The northern sky welcomed us with sharp winds and a cold that pierced to the bone. But there was no time to rest. In the Viking village hidden behind snowy mountains, time flowed like stone slowly worn away—silent, yet surely shaping something new.
And here I am, Hiro.
Training. Enduring. Growing.
Year One: Becoming One with the Earth
The first days were the hardest.
Murphy wasted no time treating me like a grown warrior.
Every morning before the sun touched the sky, he woke me up. We ran through snow, climbed steep cliffs, and trained in blocking attacks with bare hands—no elemental aid whatsoever.
"The earth won't protect you if you can't protect yourself!" he shouted one day, shoving me into the frozen ground.
My hands bled, my legs trembled, but amid the exhaustion, I started to remember Belzeebub's voice…
"Your technique… is still very raw."
And Blaze's voice that pierced through my soul…
"Face the bitter truth through the righteous path…"
Day by day, I began to form new movements from scratch:
Root Step, Earth Hammer Strike, Stone Spiral Move, and Warrior's Tremor.
Bare-handed fighting was no longer my weakness. It became a new language I was slowly mastering.
Year Two: An Unshakable Body
The second winter was even more brutal, but my body had started to adapt.
Murphy trained me to fight while withstanding attacks from all directions.
Sometimes, he brought me into simulation trainings inside secret Viking caves—where I had to fight trained warriors in total darkness, relying only on my senses.
I also started blending the earth element into my bare-handed techniques.
Not as my main power, but as a natural part of me.
When my feet touch the ground, I no longer feel like I'm walking. I feel like I'm one with it.
Blaze's voice returned again, when I almost lost control in anger:
"You can't keep running from reality… or from yourself."
Year Three: An Unshakable Spirit
The final year wasn't about physical strength.
It was about mastering myself.
Murphy began training me in the "Valley of Deep Echoes," an ancient Viking warrior meditation ground.
There, I sat in silence, enduring anger, sorrow, loss, and fear.
I faced shadows of my childhood—the face of my mother, the loneliness, the fear.
But I no longer ran.
I saw them, accepted them, then forgave them.
Blaze's final voice came once more, softer…
…but it struck deepest.
"Overcome hardship with wisdom, not just brute strength."
Three Years Have Passed
Now, I stand on the cliff's edge of the Viking village.
My cloak flutters, my body taller, sturdier. I'm 15 now. But inside, I feel like I've lived twice that age.
Murphy stands beside me, silent.
Zeco's not far behind, sharpening his blade.
They look at me… not as a boy. But as a comrade.
"You are ready, Hiro."
"You're no longer just the heir of the earth element.
You are a true earth warrior."