CAW! CAW!
A sharp cry echoed from the cave entrance.
I sat up instantly.
"…What the fuck was that?"
I dragged myself up and walked toward the entrance chamber. My legs still ached like hell, but at least I could move now without everything falling apart.
When I opened the inner door—
I froze.
A bird sat near the entrance.
Tiny. Barely the size of an egg.
I blinked.
"…Master? Did you bring a pet?"
Before he could answer—
A voice snapped back immediately.
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A PET, YOU INSOLENT PIECE OF SHIT?!"
I jerked back.
My eyes shot around the cave.
Nothing. No person. No presence I could properly lock onto. Just that damn bird.
"…Where the hell is that coming from?" I muttered.
Master's expression didn't change. Not even slightly.
Calm. Almost bored.
"That is Anakist," he said. "Son of Delvi."
The name hit instantly.
Delvi. One of the Five Great Masters.
My face drained.
"I… I didn't realize beast cultivators could turn into animals…" I said quickly.
The bird's eyes narrowed. A faint red glow flickered deep within them.
"Phoenix," it said coldly, "why is this weak trash speaking in my presence?"
Something inside me snapped.
All the exhaustion. All the pain. All the endless training.
"Alright," I said sharply, stepping forward. "I'm not letting some tiny fucking bird talk to me like that. Shut your damn mouth before I turn you into dinner."
Silence.
The air didn't just go still—it compressed.
BOOM.
An invisible force slammed down on me.
My knees buckled instantly.
Not physical pressure. Not something I could brace against.
It was intent. Pure, condensed killing intent—so refined it felt like reality itself had decided I didn't belong in it anymore.
My vision blurred. My lungs locked. My body refused to obey.
I hit the ground hard.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't even properly think through the panic setting in.
"…Master…" I forced out through clenched teeth.
I tried to look at him—
And saw him still completely calm.
Unbothered. Upright. Hands loosely behind his back.
Not resisting the pressure. Not reacting to it.
Just… standing in it like it didn't exist.
That alone made something in my mind go cold.
This wasn't something he was struggling against.
He was simply choosing not to show anything.
The bird's gaze stayed locked on me, pressure increasing slightly as if testing how much I could take.
Then Master finally spoke again.
Not louder. Not sharper.
Just certain.
"Enough."
The word didn't carry force. It carried authority.
And the pressure shifted immediately.
Not gone—but redirected. Controlled. Contained.
It stopped pressing me into the ground and instead dissolved into the air like it had been dismissed entirely.
I gasped, sucking in air like I'd just been pulled out of water.
My body trembled as I pushed myself upright onto my knees.
Master didn't even look down at me. His eyes remained on the bird.
Not hostile. Not aggressive. Just observant.
Like someone acknowledging a nuisance rather than a threat.
"You've grown arrogant, child of Delvi," he said calmly.
The bird clicked its tongue.
"Tch."
But the pressure didn't return.
It had already been shut down—completely, effortlessly, without escalation.
Master finally glanced at me over his shoulder.
"You talk too much," he said flatly.
Then, just as casually as ever—
"Go back to your training."
I stared at him, still breathing hard.
"…What the hell was that?" I muttered under my breath.
But I obeyed.
Because something in me had already realized it.
That wasn't a fight I survived.
It was one I wasn't even included in.