Kessa Vohl pressed her palms together and watched the glow pulse between them. The blue-green light flickered and died. She tried again, slower this time, focusing on the energy pooling in her chest. A soft shimmer spread across her fingertips before fading to nothing. One day she would control it completely—hold the light steady, shape it, bend it to her will. That's what mattered. That's what she trained for every morning in her small room on Etherion. She left her quarters and walked down the stone corridor to the training hall. The crystal energy array waited in the center of the room—geometric stones arranged in careful patterns across the floor. Kessa raised her hand and pushed energy toward the nearest formation. A weak burst of light left her palm and struck the stone. It glowed faintly for a moment, then dimmed. She tried again, aiming for the second stone. This time the light reached it and the glow spread to the third stone in the pattern. Progress. Small, but real. She steadied her breathing and lifted both hands, ready to try the full sequence.