CHAPTER 3
Title: The First Astral Training
The training grounds was quiet that morning—too quiet.
Kael stood at the center of the polished wooden hall, breaths slow but uneasy. The strange pulse inside him still hadn't settled. Ever since the starfall, something ancient had stirred within him—something tied to the blood in his veins.
Master Rokan stood before him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as usual.
"Kael," he began, "before you learn any technique… before you throw a single punch… you must learn to enter the Astral State."
Kael blinked. "Astral… State?"
Master Rokan nodded.
"What you felt when your body glowed yesterday was not random. It was your Eternal Pulse, a bloodline ability that has been dormant for centuries. The starfall did not give you power—it only awakened what your ancestors sealed."
Kael's eyes widened.
"So… my family… had this power before?"
Rokan's voice lowered.
"It was a legacy feared across realms."
Kael swallowed hard.
"I'm not sure I want to be feared."
Rokan stared at him deeply.
"Power does not ask whether you want it. It only asks whether you'll control it… or let it consume you."
Kael exhaled shakily.
"Then… what do I do?"
Rokan tapped two fingers gently against Kael's chest.
"Sit."
Kael sat cross-legged, grounding himself.
"Close your eyes. Listen for the Pulse."
Kael obeyed.
At first, he heard nothing—just his breathing and the faint wind outside.
Then—
Thump.
He frowned. "That's my heartbeat—"
"No."
Rokan's voice sharpened. "Listen deeper."
THUMP.
The sound vibrated through Kael's very bones. It felt older than him… heavier… unfamiliar… like something ancient whispering inside.
Kael's breath caught.
"That… that isn't normal."
"Good," Rokan said. "Now follow it."
The world around Kael faded—
darkening—
softening—
pulling him somewhere deeper than consciousness.
The training ground vanished.
---
THE ASTRAL ENTRANCE
Kael opened his eyes to a place that wasn't a place—
a silver plain with no sky, no earth, only endless glowing mist.
He staggered, disoriented.
"What… where…?"
A voice—deep and distant—echoed through the mist:
"So the blood stirs again…"
Kael spun around.
A tall figure formed from white flame stood before him, its shape shifting between clarity and blur. It looked human, but ancient. Powerful.
Kael stepped back.
"Who are you?!"
"An echo of your lineage," the figure replied.
"A remnant of the first Awakener of the Eternal Fist."
Kael froze.
"My… lineage?"
"Your bloodline once shook both realms. You carry a power long forgotten."
Kael clenched his fists, shaking.
"I didn't ask for this!"
The flame-figure tilted its head.
"Destiny is not polite enough to ask permission."
Before Kael could speak again, the mist thickened—
swirling—
solidifying—
A massive creature formed from smoke and light, humanoid but faceless, with enormous fists carved from mist.
Kael's eyes widened.
"What is THAT?!"
"Your trial," the echo said.
"The Echo Fist. If you run, you fail. If you face it, you begin."
Kael barely had time to move before the creature charged.
BOOOOOOM!
A monstrous punch slammed into him, hurling him across the plain. Kael hit the ground hard, pain exploding through his astral form.
"Agh—! This hurts! I thought this wasn't real!"
"Pain can be felt," the echo said.
"Death cannot."
Kael forced himself up, panting.
The creature charged again—faster.
Kael dodged—but not fast enough. A second punch struck his side, rattling him.
He gasped. "I can't win like this…!"
"Use the Pulse," the echo commanded.
Kael shut his eyes—
darkness—
silence—
then—
THUMP.
His right hand glowed softly—
then brighter—
then hotter.
Kael opened his eyes as the creature lunged again.
"I can't run forever…"
He stepped forward.
He punched.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The glowing fist tore the creature apart, scattering its form into swirling dust.
Kael dropped to one knee, trembling and breathless.
"That… was incredible… and terrifying."
The echo walked closer, now more solid than before.
"You have touched the First Phase of the Eternal Pulse. Only touched. You have not awakened it."
Kael lifted his head weakly.
"How many phases are there?"
The echo pointed upward.
Eight bright stars formed an infinity pattern in the sky.
"Eight Phases. And you stand at the doorstep of the first."
The mist began to swallow Kael.
"Return. Train your body. Strengthen your spirit. We will meet again."
Kael reached out desperately—
"Wait—!"
Too late.
---
BACK IN THE TRAINING GROUNDS
Kael gasped awake, nearly collapsing to the floor.
Master Rokan caught him.
"Easy. Astral travel drains the inexperienced."
Kael's entire body trembled. Sweat soaked his clothes.
"Master… I saw him. An ancestor. A… flame-figure."
Rokan's expression darkened solemnly.
"You met the Echo of the First Eternal Fist."
Kael stared at his glowing hand, voice trembling:
"So… this is real? My lineage… the Astral Realm… the power… Taron Blaze… everything?"
Rokan nodded once.
"Your awakening will not go unnoticed. People… clans… even beings from beyond the veil will feel it."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Then I need to get stronger."
Rokan placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You will. But slowly. Carefully. This is only the beginning of your journey."
Kael breathed deeply—
fearful, but determined.
His real training had finally begun.