Location: Mistwood Expanse – Forest Ridge Camp
Nightfall draped its silken veil across the towering canopy as Anay, Kael, and Liora settled in for their first night beyond the Astral City. A fire crackled at the center of their camp, nestled between moss-laden rocks, casting dancing shadows on the trees that loomed like ancient watchers. The scent of pine and faint ozone from earlier lightning still lingered in the air. Crickets chirped a steady rhythm as though trying to match the heartbeat of the forest.
Anay sat cross-legged, sharpening his senses rather than his blade. The earlier encounter with the shadow wolves still echoed in his nerves. Though he had reacted on instinct and held his ground, he had also noticed something strange—the hesitation in Kael and Liora's response. Not fear. Not weakness. Something deeper. Something left unspoken.
Kael threw a piece of dry wood into the flames and stretched his arms with a groan.
"Alright," he said. "No time to waste. The forest doesn't give second chances. From tomorrow, the real training begins."
Anay straightened. Liora, seated quietly near the edge of the clearing, gently released a soft breath. Vines curled loosely around her fingers as if mimicking her calm.
Kael continued, his tone dropping slightly. "This isn't Astral Academy. There's no padded ground here. No rune wards. No healing station ten steps away. Every mistake here counts."
Anay nodded. "I understand."
Kael's expression turned more serious. "Do you? Because tomorrow, you'll train like we did in the war zones. No restrictions. No rules."
"What kind of training?" Anay asked.
"Instinct-based. Elemental harmony. Spiritual resonance. You want to understand your spritual wepon It starts with understanding yourself in the wild."
Liora stood. Her voice was soft but carried weight. "We'll each take turns. First, Kael will teach you to hear the forest with wind. Then I will teach you to listen to its soul. But not through words."
Anay glanced at both of them, his heart steady. "I'm ready."
Location: Mistwood Expanse – Morning
A gentle mist rose with the dawn, giving the forest a silver hue. Anay found himself standing barefoot in a clearing, surrounded by nothing but dew-kissed grass, mossy rocks, and swirling wind. Kael stood opposite him, holding no weapon, his arms crossed casually.
"Take off your shoes," Kael said.
Anay did so.
"Now close your eyes. Don't use your ears to hear. Don't use your skin to feel. Use your presence."
Anay tried.
The wind tickled the edges of his tunic. A bird flapped somewhere high in the canopy. But it was disjointed. No clarity. Just sensations.
Kael circled him. "You want to move like lightning? First, move like the wind. Wind doesn't push. It dances. It wraps."
He tossed a pebble. It hit Anay on the shoulder.
"Hey!"
"You heard the bird but missed the stone. Focus. Not on distance. On rhythm. Everything in this forest has a rhythm. Find it."
Anay breathed deeply.
A minute passed.
Then another.
And slowly, the world started forming patterns. He couldn't explain how—but he felt the shift. Like the forest had a pulse.
The rustle of a branch wasn't just noise. It was the exhale of a leaf. The birds weren't singing—they were calling a tempo. The ground wasn't still—it hummed beneath him.
Another pebble flew.
Anay turned just enough.
It grazed past his cheek.
He opened his eyes.
Kael grinned. "There you go. That's wind-reading. Tomorrow we add movement."
Location: Mistwood Expanse – Vine Path
Later in the day, Anay followed Liora deep into a section of the forest he hadn't seen yet. Here, the trees were ancient, their roots thick and knotted, covered in glowing moss. Petals of spiritual flora shimmered in slow motion.
"Sit," Liora said, motioning to a smooth stone by a calm stream.
Anay obeyed.
She sat opposite him and rested her hands on her lap. Vines slowly emerged from the forest floor, circling her, responding like loyal companions.
"Nature is not something to master. It is something to resonate with. Snow, vines, mist—they all speak. But not with noise. With memory."
Anay tilted his head. "Memory?"
Liora touched a nearby vine. A shimmer passed between her fingers and the plant. Then Anay saw it—a fleeting vision.
A moment of laughter. A young girl running through that very stream. A child reaching out to the vine.
Then it vanished.
"This forest remembers everything," she whispered. "To earn its trust, you must let go of control."
Anay sat cross-legged and extended his hand. The vines didn't respond at first. But he stayed. Quiet. Patient.
Then one moved. Hesitantly. Then another.
Liora smiled. "Good. We'll build this slowly. But you've made your first pact."
Location: Campfire – Night
That night, around the fire, Kael handed Anay a wooden bowl of stew. "Not bad for your first day."
"I didn't realize how loud silence could be," Anay said, sipping.
Kael chuckled. "That's when you hear the truth."
Liora added softly, "Tomorrow, we introduce weapon balance and aerial sensing."
Anay looked at Zettai Anant, still in its sealed form resting beside his bedding.
He whispered, "We're going to learn together. You and me."
The weapon shimmered faintly.
Far above them, the clouds shifted.
In the distance, a low rumble of thunder echoed—not ominous, but promising.
As if the world was watching. Waiting.
And approving.
To be continued...