Chapter 686: A Single Step

Kael woke before dawn and remained completely still for several seconds, waiting for his body to give him some reason to postpone the test.

None came.

His left shoulder still felt slightly stiff when he rotated it backward, but there was no pain. His ankle supported his weight the moment he placed his foot on the floor, and the deep breath that normally revealed any irregularity in the channels across his chest produced neither pressure nor burning.

Even so, he didn’t move any mana.

He put on his shirt and began tying back his hair when he heard Sylphie behind him.

"You’re being strangely obedient."

Kael looked at her through the reflection in the window.

She was still sitting on the bed.

"You’d complain if I wasn’t."

"I would."

"Then enjoy it."

Sylphie stood and approached him.

She placed her palm against the center of his chest without asking permission. Kael had already expected it and merely pulled his shirt aside slightly to make things easier.

Natural Mana slowly flowed through his channels.

Sylphie first checked the area around his sternum, then spread the flow through his shoulders, spine, and hips.

Finally, she followed the channels down into his legs.

Kael remained still.

"Is it the same as yesterday?" he asked.

"Better."

"How much better?"

She raised her eyes.

"Do you really need to turn everything into a measurement?"

"It helps."

"The channels are stable. The point that was still sensitive barely reacts anymore."

Kael nodded.

"Then I can test it."

Sylphie kept her hand against his chest.

"After you eat."

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"One Step consumes less energy than a forty-minute walk."

"And you are not testing a technique that puts stress on muscles, tendons, bones, and channels before breakfast."

"It doesn’t put stress on them if performed correctly."

"Kael."

"After breakfast."

"Thank you."

Umbra emerged from the shadow near the door.

"That lasted less time than I expected."

Kael looked at her.

"What?"

"The argument."

"There was no argument."

"Exactly."

Sylphie smiled and went to change.

Before entering the dining room, they passed through the garden.

The two sprouts in the man’s garden bed had grown.

The first had fully opened its tiny initial leaves, while the second now stood upright above the soil.

In the bellflower bed, Kael found a green tip near the edge.

He crouched down.

Sylphie stopped beside him.

"Finally."

"Is that a bellflower?"

"It is."

Kael leaned closer to examine it but kept his hands away.

Sylphie noticed.

"You didn’t even try to touch it."

"I don’t want to pull it out."

"You’re learning."

Footsteps came from the path.

The nameless man appeared with Seraphine.

He carried the blue notebook in one hand, with his pencil tucked between the pages.

The moment he saw Kael crouching, he quickened his pace.

"Did another one grow?"

"In ours."

He examined the bellflower.

"Can I write it down?"

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you asking?"

"Because it isn’t my garden bed."

"You can."

The man opened the notebook.

Seraphine stopped behind him and watched as he wrote the date.

FIRST BELLFLOWER.

Then he added:

KAEL DID NOT TOUCH IT.

Kael read it.

"Was that second part necessary?"

"Yes."

Sylphie started laughing.

Umbra appeared in the shadow of the tree.

"Important historical record."

Kael stood.

"Let’s eat."

Breakfast was faster than usual.

Kael didn’t eat less.

Sylphie would have noticed immediately.

He simply didn’t waste time between one thing and the next.

Eleonor noticed.

"Anxious?"

"No."

"Then why have you already looked at the door four times?"

Kael returned his attention to his plate.

"Because I know we’re leaving as soon as we finish."

"That has a name."

"Planning."

"Anxiety," Umbra corrected.

Kael ignored her.

Amelia arrived while he was finishing his second cup of tea.

She wasn’t carrying a single folder.

Kael looked at her hands.

"You don’t have any documents."

"Because I promised to wait until after the test."

"You came to watch too?"

"Yes."

Eleonor placed her cup down.

"So did I."

Kael looked at Sylphie.

"How many people did you invite?"

"I didn’t invite anyone."

Seraphine discreetly pointed toward the nameless man.

"He mentioned during dinner that he was going to watch."

Amelia replied:

"And he told me."

Eleonor added:

"And me."

Kael stared at the man.

He seemed to realize he might have done something wrong.

"Was it a secret?"

"No."

"Then I was allowed to tell people."

Kael found no argument against that.

"You were."

The man nodded and continued eating.

The training courtyard was only partially cleared.

Two soldiers remained at the far end, practicing with wooden swords.

The rest of the central area was empty.

Kael stood near one of the stone lines dividing the floor.

Sylphie walked about eight meters away and stopped beside the second.

"From here to here."

Kael looked at the distance.

"That’s short."

"It’s enough to activate the technique."

"A normal Step covers more."

"I didn’t ask for a normal Step."

Kael took a deep breath.

"You’re enjoying this."

"A little."

Umbra appeared beside the wall.

"So am I."

The nameless man remained near the entrance with Seraphine.

He had already opened his notebook.

Eleonor brought a chair.

Kael looked at his grandmother.

"You intend to watch while sitting?"

"I do."

"It’s only one Step."

"Then it’ll be quick."

Amelia stood beside her.

Kael decided to stop asking questions.

He removed his outer shirt and handed it to Sylphie.

Then he moved his arms, shoulders, and neck.

He performed two light knee bends, rotated his ankle, and shifted his weight between his legs.

No pain.

Sylphie approached.

"Mana first. No activation."

Kael opened his channels.

The energy began in his chest and descended along his spine.

It spread through his shoulders, crossed his hips, and reached his legs.

He consciously followed every path.

His body responded without delay.

During the previous weeks, there had always been some point that required compensation.

A muscle that couldn’t keep up with the reinforcement.

An inflamed region that forced the mana to move around the tissue.

An irritated channel that made circulation feel rough.

Now the flow passed almost naturally.

Sylphie placed two fingers over his sternum.

"Again."

Kael repeated it.

She followed the flow.

"It’s stable."

"Then?"

Sylphie stepped back.

"One."

Kael looked toward the second line.

The Celestial Step was not teleportation.

It never had been.

There was no folding of space, rupture, or jump between two points.

The technique depended on absolute synchronization between energy and physical structure.

Mana moved through muscles, tendons, and bones in a precise sequence, reinforcing the body during an acceleration that would normally destroy it.

When his body was healthy, Kael did all of that without thinking about each individual stage.

Now, he thought about every single one.

The mana descended.

Hip.

Right thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

His foot pressed against the ground.

Kael moved.

There was a short sound, like a dry impact.

The air shifted.

To everyone watching, he disappeared from the first line and appeared beside the second almost instantly.

To Kael, the movement had a beginning, middle, and end.

He felt the force enter through his foot.

The transfer of weight.

The reinforcement of his knee.

The minimal rotation of his hip.

The second leg moving forward to receive his body.

The controlled impact of deceleration.

And then he stopped.

Eight meters.

Kael remained completely still.

No pain.

He waited several seconds.

Nothing.

He smiled.

"It worked."

Sylphie was already coming toward him.

"Don’t move."

"I’m not moving."

She placed her hand against his chest.

"Mana."

"I just used it."

"I know."

Sylphie closed her eyes.

Kael allowed her to examine the central channels first.

Then she moved down through his legs, checking the regions that had received the greatest load.

She went over his right ankle twice.

Kael waited.

"You’re taking a while."

"Stay still."

He did.

The nameless man was watching so intently that he had forgotten to write.

Seraphine noticed and touched his arm.

He lowered his eyes toward the notebook but decided to wait as well.

Sylphie finally removed her hand.

Kael asked:

"Well?"

"No new injury."

"The channels?"

"Stable."

"Muscles?"

"Also fine."

"Then I’m recovered."

"You’re recovered enough to begin reintroducing the Step."

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"You chose those words very carefully."

"Very."

"How many can I do?"

"Today?"

"Yes."

"You already did it."

Kael looked toward the starting line.

Then at Sylphie.

"One."

"That was our agreement."

"It worked perfectly."

"And that is exactly why we’re stopping while it’s still perfect."

He opened his mouth.

Eleonor spoke from behind them.

"She’s right."

Kael looked at his grandmother.

"You didn’t even examine my channels."

"I don’t need to in order to know how you work."

Amelia crossed her arms.

"If she allows two, you’ll ask about three."

"Not necessarily."

Umbra answered from the wall.

"You will."

Kael turned toward the nameless man.

"You’re the only one who hasn’t given an opinion yet."

He looked surprised.

"Me?"

"Yes."

The man thought about it seriously.

"Sylphie said one."

Kael slowly nodded.

"I understand."

Seraphine tried to hide a smile.

"Difficult democracy."

"That wasn’t democracy."

Kael put his outer shirt back on.

The man finally approached.

"Can I ask something?"

"You can."

"Did you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The path."

Kael understood.

"Yes."

"All of it?"

"All of it."

The man looked at the eight meters between the lines.

"To me, it looked like you stopped being there and appeared here."

"Because it happened too quickly for your eyes to follow."

"But you don’t disappear?"

"No."

"So your body really crosses that entire distance."

"Yes."

The man touched his pencil to the page.

"Why doesn’t it break?"

Kael pointed toward his own legs.

"Because the mana reinforces every structure in the correct order. The muscles generate force, the tendons transfer it, the bones withstand it, and the channels distribute energy. If even one of those parts is delayed or injured, the technique becomes dangerous."

The man wrote.

"And that’s why Sylphie wouldn’t let you use it."

"Yes."

Sylphie looked at Kael.

"Finally, someone understands."

"I understood."

"Understanding and obeying are different things."

The man wrote another line.

Kael tried to see it.

He partially closed the notebook.

"It’s mine."

Kael raised his hands.

"Fair."

Amelia waited until they had left the courtyard.

In the small room beside the Courtyard of Statues, two folders sat on a table.

Kael stopped in front of them.

"You really brought two."

"I warned you."

"I was hoping you were exaggerating."

"When do I exaggerate about documents?"

"That is a dangerous question."

Sylphie entered behind him and sat in one of the chairs.

Amelia pushed the first folder toward him.

"This one is simple."

Kael opened it.

The document concerned the division of responsibilities over infrastructure connected to the First Archive.

Amelia and Irelia would assume administrative and legal coordination of external agreements.

Elion would be responsible for technical matters, inspections, and specialized maintenance.

Affected governments, cities, and communities would have their own representatives whenever an installation used local resources, territory, or infrastructure.

Kael turned several pages.

There was also a specific clause preventing authorizations granted during the dispute over the Primary Protocol from being interpreted as permanent authority for him over those structures.

He pointed at it.

"This is important."

"Irelia insisted."

"She’s right."

Kael read to the end.

There was nothing requiring substantial changes.

He signed only the section acknowledging the administrative transfer and returned the folder.

"One."

Amelia placed the second one in front of him.

"This one requires your opinion."

Kael opened it.

It concerned the two complexes located in regions without continuous government.

The first area contained five small settlements.

None possessed formal authority over the others, although one was almost twice the size of the rest.

"Don’t treat the largest one as the automatic representative."

"We won’t."

"Irelia?"

"Yes."

Kael continued.

The proposal was to speak separately with each community, determine who actually used the territory and resources near the complex, and only afterward create a common agreement if everyone considered it necessary.

"Good."

He turned the page.

The second complex was more complicated.

The region had almost no permanent population.

Even so, shepherds passed through the valley during part of the year, there was a seasonal trade route, and a small religious community visited a nearby spring.

Kael read the technical summary.

"Does the complex interfere with the spring?"

"According to Elion, no."

"The route?"

"Not directly."

"And the shepherds?"

"There’s an underground access point near the path they use. We don’t know yet whether any equipment reaches the surface."

Kael partially closed the folder.

"Then before discussing who should have authority over the complex, find out who is actually affected by it."

"That was what I intended."

"If the access interferes with the shepherds’ path, they need to participate in that part of the decision. That doesn’t mean they suddenly control the entire installation."

"I agree."

"And if none of these people want to take responsibility for maintenance?"

"We’re not going to force the obligation onto anyone. Elion is checking what can continue functioning without external support and what needs to be reduced."

Kael nodded.

"Good."

He reopened the folder.

There were a lot of pages.

A lot.

"How many?"

"Forty-two."

Kael looked at Amelia.

"You said gradual return."

"You don’t have to finish it today."

He stared at the folder.

Months earlier, he probably would have read all of it.

Not because it was necessary.

Because it was there.

Kael separated the executive summary and the pages requiring immediate decisions.

"I’ll read these."

Amelia didn’t argue.

"And the rest?"

"Tomorrow."

Sylphie smiled beside him.

Kael noticed.

"Don’t start."

"I didn’t say anything."

"I know."

He took only seven pages.

After lunch, Kael didn’t return to the courtyard.

That required less effort than he had expected.

His body felt fine.

He knew he could perform another Step.

Probably several.

But he didn’t need to discover how many that day.

He returned to the garden.

He found the nameless man sitting near the garden bed, writing in his notebook.

Kael approached.

"Can I read it now?"

The man considered the question for several seconds before turning the notebook around.

Kael found an almost entirely filled page.

TODAY I SAW KAEL USE THE CELESTIAL STEP.

IT LOOKED LIKE HE DISAPPEARED.

HE DOES NOT DISAPPEAR.

HIS BODY CROSSES THE DISTANCE VERY QUICKLY.

MANA PROTECTS THE PARTS OF HIS BODY WHILE HE MOVES.

SYLPHIE SAID HE WAS FINE.

SHE DID NOT LET HIM DO IT AGAIN.

Below that was another line.

HE DID NOT LIKE THAT.

Kael looked at the man.

"That last part is interpretation."

"You argued."

"A little."

"Still."

Kael handed the notebook back.

"Continue."

The man smiled and added another sentence.

Kael didn’t try to read it.

He sat on the bench near the tree.

A short while later, Sylphie appeared carrying the cookbook under one arm.

"You left this in the room."

"Thank you."

She handed him the book.

"Going to study the pear tart?"

"I’m going to compare a few recipes."

"That sounds dangerously close to work."

"It’s dessert."

"Fair."

Kael opened the book.

Seraphine was several meters away, lying on a blanket with one of her new books.

Umbra occupied the lowest branch of the tree in a vaguely human form.

The nameless man alternated between writing and watching the sprouts.

The bellflower bed still had only one visible plant.

Nothing in the garden had changed very much since morning.

Kael liked that.

After several pages, he closed the book and looked at Sylphie.

"We’re still tied."

She immediately knew what he meant.

"Stones?"

"Stones."

Umbra climbed down from the branch.

"I’ll referee."

The man closed his notebook.

"Can I watch?"

"You can."

Sylphie stood.

"Three throws."

"No mana."

"No mana."

Kael walked toward the shore.

The Celestial Step was available to him again.

He didn’t need to use it to reach the lake.