The morning air was crisp, cool enough to make me wish I'd stayed under the covers, but there was no avoiding today. I buttoned up the dark Stormwell combat jacket, the fabric light but reinforced, its silver trim catching faint glints of sunlight from the window. The matching trousers fit snugly, flexible enough for movement, and the leather boots felt heavier than they looked.
Stepping out of my room, I made my way down the polished halls, past servants who offered polite bows. The moment I stepped outside, the estate's training grounds stretched before me, stone-paved arenas, open sparring circles, and weapon racks gleaming under the early sun.
Today, training officially began.
Lyra was already walking across the grounds by the time I reached the center arena, her Stormwell-issued uniform fitted like it was tailored for her. The daggers at her belt glinted in the morning light, and she gave me a quick nod, the kind that said Let's get this over with.
That's when the sound of heavy boots hitting stone echoed from the far end. A tall man in a dark combat coat strode toward us, every step deliberate. His cropped black hair and sharp jawline would have been impressive if not for the cold, razor-edged smirk tugging at his lips.
"Kane," Lyra murmured under her breath, reading the nameplate on the man's chest.
He stopped in front of us, hands clasped behind his back, eyes like a hawk's as they swept over us. "You're the SSS-rank prodigies I've been told to train." He practically spat the last word. "Understand this, out here, I don't care about your potential, your fancy titles, or whose estate you're sleeping in. Out here, you're mine."
The smirk widened. "And I like to break my toys before I fix them."
Kane didn't waste a single second.
"Drop the chit-chat. You've got one hundred laps around the arena," he barked, pointing toward the massive, oval track that circled the training grounds.
I blinked. "The arena's a thousand meters across—"
"Exactly," Kane cut in, his grin sharp as a blade. "One hundred thousand meters. You'll thank me later. Or you'll collapse. Either way, I'll be entertained."
Lyra's jaw tightened, but she didn't argue. Neither did I. We just started running.
The first few laps weren't so bad; our training in the forest had kept us in shape, but by lap thirty, sweat was pouring down my face, and my legs were starting to feel like stone. Kane just stood in the center, arms crossed, calling out each completed lap with the enthusiasm of a man watching a good comedy.
"Come on, prodigies! Is this the speed that's going to make the empire tremble?"
By lap sixty, my lungs burned like fire. Lyra's breathing was ragged, but she pushed on beside me. Kane's smirk never faded.
"Only forty more to go," he called. "Let's see if you still have that SSS shine by the end."
By lap ninety, my vision was swimming. Every step felt like I was dragging boulders tied to my legs. Lyra's face was pale, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, but she didn't slow down.
Kane, of course, was still standing in the center of the arena like some smug statue of torment. "Last ten! Push it! Pretend a monster's chasing you, no, scratch that, pretend I'm chasing you."
Somehow, we managed to find enough strength to keep going, though my lungs screamed for air and my muscles felt ready to tear themselves apart. Lap ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. And finally—
"One hundred!" Kane announced, clapping his hands once. "See? That wasn't so bad."
I stumbled across the line and collapsed on the ground, my body screaming in protest. Lyra dropped to her knees beside me, wheezing.
If exhaustion could kill, I'd have been a corpse on the arena floor. Every muscle trembled, my heart pounded in my ears, and even breathing felt like a workout.
Kane just grinned wider. "Good. Now the warm-up's done."
Kane walked over, his boots crunching against the gravel, and crouched down in front of us. "You two look like you're about to keel over. Good. That means you're ready for the next part."
From the space ring on his fingers, he pulled out two slim, leather-bound books. The covers shimmered faintly, etched with intricate runes that pulsed with a steady light.
"A Mana Tome," he said, tossing one to each of us. "Don't bother reading it the normal way. The moment you open it, the contents will transfer directly into your brain. This one's focused on the basics of mana, how to sense it, how to control it, and how not to blow yourself up in the process."
I turned mine over in my hands, feeling the faint thrum of magic under my fingertips. Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You're just giving these to us?"
Kane smirked. "I'm not giving you anything. Consider it an investment. If you can't learn how to sense mana in the next two hours, you'll regret ever waking up this morning."
The moment I cracked the tome open, light burst from the pages, flooding my vision. A thousand streams of information poured into my mind, mana flow, breathing patterns, mental focus exercises, overwhelming and exhilarating all at once.
The glow faded, leaving a faint tingling behind my eyes. My breathing slowed without me meaning to, almost as if my body had already started following the breathing techniques from the tome.
Kane's voice cut through the haze. "Don't just sit there looking stupid. Close your eyes. Feel it."
I did as told, shutting out the training ground, the faint rustle of wind, even Lyra shifting beside me. At first, there was nothing but darkness and the pounding of my heartbeat. Then, like the faint shimmer of heat on a summer road. I caught it. Wisps of energy drifting in the air, flowing in slow, deliberate currents.
Mana.
Once I noticed it, I couldn't unsee it. Threads of it pulsed beneath the ground, coiled around trees, and even radiated faintly from Kane himself.
"Got it," I murmured.
"Same here," Lyra said, her voice quiet but steady.
Kane smirked. "Not bad. Now keep your focus. This is the easy part. The real challenge is holding on to that sensation while moving, fighting, and bleeding."
I opened my eyes, still feeling the hum of mana in the world around me. A grin tugged at my lips despite the ache in my body. This was just the beginning.
Kane's smirk widened, the kind that promised nothing good for us. "Alright, you two. Time to see if you can still feel mana when your lungs are burning."
Before we could react, he barked, "On your feet. Combat drills, full speed. If you lose that sensation for even a second, you start over."
I groaned under my breath but pushed up, legs still trembling from the earlier laps. Lyra shot me a look that said this is going to suck, but she didn't complain.
For the next hour, Kane had us sprinting, dodging, and weaving through wooden dummies while keeping our focus on the flow of mana. Every slip-up earned us another lap. By the time he finally called a stop, my uniform clung to me with sweat, and my arms felt like lead.
Kane, of course, looked as fresh as when we'd started. "Decent effort," he said, tossing two leather-bound books onto a nearby bench. "Zane, dual swords. Lyra, daggers. Both manuals are four-star grade. Learn them, live them, and I'll decide when you're ready for the five-star versions."
Lyra wiped her forehead with her sleeve, eyeing her manual like it was both a gift and a curse. "And if we fail to 'live them'?" she asked.
---
Lyra's question hung in the air, but Kane was already walking away, clearly not in the mood for answers.
I exhaled slowly, my arms aching. "Bath. Now. Before my arms actually fall off."
Lyra smirked. "Try not to drown."
We left the training yard together, our steps slow and uneven on the stone path. The evening air was still heavy with the scent of dust and sweat, and every step made my calves scream in protest.
Our dorm building wasn't far, and when we climbed the short flight of stairs to the second floor, we stopped in front of our doors, hers to the left, mine to the right.
"See you in ten," she said, already fishing for her key.
I just nodded, pushing into my room. The first thing I did was toss the manual onto my desk and start stripping off my sweat-soaked uniform. My bath was already filled, bless the enchanted heating stones, so I sank into the hot water without hesitation. Heat wrapped around me, pulling the ache from my muscles until my eyelids grew heavy.
When I emerged, dressed in clean clothes, I found Lyra leaning against my doorframe, her hair still damp and the dagger manual tucked under her arm.
"Took you long enough," she said.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's eat before Kane decides to 'surprise test' us again."
We made our way to the dining hall, the scent of roasted meat and fresh bread growing stronger with each step. The low murmur of voices inside was a welcome change from the day's relentless shouting. But an unexpected guest was waiting for us in the dining hall.