My breakfast was over.
I took Miyu and stepped outside to continue my daily routine.
Even though I had absorbed all the elemental powers known to humanity, I was still terrible at using them.
Since Miyu was a master of magic, getting help from her was the smartest thing I could do.
As always, we headed to the training grounds.
We began practicing magic before General Kaelenus arrived.
"Cael, are you sure you want to use fire magic again? Your hands haven't fully healed yet. If you keep using the same element before your body adjusts, you're going to hurt yourself."
I could see the deep concern in Miyu's eyes. I felt it, but I needed to get my body used to every element as fast as possible. I had to survive Kaelenus's brutal training and get back to my own world.
"I'm sure. I have to do this, Miyu. My body may have absorbed the elements, but it still hasn't adapted to them, and I can't control them. The sooner I get used to it, the better."
"Yeah, but you're going to injure yourself—"
"It's fine. Elara's good at healing. I'm sure she can fix me."
I didn't want to burden Elara too much, but I had no other choice.
"You rely on Elara too much. She's an amazing healer, yes, but even healers can't fix everything. I'm worried about you."
I was so used to seeing Miyu being silly and energetic that her serious tone felt strange. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to worry her, but there were things I had to accomplish.
"Okay, this will be my last training with fire magic. After that, I'll do whatever Miyu-sensei wants. Deal?"
Her worried expression began to fade. She flashed her usual goofy grin.
"Fine, I can accept that. I, MIYU-SENSEI, SHALL TRAIN YOU! YOU SHALL BECOME THE KING OF MAGES!"
"I don't really have such a goal."
"Then… King of Warriors?"
"Nope."
"I CAN EVEN MAKE YOU THE KING OF PIRATES! WE'LL FIND A LEGENDARY TREASURE!"
"Can we just train, please? Kaelenus will be here any minute now."
Miyu looked a bit disappointed but quickly shifted into teacher mode.
"Alright, you're no fun. So, you've already mastered coating your body in flames. What you need to work on now is maintaining it for longer and increasing the flame's size. The farther you can extend the fire from your body, the stronger your long-range attacks will be."
"Can I combine fire with another element? Like… if I use fire with explosive flower powder, could I make a bigger blast?"
Miyu stepped closer and, unable to reach my head, jumped up and hit it.
"Idiot. You can't even use basic fire attacks properly—how are you going to fuse elements?"
"It was just a question…"
We spent the whole morning working on elemental control.
Fire magic was still the best I could do.
According to Miyu, there were elements I had even more affinity with—but fire just felt right to me.
As the time for Kaelenus's arrival approached, Miyu left the training grounds.
I continued practicing the kinds of brutal training he had made me go through.
Trying to heat icy baths using only fire magic…
Submerging myself under boiling water and trying to use ice magic…
Injecting my body with poisonous plants from the palace garden and trying to create antidotes internally…
Walking across wet surfaces while channeling lightning magic…
And the worst—earth magic… hard to explain, but I had to stay buried underground all day.
Apparently, I had to learn how to use earth magic to create air pockets and tunnels.
So many bizarre training methods… some made sense, but most just seemed like madness.
I don't think I'll ever understand Kaelenus.
While training on my own, the door opened—and with it, a cold aura filled the room.
I stood up. My body was still sore. But I was used to the pain by now.
Even if I wasn't, it didn't matter. Pain had no meaning here.
Kaelenus had brought a strange creature with him.
I used to think goblins were ugly. Compared to this thing, goblins looked like angels.
Still, I shouldn't judge anything by appearance.
It stood about two to three meters tall.
Its body looked melted—its skeleton even partially visible under its yellowish-brown flesh.
It had numerous black, spider-like legs.
A transparent sack on its chest revealed small things wriggling inside.
"General Kaelenus… What is this? And why are all of its legs and arms chained?"
I had so many questions, but this was the biggest.
Kaelenus's face remained cold and unreadable.
"It's a Succorath," he said, his voice firm. I'd never heard of such a creature before.
"Kill it."
…What?
Kill it?
But why?
I just learned what it was called, and now I had to kill it?
"Kill it? Why? Is it a criminal?"
His expression didn't change.
"I'm ordering you to kill it."
"Okay, but why? I can't just kill something without a reason."
"Are you disobeying a direct order?"
Kaelenus's eyes flickered with something like anger. He stepped toward me.
"I asked you a question. Are you disobeying me?"
"No, it's just… I've never killed anyone before. I don't want to kill something just because it's not human."
"How do you know it's innocent?"
"I don't. But the only reason to kill it so far is because it's not human."
Kaelenus took another step forward.
"No. The only reason is that I ordered you to."
"Yes, but I don't even know why I'm supposed to kill it."
His anger seemed to grow, though it wasn't fully directed at me.
"You want an explanation, kid? I outrank you. My orders are law in this place."
"This is my territory. What I say, goes. And I'm telling you: kill it."
I didn't want to.
The goblin hunt still haunted me.
I'd seen soldiers kill other beings just because they were different.
Even a tiny goblin was brutally murdered—and then spat on, kicked, and mocked.
I couldn't be a part of that cruelty.
I didn't want to lose my humanity.
"No. I'm not like you. I refuse to kill something just because it's different."
Kaelenus's patience had clearly run out.
"You're so naïve, boy."
I barely saw what happened.
The last thing I saw was a glint of light on his fist—fire in his eyes.
And then I blacked out.
When I woke up, I was hanging upside down from a tree.
Below my head was water—so hot it felt like lava.
"If you can't hold on with your legs, your face will fall into the water first—then your whole body. They say burning and drowning are the most painful ways to die. You'll get to experience both. First, your face burns. Then, you drown. Oh, and the tree you're tied to? It's wet. So you'll slide down fast."
"You're a monster," I muttered angrily. He couldn't force his beliefs onto me.
"Just because you ordered it doesn't mean I'll kill a creature. I don't even know what it's done."
Kaelenus's face changed again—this time serious, but not shouting.
"You don't know what a Succorath is or what they do, do you?"
"No, you didn't explain anything."
"Succoraths are demons. They feed on male humans. In the Demon Kingdom, there are many such creatures. As for females, they use them as incubators—implanting their offspring inside them. That transparent sack you saw on its chest? If we hadn't stopped it, it would've placed those into the women of the village. They'd burst out of their bodies in a matter of days."
"The one you refused to kill? It already devoured five male farmers and tried to abduct three women."
He paused, breathing heavily.
"Now… do you still refuse to kill it, you foolish boy?"
I was speechless from the shame.
"I… I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought…"
He cut me off.
"You thought what?"
"Back during the goblin hunt… I saw innocent goblins being slaughtered. Even children. Soldiers laughing as they did it. No one here respects other races."
"You're right," he said. "Humans see themselves as superior. They look down on others. But you don't know what goblins did to humans. Everyone in this world is at war, son. Everyone."
"For what it's worth, I don't insult other races for fun. In fact, they saved my life."
…They saved him?
Who did? Which kingdom?
"Who saved your life?"
He didn't answer.
"You'll learn when the time comes."
When?
What time?
He didn't reply. But he clearly had something else in mind.
"So, when a creature like that stands before you again—will you hesitate, wondering if it might be good? Or will you act?"
I was confused.
What was the right thing to do?
"Kinda hard to think upside down…"
Kaelenus hit the tree sharply, and I slid dangerously close to the boiling water. My hair was nearly touching it.
"This is no time for jokes!" he barked. Then, more calmly:
"Answer the question."
"I… I don't know."
"You don't know?" Kaelenus stared at me. There was something in his eyes—some expectation I couldn't meet.
"You're going to be a hero. Maybe ten, maybe twenty people will follow you. Maybe more. Their lives will rest on your decisions. If you refuse to kill an enemy, what happens when your friends die while you hesitate? What if Miyu dies because you did nothing?"
I couldn't speak.
I didn't know what to say.
"Will you take revenge, Cael?"
His words hit harder than any punch.
"You can take revenge. But it won't bring back what you've lost. It won't heal the hole in your heart. When you lose someone… they don't come back. A part of you dies with them."
He was right.
What should I do?
I didn't know.
I didn't want to lose the people I loved.
Not again—not now that I'd just begun to gain them.