Rivan didn't go home immediately.
The sky was turning orange, light slipping between branches in long streaks. The forest had grown calmer with evening, but not silent. Distant cries still echoed, leaves still shifted.
He stood beside a stream, watching the water flow over smooth stones.
His reflection stared back.
His eyes looked the same.
But behind them, he felt depth now — like something vast slept far below the surface.
He crouched and washed blood from his hands.
The water rippled strangely for a moment, as if responding to him, before settling again.
He didn't notice.
He sat beneath a tree and closed his eyes.
The energy inside him had grown thicker today. Not wild like before — steady, heavy, almost dense.
He followed the instinct again.
Breathe in.
Guide it down.
Let it circulate.
The warmth moved more smoothly than ever, flowing through his limbs, his chest, his spine. With each cycle, it felt more refined, less like something stolen and more like something that belonged to him.
Time passed unnoticed.
Then—
A soft tremor ran through his body.
Not painful.
Not violent.
Just… a shift.
Like a door inside him had opened a little wider.
His breathing paused on its own.
The energy within him suddenly felt clearer, as if impurities had burned away.
He exhaled slowly.
When he opened his eyes, the world looked sharper.
The faint flows in the air were easier to see, even without focusing.
His hearing felt more sensitive too — he could pick out individual sounds in the forest instead of just noise.
He flexed his hand.
Strength answered instantly.
He didn't know the name for it.
Didn't know stages or levels.
But he had crossed a line.
On the walk back, a small horned rabbit-like beast burst from the bushes and froze when it saw him.
Before, it might have attacked or fled wildly.
Now it hesitated.
Then ran the other way.
Rivan watched it go.
"…Guess I'm scarier now."
When he reached the village, night had fallen.
Lira was awake, sitting outside, waiting.
"You went far again," she said, pretending to be stern.
"Maybe."
She studied him carefully. "You feel different."
He paused.
"Different how?"
She tilted her head. "Like… heavier. But not in a bad way."
He forced a small smile. "You're imagining things."
She didn't look convinced, but she let it go.
Inside, she ate a little more than usual. Her color had improved slightly.
That alone made everything worth it.
Later that night, as Rivan slept, the warmth inside him moved on its own.
Deep in his chest, something unseen turned slowly, like an ancient mechanism adjusting after a long stillness.
A faint pattern flickered once beneath his skin — too quick to see.
Then darkness returned to normal.
The boy slept peacefully.
Unaware that the first true step on his path had just settled into place.