Zane's legs felt like lead. His body ached from the repeated failed attempts at teleportation, and the bruises on his chest and arms were a testament to his less-than-perfect practice sessions. But there was one thing that kept him going: Voidwalk.
He'd barely slept, the hunger and exhaustion gnawing at him. Yet, every time he closed his eyes, the system's message echoed in his head.
Master it, it seemed to say, and you'll have power.
The only problem was that it didn't come easy.
The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the ruined city. Zane sat on a broken stone wall, rubbing his eyes and trying to push through the weariness that clouded his mind. His last attempt had been his best—he'd actually teleported without crashing into anything. But even that wasn't enough. He still didn't have full control.
I've got this, he thought, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Focus.
With a single, sharp thought, he activated Voidwalk.
For the first time since he'd unlocked the skill, there was no disorienting spin, no crash into trees or rocks. Instead, he vanished, reappearing a few meters away, landing softly on the ground.
Okay, that wasn't bad. Zane grinned at the small victory.
He checked the system notification.
> [Voidwalk: Success]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Energy Consumption: Moderate]
[Distance: 50 meters]
His heart raced in excitement, but the tiredness tugged at him again. Zane had been pushing himself too hard, but the thrill of mastering the skill—even a little bit—kept him going.
The system had warned him: Voidwalk wasn't easy to master, and he was already learning that the hard way. The more he used it, the more drained he felt, yet the more in control he became. Each teleport brought with it the hum of the system's power, filling him with an almost overwhelming sense of capability, but it was tempered by the exhaustion that clouded his mind.
He tried again.
This time, he aimed for a rock farther ahead—a short distance, but it would test his precision. With a thought, Zane vanished, reappearing a few feet from the target, landing steadily.
Not bad. His breaths were ragged, but there was no crash, no mistake this time.
> [Voidwalk: Success]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Energy Consumption: High]
Zane grunted, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. The system had mentioned the cooldowns, but Zane was pushing himself beyond those limits, eager to master the ability and move on to whatever came next.
He slumped against a nearby tree, his eyes barely staying open. His mind was a fog, his body trembling with the strain of overuse. Despite the progress, the fatigue was settling in—he knew that he needed rest, but there was a gnawing urgency in his chest that wouldn't let him stop.
"Just one more time," he murmured to himself. If I can control it just a little more...
He focused again and activated Voidwalk.
This time, the system was different.
> [Voidwalk: Success]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Energy Consumption: Critical]
[Warning: Physical Exhaustion Detected]
Zane barely made it two meters before his vision blurred and he collapsed to the ground. His body refused to obey him, the energy drained faster than he'd realized. The system's warning was no joke—he could feel the weight of it pulling him under.
"Maybe... I should stop for tonight," Zane muttered, barely able to keep his eyes open. His muscles screamed in protest as he forced himself to sit up.
The idea of collapsing into the dirt and sleeping for days was tempting, but Zane fought it. He couldn't afford to rest yet—not with so much at stake. The hunters were nearby, and he needed to be ready for whatever came next.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how much he needed to push through. He had to keep improving. There was no telling when he'd be able to rely on someone else, or if he ever would.
As he slowly staggered to his feet, Zane set his jaw and stared into the distance.
"Tomorrow," he muttered, the words a promise to himself. "I'll get this down... tomorrow."