What have you summoned

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Kael's form crumpled to the ground, his hand clutching his abdomen as he writhed in agony. The cold floor beneath him offered no comfort, only amplifying the searing pain that radiated from the smoldering imprint of his sister's spell. "How could you?" he gasped, the betrayal stinging more than the burn. "I want my gentle sister back," he mourned inwardly, his eyes blurring with unshed tears.

"You should have learned to respect your elders," Edana chided, her voice a mix of scorn and concern as she dissipated the lingering smoke with a casual wave of her hand. "As a mage, mastery over the elements is not just a skill—it's a necessity," she lectured, crouching beside him. Her hands glowed with a soft, verdant light as she invoked a healing spell, the warmth seeping into Kael's bruised flesh. "An all-rounder mage survives the battlefield," she reminded him, helping him to his feet.

Kael slammed his fist against the ground, frustration boiling over. "I refuse to be overpowered again," he vowed through gritted teeth, rising unsteadily.

Edana's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Show me your resolve," she taunted, beckoning him to strike.

Unleashing his pent-up energy, Kael's aura erupted into a dark inferno, the black flames crackling with raw power. "Here I come!" he roared, charging forward with newfound determination.

"You never learn, do you?" Edana sighed, her stance unwavering. "Close combat is my domain," she declared, as she prepared to counter.

The clash was imminent, a dance of fire and shadow about to unfold.

Kael's muscles tensed, his hand transmuting into an iron-like hardness as he aimed an uppercut at Edana's face. "Never aim for a lady's visage, dear brother," she taunted, effortlessly parrying with a palm strike. With a fluid motion, she dipped low, seized his wrist, and with a dancer's grace, flipped him over her shoulder. He hit the ground with a thud, the air whooshing from his lungs, a sharp crack echoing from his spine.

But Kael was ready. With a whispered incantation, he summoned a sphere of fire from the earth itself, propelling it upwards. "An underhanded strike? Clever, but ancient," Edana chided, leaping backward with an acrobatic flip. "You've yet to force me to unveil my true power."

Frustration seared through Kael. He rolled, sprang to his feet, and with a forceful exhalation, he conjured a whirlwind of sand, obscuring vision and balance alike. "Now you're learning," Edana conceded, a hint of pride in her voice. She hadn't expected such ingenuity from her brother, untrained as he was.

"Take this—my shockwave!" Kael unleashed a torrent of lightning, the electric tendrils snaking towards Edana with deadly intent. He leaped back, evading the area of impact.

"Admirable attempt," Edana acknowledged, just as the lightning struck, scorching the earth into a web of blackened scars. Gasping for breath, Kael watched as she emerged from the smoke, an ethereal barrier shimmering around her. "But it's not sufficient."

"I made you cast a spell," Kael panted, a small victory against his formidable sister.

Edana glanced at the force field, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. "This? Merely a reflexive shield," she explained, almost apologetically. "It activates against threats it deems perilous."

Kael straightened up, a weary smile on his lips. "Then I claim my triumph, for I compelled its awakening."

Edana's gaze softened as she regarded Kael, her expression a blend of concern and affection. "Is there pride in triggering such a defense?" she inquired, her tone gentle yet probing, hinting at the deeper implications of his newfound abilities.

Kael's breaths came in labored heaves, his energy spent. "I'm spent… not an ounce of strength left," he admitted, the rise and fall of his chest betraying his exhaustion.

Edana settled beside him, adopting the serene posture of the lotus position, her eyes lost to the horizon. Silence enveloped them, a tranquil lull in the wake of their tempestuous sparring.

"You should let Mother in, let her show her care," Edana's voice broke the stillness unexpectedly. Her loyalty was divided; Kael was her beloved brother, but Irene was their mother.

"Why should I?" Kael's voice was tinged with defiance as he turned away. His feelings towards Irene were muddled—a desire for distance without clear cause.

"Why the aversion?" Edana's voice wavered, a crack betraying her emotions, though her eyes remained dry.

"I don't despise her—I seek space," Kael clarified, his tone resolute yet weary.

"You wound her with your distance," Edana observed, her words a mirror to their mother's pain.

Kael sat up, facing the issue head-on. "I bear no ill will, nor intent to harm. This isn't a conversation for us," he asserted, drawing a boundary.

Edana rose, her demeanor not marred by anger or sorrow, but rather, a smile graced her lips—a curious lightness after their exchange. Kael pondered silently, 'Was it just me, or did she seem happier after our talk?'

Edana's aura blazed with a golden fire, her voice firm. "Stand up. It's time you learned to harness your guardian spirit before the academy beckons."

Kael lay sprawled, his voice laced with a mix of fear and sarcasm. "Do you wish for my demise? This is beyond training—it's torture."

Edana's smile was one of pure exhilaration. "You either rise and learn, or remain prone to my onslaught," she declared, the thrill of the challenge lighting up her eyes.

"Then I welcome death," Kael retorted, his resolve unyielding, refusing to rise.

With a grin that spoke of sibling rivalry and affection, Edana unleashed a gust of wind, intent on sweeping Kael off his feet. "Stop, stop, stop!" Kael's protest was cut short as he instinctively conjured a protective barrier around himself.

Edana's laughter rang clear. "A quick study indeed! Your wisdom must be vast to mirror my technique with but a glance," she complimented, her pride in his abilities evident.

Kael's frustration was palpable. "The issue isn't my learning speed—it's your near-disastrous wind flinging!"

Her laughter was a melody of mirth. "You wouldn't perish, merely sustain a minor wound, which I could mend with ease."

Injustice etched across Kael's features. "Might I petition for a different mentor?" he inquired, earnestness in his tone.

"You may, once you best me," Edana replied, her energy coalescing into a towering phantom, majestic and formidable.

Kael's eyes widened in awe. "Incredible! How?"

"Focus your power, channel it to a singular point, then project it outward," she instructed.

Kael concentrated, and from a mere spark, a line, and then a formidable phantom emerged, shrouded in an abyssal darkness, its skull-faced hood looming ominously.

"What have you summoned?" Edana's surprise was evident as she beheld Kael's guardian spirit. "This is dire," she murmured, bracing herself for what was to come.