The sun had barely risen, but Licht was already in the lot, Dawnbreaker resting on his shoulder. His arms ached from yesterday, muscles stiff and trembling, but he ignored the protest. Every step across the cracked concrete echoed, reminding him how alone he truly was out here.
The lot was littered with broken beams, rusted metal, and shards of concrete. To anyone else, it was a forgotten wasteland. To Licht, it was a training ground, a canvas for mistakes and small victories.
He raised Dawnbreaker and swung it experimentally. The halberd nearly pulled him off balance, but this time, his pivot wasn't quite as clumsy. A tiny adjustment of his feet kept him from toppling over. He grinned, heart pounding. A small win, but a win nonetheless.
Focus. Breathe. Move like the halberd is part of you, he whispered.
Swing after swing, he began to feel something subtle: a pressure at the back of his mind, a faint awareness of the space around him. Not magic, not yet. He couldn't explain it, but he felt it a subtle cue to shift his weight, avoid tripping, and balance instinctively.
The system flickered softly.
[SYSTEM STATUS – Licht]
Name: LichtRace: HumanAge: 16
Level: Beginner (Awakening Stage)
Stats:
Strength: F- → F
Vitality: F- → F
Endurance: F- → F
Agility: F- → F-
Prana: F- → F
Aura: F- → F-
Skills:
Dawnbreaker – Primordial Halberd Battle Art
Battle Art Forms:
Thunderstrike Spiral – Locked [0%]
Radiant Cleave – Locked [0%]
Celestial Piercer – Locked [0%]
Stormbreaker Thrust – Locked [0%]
Luminescent Cyclone – Locked [0%]
Tempest Guard – Locked [0%]
Divine Flashstep – Locked [0%]
Heavenfall Sweep – Locked [0%]
Stormlight Vortex – Locked [0%]
Eclipse Rend – Locked [0%]
Lightning Requiem – Locked [0%]
Prismatic Cataclysm – Locked [0%]
Licht noticed the difference immediately. His swings weren't perfect, but the halberd didn't feel as foreign. His muscles still burned, but the fatigue was easier to endure. One stumble was corrected before it became a fall. His coordination, tiny as it was, had improved.
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher, the concrete lot growing hotter. Every swing, every pivot, every careful step left him exhausted, but gradually, he felt a rhythm forming. The halberd wasn't completely an extension of his body yet, but it was responding slightly better. He could sense the feedback from his movements instead of fighting against it.
A rat darted past a broken beam, and without thinking, Licht pivoted instinctively, halberd cutting a careful arc to maintain balance. His chest heaved, but he smiled faintly. That's progress, he thought. Not enough to impress anyone, but progress nonetheless.
He sank to the ground, laying the halberd across his knees. Dirt and scrapes covered his hands, but he didn't care. Today, he had survived, adapted, and grown, even if just a little.
"I can do this," he muttered. "I will do this."
And for the first time, the lot didn't feel like a barren place of struggle. It felt like a teacher, showing him that effort, patience, and persistence mattered even tiny steps counted.