Days blended into weeks as Ethan's training intensified. Each morning before dawn, he worked with Garrick on adapting his telekinetic mastery for combat—learning to strike with killing force while maintaining his precise control. The mental shift from protector of ingredients to protector of lives proved the most difficult aspect.
Later, they incorporated the teleportation knife, a tool that proved as challenging as it was powerful. Unlike what Ethan had initially imagined, he couldn't simply will himself to a location. Instead, he had to throw the knife to where he wanted to appear, then instantly materialize where it landed.
His first attempts were disastrous. The knife would sail wide of his intended target, or he would appear several feet away from where it struck, disoriented and nauseous.
"Focus on the throw first," Garrick would remind him. "The knife must strike exactly where you want to appear. Your telekinetic control can guide it, but the initial throw sets the foundation."
Gradually, Ethan's accuracy improved. He learned to combine his throwing skill with his telekinetic precision, guiding the knife's flight to strike exactly where intended. The teleportation itself became smoother, less disorienting, until he could appear behind practice dummies and strike before vanishing again.
Between training sessions, Ethan continued his daily runs through Greenhaven Forest to gather ingredients, now accompanied by Ling and Lily as usual. Grey occasionally joined them, but his presence remained hostile. The sullen boy would watch Ethan's every move with obvious skepticism, ready to criticize any mistake.
One morning, as they gathered mushrooms near a fallen log, Ling broke the comfortable silence. "You're getting better with those knives."
Ethan looked up, surprised. "You've been watching my training?"
Ling nodded, his amber eyes serious. "We all have. Your telekinetic control is impressive."
"I still have a long way to go," Ethan said, carefully placing a stone-ear mushroom in his basket.
"Maybe," Ling agreed, "but Grandpa says your precision is remarkable—that once you fully adapt it for combat, you'll be formidable."
Heat rose to Ethan's cheeks at the unexpected praise. "Garrick is kind."
"He's not known for false praise about fighting ability," a cold voice cut in as Grey emerged from behind a large oak tree. His face remained hostile as he looked at Ethan. "Your knife control might be adequate for a cook, but don't think that makes you a warrior."
The harsh words stung, but Ethan nodded, accepting the criticism. Grey's distrust was earned—Ethan had proven himself a liability in their last encounter.
"The forest is quiet today," Lily observed, clearly trying to defuse the tension. "Too quiet. We should head back soon."
As if summoned by her words, a low growl emanated from the dense underbrush to their right. The four of them froze, hands moving instinctively to their weapons.
A creature emerged—not as large as the monster they had faced before, but dangerous nonetheless. It resembled a wolf, but with too many legs and eyes that glowed with unnatural intelligence. A rank E monster.
"Formation three," Grey said quietly, and the three teenagers moved with practiced efficiency, spreading out to surround the creature. But his voice carried clear dismissal as he added, "Stay back, cook. Don't get in our way."
Ethan's heart clenched at the contempt in Grey's tone, but he drew the teleportation knife anyway, his other hand hovering near the six smaller blades at his belt.
The wolf-creature snarled, saliva dripping from yellowed fangs as it assessed its opponents. Its multiple eyes blinked in unsynchronized patterns, lending it an alien appearance that sent shivers down Ethan's spine.
When it attacked, it moved with frightening speed, lunging toward Lily with jaws agape. But she was faster, sidestepping the charge and landing a solid kick to its flank that sent it stumbling.
Grey followed with a powerful swing of his massive sword, opening a gash along the creature's side. It howled in pain and fury, spinning to snap at him, but Ling was already there, his katana finding purchase in the monster's thick hide.
The creature backed away, growling as it reassessed its opponents. Its gaze fixed on Ethan—perhaps sensing he was the least experienced fighter.
"Stay out of this!" Grey snarled, but the wolf-creature was already charging.
As the monster lunged toward him, Ethan's training took over. He hurled the teleportation knife, guiding its flight with his telekinetic precision to strike the ground behind the creature. In an instant, he materialized where the blade had landed.
Simultaneously, his six smaller knives rose into the air, no longer moving with cooking gentleness but with lethal intent. They struck vulnerable points Garrick had taught him to target—joints, soft tissue, pressure points.
The creature howled, its charge halted by the unexpected attack. Before it could recover, Grey delivered a devastating blow with his sword, his face twisted with annoyance rather than gratitude.
Together, the four of them drove the monster back until, sensing defeat, it retreated into the dense forest underbrush, leaving a trail of dark blood on the moss-covered ground.
Silence fell as they stood ready, ensuring the creature was truly gone. Then Lily broke into a wide grin, clapping Ethan on the back with enough force to make him stumble.
"That was incredible!" she exclaimed. "The way you teleported and controlled those knives at the same time—"
"It was sloppy," Grey interrupted harshly, his cold gaze fixed on Ethan. "Your positioning was wrong, your timing off. If this had been a real threat instead of a weak rank E, you would have gotten us all killed."
The criticism hit harder than any monster's claws. Ethan's brief moment of pride crumbled as Grey continued.
"Don't think one lucky strike makes you one of us," Grey said, shouldering his massive sword. "You're still just a cook playing at being a warrior."
Ling stepped forward, clearly wanting to defend Ethan, but Grey's withering glare silenced him — and then, looking at Ethan, Ling shook his head and grinned.
As they gathered their foraged items and headed back to Rivermoor, the earlier sense of triumph faded into familiar inadequacy. Grey walked ahead, deliberately distancing himself from Ethan, his hostility unchanged despite their successful encounter.
***
That evening, after serving dinner to the appreciative children, Ethan found Garrick sitting alone on the porch, watching the first stars appear in the twilight sky.
"They told me what happened in the forest today," Garrick said as Ethan took a seat beside him. "Your first real combat with the new techniques."
Ethan nodded, his hands still trembling slightly at the memory. "Grey said I was sloppy, that I would have gotten everyone killed if it had been a stronger monster."
"And what do you think?" Garrick asked, studying Ethan's face carefully.
Ethan was quiet for a moment, replaying the encounter in his mind. "He's right. My positioning was wrong—I appeared too close to the creature. And my knife strikes, while accurate, weren't as coordinated as they should have been."
Garrick nodded approvingly. "Good. Self-assessment is crucial for improvement." He turned to study Ethan's profile. "But don't let Grey's harshness discourage you. His standards are impossibly high, and his trust... that's earned through more than single encounters."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, watching as the kitchen windows glowed with warm light. Inside, the children were cleaning up after dinner, their silhouettes moving back and forth behind the glass.
"Why did you really decide to train me?" Ethan asked finally, voicing the question that had lingered in his mind. "There must be more to it than seeing potential."
Garrick's weathered face grew solemn. "There is," he admitted. "I see in you what I once was—someone fighting not just for survival, but for something more precious." His gaze turned distant, as if looking into the past. "I had a wife once, too. Her name was Lenora."
Ethan's breath caught. "What happened to her?"
"A monster attack, many years ago," Garrick said quietly. "Unlike your Emberlyn, she didn't survive." His voice held old pain, long scarred over but never truly healed. "When you spoke of your wife—of finding her, helping her recover her memories—I saw a chance to help someone achieve what I could not."
The confession hung in the air between them, heavy with shared understanding of loss.
"I'm sorry," Ethan said softly.
Garrick shook his head. "Don't be. Lenora has been gone for decades now. But in training you, in seeing your determination to reclaim what was taken from you..." He smiled, a genuine expression that softened the lines of his face. "Perhaps I'm finding a kind of redemption."
Ethan thought of Emberlyn—her face a constant presence in his mind, driving him forward even when his muscles screamed with exhaustion during training. "I won't let you down," he promised.
"I know you won't," Garrick replied. "Today proved you can adapt your skills to combat when necessary. Grey's criticism, while harsh, will make you stronger."
As Garrick walked away, Ethan remained on the porch, gazing up at the stars that now filled the darkening sky. Grey's hostility still stung, but beneath the hurt, determination burned brighter than before.
In the kitchen, he could see Grey helping the younger children clean dishes, his usual scowl unchanged as he worked. Lily and Ling sat at the table, but their recounting of the day's adventure was more subdued than usual, Grey's harsh words having dampened their enthusiasm.
These children, with their extraordinary abilities and complicated hearts, had not yet fully accepted him—and perhaps Grey never would. But Ethan would continue training, continue improving, until he could prove himself worthy of their trust.
And somewhere out there, beyond Greenhaven Forest, Emberlyn waited—not knowing he searched for her, not remembering their love. But Ethan would find her. With each day of training, with each new skill mastered, he moved one step closer to being strong enough to bring her home.
"Wait for me," he whispered to the night sky. "I'm coming."