Nic gathered that they were now deep into the Aldo Forest; his surroundings all looked the same to him, so many different hues of greens and brown that if you allowed your eyes to blur it seemed like one mass of colour. 

Sunlight streamed through the tiny spaces between the huge, over-grown trees' thick leaves that bunched copiously off the twisting branches, taking on so many deformed shapes. The very air seemed to compress the two of them into their garments, making the fabric stick to their hot skins. 

It felt as if Nic had recently jumped into one of the hot springs that the old Bards used to talk about. Beside the uncomfortable climate and oppressing environment, Nic could not help but feel optimistic. He had been asking questions all day and Caleb had answered every single one. He could not tell if Caleb was keeping anything from him, but did not allow it to bother him. 

Nic mostly asked about the pyree and was eager to hear anything about the mysterious people. So far he had learnt that they teach themselves how to use the Will. They believe if you have the ability, you can naturally come across your power by yourself, unlike the guardians who believe you have to be trained. The Guardians are stronger because they dabbled into the Will to become more powerful. Pyree do not like to use it too much, more as a last resort when all else fails. They believe the Guardians abuse it and what it stands for. Unlike the Guardians, they rely more on their skill with swords, axes and healing. 

He had also learnt that they traveled because they preferred the wild compared to big cities and towns. Besides, guardians were present in almost every city and pyree were not keen on staying where they were not wanted. Even if they had been banned from Aneshian lands, they would have chosen to avoid the major cities anyway. That was why they were in hiding. Caleb told him that pyree are respected in all of the Elemental lands – except their own – so most dwelt out of Anesh. Others disguised themselves as merchants and lived in the cities anyway, because it had always been their home. Those that did not wish this life traveled.

When asked the reason for their banishment, Caleb flippantly explained that it changes all the time, but the current reasoning was a rather petty royal affair, which was best forgotten than spread. Nic tried digging for more information; it was like talking to a mute so he left the topic.

Healing is their specialized art. Caleb had called it cura, but told Nic he would be hearing a lot more on that topic at a later stage, if he agreed to dedicate his life towards becoming a pyra. Nic understood and respected that. He had not given the pyra an answer yet, even though – in his mind – he had already convinced himself he would become one of them. 

There was no reason not to. Only an idea – a fantasy – Anya. The thought of learning the special arts and training as a pyree was intoxicating, an opportunity that did not appear often. But as his mother used to say: hope will push you until the clouds and there, leave you to fall if you are not careful. Shifting in the saddle, Nic managed to ease some of the pain building up in his lower back from three long days riding.

"All out of questions?"

“For the time being,” Nic scratched at a new bug bite on his hand. 

Caleb smiled, closed his eyes, lifted his arms behind his head and leaned back in the saddle. His dark tunic was still clean compared to Nic’s. He deduced that it had something to do with the Will.

"How do I use my Will power?"

"I knew it was too good to be true." Caleb joked.

"So you're a funny man,” Nic retorted. “You going to answer?"

"If I were to answer your question, I would not be worthy enough to call myself a pyra, now would I?

Nic thought on the matter. He had no clue how to even start to look for his own Will. What exactly is the Will anyway? Nic closed his eyes and concentrated. He did not know what he was doing or what he intended to feel when he found it. He frowned in concentration, focusing on himself and his strength.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhh!"

"Are you constipated?"

"No! I am concentrating."

"On what?"

"My Will."

Caleb chuckled, "It crossed my mind some time ago that perhaps you suffered from slight insanity, but, now I know it for just stupidity!"

"Why? You said I needed to find it myself and that is exactly what I am doing." Nic opened his, "Although, I don't know what I am looking for exactly."

"And you never will until it is meant to be. The Will decides when it is an appropriate time to enter your life and until then, a young pyra must learn patience."

"Well then answer me this, how would you explain the Will? All this talk about the darn thing yet, I know nothing about it."

"Ah, good question my young friend. How to begin?" Caleb leaned back in his saddle and took a deep breath, "You do know the fifth element is the element of what most people call magic? Or better known as the Will.”  Nic nodded in response. “This element is present in all the elemental races; mostly in the elves and feiries, but humans, dwarves and the merfolk also possess the power. However, the amount of power they possess depends on their Will-power. We all have a different amount of Will-power; ones with a large amount of it usually become guardians and ones with a weaker Will-power sometimes become pyree."

“And what happens to everyone else who become neither of the two?"

"The Will is within everyone, but not prominent in those you speak of. On a rare occasion someone does decide to avoid both kinds and live their life as a…"

“Normal person?”

“Neutral,” Caleb laughed. “Pyree are normal, Nic, we just possess a few more talents than most people.”

Nic took a few moments to absorb it all, thinking of his next question. "So how would you know?"

"Know what?"

"If you have a strong Will-power."

"Either a guardian finds you before your powers surface or they surface naturally and you go find a guardian. On a rare occasion, a person will stumble upon one of my people who will agree to help the individual control the power he or she now possesses."

“What happens if you cannot control it?”

Caleb’s brows furrowed and he straightened in the saddle again. “You must understand one thing about the Will, it is your inner power. For example, if you want something badly enough, and all you think about is that specific something the Will is the force that will bring it to you. Let us say, I really want a breeze to blow across our path; if I think about that breeze and all the things that it would possess hard enough, my power will make it happen for me.” To demonstrate Caleb closed his eyes and quickly opened them again. A cold breeze passed Nic’s face, drying the few beads of sweat on his forehead.

“So you can do anything?”

“Now that will depend on your Will power. A person with a lot of power will be able to do more with it compared to someone who has a fair little. However, what the Will is able to do must already exist.”

Nic frowned, biting the inner side of his cheek.

“What I mean is one cannot just make a cake if the ingredients are not available. So the same rule applies to the Will. One must have water in order to create a tidal wave and one must similarly have air to create a breeze.”

“So you manipulate the elements?”

“Not so much manipulate as direct. But like I said, it all depends on how much strength you have inside you. A weaker man will lose in a duel with an elf for example because our powers are nothing compared to theirs.”

“That still doesn’t explain what would have happened if one cannot control the power.”

“That’s because it’s not as simple as black and white. If you have a fairly weak amount of Will-power, generally nothing will happen. Perhaps a few unexplained incidents of exploding pots or scared animals, but other than that, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. However, if a decent amount of power is present, those unexplained events would increase in amount as well as grandeur. That amount of power is dangerous to those that don’t know how to use it and can quite often prove fatal for its owner.”

“So the elves must be taught early on then? If they are so powerful?”

“It is natural within the elfin people. It comes second nature to them and is present within all. The elves like to say that us, humans, lack the right amount of faith and therefore are not always blessed like they are.”

“The drows then? They’re supposed to be dark elves, aren’t they? I mean, does that mean they’re capable of pretty much anything or are they bound to the same limitations as we are?”

“And that is where elfish history comes in. As much as the elves say they hate their brothers from Shu’ed Mar, they cannot entirely ignore them. King Zanden has done his best to give them enough land and resources for them not to bother the Elemental Nations but…” Caleb turned to Nic with a glint of worry in his eye. “As long as the gods and the elements still exist they would not dare fight us.”

“Unless they know they are stronger?” Nic shrugged. “At least that is what I would do. Think about it, they have not been granted an element and so there is a possibility that jealousy would drive them to attack us, isn’t there?”

“Wise assumptions,” Caleb mused. “But none you need to worry about.”

“Do you worry about them?”

“At times,” Caleb admitted. “But it is something that we pyree have no say in. The king has deemed us just as untrustworthy as the guardians would have him believe,” Caleb licked his lips, clearly judging how much he needed to say. “No, we remain excluded.”

“The king does not like you?”

“The king does not trust us,” Caleb corrected but the look that occupied his face told Nic there was more to it than that. “Just as the rest of Anesh do not, but outside of this land we are well-respected and praised.”

“I thought it was the king who banished you.”

“He was, but his reasoning’s were unjustified. And to say that the guardians who were whispering in his ear had nothing to do with his final decision would be a lie.”

“How-“

“Nic leave some for tomorrow,” Caleb interrupted. “We have still a few more days until we reach Irim and I refuse to spend every minute of those days answering questions that might or might not be relevant to you.”

“Yeah, about that…” Nic dropped his gaze to gather his thoughts, but lifted it again when he had. “I have decided to become a pyra, if you will have me that is.”

Caleb turned in the saddle and for a moment flashed a broad smile before sobering. “May I ask the reason for such a brash decision?” His tone was serious, startling Nic.

“Does there need to be a good one?” Nic asked, but nodded when Caleb said nothing. “Mostly because I want to. What you have told me… I don’t know… it just feels sort of right, you know? Like what you are describing would fit me.”

“And Anya?”

Nic was silent for a moment. “Who’s to say I will ever see her again? I mean, I want to see her and the idea of her hating me is eating at me but,” he scratched the back of his head, “I don’t know. I’m worried I’m going to hold out on what could possibly be only an idea instead of grab a life told in bard’s tales or storybooks.”

 Caleb mumbled something and nodded his agreement.

“So you’ll have me?”

“Aye, my boy, you’re here are you not?” He turned, his smile sobering into a proud gleam. “We will have you, but still enough questions.” It was a few moments that Caleb spent twisted on his horse with a boyish grin before Nic was forced to return it.

“One more question.”

Caleb’s smile faded. He turned in the saddle, grunted his approval.

“Are we almost there? And what is Irim?”