The following morning, Shadow woke to the sound of steel striking stone somewhere outside the cavern.
The rhythm continued steadily for several minutes before stopping altogether. By the time he pushed himself upright from the bedroll, the fire near the cavern wall had already been restoked, fresh water rested beside it, and the heavy fur draped over his shoulders carried lingering warmth from earlier.
Neto stood near the cave entrance sharpening a short blade against a whetstone, his broad frame silhouetted against the pale morning light spilling through the opening beyond him.
"You're awake earlier today," he said without looking back.
Shadow rolled his sore shoulder carefully before standing. Most of the pain from the river and the trial had faded into stiffness now, though certain movements still pulled sharply through his ribs if he moved too fast.
"I'm tired of laying around," he admitted.
"That's good."
Neto slid the blade back into a worn sheath at his side before turning toward him fully. "Because your body has recovered enough to begin training properly."
Something shifted immediately behind Shadow's silver eyes.
For the first time since waking in the cavern, anticipation pushed against the exhaustion and anger weighing him down. Questions still lingered. So did resentment. But beneath all of it sat something else now.
Direction. Neto noticed it instantly.
"I'll oversee your training personally for the next several years," he continued. "Until you're capable of surviving on your own."
Shadow straightened slightly. "You mean real cultivation?"
"Yes."
The answer came simply, without grandeur.
Shadow exhaled slowly, trying to contain the surge of excitement rising in his chest. For years he had watched others train while he carried supplies, cleaned blood from sparring floors, and stood at the edges of conversations never meant for him. Even the trial had made one thing painfully clear—he had been left far behind long before he ever understood the rules of the world around him.
Now, for the first time, that might finally change.
Neto folded his arms across his chest. "Don't mistake opportunity for accomplishment. You're starting later than most people with your background. That means the road ahead will be harder than it should've been."
Shadow nodded once.
"I understand."
"Good." Neto's expression remained calm, though the faint approval behind his eyes was difficult to miss. "Then understand this too. Cultivation isn't something learned in a few months. It reshapes your body, your mind, and eventually the way you see the world itself. If your foundation is weak, everything built on top of it collapses sooner or later."
The warning settled heavily in the cavern.
Shadow looked toward the morning light beyond the cave entrance before asking quietly, "And after I'm trained?"
Neto was silent for a moment.
"Then you continue forward without me."
The answer landed harder than Shadow expected.
Neto stepped toward the cave entrance again, his voice quieter this time. "Rest while you still can. Once training begins, your life won't become easier."
Two more days passed before Neto finally allowed Shadow beyond the immediate area surrounding the cavern.
By then most of the bruising across his ribs had faded from deep purple into dull yellow, though sharp pain still lingered whenever he twisted too quickly. Neto noticed every sign of discomfort immediately but said nothing as they climbed the narrow trail overlooking the valley below.
Morning mist still clung to the mountainsides while cold air drifted through the trees surrounding the cavern entrance. For the first time since the river, Shadow found himself standing beneath an open sky again.
The sight alone made something loosen faintly in his chest.
Wild grass bent beneath the wind stretching across the hillside while distant mountain peaks cut sharply against the pale morning light. Below them, rivers carved through the valleys like silver threads disappearing into forests untouched by roads or settlements.
Shadow took a slow breath.
Everything felt larger now.
"You're distracted," Neto observed from behind him.
Shadow glanced back slightly. "I've never seen this much outside the estate before."
Neto studied him quietly for a moment before giving a small nod. "Then get used to it. The world beyond those walls is far larger than anything Archibald allowed you to see."
Shadow lowered himself carefully onto the flat boulder Neto pointed toward, settling cross-legged despite the lingering stiffness in his ribs.
"What now?" he asked.
"We begin with awareness," Neto replied. "Before you can control mana, you first need to recognize it."
Shadow frowned faintly. "I thought everyone could already feel mana."
"To a degree," Neto said. "But sensing it and understanding it are different things."
He stepped closer before continuing. "Close your eyes. Breathe slowly. Don't force anything. Just pay attention to what your body notices naturally."
Shadow did as instructed.
At first there was nothing beyond the wind brushing faintly against his skin and the distant sound of water flowing through the valley below. Then, gradually, something else emerged beneath it all. A faint pressure. Subtle at first, almost impossible to separate from the air itself.
But it was there.
The sensation spread slowly across his skin like invisible threads drifting around him from every direction at once.
Shadow's breathing slowed instinctively.
"There," Neto said quietly. "Hold onto that feeling."
The pressure deepened.
Coolness brushed across his arms first before warmth followed behind it, weaving together strangely beneath his skin. The sensation wasn't painful initially. Just unfamiliar.
Then it intensified.
Shadow's body suddenly locked tight as heat surged violently through his chest and spine. Pain exploded through his limbs hard enough to rip a strained breath from his throat while every muscle in his body tensed instinctively against it.
His eyes snapped open immediately.
"What's happening?" he forced out.
Neto remained calm. "Your body is reacting to mana properly for the first time. Stay focused."
The pressure worsened.
It felt like something burning through pathways beneath his skin that had never been opened before. Sweat poured down his face while his hands clenched tightly against the stone beneath him.
Shadow nearly lost focus entirely before Neto's hand caught his shoulder firmly.
"Breathe," he said steadily. "Don't fight it. Your body's adjusting."
The calmness in Neto's voice cut through the panic enough for Shadow to steady himself again. He forced air slowly into his lungs despite the pain and focused on the strange pressure moving through him instead of resisting it.
Gradually, the burning sensation eased.
Warmth replaced it instead. Not weak or soft, but steady.
Shadow's shoulders loosened slightly as the pressure settled deeper within him, no longer fighting his body but moving with it.
Several moments passed before Neto finally removed his hand from Shadow's shoulder.
"Well done," he said quietly.
Shadow opened his eyes slowly.
The world looked different.
Not brighter. Not transformed. But sharper somehow. He could hear the wind moving through distant trees below the mountain. Feel the cold air brushing across his skin in uneven currents. Even the ground beneath him carried a faint pressure now that he hadn't noticed before.
For the first time in his life, the world no longer felt empty.
Shadow lowered his gaze toward his trembling hands.
"So this is mana," he said quietly.
Neto studied him carefully, faint approval visible beneath his usual restraint. "Most people spend years chasing that feeling," he said. "You sensed it on your first attempt."
Shadow wiped sweat from his face weakly, his chest still aching from the strain. "It felt like my body was tearing itself apart."
"For a moment, it was," Neto replied calmly. His expression softened slightly afterward. "But your body adapted faster than I expected."
Shadow looked back toward the valley stretching endlessly beyond the mountain cliffs.
Everything felt different now. Not because he had suddenly become powerful, but because for the first time he finally understood that the world Archibald kept hidden from him was real.