Chapter 4 : Imprints and Insights

Cael sat still, cross-legged beneath the tall, ancient trees. The soft rustling of leaves above and the occasional chirp of hidden birds filled the forest around him.

Shafts of warm sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, creating a mosaic of light and shadow over the earth. In this quiet, Cael meditated, his breath steady and his thoughts beginning to settle.

The old man stood nearby, arms crossed, watching him. After a long silence, he spoke. "Imprints," he began, his voice low but firm, "are not spells, nor are they fixed tools.

They are a source of power—but more than that, they are a reflection of the self. An imprint has no real limit. Its only boundaries are the ones set by your mind."

Cael opened his eyes slowly, absorbing the words.

"The more creative and open-minded you are," the old man continued, stepping forward and kneeling across from Cael, "the more your imprint can evolve. People often chase rare imprints, but I tell you this— a simple imprint, when honed and trained to its utmost potential, will always defeat a so-called top-tier imprint that is neglected."

Cael nodded, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"Let me give you an example," the old man said. "Take the imprint of 'Stability.' It sounds simple, right? But it can mean very different things depending on the user. One person might perceive stability as a towering mountain—immovable, eternal. Another might see it as a thin pillar holding up the sky—fragile, but essential. The imprint adapts to your interpretation, to how your mind shapes its meaning."

Cael leaned in slightly. "So, even if we have the same imprint, we won't use it the same way?"

"Exactly," the old man said, smiling faintly. "That is why I never trained you when you were younger. Most academies try to mold students into one shape, but I wanted you to explore your mind freely first. A child's mind is unbound, unchained by the rigid logic of adulthood. It's in that freedom that true power can form."

He stood up and walked toward a nearby tree, placing his hand gently on its rough bark. "Inside each of us is a place—a mental space—where our imprint resides. We call it the Mindscape, or the Innerworld. It reflects who you are and how you perceive your power. There, you can train your imprint in ways the physical world can't allow."

Cael sat silently, listening intently.

"From today, I want you to try and enter your Mindscape. It won't be easy, but it's a vital step," the old man continued. Then, with a slight grin, he added, "And if you manage it, I'll share a technique that'll really excite you."

Cael rolled his eyes at the teasing but gave a small smile. "Alright. You got it, old man."

He closed his eyes again, trying to do as instructed. He focused inward, letting his breath guide him. His muscles relaxed, and the sounds of the forest faded into a low hum. Thoughts bubbled up—memories, emotions, flickers of fear and desire. He tried to push through the clutter, to reach something deeper. But what he found was... chaos.

As the sun dipped behind the trees, casting long shadows over their camp, Cael sat beside the fire. The old man stirred a small pot with the leftover porridge from the morning.

"So," he said, without looking up, "what did you see?"

Cael exhaled and rubbed his face. "I don't know. It was messy. Like... like I was walking into a storm. I think it was my Mindscape, but I couldn't make sense of it."

The old man chuckled, handing him a wooden bowl. "It's often like that at first. Don't worry. You'll learn to navigate it with time. The chaos means there's something there to be shaped."

Cael took the bowl gratefully. The porridge was bland, but after the long day of training and meditation, it felt like a feast. He drank the warm water the old man handed him and let out a contented sigh.

They sat quietly for a while, listening to the soft crackle of the fire and the sounds of insects waking in the night.

Cael looked up at the sky. The stars had begun to appear, shining brightly against the deep blue. Some of them formed constellations he remembered hearing about—ancient heroes whose legends were still told.

"You ever wonder," Cael said, still gazing upward, "if any of those heroes trained just like this? In the wild, under the stars, eating burnt porridge with their grumpy old mentors?"

The old man snorted. "Probably. But I bet their mentors weren't as good as me."

Cael chuckled, shaking his head.

The old man leaned back on his arms. "You're learning fast. Even recognizing the chaos is progress. Once you begin to understand what you see there, you'll unlock parts of your imprint you didn't even know existed."

"You have to find the order of how your Imprint works within all that chaos." Said the old man.

"By finding what the order is for your imprint, then you will be able to enter the Mindscape that is a reflection of how you perceive your Imprint." The old man told Cael as he and Cael clean their dinner place.

Cael nodded slowly. He could feel it—somewhere deep inside, something was beginning to shift. He didn't quite understand it yet, but it was there. Waiting.

Cael knew that even though he was on the threshold of something grand, he also reminds himself the long road ahead he will have to walk to truly master it.

"I guess everyday is another step ahead". Cael thought inwardly.

The old continued to talk about some random things. How he is the best mentor in the world and how he chooses to live life as it is due to him being lazy.

The old man was too narcissistic for Cael to take him seriously.

After a while, they crawled into their makeshift tent—a collection of sticks and cloth they'd tied together by a rock wall. It wasn't comfortable, but it was home for now.

"Good night, old man," Cael muttered, curling into his blanket.

"Good night, boy. Tomorrow's another step forward."

And with that, the forest settled around them, peaceful and still, as the stars watched from above.