A week passed.
Dawn and dusk blurred together into rhythm—breath, motion, strike.
Kael's world had shrunk to the clearing, the weight of his sword, and the steady voice of his master correcting every flaw.
Each morning began before the sun touched the horizon. The forest stirred with birdsong while Kael's blade cut through mist. The air grew thick with Essence, rippling faintly around him. He could feel it now, flowing freely through his body, smooth and obedient. The circuits he had once struggled to open now thrummed like living veins of light.
His master watched from the shadows, arms crossed, cloak swaying with the breeze. "Again," he would say, every time Kael paused.
Kael obeyed. Again. And again. Until his muscles screamed and his breath came ragged. Yet even then, something inside him burned brighter—the nascent core, pulsing steadily like a star refusing to fade.
He was faster now. His strikes sharper, his movements cleaner.
But it wasn't only his strength that had changed.
There was a second presence woven into his rhythm—soft, unseen, and always watching.
She never appeared before his master. Only when Kael's focus deepened, when his world narrowed to Essence and motion, would her voice whisper across his mind like silk on steel.
"Too rigid, my Master."
The title still made his stomach twist. "You're forcing the cursed current to follow mortal balance. Let it move how it wishes. Guide, don't restrain."
He adjusted mid-swing, loosening his stance, letting the dark streaks of Essence flow alongside the silver light instead of fighting it. The blade whistled through the air—faster, cleaner, alive.
His master raised an eyebrow. "Better. You're finally listening."
Kael didn't respond. He couldn't tell him that another teacher had just whispered in his head.
Each night, when the training ended and exhaustion set in, Kael would lie beneath the stars and feel her presence curl around his thoughts. She didn't always speak. Sometimes she only watched. Sometimes he felt her smile—mischievous, knowing, patient. Other times, her silence felt like a test, daring him to ask questions he wasn't ready for.
But tonight, as the sky deepened into violet and the old man dozed beside the fire, she spoke again.
"You're adapting quickly."
Kael stared up at the stars. "You're watching everything I do, aren't you?"
"Naturally. A master should know her pupil's progress."
He scoffed softly. "I thought I was the master."
Her laughter rippled through his mind—low, musical, and dangerous. "Oh, Kael… Titles are amusing, aren't they? You forge a core, wield a blade, and suddenly the world calls you 'master.' But tell me—do you truly command the thing within you? Or does it still whisper when you close your eyes?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "The whispers have quieted."
"Have they?" Her tone softened, almost affectionate. "Then why do you still dream of flame and chains?"
He said nothing. Because she was right.
Every night, behind his eyelids, he saw flashes—the shadow of the sword, the faint echo of screaming steel, the memory of blood and smoke. It wasn't fear anymore, but it wasn't gone either.
"You're learning," she continued. "But you still walk between two truths. The cursed Essence wants to consume, yes… but it also remembers. It adapts because you do. Stop treating it like poison. Let it breathe with you."
He closed his eyes, letting her words settle. There was sense in them—dangerous, undeniable sense. The old man taught discipline, restraint, and structure. She whispered freedom, instinct, and union. Two philosophies, orbiting the same core.
When morning came, the master began their spar as usual.
But today, Kael felt different.
His body moved before thought. Each strike followed the rhythm of his pulse, Essence threading through his limbs with precise intent. The silver and obsidian lights intertwined like a dance—one sharp, one fluid, neither overpowering the other.
The old man's staff met his sword with a resounding crack that echoed through the clearing. Sparks scattered like fireflies. Kael spun, redirected, struck again.
"Better," the old man said. His expression was calm, but his eyes gleamed with approval. "You're starting to feel it. Not think it."
Kael exhaled slowly, steadying his stance. The sword pulsed faintly in his hands—content, almost… proud.
The spar stretched on until the light began to fade. Kael's shirt clung to his skin, his breaths deep and steady. The master stood untouched, unbothered—as if the fight had been a warm-up. Kael couldn't tell if the man was even winded.
"You've grown in a week," the old man said finally, lowering his staff. "But growth isn't mastery. Remember that."
Kael nodded, bowing slightly. "Understood."
The old man turned away, muttering something about stew and rest.
As soon as he was gone, the woman's voice brushed against his ear like a whisper carried by wind.
"You moved well today. He didn't see the difference, did he?"
Kael looked down at his sword, its edge faintly glowing in the dim light. "No. And I'd rather keep it that way."
"Good boy." Her tone was teasing again, playful yet edged with something warmer. "You're starting to hear me even when you're awake."
He frowned. "You say that like it's a good thing."
"It means the bond strengthens. It means you're closer to what you were meant to be."
"And what's that?" he asked quietly.
She didn't answer.
Only silence followed, broken by the crackling of the campfire and the hum of his sword resting against his leg.
That night, when Kael finally lay down to sleep, his dreams returned.
Not the nightmares of fire and ruin—but visions of movement, of threads of light and shadow weaving endlessly in a vast, starlit void. At the center, he saw her—waiting, smiling, eyes gleaming crimson like coals beneath the dark.
He reached out—and the vision shattered.
Kael woke with a gasp, Essence flaring through his veins. His sword vibrated beside him, whispering faintly, almost like a heartbeat.
He pressed a hand to his chest and whispered to the night, "Who are you really?"
For the briefest moment, he thought he heard her laughter again, fading like mist at dawn.
******
A/N: Sorry for not uploading for the past few days, but I'm going to upload a bunch of chapters today and tomorrow:)