After that training session,far more instructive than comfortable,it was finally time to begin the next real stage of their hunt. The past few days had passed without any true break, following an almost mechanical rhythm of fighting, training, and sleeping inside the cave that had become their only stable refuge in the heart of the corrupted forest. Time had gradually lost its sharp edges, each day blending into the next, until almost without them noticing, six full days had gone by.
In those six days of relentless hunting, the group had killed eighty-one Void Creatures, not counting the twelve from the very first day. Ninety-three hearts for Kenzo. Thirty-one prana fragments for the others. Even for him, that number was beginning to feel heavy. He had now passed the symbolic mark of one hundred hearts, and each one he consumed seemed to deepen that strange sensation buried in his chest,oppressive, intoxicating, and somehow watchful. A power that only wanted to grow, yet sometimes made him feel as though it were staring back at him.
That morning, for the first time in a long while, Kenzo woke before everyone else. It was still dark, much earlier than usual. Inside the cave, Naty and Ophelia shifted slightly, aware that he was awake, but once they realized dawn had not yet come, they almost immediately went back to sleep, probably assuming he had only gone outside for some air or to relieve himself. Kenzo slipped out silently and sat not far from the entrance, near the place where Madame usually kept watch. The silence was almost peaceful, disturbed only by distant sounds from the forest and the wind stirring leaves high above, too far up for him to see.
Taking advantage of that rare moment of calm, he summoned his Orb and checked his Status, letting his thoughts drift as the information appeared before him.
Status:
Name: Kenzo
Rank: Unconscious
Bodily Awakening: [Serpent+]
Awakened Prana: [2/800]
Heart: Awakened
Corrupted Prana: [113/1000]
Power: None, please ingest a power
Blessings: [Touched by the Unique], [The Lastborn]
Gift: [Chimera+]
Artifacts: [Armor of the Forest Guardians+], [White Fang+]
He dismissed the Orb slowly and let out a quiet breath. His progress was undeniable. His body had adapted, strengthened, stabilized. The basics Naty had taught him were no longer just instructions he clumsily tried to follow; they had become reflexes. He could now spend a full hour training against Ophelia without collapsing after only a few minutes. His footing was steadier, his movements less rushed, and above all, he had learned patience. He no longer threw himself at every opening like a starving animal. Their sparring sessions could now last several minutes before one of them made a clear mistake, and even when that happened, Kenzo could finally understand why he had failed.
He knew perfectly well that this accelerated growth came from the fact that he improved three times faster than the others, an advantage as priceless as it was dangerous. And yet, despite all of that, he still could not reach Ophelia's level. He had not even caught up to Naty, though he could feel that gap slowly closing. Against Ophelia, however, the distance felt almost fixed, as though she were advancing at the same speed as him, always just beyond reach.
She really is the chosen one… he thought, not bitterly, but with a kind of fatalism.
Lucian was the only one he was clearly leaving behind. Not because Lucian lacked effort, but because Kenzo was moving forward too quickly. And that could not be a simple coincidence. He thought back to Naty and Ophelia, to how naturally they carried themselves, to the way they seemed almost to be waiting for their bodies to catch up with potential that had always been there.
It has to come from something the royal families and the Phoenix have… he continued inwardly.
They had never truly reacted to his massive consumption of hearts as if it were impossible. It was almost as though, to them, that kind of imbalance was not all that shocking. The royal families had to possess other advantages, other ways to accelerate their growth, something beyond the powers inherited from ancient gods.
They must have something that lets them grow faster than any ordinary Awakened…
He sighed and sat beside Madame, simply waiting for the sun to rise. When the first rays finally filtered through the trees, Naty was the first to come out. The morning light gave her bronzed skin an almost golden glow, and despite two weeks without any real comfort, her tied-up hair still looked flawless. But what Kenzo noticed most were her green eyes—the same eyes that had unsettled him during the opening ceremony at the Royal Academy.
— « Trouble sleeping? » she asked with a calm smile.
— « No… I think I'd just slept enough. »
— « You say that, but you look completely exhausted. »
— « I always have dark circles. I guess they're part of me now. »
He gave a faint smile, then hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
— « Hey… I wanted to ask you, what exactly is your pow— »
His sentence was cut off.
— « Morning… » Lucian said with a huge yawn, before suddenly freezing as he realized he had interrupted something.
They exchanged quick greetings, and Ophelia stepped out of the cave in turn, already perfectly awake, her daggers fastened at her waist like natural extensions of her body. Naty turned toward her.
— « So we're going to check out that fog today. »
— « Yes, » Ophelia answered simply, before looking straight at Lucian. « Starting today, you fight with us. »
After a meager breakfast of mushrooms and water, training resumed.
— « Lucian, from today onward, you'll start doing combat training with me. Do your thirty-minute warm-up first, then I'll take care of you. »
Then she turned toward Kenzo.
— « Kenzo, we're only doing thirty minutes now, so give it everything you've got. »
Naty could not help laughing.
— « Oh? Is he starting to make things difficult for you? »
— « Not at all, » Ophelia replied bluntly. « I can just finally use him as a training dummy. »
— « Excuse me? » Kenzo protested.
— « The word you're looking for is training partner, Ophelia, » Naty corrected, laughing openly.
The training was much tighter than on the previous days. Kenzo lasted longer, anticipated better, but Ophelia controlled the fight from start to finish, her daggers drawing precise, merciless arcs around him. Every time he thought he had found an opening, she shut it down immediately, as if she had read his intention before he even moved.
Damn it… every time I find something, she puts me back in my place. It's like she already knows what I'm going to do.
He did not notice it right away, but by the end of the session, both of them were out of breath. Meanwhile, Naty continued training Lucian. Ophelia passed close to them, and Naty murmured:
— « He has talent. You can't deny that. If he survives, he'll become a very good Awakened. »
— « I don't know… » Ophelia replied, watching Kenzo from a distance. « Talent can become useless very quickly. Everything will depend on the choices he makes. I doubt he's the kind of person who thinks about the greater good. »
Then she turned toward Lucian.
— « Alright. Your turn. »
It was a massacre. Lucian barely dared to attack, doing little more than dodge until he was corrected again and again. Once the training was over, they gathered their things. It was time to leave their small camp behind for good.
Naty waited until everyone was ready, then said simply:
— « Let's move. »