The boy opened his eyes slowly.
Cold air brushed against his skin.
The scent of wet soil and moss filled his lungs.
For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming.
But when he sat up, reality quickly crushed that thought.
He was no longer in the crystal hall of the trials.
Nor was he on the streets where he had spent most of his life begging.
Instead, he was surrounded by towering trees that stretched endlessly into the sky.
The forest was thick and wild. Massive roots twisted across the ground like serpents, while dark vines hung from the branches above. The sunlight barely reached the forest floor.
It felt ancient.
Untouched.
Dangerous.
The boy looked down at himself.
His clothes were still the same torn garments he had worn in the city. Dirt covered his skin, and his hair had grown rough and tangled, hanging past his shoulders.
He still looked like the same starving beggar.
Except now—
He was inside a trial.
A sudden voice echoed through the forest.
"Feyi!"
The boy froze.
His breathing stopped.
The voice came again.
"Feyi! Where are you?"
His eyes widened.
That voice…
It sounded exactly like his mother.
Slowly, he turned around.
"Mother?" he whispered.
But there was no one behind him.
Only trees.
And shadows.
The forest was silent again.
Feyi frowned.
His mother had died years ago.
There was no way he could hear her voice here.
Before he could think further—
A horrible sound filled the forest.
Growls.
Hundreds of them.
Feyi slowly looked around.
And his heart nearly stopped.
He was standing in the center of a massive clearing.
And surrounding him were hundreds of creatures.
They were goblins.
Their skin was sickly green. Their claws were long and curved like knives. Their teeth were jagged, drooling thick strands of saliva.
But the most disturbing thing about them—
They had four legs.
Their bodies looked twisted and unnatural.
Their eyes glowed with hunger.
They were staring directly at him.
Feyi's entire body froze.
I'm dead, he thought.
There were too many.
Even a trained warrior would struggle to survive here.
And he was just a skinny sixteen-year-old beggar.
The goblins began to snarl.
Their claws scratched the ground.
They were preparing to attack.
But then—
Nothing happened.
Feyi blinked.
The creatures were still staring toward him.
But none of them moved.
One goblin stepped closer.
Its glowing eyes scanned the area.
But instead of attacking him—
It walked right past him.
Feyi frowned.
Another goblin approached.
It sniffed the air.
Its nose twitched.
But then it turned away.
As if Feyi wasn't even there.
Feyi slowly took a step forward.
Immediately, dozens of goblins roared.
Their eyes snapped toward him.
But strangely—
They still didn't attack.
Their eyes looked directly at him.
But something was wrong.
They looked confused.
Like they could sense something…
But couldn't see it.
Feyi whispered to himself.
"Why… can't they see me?"
His heart pounded.
"Am I invisible?"
At that moment, he felt something strange inside his body.
A small gate opening deep within his chest.
Energy.
Weak, but real.
He suddenly remembered the moment he was pulled into the portal.
Something had unlocked inside him.
An ability.
His power as an Aspirant.
Feyi focused his thoughts.
Close.
Immediately, the strange sensation disappeared.
The energy vanished.
And suddenly—
Every goblin in the clearing froze.
Their eyes widened.
They stared directly at him.
Drool poured from their mouths.
They had finally seen him.
The forest erupted with roars.
Hundreds of goblins charged toward him.
"Ah—!"
Feyi panicked.
Open!
Instantly, the power inside him activated again.
His body vanished from their sight.
The goblins stopped suddenly, confused.
They snarled and looked around wildly.
But they couldn't see him anymore.
Unfortunately—
They had already launched themselves toward him.
Feyi quickly ran.
One goblin jumped forward.
Feyi slid under its legs, barely avoiding its claws.
The creature heard his footsteps and slashed wildly, but its attacks missed completely.
"They can hear me…" Feyi muttered.
"But they can't see me."
That was his advantage.
He ran through the forest clearing as fast as his weak legs allowed.
The goblins chased him blindly, slashing at empty air.
Feyi kept running.
And running.
And running.
Minutes passed.
His lungs burned.
His legs felt like they would collapse.
He had only run about two miles, but for someone who had spent years starving on the streets, even that distance felt impossible.
His body trembled with exhaustion.
"I… can't keep running…" he gasped.
His stomach ached with hunger.
His vision blurred.
"If this trial continues like this… I'll die."
He forced himself to stop.
Then he whispered,
"I have to think."
Feyi looked back at the goblins chasing him.
An idea formed in his mind.
He walked toward one goblin.
Then he disabled his power.
Instantly, he became visible again.
The goblin shrieked in excitement.
It raised its claws and lunged forward.
But just as the creature swung—
Feyi activated his power again.
He vanished.
The goblin's claws continued forward—
And struck another goblin behind him.
The two creatures crashed together.
Feyi grinned.
"It worked."
He repeated the trick.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each time he revealed himself briefly, the goblins rushed him.
Then he disappeared, forcing them to attack each other.
The clearing quickly descended into chaos.
Goblins crashed into each other.
Claws tore into green flesh.
Roars filled the forest.
One by one, the creatures fell.
But the plan wasn't perfect.
Sometimes Feyi reacted too slowly.
A claw slashed his arm.
Another goblin kicked him across the ground.
A sharp talon tore across his back.
Blood soaked his torn clothes.
Pain burned through his body.
By the time only one goblin remained, Feyi was barely standing.
His breathing was heavy.
His legs trembled.
"I… can't keep doing this…"
The final goblin snarled and approached slowly.
Feyi wiped blood from his face.
Then he did something strange.
He grabbed a handful of his long hair.
And cut off a thick strand.
He held the strand up.
"Let's test something…"
He activated his power again.
The strand of hair turned invisible in his hand.
But strangely—
The goblin's eyes followed it.
"Wait… it can still see this?"
Feyi frowned.
Then suddenly—
The strand of hair began to move.
On its own.
Floating in the air.
"What?"
Feyi stared in shock.
He wasn't controlling it.
Yet the hair twisted through the air like a living thread.
The goblin growled and lunged at it.
The floating strand moved again.
Dancing through the air.
The goblin chased it wildly.
Feyi realized something.
"Is this… another ability?"
Maybe this was what his Initiate power would eventually become.
A control over invisible threads.
The thought filled him with sudden excitement.
But the goblin quickly grew tired of chasing the floating hair.
Its glowing eyes turned back toward Feyi.
And it charged.
Feyi clenched his fist.
Then he did something reckless.
He ran forward.
And punched the creature.
BANG.
Pain exploded through his hand.
His skin split open.
Blood dripped down his fingers.
The goblin barely moved.
It slowly lifted its massive claw.
Preparing to crush him.
Feyi realized the truth.
He was still too weak.
The creature raised its leg high above him.
Feyi stumbled backward.
Then he noticed something strange on the ground.
An intricate symbol carved into the forest floor.
A circular design filled with glowing lines.
He hadn't seen it before.
But something about it felt important.
"If I'm going to die…" he whispered,
"…then I might as well die somewhere mysterious."
He ran toward the symbol.
The goblin chased him.
Its massive claw descending toward his skull.
Feyi collapsed onto the center of the symbol.
At that exact moment—
A drop of his blood touched the glowing carving.
The symbol ignited instantly.
Brilliant light exploded across the clearing.
The goblin's claw crashed down.
CRUNCH.
Feyi's body was crushed.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
But strangely—
He could still feel his consciousness.
His body was broken.
Yet his mind remained awake.
Then something impossible happened.
He felt himself spreading.
His consciousness wrapped around the goblin.
Invisible threads formed from his body.
They wrapped around the creature.
Tighter.
Tighter.
Then—
CRACK.
The goblin's body shattered.
Feyi gasped.
His vision returned.
But the world around him had changed.
The forest was gone.
Instead, he floated in a vast void filled with glowing symbols.
Ancient eyes stared down at him.
Countless runes circled his body.
They poured power into him.
Strength he had never known before surged through his veins.
A voice echoed through the void.
The same voice that had spoken in the trial hall.
The voice of the Realm Sorcery.
"You have successfully passed your trial."
Feyi's body began to reform.
Bones healed.
Wounds closed.
Energy flowed through him like fire.
The voice spoke again.
"Prepare to be reformed."
Light consumed everything.
And Feyi's true journey had only just begun.