Training began immediately. This world demanded more than survival; it demanded mastery. Not brute strength, but a harmony of body, mind, and energy. Master Lior guided me through exercises that defied all I thought possible: balancing atop shifting stones, controlling bursts of energy that made the air hum, striking targets that vanished before my eyes.
I fell countless times. Hands scraped raw, legs trembling, chest burning. Each failure tested my patience, my resolve, and my pride. Yet, in the rhythm of repetition, I discovered clarity. The body was mine to command, the energy a living current beneath my skin.
Then came my first real test: a wolf, larger than any I had ever seen, its eyes glowing with green fire. It emerged from the shadows, fangs bared. Fear surged, but training took over—muscle memory replacing panic. I dodged, countered, and struck. The fight blurred into a dance of reflex and thought, each movement feeding the next. When the wolf collapsed, I barely recognized the exhilaration that surged through me: not triumph, but awakening.
Master Lior's voice cut through the haze. "You have potential, but potential alone will not suffice. You must learn patience, humility, and strategy. The world you enter will exploit any weakness."
I nodded, heart pounding, mind racing. This was only the beginning.