The next morning, knocking echoed through three different rooms.
Ki opened his door to find Kenji waiting outside, arms crossed.
Septh opened hers to see Hannah standing calmly with a faint smile.
Zephyr barely had time to rub the sleep from his eyes before a soldier was pounding on his door.
All three heard the same words.
"It's time for your training."
Kenji led Ki deep into the forest. Hannah guided Septh into the grand library. Zephyr was escorted straight into the soldiers' camp. Each of them walked their own path, carrying the same unease… and the same anticipation.
The forest was dense and silent.
Ki followed behind Kenji, alert. Too alert.
Then, without warning…
Smoke burst outward.
Kenji vanished.
Ki's muscles tensed instantly. His breathing steadied. His eyes darted through every shadow, every tree. A shift in the air.
Kenji appeared behind him.
Ki barely twisted out of the way before a strike sliced through where his neck had been.
Kenji disappeared again.
Ki clicked his tongue quietly. "So that's how it is…"
His heartbeat steadied as he shifted into full focus.
At the soldiers' camp...
Zephyr took one step forward.
And got punched in the face.
Blood ran from his nose.
"What the hell was that for!?" he snapped.
"You're late. And slow," Clayman said flatly. "Follow me."
Zephyr gritted his teeth and obeyed.
The deeper they went into the camp, the louder the sounds became… wooden swords colliding… heavy breathing… shouting.
A clearing opened before them.
Dozens of soldiers sparred at once. Some were utterly dominating. Others were evenly matched, locked in brutal exchanges.
Clayman stopped. "This is where you learn hell."
Zephyr swallowed.
The library was quiet. Almost sacred.
Torches lined the walls, light reflecting off endless shelves of books.
Hannah placed a chessboard between herself and Septh.
"Do you know how to play?" she asked.
Septh's eyes lit up. "It's my favorite game."
"Good," Hannah replied. "Then show me."
The match began.
Pieces moved rapidly. Septh played aggressively, confidently. Hannah countered without hesitation.
Ten minutes later…
Septh stared at the board in disbelief.
Checkmate.
She had not lost in a very long time.
Hannah studied her calmly. "Your instincts are sharp. But your vision is still narrow. That can be fixed."
For the first time since arriving in this world… Septh felt truly challenged.
Back in the forest, Ki was being hunted.
Kenji attacked without pattern. From shadows. From blind spots. From impossible angles.
Ki was struck once. Twice.
Blood seeped from his lip.
Still, he adapted.
He began predicting movements not by sight… but by intent.
Kenji paused on a tree branch above him.
"…You're improving already," he muttered.
Ki didn't respond.
His mind drifted for a moment to the void that swallowed them.
Then he crushed the thought instantly.
At the camp, Zephyr was thrown into nonstop sparring.
One opponent after another.
His arms burned.
His legs shook.
But he didn't fall.
Each loss sharpened his movements. Each hit hardened his resolve.
Clayman watched silently.
The sun fell.
By nightfall, Ki could barely stand. Zephyr was covered in bruises. Septh's mind throbbed with endless calculations.
They reunited later that night, exhausted… but changed.
Their training had begun.
And none of it would be easy from here on.