. He activated it. The training floor swallowed the pulse smoothly.

Ethan gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice. Caught the flow."

Kai rolled his shoulders. "Okay, now your turn."

Ethan squared his stance. He focused on the rune as he traced it: square, arrow, lines straight and true. He felt the faint hum of mana in his fingertips. When he activated it, the rune glowed stronger than Kai’s had. A pulse erupted, and the ground absorbed it perfectly. A low murmur rolled through their corner of the room.

Kai grinned. Aiden frowned thoughtfully. "Well done. You’ve got good mana control."

Ethan relaxed his shoulders. "Thanks."

He looked at Aiden. "Can you show us how you block more complex attacks? The wave spells and redirected energy we faced earlier?"

Aiden nodded slowly. "Those redirection glyphs are the reason I work with light magic. The lines can reflect or transform energy. Not only defense, but offense too. For a wave, I’d weave overlapping arcs."

He rose and placed his palms together, forming an arch rune in the air. Two arcs appeared, one bright white and one golden. He activated both. Then he spoke a short chant and the patterns layered into a translucent dome. Scooter pulses converged, hit the dome, and rolled off harmlessly. The dome glowed brighter with each impact, then faded when the test ended.

Ethan watched, fascinated. "That... feels so precise. And it’s fast."

Aiden stepped aside. "Speed comes from controlling your mana, but structure comes from clarity. You define the shape first, then fill it. The moment you blur the edges, it collapses."

Kai said, "So you specialize in glyph work because it suits you. It matches your style."

"Exactly," Aiden replied. He glanced at Kai. "Ground magic is heavy. I don’t think you need glyph speed; you need stability. I can teach you two-line versions that hold longer but move slower."

Kai nodded in thanks.

Ethan felt something shift in his chest. They offered knowledge he couldn’t get by studying alone—real magic, learned through doing, together. He turned to Aiden.

"Why does light magic pull you in? It’s not just about power, right?"

Aiden paused, gathering his words. He traced a small circle in the air, creating soft arcs of light that hovered between them.

"Right," he said. "It’s not about raw strength. Light is... flexible. It’s clarity, vision, even healing or harm—depending on your focus." He tapped one of the hovering glyphs. "This can shine bright enough to blind someone or warm them. Or flow into shapes that hold force back. It’s a spectrum, not just a hammer."

Ethan nodded, looking at those glowing symbols drifting overhead. "Makes sense. It’s like... choosing what to bring into a fight without swinging wildly at everything."

Aiden looked proud. Kai tested the brightness with a finger, grimacing.

"Don’t blind me, nerd," Kai joked.

Aiden grinned. "Just making a point." He touched another arc, and it dissolved. "I liked it when I first saw it used for structure, like in geometry class," he explained. "Once I got into glyph formation, I realized how light magic could carry precision and protection, not just flash."

Ethan smiled. "Cool. Never pegged you for a geometry fan."

Aiden shrugged. "I like patterns. And when you tie patterns to defense or healing or combo spells, it’s more than a pretty light show."

Kai leaned forward, interest sparking in his eyes. "So show us something that actually—does something."

Aiden smiled, then closed his hand slowly, like casting a spell in slow motion. A thin, glowing line appeared in mid-air, looping into a jagged circle. "This is a binding spell. Cast carefully, it immobilizes someone when they step inside."

He traced the ring a second time, weaving a few twisting runes along its edges. "Drawn carefully, charged gently. Without glyphs, it’s unstable. But with a backing glyph on the floor—"

He tapped the air. At his fingertips, the floating ring solidified, glowing amber. It hovered at shin height. He waved the tip toward Ethan, encouraging him forward.

Ethan took a cautious step in. "Uh... does it hurt?"

Aiden laughed softly. "Nope. Just freezes your movement."

Ethan swallowed and edged closer. "This is fine. Totally fine."

Kai snorted from beside him. "Don’t chicken out. We need proof."

Ethan exhaled, stepped fully into the floating ring—and immediately froze mid-step. His arms lifted, but he couldn’t move. He swayed faintly, surprised—and several seconds later the glow faded and he was free again.

Ethan laughed once he was able, rubbing his ankles. "Okay—that was weird. But cool. Didn’t hurt."

Kai hollered. "You look like a deer in headlights!"

Aiden guided Ethan through the process, demonstrating how to carve the shape in the air, then reinforce it with mana from the glyph beneath. "That way, it snaps tight. Alone it holds briefly. With backing, stable."

Ethan tried again on Kai. He built a ring, traced it in the air, then placed the glyph under Kai’s feet. Kai stepped in—

—and stopped. His grin flipped into surprise. Ethan and Aiden burst out laughing.

"That was awesome!" Ethan shouted, adrenaline rushing again.

Kai shook his head. "Fine, fine. Your turn helps me see it clearly. Thanks."

Aiden watched them both with satisfaction. Then he tapped his wrist. "You’ll both get practice for this one. It’s a good, simple defense—traps, duels, emergencies."

Ethan grinned at Kai. "Next time I get to set a trap, yes?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "I’ll forgive you if you don’t lock me up too hard."

They moved through a series of drills: draw-bind-release. They layered arcs for strength. Aiden corrected angles, suggested breathing techniques to steady their hands for fine shapes.

The room’s soft hum grew steady with practice, no longer echoing uncertainty. They worked until their arms ached, until their hands quivered from concentration.

Finally, the distant bell rang—shrill and clear—signaling the end of the session.

They closed their notes and packed up their supplies, breathing calmly now that the exertion had passed.

"Nice work today," Aiden said quietly as they walked toward the exit. "That... felt like a full step forward."

Ethan nodded. "Definitely. I can see how much you’ve built this in your head."

Kai clapped Aiden’s shoulder. "Yeah, man—this was a big help. Thanks."

Aiden grinned. "We’ll build more whenever we are free again."