The poison had left Ethan's body, but not his mind.
For days, he woke screaming, clawing at phantom blades in the dark. The antidote Varyn had forced down his throat had saved his life, but not without cost. The wound on his ribs—a jagged, blackened scar—throbbed with a pulse of its own, like a second heartbeat carved in flesh.
By the fire, Lira honed her arrows with slow, deliberate strokes.
"The poison was Varsak's signature," she said without looking up. "Meant to cripple, not kill. He wants you weak. Afraid."
Ethan clenched his fists. "I'm not afraid."
A snort came from Varyn. "Liar. Fear's not a flaw. It's fuel. Use it."
They began training at dawn.
Varyn led Ethan deep into the Ironwood, to a clearing where ancient trees stood like sentinels. At the center lay a moss-covered stone, carved with half-erased runes.
"This is an aura conduit," Varyn said, circling it. "From the time of the Eldertrees. Aura isn't strength, boy. It's resonance. The trees channeled it from the land into men. Now?" He spat. "Now we're leeches, sucking at dead roots."
He gestured to Ethan's scar. "But you… you're a spark in the dark. Let's see if you can burn."
The Lesson
One-Star Aura – Novice. Grants basic stamina, heightened reflexes.Three-Star Aura – Adept. Strikes strong enough to shatter wood or dent steel.Five-Star Aura – Elite. Can shape aura into shields, blades. Varyn sliced a boulder clean in two.Seven-Star and beyond – Mastery. Elemental control, aura-healing, communion with the land."Only Eryndor reached Nine Stars," Varyn said. "They say he could speak to the Eldertrees."
Ethan's aura flickered weakly—more ember than flame.
"Pathetic," Varyn growled. "Again."
At night, as the fire crackled low, Lira explained the world's cruel order.
"Swordmasters, assassins, knights, blacksmiths—we're all ranked by stars," she said, drawing symbols in the dirt.
One-Star: Guards and foot soldiers.Three-Star: Captains, mercenaries.Five-Star: Royal champions, elite guard.Seven-Star: Myths. Monsters like Varsak.
"Stars aren't just skill," she added. "They're power. A Five-Star knight leads a battalion. A Five-Star swordmaster ends one."
Ethan looked down at his trembling hands. "What am I?"
"A spark," Varyn said from the shadows. "But sparks start fires."
The Trials
The Stone. Each morning, Ethan dragged a boulder up the hill, forcing his aura to numb the pain.
The Blade. He sparred with Lira in the clearing, her arrows testing his reflexes, his resolve.
The Flame. He knelt by the rune-stone, chasing echoes of something long gone—the hum of the Eldertrees.
One night, everything changed.
He stood in a forest of gold-lit Eldertrees, their bark aglow with inner fire. A figure—Eryndor?—approached, wielding a sword of pure light.
"The trees are not dead," the figure said. "They sleep. Wake them, and Roudnam lives. Fail, and all turns to ash."
Ethan woke gasping. His hands blazed with golden aura.
Weeks passed. The forest felt older. Colder.
Then, the test came.
Varyn called him to the clearing. They faced each other—Ethan with his rusted blade, Varyn with a sword that shimmered with living light.
Three strikes. Ethan was disarmed.
"Again."
Ten strikes. Twenty.
On the thirtieth, Ethan's aura flared, golden and hot. The force staggered Varyn.
The old master stepped back, grinning.
"One-Star," he said. "Finally."
Lira tossed Ethan an apple. "Don't get cocky. Varsak's a Seven."
That evening, a raven arrived. A scroll was tied to its leg, marked with Elara's seal: a phoenix holding a blade.
Ethan Ardent—Win the tournament in three days. Cedric plans to disqualify you as 'common.' Prove him wrong.Earn your stars—or die forgotten.—Princess Elara
Varyn burned the scroll without a word.
"She's right," he said at last. "The tournament's your stage. But first…"
He tossed Ethan a black cloak.
"We visit the Ash Plains."
They rode into the night. The air grew dry. Trees withered into ash.
In a hidden canyon, Varyn brought him before a shrine: a dying Eldertree sapling, its bark brittle, roots curled around a pool of black water.
"The last living tree in Roudnam," Varyn said. "Cedric drains its aura to fuel his Blackthorns."
"Touch it."
Ethan reached out. The bark trembled beneath his hand. Aura surged through his veins, ancient and fierce. His scar lit with gold.
"It's… alive."
"Barely," Varyn muttered. "This is why the kingdom starves."