𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖚𝖑𝖚𝖒 - [𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲]

𝐯. 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 — surrender, stephen

━━━━━━━

 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐄𝐖 to and experienced with the mystic arts lined the courtyard; vibrant rings of amber and gold illuminated their faces as their hands waved through the air and summoned transmutation circles; a test to see which students were ready for their sling ring.

 Despite Emilia having previously mastered such a task, she still stood beside Stephen as he tried and failed to produce any source of light from his scarred fingertips. She was somebody he now confided in after weeks upon weeks of being around one another. She had a temper and didn't hesitate to put Stephen in his place, but he found himself rather enjoying such a fact.

 Emilia stood with a solid stance, focus evident in the way her brows furrowed and her lips tugged towards the ground, as she produced her own circle of sparks. Stephen was bewildered from the moment a single spark had formed and glistened in the warm air before the woman beside him; he knew she had little control of her abilities, yet there she stood with the posture of a master able to summon at utter ease.

 It was frustrating, to say the least.

 Emilia, however, thought it best to stay with the man in the earlier stages of his training, she knew how it felt to be a beginner, she knew how it felt to abandon everything she knew and replace fact and science with magic and mystic arts.

 She could tell from the beads of sweat that dripped down Stephens red and blotchy cheeks that he was beginning to grow further frustrated. His movements that had once started as light and somewhat elegant, were now rigid and quick and without a single spark to show for his efforts.

 That exact lesson continued for weeks and yet nothing changed for Stephen. Emilia still stood by his side, producing sparks of gold and orange, whilst Stephen waved his shaking hands through the air without so much of a fizzling light.

 Emilia had taken to practising with Stephen one-on-one, hoping that a more secluded lesson might help with his endeavours, but it didn't; still, nothing sprouted from his hands.

 And so the duo found themselves stood before Mordo more times than they could count. His lessons occurred every other day, leaving a day between for students to rest, reflect, and practise alone.

 It seemed as though, despite Stephen being able to conjure little else than a sad little spark and a puff of smoke, Mordo was more than happy to take his lessons to the next step... Something that had to have been another kick in the teeth for the former surgeon.

 "Mastery of the Sling Ring is essential to the mystic arts." Mordo began, his footsteps echoing across the courtyard as he observed his students, pointing out flaws in stances and praising few with a nod, "It allows us to travel throughout the multiverse, all you need to do is focus. Visualize. See the destination in your mind. Look beyond the world in front of you. Imagine every detail. The clearer the picture, the quicker and easier the gateway will come."