An intense mock battle was underway in the training yard of the military complex. One female faced three opponents, and for the moment, the lone fighter was winning points with ease. That was until the trio managed to devise a strategy and scored a single point against her. The score now stood at 6–1—six points to the lone female, and one to her three opponents.
"What do you know? Looks like the frogs in the well have finally begun their climb," Elysia remarked, a trace of relief softening her features. At least her newly appointed team wasn't made up of the lone-wolf type. If she could refine each member's strengths and mold them together, they might just become a formidable unit. And that, after all, was the very purpose of these mock battles to forge them into a true team
**"Still, Captain, you're too fast for us. At this point, I believe it's unfair to face you without using our own aspects of affinity," Jaxon said, glancing at the punch he had managed to land. Yet, no matter how he looked at it, the strike had done little more than earn him a single, measly point.
Elysia regarded them in silence for a moment. Her long red hair was tied neatly in a ponytail, strands clinging to her forehead as drops of sweat slid down, making her skin glisten. She was, without question, a strikingly beautiful woman.
"Since you three were trying so hard, I'm willing to share some pointers." As she spoke, the crowd around the training camp had swelled to dozens. Among the onlookers were several captains, their expressions tinged with thinly veiled distaste.**
But Elysia and her teammates paid no attention to them. The moment they heard their captain was about to give pointers on their fighting style, they completely forgot that more than dozens of people were now watching their battle.
"Let's start with Jaxon." She pointed at him, who stood between Varick and Liora.
"You rely mostly on your power. But without perfect control over it, you could say it's useless, because if you can't land a hit, all you'll gain is fatigue and exhaustion.
I've noticed you rely heavily on your upper body in a fight, while your footwork is sloppy.
Just now, Varick and Liora managed to create a perfect opening for you to score three to five points with ease, but you missed it simply because you were a second too slow. On the other hand, if you had solid footwork and a stronger lower body, you could have scored against me without issue.
So, if you manage to improve your footwork, I believe you'll be able to make the most of your huge frame."
"Jaxon's eyes widened slightly as he listened, his earlier boastfulness replaced by a focused intensity. He nodded slowly, absorbing each word." Because this was the first time he had faced her, and during the last 15 to 20 minutes of the spar, she had managed to find this much info about him.
"Your turn, Liora." Elysia fixed her gaze on her, speaking after locking eyes.
"Your body has great mobility, and your martial arts are well refined. The only thing you're lacking is confidence. You always hesitate to attack for some reason. Even though your body knows what to do, your hesitation prevents your thoughts from reaching action in time.
When I managed to make you fall with a simple kick to your legs, without Varick even warning you, you already knew what I was about to do. Your instincts told you, your body was prepared, but in that brief moment, you hesitated. And that single heartbeat of hesitation was enough for me to take you down.
And I can tell you this with certainty: you can't keep hesitating if you want to grow. That kind of mistake can cost you dearly on the battlefield, especially outside the wall.
So the only pointer I can give you is this: believe in yourself, and don't hesitate to strike when it matters most. I'm sure that within the next two to three years, your martial prowess will be very high."
Liora looked at her with a hint of surprise. Every word out of Elysia's mouth struck like a hammer hitting its mark, not missing even once. How could she have seen all of this just by sparring with her for only a few minutes?
"Last but not least, Varick." Her eyes shifted to him, the young man who had been waiting for his turn with barely hidden anxiety.
"Your battle style, your martial arts, your tactics, and even your footwork—everything is top-notch. Honestly, I'm shocked by your skills. Among all the rookies, only you and Rylan managed to block most of my attacks, and that forced me to fake some of my strikes just to score against you. That alone speaks volumes about your potential.
But…" Her voice lowered, carrying a sharper edge. "There is still one thing you are lacking."
She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in, enough to show that she was impressed by his fighting style. At the same time, Varick swallowed hard, uncertain of what the issue could be if everything she'd praised was true.
"You are lacking team coordination." She let the words hang in the air for a beat.
A ripple of shock spread across the faces of those listening. After all, Varick had been the one constantly pushing for teamwork, the one who insisted on fighting as a unit and crafting new strategies to score points. How could someone like him be accused of lacking team coordination?
But Varick said nothing. He knew Elysia wasn't finished yet.
"You are too fast for your teammates to work with you. You either forget to control your speed, or maybe that is also something you are lacking. When I first saw your moves, I came to this conclusion, but as the spar continued, I began to realize that no, it is not that you are unable to control your speed, but rather that you are not keeping it at the level needed to work with your team. What's the point of working as a team when you are not able to perform on their level?
So you need to adjust your speed to match your teammates in order to execute a strategy."
There was a complete pause for a few seconds as everyone absorbed what she had just said. Varick's flaw had been laid bare in front of them all, yet no one had managed to see it until now. Not even Varick himself had realized that he was moving too fast for his teammates to keep up.
His teammates, however, silently agreed with their captain's words. They had both struggled whenever they tried to coordinate with him, but had kept it hidden out of pride. After all, what would others think if they admitted they couldn't match the speed of a teammate who was supposed to be on the same level? But thanks to their captain, they no longer needed to ask Varick to slow down; she had spoken the truth for them.
All three of them were really impressed by the pointers provided to them by their captain.
And all of them were now beginning to understand that their captain had a very good eye and battle sense to find all of this in just a very short amount of time.
"And now that you all know what you are lacking, why don't we continue our mock battle to see how much you can improve after hearing the pointers?" Of course, she did not expect them to apply her advice immediately; it was not easy to implement lessons that had only been given a few seconds ago.
Still, she lunged at them with swift speed, cutting through the air in front of her, intent on reigniting their morale and sharpening their fighting spirit.
"When did the standards of the army fall so low that they would appoint such a young woman to the rank of captain, despite her having only one aspect of affinity, towards spatial storage?" a woman in her early thirties asked, her face twisted with distaste, as she addressed the man beside her, who looked to be around the same age.
"Oh, you don't know about her, do you?" He regarded her with genuine surprise. "She is the daughter of Theron."
At the mention of the name, her eyes widened in shock.
"You mean Theron Noxveil? The man who elevated the status of Iron Reach and even managed to bring the Army closer to standing on equal ground with the three great Power Houses of the city, perhaps not entirely, but enough to shift the balance. The man who introduced a new field of science and technology that allowed the army to seize more and more resources?"
"Correct," the man said with a quick nod, looking at Elysia as if captivated by her.
"But the army can't just make her a captain simply because she's Theron's daughter. That's nothing short of cheating, and it goes against everything we've worked for." She paused, struggling to process her thoughts, torn between jealousy and disbelief after learning who the young captain's father was.
"You know how hard we've fought to reach the positions we hold now, yet she was handed such a high rank only because of her bloodline." The words dripped with bitterness. She couldn't accept it, not when she had spent ten long years clawing her way to the rank of captain. And now, someone else had been elevated to the same position without the same struggle, without the same sacrifices, granted it all simply because her father had contributed to the city and the army.
"You couldn't be more wrong about her," the man replied to the woman who had been complaining about Elysia, his eyes never leaving the mock battle.
"It wasn't her father's deeds that earned her this position. It was her own effort and hard work that raised her to the rank of captain."
Once again, the woman's eyes widened in surprise. She truly didn't know who this young captain was, nor the extent of her achievements.
"I believe you've heard the name 'the Crazy Dragon,' haven't you?" He paused, waiting for her reaction.
"From her words, it was clear she knew of the man who was so famous, yet so little was truly known about him. No one knew his real identity, and yet everyone knew his name. Even the great houses, which feared no one, seemed hesitant to cross him.
"So where are you going with this? How is he connected to any of this?" she asked, curiosity flickering in her eyes as she looked at the man who had brought up the name of the Crazy Dragon.
"You see that captain over there?" he said, pointing toward the young woman currently dueling three opponents in the training yard. His voice lowered as he continued, "She was the only person he ever chose for his team when she entered the army."
"You're joking, right?" The woman's face was a portrait of shock, her mind reeling at what she had just heard. The Crazy Dragon had never taken a team; he always carried out missions alone. Yet he had chosen a single teammate, and that teammate was now standing before her eyes.
"And don't get the wrong idea." The man fixed his gaze on the woman, emphasizing the point he was about to make about the newly appointed captain.
"It's not just that she was the Crazy Dragon's only teammate and learned directly from him. It's because she can also fight on equal footing with the other captains. Just by watching her fight, I can tell—you and I are no match for her. She isn't even using any aspects or enchantments, yet her speed and movements already surpass the limits of a human body. And on top of that, her spatial storage is unique. If she wanted, she could transport this entire building without breaking a sweat." He gestured toward the massive military compound, its structure stretching across more than fifty rooms.
"Is this some kind of prank? It has to be. Didn't you find anyone else to mess with besides me?"
The idea itself was absurd. How could she believe what he was saying?
How could a person transport that much matter so effortlessly? And if that were true… what would her limit even be?
"I'm not joking. I'm telling you the truth. The moment I saw her, I was instantly captivated. I had to know who she was. So I did some digging on my own and uncovered all of this. And thank god I did my research before trying anything stupid. Now I know she's out of my league. Only a handful of captains could even come close to matching her capabilities."
The woman fell silent after hearing the man's words.
She didn't know what to make of the revelation shared by another captain. To her, Elysia had always seemed like someone who had everything handed to her on a silver platter. But that wasn't the truth. The young woman standing before her, holding the same rank, had fought just as hard to reach the level of captain. Accepting that reality was difficult, so she kept her eyes fixed on the mock battle, her thoughts tangled with conflict.
Meanwhile, Elysia and her teammates paid no mind to the rumors. Their focus never wavered. After the pointers, the three opponents were more in sync, their coordination tighter, their strikes sharper as the mock battle pressed on.
All three of them were finally moving in sync, coordinating and executing their strategies as they should. Varick struck first, Liora followed with a strong defense, and Jaxon came in with the finishing blow.
Through their teamwork, they managed to score two more points against Elysia.The score now stood at 6 to 3.
Varick allowed himself a brief sense of relief. Though it had taken everything he had and the full support of his teammates, they had finally managed to hold Elysia back. Progress, however small, was still progress.
"Finally… maybe we actually have a shot at winning this battle." The thought echoed in his head, bringing with it a fleeting hope.
But that hope didn't last.
Elysia's voice broke the silence, soft and calm, yet heavy enough to smother the very air."It seems the frogs have begun their climb up the wall."
She let the words linger, her eyes sharp as they fell on the three of them, panting, drained, barely holding their ground.
"But the higher they climb," she continued, her tone dropping to a cold whisper, "the crueler the world that waits above. And I intend to show you that world."
The chill in her voice slithered into their bones. Varick's fleeting hope crumbled, replaced by dread that hollowed out his chest. He instantly knew their chance of winning was gone, erased as if it had never existed. The same realization settled on Liora and Jaxon, their faces pale mirrors of his fear.
Elysia dashed forward with inhuman speed. Their eyes widened in shock as they realized her pace had nearly doubled compared to before.
She charged straight at Jaxon, her movement a blur, and drove a sharp jab into the side of his ribs. Without pausing for even a breath, she spun sideways in a smooth back-turn, her momentum carrying her behind him. In one fluid motion, she placed both hands firmly on his shoulders, using his body as leverage.
Then, like a coiled spring released, she vaulted into the air. Her leap carried her nearly fifteen feet high, her figure cutting through the air like a shadow streaking across the sun. From above, she came down with merciless precision, delivering a clean strike to Liora's chest that sent her crashing to the ground.
Jaxon followed soon after, collapsing from the blow he had already taken. The strikes themselves were not bone-shattering, but the exhaustion weighing on their bodies after half an hour of relentless battle made every hit feel twice as heavy. And with the strict rule of not using any aspects of affinity during the fight, their stamina had drained rapidly, leaving their human forms slow and fragile against her overwhelming pace.
Only Varick remained standing on the training ground, staring at Elysia, who had just knocked Jaxon and Liora down with such effortless ease that he couldn't help but feel both confused and frustrated.
"So, all this time… you were just toying with us, Captain." His voice carried both disbelief and respect as he adjusted his stance. Deep down, he knew he didn't stand a chance against her in close-quarters combat. If aspects of affinity had been allowed, maybe, just maybe, the outcome could have been different. But here and now, with nothing but his body and skill, he was hopelessly outmatched. Still, he refused to go down without a fight.
"What were you thinking?" she asked, her tone calm yet sharp as she slid into her stance for one final exchange. "Did you really think I'd go easy on you after giving you pointers? Where would the fun be in that?"
Before he could answer, she lunged forward with blistering speed. Sweat glistened across her forehead and neck, but fatigue had not touched her; if anything, it only made her movements sharper, her presence fiercer, her skin glowing under the dim training lights.
She shifted her footing, sidestepping once, twice, and then a third time, each movement quicker than the blink of an eye. To Varick, it was as though she was vanishing and reappearing at will, a blur that mocked every attempt of his eyes to follow.
And then, without warning, she stopped, her momentum snapping into a coiled strike. Her leg shot upward in a flawless, high-flying arc, crashing against the side of Varick's head before he could even register her position.
He staggered and fell, the world tilting as his body hit the ground. He had known he couldn't keep up, yet the reality of being struck down so effortlessly still burned. But strangely, along with the sting of embarrassment, there was relief—and even admiration. Because in that moment, Varick realized how much he still had to learn, and how much stronger he could become under her command.
And with that final kick, Elysia claimed victory in the mock battle. A thunderous wave of applause broke out around the training camp, echoing against the walls and filling the air with the sound of awe and respect.
Many of the spectators were left in awe of her speed and battle prowess. Of course, among the admiration were also eyes filled with envy and discontent, but Elysia didn't care about that in the slightest.
"So, I believe you've all learned your lesson now." Her calm voice carried across the training yard as she stood at the far left corner, her sharp gaze fixed on the three teammates sprawled out on the sand, their bodies heavy with exhaustion.
"From this point forward, we'll be doing these kinds of drills without relying on aspects. This will not only strengthen you when you use your affinity but also refine your fundamentals, sharpening your body and instincts to a new level."
Flat on their backs, the three raised their hands in acknowledgment, too drained to respond with words.
Elysia turned away from the yard, stepping toward the entrance where Rylan had been waiting patiently. The moment he saw his captain approach, he lifted his hands, and faint blue sparks danced across his palms. Within seconds, the sparks condensed and crystallized into a delicate glass of ice, filled with crystal-clear, chilled water.
He extended it to her respectfully. "That was a good match, Captain."
Elysia accepted the glass with a faint nod and lowered herself onto one of the cement benches that circled the training yard. The cold water gleamed against the light, a perfect contrast to the heat of battle still lingering in the air.
"Thanks," she said with a smile, taking the glass and drinking slowly. After a few sips, she eased back into a more relaxed posture, her expression softening with satisfaction."They're really good, still far from your level, but with some refinement, they'll make a solid team." She paused, then lifted the glass again and took a few more sips.
"I hope we can all be ready before our first mission. I just received the mission update from the Colonel herself, and I've already gone through the details. Once you and the others catch your breath, we'll immediately start preparing."
Rylan said intently, his admiring gaze fixed on her. He was tall, his lean muscles shaped with precision, a sharp face framed by black hair, and dark blue eyes that seemed to carry a quiet intensity. His pale skin gave him a striking, almost austere presence.
"Oh, so you've already received the mission objective." Her eyes sharpened with concern as she set the glass down. "They're not giving us much time to prepare, are they? We'll have to speed up our training and coordination."
Seeing the troubled look on her face, he straightened his back and spoke with a firm voice."Don't worry, Captain. I'll make sure to analyze the entire area thoroughly before we set out on this mission." His posture stiffened, standing as if he were a low-ranking soldier addressing a superior officer.
"That, I'm sure you will do," she replied calmly. "I'm not worried about you, Rylan. I'm worried about them. From now on, I believe including you in the duels will raise their morale as well." She leaned back slightly, allowing herself a moment of rest as her eyes lingered on him.
"Come on, Captain," he said with a faint smile, though his voice carried unshakable conviction. "You and I both know you went easy on them. If you had used your full speed, the match would've been over in less than a minute. How am I supposed to fight against you while keeping their morale intact? And besides, I honestly believe there isn't a single captain in this entire army who could defeat you in close-quarter combat." His tone left no doubt, he wasn't just speaking as a subordinate, but as her most loyal admirer, her number one fan.
Elysia's lips curved into a faint smile. "Don't sell yourself short, Rylan. You're the only sergeant who can last against me for several minutes. The only thing holding you back right now is your stamina. Once you take care of that, I believe you'll surpass me with ease."
A proud feeling swelled in his chest, and he said with determination,"You really think so? Then I'll work hard on my stamina."
They were still speaking about the mission when a large crowd of young sergeants began approaching. Seeing the numbers, Rylan immediately stepped away from his captain's side, giving her space to interact with them, and quietly made his way toward his teammates, who were still lying on the ground, catching their breath.
"Wow, Captain Elysia, you were incredible out there! Where did you learn to fight like that? Will you teach us too?" Excited voices filled the air behind him, questions and admiration pouring out in a steady stream as the young sergeants gathered around Elysia.
Rylan paid no mind to the chatter and instead knelt beside his teammates. Just as he had done for his captain, he conjured a cool, iced glass of water for each of them. The clear condensation on the glass shimmered against the sun as he handed them over.
They accepted the drinks with grateful hands, but their eyes carried more than just thanks, they were filled with unspoken questions, curiosity burning after what they had just witnessed.
Liora was the first to speak, pausing to sip the cold water before finding her breath."Is it true… that you can hold your own against the Captain in a fight like that?" she asked, her voice edged with disbelief, her chest still rising and falling from exhaustion.
"If the Captain used her full speed and strength, I wouldn't stand a chance against her, not in a million years. But yes, at the level she fought you, I can hold my ground… to some extent." He spoke with a hint of pride in his voice.
"How's that even possible?" Jaxon asked, finishing the glass of water in one go before crunching down on the ice. With a satisfied sigh, he dropped back into his lying position.
"If that's true, then I'd say our Captain is the strongest in close-quarters combat," Varick remarked, sipping his drink. His color was returning, his breathing almost steady now.
Rylan sat down beside them, his expression calm but firm. "Well, you're right, and wrong, about a lot of things when it comes to our Captain."
The three turned their eyes toward him, curiosity sharpening their tired faces.
"First of all," Rylan continued, his voice dropping into a tone almost like storytelling, "our Captain isn't like any of us. Her powers, her background, even her aspect, they're all different."
There was clear shock and confusion written on the faces of the three of them.
"Just like a normal sergeant with an aspect of affinity, once someone awakens their aspect, their body changes, making it more durable and strong. And the higher the rank, the stronger the body becomes. But that is not the same case with our captain. Her aspect is Dark Space, a kind of void where nothing exists. And this aspect is so rare that there are only two people among the current generation who have this aspect. One is our captain, and the other is her little brother."
"What kind of aspect is that?" Varick said while looking at Rylan.
"I am not sure what kind of aspect that is. The captain herself doesn't know what type of aspect this is. And there are only a few from other generations who had the same aspect, but they are so few you can count them on one hand's fingers. The problem is, all of them died in very bad situations, the kind of ends no one would wish for themselves. Because of that, people began to whisper about this aspect. At first, they feared it. Then, they started to despise it. And over time, it became branded as a curse. A cursed power that no one wanted, something hated and rejected by humans themselves."
He paused, clearly unhappy to be talking about those cases. "This aspect doesn't evolve one's body once it awakens. So, if you guys have noticed, our captain still has a mundane human body despite having the rank of a captain. A normal beast could kill her if it wanted. Unlike us, whose bodies evolved after the awakening of our aspects."
This was the most shocking news they had ever heard about their captain.
All this time, they were fighting a woman whose body was so weak that if they had applied even a little more force behind their punches, they could have killed her without even realizing it.
Is she crazy or what? Knowing full well that a single strong hit from any aspect holder could kill her in a moment, and still, she faced three of them at the same time.
Seeing their shocked faces, he said with a calm voice, "Oh, but you don't need to stress yourselves. Even if you used the full power of your bodies, you wouldn't be able to do a single thing against her. None of us here, including the other captains, can do anything against her.
You guys are lucky she faced you in close-quarter combat. There is only one person, who is lower in rank than her, who has ever managed to win against her." He paused again, clearly giving them a hint to ask about that person.
"So who is that person?" Varick asked him with a bored look, as if he didn't want to know about it. But deep inside, he was desperate to learn who could have bested his captain, whose abilities were so frightening.
"You won't believe me if I told you—it was a teenage boy who managed to win against her."
A bigger and wider shock spread across their faces.
"A teenager has bested our captain? What kind of monster is he? What will he become when he grows up?" They were all thinking the same thing.
"Who was that boy?" Jaxon said, now clearly sitting up.
"Who else? It was her own little brother. His name is Kyle. She lost because close-quarter combat is not her strongest side. She is far more adapted to fighting at a distance.
Her brother managed to win against her because his close-quarter combat far surpasses the combat of any individual. The captain herself acknowledged that his combat doesn't rely on speed or experience, it is simply overwhelming.
Even though they both have the same aspect, the way they use it is completely different from each other. But the thing is, these mock duels are meant to be this way so that everyone can aim for a total victory against anyone else.
"Let's assume a fight of one versus one, with any kind of soldiers fighting each other without holding back.Can you guess who would be the winner? And how would you come up with that answer?"
Rylan asked a very simple question.
"The one whose aspect of affinity is larger and of a higher rank than the other one," Varick said boringly, as if he already knew the answer.
"Correct. So then, why are we doing these mock battles now?" Rylan asked another question, trying to explain the true reason behind these duels.
A spark of light ignited in Liora's eyes, and she spoke with excitement written all over her face."To make us not rely only on our affinity aspects, but rather on our bodies, so that when we use our aspects, our control over them also increases."
"There you have it. Now you all know the reason behind these duels." He said this while looking at Elysia, who was smiling as she continued answering the questions asked by different sergeants.
Her aspect of affinity is completely different from yours. That is why you were given a fair chance to show your skills without having to reveal what your affinities are or what they can do.
And if she were to fight you in a long-range battle, there is no one in this entire base who could take her on,at least, not if the opponent is fighting without using their aspect of affinity.
You all will see with your own eyes once we leave the walls for our first mission, so I'll leave most of the details of her long-range combat for later."
At this point, they all understood what Rylan was talking about. It sounded so little, yet at the same time, it was such a great feat that their captain had managed to achieve.
The army didn't give her the rank of Captain just because of her strong martial arts. Everyone can have those sets of skills. The best and most amazing part of our captain is her own unique aspect.
Her aspect is some kind of special storage. She can store entire buildings inside it if she wants. Because of this, she was mostly involved in missions that required such abilities. After the awakening of her aspect, the military began to progress even more. Resources that would take years to transport could now be brought within a day or two. That is the true reason why the military holds her in such high regard.
He kept his eyes on Elysia as he explained the situation of his newly appointed team members. Then, turning back to them, he locked his gaze into theirs, as if trying to impress upon them something of utmost importance.
But her body is still a mundane one, and that means anything could happen to her. Yet she never cared about those risks.There was strong look of passion in his eyes.
I have never seen someone with such hard determination.Rylan paused again.
So the only thing I ask of you three is this, never bring up the thoughts in your head that your moves could hurt or even kill her.
It would be disrespectful to her will and her resolve. Not that it matters… even if you tried your hardest to fight against her, nothing would happen to her anyway.
There was a complete pause in the training yard after his words. Distant voices of admiration and questions still echoed from the other sergeants, but the four sitting here were silenced, as if someone had just revealed an unthinkable truth to them. And yet, at the same time, their hearts were wrapped in a new flame of passion for their captain.
They now understood something. In this world, only a fool, or someone with unshakable resolve, conviction, and determination, would dare step beyond the walls with a mundane body.
Even the bodies of transcendent human beings tremble before the creatures lurking outside. So the idea of a person with no evolved strength going out on dangerous missions was so reckless, so impossible, that they could hardly imagine themselves ever doing the same.
While the others were filled with admiration for their captain, and while a few other captains quietly nursed feelings of jealousy, there was someone else who looked at Elysia with a far different gaze.
From the shade of a tall pillar, a man slowly stepped forward into the sunlight. His skin was pale, his presence heavy and unsettling, his expression carrying an unnatural chill. The chest plate on his armor revealed his name: Serick.
He whispered in a low, rasping tone,"Interesting…"
Lifting his hand toward Elysia, he curled his fingers into a fist, as though trying to seize something out of the air itself. There was nothing there, yet in the same direction sat Elysia, surrounded by young sergeants, answering their eager questions with a calm smile.
Then, under his breath, his lips curved into a crooked smirk as he murmured,"I like beautiful things…"
He lingered, his eyes never leaving her, the air around him seeming colder with each passing second. And then, just as silently as he had appeared, Serick slipped back into the shadows of the pillar and vanished from sight.