"I'm ready," Leo answered, though uncertainty tinged his voice.
The deep voice—Old Stone, as Leo would come to know him—rumbled with satisfaction. "Good. Rest now. The real work begins tomorrow."
Three days later, Leo sat cross-legged on the cave floor, a small flame illuminating the rough-hewn chamber. His strength had returned gradually, though the voices in his head never ceased their commentary.
"His mana circulation is improving," Old Water observed, his reedy voice cutting through Leo's concentration. "Still pathetic compared to my last disciple, but improving."
"Your last disciple died falling off a cliff," Old Wind snapped, his gruff tone echoing inside Leo's skull. "At least this one can walk without tripping over his own feet."
Leo sighed, lowering the small stone he'd been levitating. "Could you both be quiet? I'm trying to practice."
"Did the brat just tell us to be quiet?" Old Stone's deep voice boomed, making Leo wince. "When elders are speaking, youngsters should shut their traps and listen."
"But you're always speaking," Leo muttered. "All three of you, constantly bickering about whether I'll survive your training."
"He won't," Old Wind declared confidently. "Stone's regimens broke stronger mages than this skinny elf."
"I disagree," Old Water countered. "His mana core shows remarkable resilience. If he doesn't die from Stone's brutality first, he might actually—"
"Enough!" Old Stone thundered. "The boy needs rest before tomorrow's trials."
Leo rubbed his temples. "Who are you three, really? You keep calling yourselves Old Stone, Old Water, and Old Wind, but those can't be your actual names."
A heavy silence fell inside his mind, so complete that Leo wondered if they'd somehow left.
"Our names were surrendered when we became fragments," Old Stone finally answered. "What we were before no longer matters."
"Fragments of what?" Leo pressed.
"Of who, not what," Old Wind corrected irritably. "And that's enough questions. You'll learn what you need when you need it."
"Or die trying," Old Water added cheerfully.
Leo sighed and picked up the stone again. Three days of this—three voices arguing inside his head, critiquing his every move, debating his chances of survival. And yet, despite their harsh words, his body had healed with astonishing speed under their guidance.
"Tomorrow," Old Stone announced, "we begin the real training. Sleep while you can, elven brat."
Dawn broke with Old Stone's thunderous voice jolting Leo awake.
"Up, elf! Time to see what pathetic excuse for magic you've been practicing."
Leo rubbed sleep from his eyes, scrambling to his feet. The cave floor felt cold beneath him as he steadied himself.
"Let's start with basics," Old Stone growled. "Show me your Earth Wall."
Leo planted his feet, drawing mana from his core. He thrust his palms forward, and the ground before him rumbled as a wall of packed earth rose up.
"Pitiful!" Old Stone bellowed. "A child could knock that over!"
"Too thin at the base," Old Water critiqued from inside Leo's mind. "My last apprentice could raise a wall twice as thick in half the time."
"And your apprentice drowned in a puddle," Old Wind snorted. "At least this wall actually formed."
Leo gritted his teeth. "I know Earth Wall, Stone Skin, Earth Bullet, and Earth Spike. I've started learning Earth Armor and Earth Shackles but haven't mastered them yet."
The silence that followed felt almost physical.
"That's it?" Old Stone finally thundered. "Six measly spells, and two you can't even cast properly?"
"What garbage training have you received?" Old Water's voice dripped with disdain. "No Earthen Flow? No Stone Sense? Not even basic Mineral Detection?"
Leo's frustration boiled over. "I didn't have access to other spells! My family's library was limited, and finding a proper earth mage teacher was—"
"Excuses!" Old Stone cut him off. "A real mage would have found ways to learn!"
"Told you he wouldn't last," Old Wind whispered loudly to the others. "Too soft, too pampered."
Leo clenched his fists. "I'm here now, aren't I? Ready to learn whatever you'll teach me."
"First," Old Stone rumbled, "you must unlearn these flawed techniques. Your Earth Bullet's trajectory is laughable. Your Stone Skin has more holes than a beggar's shoes."
"And those Earth Shackles?" Old Water chimed in. "They wouldn't hold a sleeping rabbit."
Leo took a deep breath. "Then teach me properly."
"Oh, we will," Old Stone promised, his voice like grinding boulders. "By the time we're done, you'll either be a proper earth mage or dead from trying."
"Here," Old Stone's voice rumbled as Leo felt a strange sensation on his finger. A plain metal band materialized, unremarkable except for the faint earthen runes etched along its surface. "A dimensional ring. Contains everything you'll need."
Leo examined the ring with surprise. "What's inside?"
"Knowledge," Old Stone replied gruffly. "Books. Proper ones, not the garbage you've been learning from."
Leo focused his mana into the ring, and a mental inventory appeared in his mind—dozens of ancient tomes on earth magic fundamentals, advanced applications, and proper mana circulation techniques.
"First," Old Water interjected, "you must unlearn those sloppy habits. Your current casting wastes nearly twenty percent excess mana."
Leo frowned. "Twenty percent? That doesn't sound so bad."
"Doesn't sound so—" Old Wind sputtered indignantly. "Listen, elf-child! Twenty percent waste means your five spells could be six! Your endurance in battle reduced by a fifth! The difference between victory and death!"
Leo pulled out the first book—"Fundamental Earth Manipulation: Proper Foundations"—and began studying. The diagrams showed subtle differences in mana pathways that his previous training had completely overlooked.
"This spell casting is completely different," Leo muttered, attempting the proper form for Earth Wall.
"Of course it is," Old Stone growled. "Your previous casting mana from your mana channels like water through a broken dam."
Days blended together as Leo relearned everything from scratch. Each spell required meticulous practice, with the three voices criticizing every minor flaw. When not studying spells, he focused on expanding his mana capacity through grueling exercises.
"More power!" Old Stone would demand whenever Leo showed signs of fatigue. "Your reserves are pathetic!"
At least food wasn't a concern. The second dimensional ring contained preserved provisions that tasted surprisingly fresh despite their apparent age.
"How long has this food been stored?" Leo asked between bites of a savory meat bun.
"Longer than your entire lineage has existed," Old Water replied dismissively. "Now stop wasting time with questions."
Whenever exhaustion overtook him and Leo attempted to rest, the barrage began immediately.
"Resting already?" Old Wind's mocking voice would pierce his consciousness. "The sun's barely moved!"
"In my day," Old Stone would rumble, "apprentices practiced until they collapsed, then practiced in their dreams!"
"Lazy elves," Old Water would sigh dramatically. "This is why your kind never got hold of the world even with such talents from the elven race born."
Leo gritted his teeth and pushed through, knowing that beneath their harsh words lay genuine instruction that was already making him stronger.