The forest was cold that night. Not the kind of cold that came with frost or snow, but the bone-deep chill that seeped into Kai's skin and made his breath fog in the pale moonlight. He sat huddled against the base of a thick tree, his arms wrapped around himself, shivering. Every gust of wind seemed to bite, and no matter how tightly he curled, the cold gnawed at him.
Across from him, Elara sat with her back resting against an oak trunk, looking utterly unbothered. She wasn't wrapped in blankets or cloaks—she had none. Instead, her body seemed to give off a faint, soothing glow. The cold air never touched her. The way she leaned casually, eyes closed, dagger balanced across her knees, made her look like a painting—still, serene, unreachable.
Kai squinted at her, teeth chattering. "H-how are you not freezing?"
Her eyes flicked open at his stammer, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She raised one pale hand, and Kai noticed something then—her skin shimmered faintly, as if covered by a second, transparent layer of light. "Mana Coating," she said simply, her tone calm and matter-of-fact. "Keeps out the cold. Heat too. Even blades, sometimes."
Kai stared, awestruck. "You… you can just do that?"
"You'll have to," she replied, eyes sliding shut again. "Surviving in this world without it is impossible. You'd freeze to death in the northern mountains before ever meeting an enemy. Or burn alive if you wander too close to volcanic fields."
Her words weren't cruel, just blunt. But to Kai, they were a challenge. He straightened, forcing his stiff limbs to move. "Then teach me. Please. I can't… I can't keep depending on you."
That earned him a proper look from her. Elara's silver eyes studied him in silence for a long moment, weighing him, measuring his resolve. Then she gave the faintest nod. "Very well. But don't expect it to be easy."
She began with Mana Building. "Think of mana like a muscle," she said, kneeling across from him. "The more you use it, the stronger it grows. But if you tear it, it'll cripple you. So we train carefully. Slowly. Sip, don't gulp."
Her instructions were simple, but putting them into practice was anything but.
"Close your eyes," she commanded. "Breathe slowly. Feel the air around you—not the air itself, but what swims in it. The energy. Guide it in, one thread at a time."
Kai obeyed, shutting his eyes, inhaling deeply. At first, all he felt was the ache in his chest and the thundering of his heartbeat. But as he focused, he began to sense… something. Like a faint warmth drifting around him, invisible currents brushing his skin. He reached for it greedily, trying to pull it in—
—and it was like drinking fire. His chest burned, his veins lit with sharp, stabbing pain, and his body jolted violently. His eyes snapped open, gasping.
Elara smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "I said sip, not gulp. You nearly tore your channels. Again."
Kai gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling. But he forced himself to try again. This time he pulled too little. Nothing happened. Then too much again. Pain. Over and over. Hours passed like this, his body drenched in sweat despite the cold. His head pounded, his limbs felt like lead, but slowly—agonizingly—he began to find balance.
And then, finally, he felt it. A trickle of warmth entered his body and stayed, flowing gently into his core. Not fire. Not pain. Just a faint heat that spread through him. His breath caught in awe.
Elara's lips twitched faintly. "Good. You've taken your first step."
Next came Mana Coating.
"Push that energy outward," she instructed. "Let it wrap around your skin. Not forced, guided. Like pouring water into a mold."
Kai tried. And failed. Again. And again. Every time he felt the warmth travel down his arm, it either slipped away or sputtered out before it reached his fingertips. The one time he forced it too hard, the energy burst outward in a wild spark, making his whole hand go numb.
"Relax," Elara said calmly. "Mana follows intent. If your mind wavers, so will the flow."
Her own hand shimmered with translucent light as she demonstrated, a thin layer of mana coating her skin effortlessly. It was elegant, smooth, unbroken.
Kai growled in frustration. "Easy for you to say…"
"Do it again."
And again. And again. Until his vision blurred and his arms shook. Finally—finally—his hand shimmered faintly, a weak, flickering glow spreading across his fingers. It was unstable, vanishing as soon as he lost focus, but it was there. His first shield.
"I… I did it…"
Elara gave a small nod. "Barely. But yes."
The pride swelling in his chest was raw and fragile, but it was enough to keep him going.
By morning, they set out together. Elara walked with steady steps, silent as a shadow, while Kai stumbled along behind her, sore and drained but burning with determination.
As they foraged for food, Kai noticed deep claw marks etched into tree bark. Blackened, unnatural. His stomach twisted. "The wolves…"
"Not just wolves," Elara murmured. Her eyes swept the forest, sharp and wary. "There are hunters in this world who use beasts as tools. Dark guilds, rogue mages. They'll bind animals with forbidden rituals, twist their mana until they obey."
Kai shivered, remembering the Pyre Hound's glowing eyes. "Why me, though? Why send them after me?"
Elara didn't meet his gaze. "I don't know. Maybe you carry a skill you haven't unlocked. Maybe someone's simply decided you're dangerous. Or maybe…" her eyes hardened, "you're just unlucky. Some people are hunted not for what they've done, but for what they might become."
Her words chilled him more than the night air.
Blood and Progress
Later that day, Elara guided him through combat drills. "Mana isn't just for coating. You can bind it to objects. A stone, for example. Throw it with your mana, and it hits like steel."
To prove it, she flicked a pebble at a nearby tree. The stone struck with a crack, lodging itself deep into the bark.
Kai stared. Then he tried. His first attempt was pitiful—the pebble barely bounced off the trunk. His second wasn't much better. But on the third, with all his focus, he felt the energy surge into the stone, and when he hurled it, it struck hard enough to leave a shallow dent.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[+40 EXP][Level Up!][Level: 3][All Stats Increased]
Kai nearly jumped with joy. He pulled up his panel eagerly:
[Health: 3000/3000][Stamina: 1200/1200][Mana: 800/800]
"I leveled up again!" he shouted, grinning wide.
Elara didn't even look impressed. "You're still weak. Don't get cocky."
But Kai didn't care. For the first time, progress felt real.
They continued deeper, and soon enough, danger found them. A small pack of horned boars burst from the undergrowth, tusks glinting, eyes wild. Elara drew her daggers but made no move to interfere.
"They're yours," she said coldly.
Kai's stomach dropped. "What? Alone?!"
"If you can't handle this, you'll never make it to the capital."
The boars charged. Panic surged, but so did instinct. He coated his legs with flickering mana, barely holding it together, and leapt aside as tusks grazed past him. He grabbed a rock, infused it with everything he had, and hurled it at the nearest beast's skull. The impact cracked bone, sending it sprawling.
Pain, sweat, fear—it all blurred together. But blow after desperate blow, he pushed through, until the last boar fell with a squeal.
[Beast Defeated – +100 EXP][Level Up!][Level: 4][All Stats Increased]
[Health: 4000/4000][Stamina: 2000/2000][Mana: 1200/1200]
He collapsed to his knees, panting, body trembling. But his lips stretched into a weak, disbelieving grin. "Level 4… I actually… did it."
Elara watched him quietly, her expression unreadable. Then, finally, she gave a small nod. "Not bad. You might survive after all."
Shadows in the Trees
That night, while gathering berries near their camp, Kai noticed it again—a tree slashed with deep claw marks. The grooves pulsed faintly, leaking a dark, oily energy that made his skin crawl. The same residue from the Pyre Hound.
His breath quickened. "They're… still here…"
Elara's gaze darkened as she traced the mark with her fingers. "Yes. Whoever hunts you hasn't given up."
Iris's voice stirred faintly in Kai's mind, low and urgent. Be careful. This isn't random. Someone powerful is watching.
Kai shuddered. He looked toward Elara, but she was already staring into the shadows of the forest, frost dagger in hand, eyes sharp.
The night felt colder than ever.