Valeria led Kaelen not back to the floating platform, but to a different door down the hall. This one opened into a spacious, windowless room. One wall was lined with weapons—polished blades and energy rifles mounted on racks. The opposite wall was a single, vast mirror. Mats covered the floor, and the air hummed with a faint, ozone-like energy.
"This is a training chamber," Valeria said, her voice echoing softly. "The walls are reinforced. You will not break them, so do not hold back." She walked to the center of the room and turned to face him. "Now. Show me."
Kaelen blinked. "Show you what?"
"Your power. The Umbral energy. Summon it. Not in fear or anger. Summon it with intent."
Hesitantly, Kaelen held out his hand. He tried to remember the cold fear of the Shade-Stalker, the desperate anger. He clenched his fist, straining. A wisp of black smoke curled around his fingers, sputtered, and died.
"Stop," Valeria's voice cut through his effort. "You are trying to punch a hole through a wall. You must learn to turn the handle and open the door. You are not taking power. You are channeling what is already yours. Again. Gently."
Frustration bubbled in his chest, but he closed his eyes, pushing it down. He took a deep breath, trying to relax. He let go of the memory of fear and instead focused on the cold, quiet current he'd felt under his skin during the walk. The hidden river of darkness.
He reached for it, not to grab, but to guide.
A shard of solidified darkness, smaller and smoother than the jagged one from the ruins, coalesced above his palm. It hovered, humming with a soft, violet light at its core. It was stable.
"Good," Valeria said, a note of approval in her voice. "That is control. That is the first step." She began to pace slowly in front of him. "You know the cost of this power. The Curse. The Anchor will make your life a constant battle. But today, you learn of the reward. The only reward that truly matters."
Kaelen let the shard dissolve, his full attention on her.
"Life, boy," she said, stopping her pace to face him directly. "The most valuable currency in this broken world. And the Eclipse Covenant is the only mint that produces it." She tapped a finger against her own sternum. "With each major Rank you ascend—when you pass your Trial—the System doesn't just make you stronger. It purges your body of weakness. It burns away the rot of disease and the damage of time. It is a Rebirth. And with that rebirth comes... more time."
Kaelen's brow furrowed. "More time?"
"A low-ranked Awakened might extend their natural life by a few decades. Reach C-Rank, and you could claim an extra century. Those of us who achieve B-Rank or A-Rank..." She gestured around the room, to the Citadel, to the city itself. "...We age at a fraction of the normal rate. We are granted centuries to learn, to train, to build. This is why we lead. Not just because of strength, but because we have the time to gain the wisdom to use it properly."
The concept was so vast it was almost meaningless to him. His entire life had been measured in days—how many until he found food, how many since the last monster attack. Centuries were like trying to count the grains of dust in the ruins.
"That's... impossible," he breathed.
"Is it?" Valeria raised an eyebrow. "How old do you think I am?"
Kaelen looked at her. She had a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but her face was strong, her posture powerful. She looked like a woman in her prime. "I don't know... forty?"
A faint, dry smile touched her lips. "I was born sixty-two years ago. I have held the rank of A-Rank for a decade. My body is as it was when I was thirty-five, and it may remain so for another hundred years, if I am careful. That is the reward."
She saw the understanding dawn in his wide green eyes, followed by a deep, hungry spark. She had seen that spark before. It was the moment a scavenger realized they were holding a diamond.
"This is the opportunity that lies before you," she said, her voice hardening. "You can see your Curse as a death sentence, or you can see it as the reason you were given a chance to claim a life longer than any dozen scavengers in the ruins. Your first goal is not to become a hero. Your first goal is to survive your first Trial. Your first goal is to reach E-Rank. Succeed, and you will feel the change. You will feel the years settle into your bones. Fail, and the dead do not need to worry about lifespan."
Kaelen stood perfectly still. The cold energy under his skin suddenly felt different. It wasn't just a weapon or a curse. It was a key. A key to a future. A key to time.
The hunger in his stomach was now a distant echo compared to the new, terrifying hunger in his soul.
"Now," Valeria said, pulling him from his thoughts. "Let us see if you can form more than a simple shard. The shard is a tool. But a Sovereign must command. Try to shape the energy into a shield. A small one. In your other hand."
He focused, the new hunger fueling his will. The Umbral energy responded, flowing from his core. In his left hand, the darkness swirled and flattened, forming a small, circular disc of shimmering blackness. It wasn't perfect—the edges wavered—but it held.
Valeria watched, her expression unreadable. "Adequate. For today." She walked toward the door. "Remember the feeling of that energy. Nurture it. It is no longer your enemy. It is the only thing that will keep you alive long enough to claim your prize."
She paused at the doorway and looked back at him. "Your Trial will come when the System decides you are ready. Be ready when it does. Dismissed."
The door slid shut behind her, leaving Kaelen alone in the humming silence, the taste of centuries on his tongue.