The carriage arrived at noon, a polished white vessel of wood and iron that looked entirely out of pce against the mud and thatch of our vilge. It bore the crest of the Holy Order—a sun rising over a banced scale. To the vilgers, it was a symbol of hope and cleansing. To me, it was a nuisance.

  [System Notification: High-Level Mana Signature Detected.]

  [Identity: Priest of the 3rd Circle. Mana Level: Estimated 25-30.]

  [Warning: Active Sensory Field detected. Maintain 'Mana Masking' at all costs.]

  I stood in the shadow of the forge, my arms crossed, watching the Priest descend. He was a man of middle age, draped in robes that smelled of incense and expensive oils. Behind him followed the Mayor, looking smug, and a group of vilgers who whispered as if a savior had just walked into a den of wolves.

  "The boy is there," the Mayor pointed a trembling finger toward me. "The one with the dead eyes, Father Sis. He struck my son with a curse that left him paralyzed for hours."

  Sis turned his gaze toward me. His eyes were sharp, filled with a practiced calm that hid a deep-seated arrogance. I felt a wave of invisible energy wash over me—a probe. It felt like a warm breeze trying to pry into my skin.

  [Countermeasure Active: Mana Masking (Level 1).]

  [Status: Successful. Your core appears as a 'Stage 1 Apprentice (Earth/Fire Focus)'.]

  I didn't move. I didn't blink. I simply stared back, letting the [Mental Fortress] filter out the intimidation he was trying to project.

  "He doesn't look like a vessel for demons," Sis said, his voice smooth and resonant. He walked toward me, the silver bells on his belt jingling with every step. "But the heart can be a deceptive thing. Young man, come forward. Let the Light judge your spirit."

  I walked out of the shadows. The sun felt hot on my neck, but inside, I was a block of ice.

  "I have done nothing but defend myself," I said, my voice ft.

  "Defending oneself is natural," Sis replied, standing just inches away. He reached out and pced a hand on my forehead. His palm was warm, and I could feel the Light Mana trying to bypass my mask. "But power without a source is a sign of a pact. Where does your strength come from, Zef?"

  "From the forge," I lied. "And from the earth. I listen to the stillness."

  Sis narrowed his eyes. He increased the pressure of his Mana probe. I felt a slight sting in my brain, a sharp needle of light trying to find a crack in my armor. My 2x multiplier was the only thing keeping my mask stable; it allowed me to reinforce my mental barriers twice as fast as he could break them.

  [Skill Evolution: Mana Masking is being refined...]

  [Passive Gain: +2 Wisdom.]

  "He is clean," Sis said finally, though he sounded disappointed. He pulled his hand away. "There is no taint of the Abyss here. Only a very disciplined, very stubborn boy. Mayor, your son likely suffered a mana backsh due to his own ck of control. Do not waste the Order's time with childhood brawls."

  The Mayor sputtered, his face turning a dark shade of purple. "But—"

  "Enough," Sis snapped. "I will stay for the night to bless the fields. Prepare a room."

  As the crowd dispersed, Sis lingered for a second. He leaned in closer to me. "You hide it well, boy. I don't know what you are hiding, but remember this: the Order sees everything eventually. Don't think your 'silence' will protect you in the Capital."

  He walked away, leaving a trail of incense in the air. I watched him go, my hand tightening on the hilt of the small knife at my belt. He was dangerous—not because of his power, but because of his suspicion.

  That evening, the air was still. Too still. I went to the cliffs overlooking the valley, needing to clear the smell of the Priest from my lungs. I sat on the edge, watching the clouds drift.

  If Earth was about stillness and Fire was about hunger, then Wind... Wind was about freedom. It was the only element that couldn't be caught, couldn't be probed.

  I stood up and closed my eyes. I felt the air moving around me—the way it curled over the rocks and whispered through the grass. I tried to pull it, but like the fire, it resisted. It was too light, too chaotic.

  [System Insight: Wind Mana requires 'Fluidity'. Your 'Cold Heart' and 'Stone Skin' are too rigid.]

  I took a deep breath. I let go of the heaviness of the earth. I imagined myself as the incense smoke—rising, drifting, vanishing. I focused on the movement of the Priest's probe from earlier, the way it had tried to slip through my defenses.

  I began to move. Not in a training form, but a slow, rhythmic sway. I let the Mana flow not into my muscles, but into the space around me. I willed the air to vibrate.

  A small gust of wind picked up, swirling around my feet. It grew faster, sharper. It wasn't a gale; it was a bde of air.

  [Skill Unlocked: Gale Step (Level 1)]

  [Effect: Increases Agility by 20% for 10 seconds. Allows for near-silent movement.]

  I moved forward, and for a second, I felt weightless. My feet didn't touch the grass. I was a ghost in the wind.

  [Incarnation Synchronization: 1.8%]

  But as I nded, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My humanity was screaming again. The more I mastered these elements, the less I felt like a boy named Zef. I looked back toward the vilge, at the flickering lights of the houses. To them, I was a curse. To the Priest, I was a puzzle. To myself... I was becoming a masterpiece of emptiness.

  "One more," I whispered to the night. "Water. Then I can leave this pce behind."

  The wind died down, leaving me alone in the dark. The Priest was still in the vilge, and I knew he was watching the forge. But he wouldn't find anything. Because by the time the sun rose, I would be a different kind of storm.