The dark void of the shadow space pulsed around Kael like a living heartbeat. His chest still ached from the memory of the beast's rock strike, though here in this strange place there was no pain, no breath, only silence and shadows.
Nathan's form stood before him, towering yet indistinct, made of black mist and streaks of faint violet. His voice echoed as if it were both beside Kael and inside his skull.
"You did well, Kael," Nathan said evenly. "But do you know why you passed out?"
Kael clenched his fists. "Because I was weak? Because I wasn't strong enough?"
Nathan shook his head, faint glimmers of shadow drifting off his body like embers. "No. Because your body cannot yet handle the power you unleashed. The energy of the Code is far beyond the limits of your current frame. Without me stepping in, you would have died where you stood. That is why you blacked out. Survival came at a cost."
Kael's chest tightened. He thought of Jorin dragging him out, of Feyla's tears, of the way everyone believed he was just a blank. "So… what now? Am I supposed to just wait until I'm stronger?"
"Wait?" Nathan's tone sharpened. "No, Kael. We train. Every single day. From this moment on, there is no rest. Power must be forged, not hoped for."
As he spoke, a dark shape swirled into existence in Nathan's hands. The mist condensed, sharpening until it became a long black shaft, something between a spear and a staff. Purple veins of light pulsed along its length. Nathan raised it with one hand and pointed it directly at Kael.
"Starting now."
Kael swallowed, his throat dry. Before he could protest, a heat spread through his arm. He looked down—his palm already gripping his dagger. He hadn't called for it, hadn't even tried, but the weapon had formed all the same. Shadows dripped from its blade, glowing purple and blue like molten lava cooling in the night.
His breath caught. "It's… already here."
"Because it is part of you," Nathan said. "Now prove you can wield it."
Without warning, Nathan lunged. The long shadow shaft cut through the void with impossible speed. Kael raised his blade instinctively, and the two weapons clashed with a sound that felt like thunder muffled in water.
The force sent Kael stumbling backward, knees buckling, but he stayed standing. His heart raced. He hadn't even thought—his body had just moved.
"Good," Nathan said, circling him like a predator. "That was instinct. But instinct is not enough. Combat requires discipline. Skill. You will not always be faster. You will not always be stronger. But if you master these movements, your body will know them before your mind has time to think."
Kael gritted his teeth, gripping his dagger tighter. "Then teach me."
"Gladly."
They rushed at each other again. Nathan's strikes were merciless, each swing of the staff designed to expose a weakness. Kael blocked, dodged, and swung back where he could, but each exchange ended with Nathan driving him into the void's unseen floor. Again and again Kael was knocked down, the shadows swallowing him before spitting him back on his feet.
His arms ached. His lungs burned, even though he wasn't truly breathing here. But every time he hit the ground, he stood up faster.
At last, Nathan knocked him flat once more, the spear's point inches from Kael's throat. The system's shadowy eyes glowed faintly above him.
"This is training, Kael," Nathan said, voice calm but unyielding. "Pain. Failure. Repetition. Only through this will your body adapt. Only then will you be able to carry the weight of the Nether Code without collapsing."
Kael panted, sweat dripping even though the void was cool. He nodded, gripping the dagger tighter than ever. "I'll learn. Whatever it takes."
For the first time, Nathan allowed a faint smile. "Good. Then remember this—every strike, every step, every fall brings you closer. One day, Kael, your body will move not as a boy's, but as a weapon's."
Kael rose to his feet, blade still glowing with dripping shadows. His arms trembled, but his eyes no longer wavered. For the first time since gaining the mark, he felt a spark of certainty.
Training had begun.