Ragna rested his katana on his shoulder and looked at Daniel.
"You'll need a weapon."
Daniel nodded. "I really do."
"Before I train your technique, you'll need a weapon that suits you. Choose a katana. It is the easiest to train your ability."
Daniel's eyes scanned the rack until one caught his attention. A blade with a red handle. The color burned against the dull metal and the dark wood around it. He gripped it, and it felt natural, like it belonged in his hand.
Ragna gave a short nod. "It suits you. Then it's time to suffer."
They climbed higher until they reached the top of the mountain. The land stretched wide and flat, a plateau where the wind whistled with nothing to stop it. The ground was nothing but gravel and dirt, an empty stage with the sky hanging above them.
"Try copying this," Ragna said.
Before Daniel could reply, Ragna vanished. He reappeared in front of him—not on the ground, but above him in the air. His katana shimmered with speed impossible to track.
"Infinite form," he whispered.
Daniel barely had time to bring up his blade. The attack tore through the air, and the pressure alone forced him back a step. He staggered, chest heaving.
"The hell is that?" Daniel shouted.
"One of the upgrades that come with the copy technique," Ragna answered calmly, standing with his blade at his side. "It allows you to add speed and power to a copied technique. How much you can add depends on your mastery. And it can alter the trajectory of any attack aimed at you." His eyes narrowed. "Now… do you think you can copy that?"
Daniel gritted his teeth and charged, holding the katana upward, desperate to mimic what he'd seen.
"Wrong way to hold a katana," Ragna muttered. He appeared behind him and struck Daniel at the base of the neck with the hilt.
The impact sent Daniel's vision spinning. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into darkness before he even realized what had happened.
Ragna sighed, resting the blade on his shoulder again. "What a long way to go, Danny."
The following morning, Daniel woke on the hard ground with the sun in his eyes. His body screamed in pain. Ragna stood nearby, arms folded, watching.
"Since you look like trash, I'll tell you this," he said bluntly. "We will train that useless body of yours. Right now, it looks slow as hell."
Before Daniel could respond, Ragna barked, "Run. From here, down the mountain and back up. Don't stop."
Daniel's jaw tightened. He obeyed.
The mountain was high, and the path steep. Gravel shifted under his feet, cutting at his ankles, tearing into his shoes. The air thinned as he climbed, every breath burning in his lungs. Sweat poured down his face. His legs threatened to give out, but Ragna's cold stare at the top burned into him.
By the time he stumbled back to the plateau, he collapsed to his knees, gasping.
"Again," Ragna said.
Daniel nearly passed out three times before the day was done.
The next day, Ragna stood with a boulder the size of Daniel's torso. "Today, you'll do the same. But with this on your back."
Daniel's eyes widened. "You're insane—"
"Shut up and carry it."
The stone crushed his shoulders the moment he lifted it. His spine screamed under the weight, his arms trembling. He staggered down the mountain path, each step threatening to end in collapse. By the time he crawled back up, his body was broken, his back bleeding raw from the strain.
Still, Ragna ordered, "Again."
The following day, it became worse. The same run, the same rock—but now obstacles lined the trail. Fallen trees, jagged stones, sharp ridges.
"Run with the rock. If you fall, you start over."
Daniel gritted his teeth. His lungs screamed, his legs felt like lead, but he pressed forward. Each obstacle punished him. He scraped his knees, tore his palms, and nearly blacked out. But he didn't stop.
By the end of the week, he could barely feel his own body.
Then the training shifted.
"Now," Ragna said coldly, "you will copy any movement I show you. Perfectly. No hesitation."
Daniel tightened his grip on the red-handled katana.
Ragna stepped forward. His stance shifted, his body twisting. In a blink, he spun, his leg arcing upward. His heel slammed through the air with the force of a hammer.
"Stars Above," Ragna whispered.
The kick connected with Daniel's skull before he even realized what was happening. His vision went white. He collapsed instantly, body limp on the ground.
Ragna crouched beside him, his voice sharp. "Just because you pass out doesn't mean you survive." He kicked Daniel in the calf, jolting him back into consciousness.
Pain exploded through Daniel's leg. His eyes snapped open, rage burning through the fog.
He dragged himself to his feet, katana trembling in his grip. His face shadowed, a crooked smile spreading.
"Alright," Daniel muttered. His teeth clenched, his eyes glinting with madness. "Let's try again."
He forced his battered body to mimic Ragna's movement. His leg spun upward in the same arc, but the strength was pitiful, the speed clumsy. Still, the shape was there.
A fluke. Weak. But a start.
Ragna's eyes narrowed. "Pathetic."
Daniel's shadowed face tilted upward. His grin widened into something twisted, sadistic.
"That's just the beginning… Master."