The morning came cold and merciless. Mist clung to the forest floor, and the sun was little more than a pale shadow in the sky. Fang Tian's voice broke the silence:
"Stand."
Leo rose from the damp earth, his wooden practice sword clutched tight. He had barely slept, haunted by the vow he made before the fire. His father's eyes were sharp, unyielding, as though testing his resolve with a single glance.
"Your body is weak. Your spirit is undisciplined. Today, that ends."
Without warning, Fang Tian lunged. His blade struck like lightning. Leo raised his sword too slow — the blow shattered his defense, slamming him to the ground. The breath was ripped from his lungs.
"Again," Fang Tian commanded.
Leo staggered up, gasping, only to be struck down again. And again. And again. Each fall left his body bruised and battered, but every time he rose, the fire inside him burned brighter.
By noon, his arms trembled too much to hold the sword. His knees buckled. Yet his father stood above him, relentless.
"Is this the strength you swore on your mother's grave? To fall like a child?"
Leo spat blood into the dirt, forcing himself up. His voice cracked, but his eyes blazed:
"I won't break… not here… not ever."
For a moment, Fang Tian's stern mask shifted. Pride flickered in his gaze, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
"Then you will walk the Path of Ash and Steel. From this day forward, you eat when you earn it. You sleep when you master what I teach. Until then, you bleed."
He motioned toward the trees. Strange talismans hung from the branches — old charms, etched with runes that shimmered faintly in the mist.
Leo's breath caught. "What… are those?"
Fang Tian's voice lowered, heavy with meaning.
"Trials left behind by my own master. Illusions. Beasts. Shadows of fear itself. Survive them, and you will begin to understand what it means to carry the blood you bear."
The air grew colder. A faint whisper stirred in the fog, like a voice calling Leo's name. His chest tightened.
Fang Tian pressed the hilt of a real blade — cold steel — into Leo's hands.
"No more wooden toys. From here, you fight with steel. From here, you walk the road that can only end in godhood… or ruin."
The talismans flared, and the forest shifted. The trees stretched impossibly tall, their shadows twisting into monstrous forms. Eyes gleamed from the darkness.
Leo swallowed hard, fear clawing at his gut. But he tightened his grip, remembering his vow.
"I'll master it," he whispered. "No matter what."
And with that, he stepped into the mist, where illusions and nightmares awaited.
End of chapter 7