Morning light spilled across the rooftops of Valmor City, glinting off steel spires and red brick chimneys. The city was awake long before the sun — merchants shouting prices, guards changing shifts, and the faint toll of the central clock echoing through the alleys.
Aryan's eyes fluttered open at the sound of each water droplet coming from leaking roof . His entire body ached like he'd been trampled by a herd of beasts.Every muscle screamed, Don't move.
But he pushed himself up anyway.
"Second day…" he muttered, stretching his stiff limbs. "Let's do this."
He tied the same worn boots, splashed water on his face, and jogged toward the Central Training Ground. The soreness from yesterday was brutal — his body felt heavy, his knees still burning from the city-wide run — but his heart was steady.
This pain means I'm moving forward.
When he reached the training field, Officer Roy was already there, arms folded, standing atop a wooden platform like a commander surveying a battlefield.
Roy's sharp eyes flicked toward him. "You're early this time. Good."
Aryan grinned weakly. "I didn't want to risk another 'one minute late' lecture."
Roy smirked. "You learn fast. That's good. You'll need that today."
Aryan tilted his head. "Today?"
Roy turned around and pointed toward the rooftops beyond the city wall — a maze of stone, wood, and ruins left from the last demon invasion.
"Today's lesson — Flow of Movement."
Aryan blinked. "Flow of what?"
Roy jumped down from the platform, landing lightly in front of him. His movement was so smooth it barely stirred the dust beneath his boots.
"A warrior's body must move like water," Roy said, his tone calm but commanding. "Water doesn't resist. It adapts, flows, and strikes where it's needed. That's what separates a soldier from a fighter — and a fighter from a survivor."
Aryan nodded slowly. "So you're saying… I have to be like water?"
"Exactly." Roy gave a faint grin. "And we're going to find out if you sink or flow."
The Rooftop Course
They climbed to the highest point of the training compound — a tall tower overlooking Valmor's sprawling rooftops. The wind howled at this height, carrying the faint smell of smoke and sea salt.
Below, Aryan could see a complex course built across the ruins — broken bridges, narrow walls, uneven rooftops, and scattered planks.
It wasn't a simple obstacle course. It looked like a battlefield frozen in chaos.
Roy stood beside him, arms crossed. "You'll start from here. Reach the far tower without touching the ground. Do that, and you pass the second test."
Aryan stared at the distance. It was almost a kilometer away — with nothing but deadly drops in between.
"Wait… you mean I have to jump between those rooftops?"
Roy's smirk deepened. "You wanted to be strong, didn't you? Then start running."
Before Aryan could reply, Roy gave a small flick of his wrist — and suddenly, faint ripples of energy shimmered in the air. Dark-blue fragments appeared around the rooftops like heat mirages.
"What the—" Aryan blinked. "What's happening?"
Roy's voice echoed across the rooftops. "Illusions. Minor ones. They'll look real — enemies, creatures, shadows. Don't think. Move. Let your body adapt."
Aryan clenched his fists. Alright, here we go.
He took a deep breath, backed up a few steps, and sprinted forward. His boots struck the stone, his heartbeat syncing with every step. The wind rushed past his ears as he leapt to the first rooftop.
He landed roughly, stumbled forward, but regained balance just in time.
"Not bad," Roy called out from the tower. "But you're too stiff. You're running with fear, not instinct!"
Aryan gritted his teeth and kept moving. He jumped across gaps, slid under low arches, and climbed over fallen walls.
Suddenly —
A blur of movement!
Out of nowhere, an illusionary beast leapt toward him — a massive, wolf-like shadow with glowing crimson eyes.
Instinct screamed at him to dodge, but his body hesitated. The beast's claws sliced through the air — and the moment they touched his arm, the illusion shattered into particles.
Aryan stumbled, nearly falling off the edge. "What the hell was that?!"
Roy's calm voice echoed, "Focus. Don't trust what you see. Feel where danger moves — not where it looks."
Aryan took a deep breath and continued. More illusions emerged — shadowed soldiers charging at him, phantom arrows whistling through the air.
He ducked, rolled, jumped, and climbed. Every move was sloppy but improving.
Roy watched silently from the distance, his sharp eyes following Aryan's rhythm. Good… he's adapting faster than expected.
The Fall
Halfway across the ruins, Aryan leapt from a broken chimney to the next roof — but his foot slipped.
The tiles shattered under him, and his body lurched forward into empty air.
His heart stopped.
Damn it—!
Time slowed. The world blurred around him, the wind roaring in his ears. For an instant, he saw Roy's calm, confident stance in his mind — the way he had landed earlier, how he bent his knees, shifted his weight, let momentum flow through him.
And then—
Something inside Aryan clicked.
A faint pulse surged through his body — like static energy crawling beneath his skin. His vision flashed white-blue for a second.
His muscles moved on their own.
He twisted midair — the exact same motion Roy had used earlier — landing hard on the lower roof below. The impact cracked tiles beneath his boots, but he stayed upright.
"What… was that?" he breathed.
Up on the tower, Roy's eyes widened slightly. "Did he just—" He smirked faintly. "Interesting."
Aryan stood there panting, still confused. "That movement… I didn't even think about it. It just happened."
He looked at his trembling hands. "Was that… my Copy Soul?"
A faint, whispering echo filled his ears.
'To copy, one must first understand instinct.'
The voice from the void. It was faint but real.
Aryan's eyes sharpened. "Alright… let's keep going."
Flow Like Water
He moved faster now. The earlier hesitation was gone — replaced by rhythm.
Every jump, every dodge, every twist — it wasn't perfect, but it was alive.He wasn't fighting the course anymore. He was flowing through it.
The illusions appeared again — shadow beasts, soldiers, blades of wind — but he barely flinched. He let his instincts guide him, feeling the subtle ripples in the air as each illusion moved.
When a phantom arrow shot toward him, he tilted just slightly — it passed by his cheek harmlessly.When a shadow swung its blade, he dropped to the ground and rolled past it, rising in one fluid motion.
Roy crossed his arms, watching from afar with faint approval. "He's learning to feel motion, not see it. Good."
Aryan leapt onto the final rooftop, the far tower just ahead. His heart thundered as he sprinted across the last stretch — the wind roaring around him, his soul resonating faintly within.
He jumped.
The world seemed to slow again — not from fear, but clarity.
He landed on the tower platform, knees bending perfectly, balance steady. The sound of boots striking stone echoed through the air.
Aryan stood there, chest heaving, but eyes burning with determination.
Roy clapped slowly. "Well done, Aryan. You didn't just move — you flowed."
Aryan smiled faintly, wiping sweat from his face. "Thanks… I almost died a few times, but… I think I get what you meant now."
Roy walked closer, studying him. "You slipped earlier. But the way you recovered… that wasn't just luck, was it?"
Aryan hesitated. "…I think my power activated, sir. Just for a second. My body copied your movement — the way you landed this morning."
Roy's eyes narrowed, intrigued. "Copying reflexes, huh… that's rare. Most New Souls need conscious activation for their abilities."
He turned away, muttering under his breath. "So his Copy Soul reacts subconsciously to instinctive survival. That could become… dangerous."
Then he faced Aryan again, his usual calm expression returning.
"Good work today, kid. You passed the Flow test. Get some rest — tomorrow, we begin weapon training."
Aryan nodded, still catching his breath. "Sir… thank you. For not going easy on me."
Roy gave a faint chuckle. "You'll thank me later when you're still alive after your first real fight."
He turned toward the sunset, its light painting the rooftops orange and red. "Remember, Aryan — power without control is chaos. Learn to move before you learn to fight."
Aryan watched him walk away, the wind tugging at Roy's coat. Then he looked at his own hands again, still faintly trembling.
He whispered to himself, "Copy Soul… huh? Guess I'm starting to understand you."
The faint hum within him responded — a quiet pulse, like a heartbeat made of light.