The clash rings out, sharp and heavy.
My sword trembles under the weight of Commander Arvell's blade. Even with his power suppressed, every strike hits like a storm breaking against me fast, precise, merciless.
"Too slow, Kael."
His voice is calm. Almost casual. Yet every word carries the edge of a predator testing its prey.
I twist, barely deflecting his next strike. Mana surges wildly through my veins, aura clinging desperately to my blade. Air sharpens its edge, earth roots my stance, fire flares in my chest—but none of it is enough. My lungs burn. My arms scream. Each breath feels like a weight dragging me down.
Step by step, he drives me back. His blade crashes again and again, every strike carving away at my defenses. My vision blurs, sweat stings my eyes, and still he presses forward without slowing.
"Fight me with intent to kill."
His gaze pins me in place, cold and unyielding.
I clench my teeth, refusing to bow. With a roar, I lunge: every ounce of aura pours into a single desperate strike. For a heartbeat, I think it might reach him.
Then his sword moves.
A single blow, swift and effortless, sweeps mine aside like it is nothing. My blade flies from my hands, clattering against the floor. I stumble back, breath ragged, empty hands shaking.
The Commander moves with blinding swiftness, appearing in front of me in an instant. A punch, imbued with deadly precision, hurtles toward my chest.
I desperately move my aura-reinforced arms into a defensive position, but his fist meets them with a sound like a cracking whip.
The force is overwhelming.
I am thrown back as a sickening pain tears through my arms; the bones are broken.
The Commander strides toward me with calm, measured steps, his gaze locked on me with that same unreadable intensity. Without a word, he extends his hand, a small vial glinting between his fingers.
I accept the potion and tilt it back. The liquid burns down my throat, warm and bitter, then spreads through my body like searing fire. My wounds begin knitting together before my eyes—skin seals, muscles tighten, bone snaps back into place until my arm feels whole again.
"Kael," the Commander says, his voice low but carrying weight. "Your growth is… tremendous."
There is a flicker of surprise in his tone, followed quickly by something else—acceptance.
"If you keep pushing with this intensity, you'll advance to the next rank in six months."
Six months.
I know he is right. My growth is abnormally fast—too fast. At this pace, I could easily step into D-rank within a month if I want. But Noctharion warns me against it, whispering in that shadowy voice of his about the dangers of shallow foundations.
He tells me to slow down. To build properly. To embrace the darkness first.
And he is right. Before I advance, I want to learn how to wield the darkness that waits in me
The Commander finally waves me off after the brutal training.
"Go and rest, Kael. That's enough for today," he says, his voice firm yet dismissive.
I leave the training grounds, my steps carrying me toward the mess hall. Ever since Liana was summoned to the main house eight months ago, I have been eating there.
The food isn't nearly as delicious as the meals she used to make, but it's filling enough—packed with the nutrition my body needs to keep pushing forward.
Still, the mess hall isn't all bad.
I have another friend there.
The thought of her brings a faint smirk to my lips. She has strange habits, sometimes outright ridiculous, but they never fail to amuse me.
The fortress walls loom around me as I walk. Cracks run across the stone like veins, and strange designs—symbols no one truly understands—etch the surface.
At first, they are awe-inspiring, almost mystical. But now, after more than a year here, they have become just another part of the scenery.
Their mystery has faded, swallowed by routine.
The stone walls of the fortress stretch endlessly as I make my way east, toward the mess hall. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread lingers faintly in the corridors, growing stronger with every step.
The mess hall itself is massive—built wide and long enough to seat over a thousand knights at once. Rows of wooden tables fill the space, and at the far end stands the food counter, where steaming pots and trays are lined up in neat order.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged woman with chestnut hair tied back tightly moves with practiced focus, her chef's clothes spotless despite the chaos of serving so many. Her ladle never pauses, scooping food with the precision of someone who has done this for decades. Three older women work alongside her, clad in simple worker's garb, their hands quick as they keep the line flowing.
I pause, scanning the hall. Groups of knights fill the benches, eating heartily, laughing, or arguing over small victories in training. The clamor of voices and clinking trays echoes across the stone chamber.
At the side, stacks of iron trays are neatly arranged. I pick one up and join the line. The knights ahead of me glance back. Their eyes linger, some filled with curiosity, others with something sharper jealousy, maybe even resentment. A few give me curt nods. I return the gesture, but no words pass between us.
Everyone already knows. I am training directly under Commander Arvell. That alone is enough to stir unease. Some see it as favoritism, whispering rumors that I have been chosen only because I am the son of their master.
I never bother to deny it. Let them think what they want. I don't care.
What matters is the truth I carry, and the path I have chosen.
I move along the line, tray in hand. An old lady places a small vegetable salad onto it tomato, lettuce, chopped onion, and fresh basil.
Next comes another elderly woman with a kind expression and hair as white as snow. She places two pieces of bread on my tray. I thank her, and she smiles warmly in return.
Finally, I reach the stand of the head chef, Anna. A middle-aged woman in chef's clothes, she carries herself with a mix of authority and motherly care.
"Good evening, Anna," I greet her.
She glances up at me, recognition lighting her face. "Good evening, Kael. Finished training already?"
"Yes," I reply simply.
"Good, good," she mutters, then reaches for a large bowl. She fills it to the brim with steaming soup, rich with vegetables and chunks of meat. The aroma makes my stomach growl.
The portion she gives me is noticeably larger than what she gives the others. Then, with a frown, she adds a roasted chicken leg onto my plate.
"You need to eat more if you want to grow. You're just a child. Unlike those brutes, you can't train on an empty stomach. Eat until you're full," she says firmly.
I chuckle awkwardly. "Thank you."
Anna is always kind to me, her encouragement arriving through the meals she serves. Liana once worked in this kitchen, so Anna holds me in good regard—probably thanks to something Liana told her. I never ask what, but whatever it was, it makes her treat me better than I deserve.
"No need for thanks," Anna waves me off, already busy serving the next knight in line.
I look at my tray it is overflowing. "I don't think I can eat all of this," I mutter under my breath.
"You can and you will," Anna calls over her shoulder without even looking at me. "Look at yourself you're all bones! With that body, you'll never keep up with the commander's training."
I shake my head, smiling despite myself. Finding an empty table near the edge of the hall, I sit down and begin eating.
She isn't at the counter tonight. Another task must have kept her busy. Still, I can almost hear her voice in my head as I focus on finishing the mountain of food before me.
While I fight another battle with my food, my thoughts drift to last night's talk with Noctharion.
Today, he begins teaching me how to control darkness. And I am beyond excited for this.
Unlike the other elements I've learned, darkness is my element my natural affinity. Because of this, it should be so much easier to control and master. With Noctharion teaching me, I have no doubt I'll master this element easily and quickly.
In my spar with the Commander, I never used any element or mana; our entire fight was with only aura. I want to keep my elemental control a secret. I won't use it until I have no other choice. Fighting with only aura is also beneficial, as it's tremendously increasing my control and mastery over it.
But what I'm most looking forward to is darkness.
Just as I'm thinking this, a darkness comes, and I can't see anything.
I don't panic. I already sense her coming with my mana sense, which is always active for at least a hundred meters around me. I know she is here now; she has closed my eyes with her hands.
I can also tell who she is because of the softness pressing against my back, which I'm trying my hardest to ignore.