The following morning, Grim woke to find Rowan already dressed and waiting for him.
"Get up," his father said without hesitation. "We're doing something different today."
Grim rubbed his eyes, still groggy. "Different how?"
"I'm going to help speed up your mana cultivation," Rowan replied. "Now that you've formed your second heart, we need to strengthen it before you do something stupid."
That got Grim's attention. He jumped out of bed. "How? You never mentioned you could do that before."
"Because you need to learn hownto ciltivate on your own," Rowan said. "This technique is taxing for both of us. I wouldn't use it unless it was necessary. "
Grim narrowed his eyes. "What changed?"
Rowan was quiet for a moment. "Your progress. It's... unexpected. Two mana hearts at your age is rare. We need to ensure they're both stable and strong."
[He's not telling you everything,] the voice commented. [There's something more.]
"Shut up," Grim thought back. Out loud, he asked, "So what do we do?"
"First, breakfast. This will require significant energy." Rowan pointed to a tray with twice the amounf ot food Grim would normally eat. "Eat all of it."
Grim didn't need to be told twice. He attacked the food aggressively. Shoveling eggs, meat, and bread into his mouth.
After breakfast they went to there normal training spot.
"Remove your shirt," Rowan said.
Grim took his shirt off.
"Begin cultivating, and I will begin." Said Rowan.
Grim sat cross-legged on the floor. He closed his eyes, and began the familiar process of drawing in mana and circulating it through his body. He could feel both his hearts now. The first one strong and steady and the second still weak and fluttery.
After several minutes, he felt Rowan's hand press against his bare back, right between his shoulder blades.
"Continue," his father's voice instructed. "Don't break your concentration, no matter what you feel."
At first, nothing seemed different. Then, gradually, Grim felt a warmth spreading from Rowan's palm into his body. The warmth turned into a steady flow of energy. Grim could feel the warmth entering his body at a fast rate.
[He's feeding you his own mana,] the voice explained, sounding impressed. [A high-level technique. Few can do this without harming the other.]
The effect was immediate and startling. Where Grim had been struggling to direct small amounts of mana to his second heart, now there was a torrent of energy. His second heart began to absorb it quickly. Expanding and storing the energy fast.
Time seemed to blur. Grim lost track of how long they sat there.
What felt like minutes turned out to be hours. When Rowan finally removed his hand, Grim nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
"That's enough for today," Rowan said, his voice strained. Grim turned to see his father looking pale and drawn, as if he'd aged years in the from their training.
[Your second mana heart expanded by approximately 35%,] the voice informed Grim. [Remarkable progress for a single session.]
"Thirty-five percent?" Grim blurted out, unable to contain his surprise.
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know the exact percentage?"
Grim froze, realizing his mistake. "I... I can feel it. Just a guess."
"Hmm." Rowan didn't look entirely convinced, but he let it pass. "It's significant growth, yes. Your capacity for absorption is exceptional."
Grim couldn't help grinning. "So we'll do this every day, right?"
"No," Rowan said firmly. "This technique is too taxing to perform daily. We might manage two more sessions before..."
He trailed off, but Grim caught the hesitation. "Before what?"
A knight in black armor with white trim - one of the Empress's personal guard. Without speaking, he handed Rowan a scroll sealed with the imperial crest, then bowed and departed.
Rowan broke the seal and unrolled the scroll. His expression wasn't one Grim had seen before. Grim could see his hands squeezing the scroll harder than a second before.
"What is it?" Grim asked.
Rowan read aloud: "By order of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Alexia. Lord Rowan van Ambrose is hereby commanded to proceed to the southern border to investigate the weather affecting the region. Lord Ambrose will be granted command of the Fourth Platoon of the Imperial Guard and will be accompanied by Archmage Marcus, who will serve as second-in-command for this mission. You will leave at dawn."
"So you're leaving," Grim said, trying to sound indifferent despite the mix of emotions he felt. On one hand, this aligned perfectly with his plan with the Empress. On the other, seeing the official order made it suddenly real.
"Yes." Rowan rolled the scroll back up. "The southern border is experiencing unusual phenomena - constant rainfall for over a week, and strange rumblings in the hills. The timing is... concerning."
"Why you?" Grim asked. "Aren't there other people who could check out some rain?"
"This isn't ordinary rain, Grim," Rowan replied. "And my water affinity makes me uniquely qualified to investigate. Besides, an imperial command is not something you can question."
Grim nodded, understanding what wasn't being said. The Empress had orchestrated this, just as she'd told him she would.
"What about my training?" he asked, maintaining the pretense.
"You'll continue basic forms and meditation," Rowan said. "Focus on stabilizing your second heart. Under no circumstances are you to attempt forming a third mana heart until I return. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, I get it," Grim replied with feigned reluctance. "No third heart while you're gone."
"Grim." Rowan's tone was dead serious. "I need your word on this. Attempting a third heart without supervision at your age could kill you."
[He's not exaggerating,] the voice confirmed. [The third transition is the most dangerous.]
"Fine," Grim sighed. "I promise not to try for a third heart until you get back."
Rowan studied him for a moment, then nodded, apparently satisfied. "Good. Now let's get some food. You need to replenish after that session."
As they walked back to their quarters, Grim couldn't help but feel excited despite his exhaustion. Two weeks without Rowan's cautious oversight. Two weeks to learn Caius's sword techniques with a real blade. Two weeks to push himself as hard as he wanted.
[Don't get too ahead of yourself,] the voice warned. [You have no idea who this new teacher will be. They might make your father look lenient by comparison.]
"Doesn't matter," Grim thought back. "As long as they teach me something useful."
[We'll see,] the voice replied. [We'll see.]
That night, as Rowan packed for his journey, Grim lay in bed feeling the stronger pulse of his second mana heart. Thirty-five percent growth in one session. If he could maintain that rate of progress, he'd have two fully formed hearts before the ball.
"I'll figure you out eventually, who you are." Grim thought as he drifted off to sleep.
[Good luck with that,] came the amused reply. [You'll need it.]