Su fei learned how to speak, he no longer talks like that of a three year old child now.
He's three years of age but talks like a grown up baby
The next day, Sorcerer Mell brought the Soul Orb down from the pedestal.
"Today you don’t touch it," Mell said. "You watch it."
Su Fei sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. The red globe floated an inch above the table, spinning slowly. It was warm, but not burning.
"Tell me what you see," Mell said softly.
Su Fei squinted. "It’s... sleepy."
Mell raised an eyebrow. "Good. When you’re calm, it’s calm. When you’re scared, it gets hot."
Suddenly Su Fei remembered the Lead Warrior’s spear. His heart jumped.
The globe flickered. A tiny crack of light ran across the surface, like lightning.
Madam Fei grabbed Su Fei. "Stop!"
Mell quickly held his hand over the orb. The light faded.
"See?" he whispered. "That’s why we start with bowls of water, Su Fei. The Soul Orb feels everything you feel."
That night, Su Fei sat with his bowl of water. He took a deep breath.
"In... out... in... out..."
The water sloshed. He frowned. Tried again.
This time he was so focused his tongue was sticking out.
The Soul Orb on the shelf pulsed once, then went back to sleepy red.
The Practice
Every day was the same. Bowls. Breathing. Not spilling.
One time Su Fei got mad and the bowl cracked. The Soul Orb BURPED out a tiny spark and set Mell’s beard on fire.
"CALM!" Mell yelled, patting his beard out.
Su Fei just whispered, "...sorry."
Madam Fei had to bite her lip to not laugh. "My little warrior," she said. "And my little arsonist."
The Time Jump
A year passed. Su Fei was 4.
He could hold the Soul Orb for 10 whole seconds!
"See? I’m a master!" he announced, puffing his chest.
The globe immediately got hot and he dropped it.
"Okay, 9 seconds," he corrected quickly.
Mell just sighed. "Progress."
The Secret Talk
But at night, Madam Fei still went to Mell.
"Is he ready?" she whispered.
Mell looked at the stars. "He set my beard on fire twice this week. So... no."
They both went quiet.
Outside, the wind blew. 6 years left. The countdown hadn’t stopped.
One Week Off
The next week, Su Fei got sick.
Fever. Cough. No training.
Madam Fei kept the Soul Orb locked in a box far from him.
"Rest, my warrior," she said.
But the Orb was not happy.
On day 7, at midnight, it started glowing.
Pulsing. Angry red.
Then it SHOT out of the box and zoomed to Su Fei's room.
Su Fei woke up to heat on his face.
The Orb was floating above his bed, spinning fast, sparks flying.
"MOM!!" he screamed.
Madam Fei burst in and grabbed him. The Orb followed them down the hall, zapping the walls.
Mell's Scolding
By sunrise they were at Sorcerer Mell's tower.
Su Fei was hiding behind his mom, the Orb hovering and growling like a puppy.
Mell took one look and put his hands on his hips.
"A WEEK?" he boomed. "ONE WEEK WITHOUT TRAINING??"
Su Fei flinched. "I was sick..."
Mell pointed at the Orb. It was still buzzing angrily.
"It doesn’t care! The Soul Orb needs control every single day! Now look - it thinks YOU are the threat!"
The Orb burped and singed Mell's beard. Again.
Mell sighed. "Congratulations. Because you skipped 7 days... we start over. From bowls of water."
Su Fei's mouth dropped. "NOOOO-"
"3 months," Mell said. "No breaks. No sick days. 3 months of starting from zero."
Madam Fei tried not to laugh. Su Fei looked like he was about to cry.
The Orb finally calmed down and floated into Su Fei's hands. It felt warm. Almost... smug.
"See?" Mell said. "Even it knows you messed up."
The 3 Months of Suffering
Day 1: Su Fei dropped the bowl 8 times.
The Soul Orb watched from the shelf and pulsed like it was laughing.
Day 7: He only dropped it 7 times! Progress!
Mell: "That’s not progress."
Su Fei: "It is to me."
Day 30: He held the bowl for a whole minute without spilling.
The Orb gave him one tiny spark. Like a clap.
Day 60: Mell let him touch the Orb for 5 seconds.
It was warm. Not burning.
Su Fei grinned so big his cheeks hurt.
Then he got excited and dropped it.
Back to bowls.
Day 89: He held the Orb for 29 seconds.
"One more second!" Madam Fei cheered from the door.
Day 90: 30 seconds. Perfect. Calm. No fire.
The Soul Orb glowed soft red and floated into his hands by itself.
Mell crossed his arms. "Hmph. Took you long enough."
But he was smiling. Just a little.
That night, Su Fei fell asleep holding the Orb.
It didn’t burn him.
Outside, the countdown was still ticking.
5 years, 9 months to go.
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