Turning around, David saw a man with long black hair and eyes so dark, it felt like staring into the abyss itself.
The man spoke, "My name is Sombreil," he said, walking up and sitting beside David. Sombreil also looked into the distance.
David asked, "Can you tell me where I am?"
A calm and soothing voice came from Sombreil's lips.
"You are within your own subconscious."
"I see... and who are you?" David asked.
With a quiet laugh, the man replied,
"I'm just a lost soul. I don't think we'll meet again anytime soon, so I'll leave you with one thing—your eyes are... special."
As those words left his lips, David suddenly woke up, covered in sweat. Looking around, he realized he was in a medical ward.
The door opened, and a nurse entered the room.
"Oh, you're awake? That's wonderful! I brought you some food," she said warmly.
Placing the tray down, she checked the IV. Seeing that it hadn't finished yet, she left the room, leaving David alone.
David began eating. Once he was done, he laid his head down and stared into the distance. Suddenly, the door opened again—Vincent walked in.
Seeing him, David greeted politely,
"Hello, Teacher Vincent."
Vincent was in a cheerful mood. He sat down and began asking questions.
"David, what happened? How were you able to use energy so easily?"
David replied,
"I could only use it briefly... just for a moment."
"I see. In two days, I'll begin teaching you how to use energy properly. So rest up and recover."
"Yes, sir."
Vincent stood and left the room.
Three hours later, David was discharged. He returned to his room, collapsed onto his bed, and immediately fell asleep.
The next morning, David got up and headed to the training ground. Standing before the door, he opened it and stepped inside. All eyes turned to him—everyone remembered how he had lifted more than 20 tons the day before.
He walked toward the group and stood among them.
Vincent stepped forward and looked over the students.
"Good, everyone's here. Today, you'll be sparring against one another. Be ready."
One by one, students were paired and began dueling in martial arts.
"Next up—Emma and David," Vincent announced.
The two stepped forward and got into position.
"Begin!" Vincent commanded.
Emma charged at David with incredible speed. Her attacks were fast and relentless, but thanks to David's heightened senses, he was able to dodge most of them.
Emma kept increasing the speed and pressure of her strikes. Eventually, she leapt and aimed a spinning kick at David's face.
David squinted from the blow, but just as the kick landed, a burst of dark energy exploded from the impact zone. The blast pushed Emma back, knocking David to the ground.
"Emma wins," Vincent declared.
"Next—Emma versus Leo."
The two winners stepped forward and assumed their stances, waiting for Vincent.
"Begin!"
Both fighters clashed with high-speed attacks, neither giving an inch. Their strikes came in waves, unrelenting. Emma went for a punch, but Leo caught her wrist with his left hand.
With his right hand, he began gathering energy—then blasted it into her stomach. Emma collapsed to the floor.
"Leo wins," Vincent announced.
Leo walked over to her.
"My apologies, my lady," he said with a bow.
"It's fine," Emma responded.
After being dismissed, Emma walked down the corridor to her room. Once inside, s
he looked at her leg—it was red and throbbing with pain.
"David… who the hell are you?"