Zel awoke early. The sun was just rising over the treetops, and the birds hadn't even begun to sing yet. He was anticipating another long day spent with his new companions, and so chose to take advantage of this time with some training.<br/><br/>He pulled himself out of bed and latched his sword to his belt. As he was making his way out of the inn he paused shortly before Larea's room. Satisfied by the peaceful sounds from within he moved on.<br/><br/>The trek to the clearing by the temple felt shorter than it had the previous times he'd made it. In his experience that meant he was getting used to the lay of the area. Whether this was a good or a bad thing he wasn't sure. He couldn't hang around in this place forever, but there still seemed to be secrets here. That and, he'd recently developed the idea that these pain flashes Larea was experiencing were somehow related to his research. If she could provide any answers, then he would stay with her. However, even if the two instances were completely unrelated, he couldn't in good conscience leave when he was the only one here who could do anything, even if it was small, to relieve her pain.<br/><br/>Zel took a moment to meditate as a start to his training. He could feel it; his magic had gotten weaker. He couldn't yet be sure what was causing this phenomenon, but magic, albeit powerful magic, was essential to his goal. If he was to achieve what he was after, the first step was to stop his magic from weakening and regain the power he had lost.<br/><br/>After meditating for a moment, Zel stood. He turned to face a boulder and pulled his hands back. He focused with everything he had and chanted the spell in his mind. With a flourish, Zel thrust his hands forward, but nothing happened.<span style="font-style: italic">It's just a fire ball,</span>Zelgodis thought to himself.<span style="font-style: italic">It's one of the simplest black magic attack spells there is. But it hasn't worked for weeks.</span><br/><br/>Zel took a moment to fume to himself then pulled his hands back and tried again. He focused on every bit of magic he could feel within himself, pulling it in toward his hands. Again he thrust his hands forward and it was a miracle. The light formed in his hands and a heat wave erupted. A small but dense ball of flames went hurling to the large rock. The stone didn't stand a chance; it shattered on impact, sending debris out in many directions.<br/><br/>Zel let out a satisfied smile, but then had to sit down. The spell had taken nearly everything he had, but it was a great relief to know it was still possible to cast. It was a shame though. At the height of his magic he could cast hundreds of fireballs in a day and not break a sweat. It shamed him to think of how far his magical capabilities had fallen.<br/><br/>Seeing little chance for further magical training with how exhausted he was, Zel made his way into the temple to read some more scrolls as he regained his stamina. At this point, the first birds were beginning to sing.