Eden blinked, staring at the ball in Osmund's hand.
"…Play?" he repeated cautiously. "Like… catch?"
Osmund smiled. "If you can still catch after I throw it, sure."
'Oh no.'
Before Eden could react, Osmund flicked his wrist.
The ball shot forward like a cannonball wrapped in mana.
Eden barely managed to dodge, feeling the air ripple beside his cheek.
BOOM!
The wall behind him cracked and dust flew everywhere.
But the ball returned back in Osmund's hand.
"WHAT THE—!?" Eden shouted, jumping back. "You call that playing!?"
Osmund chuckled, his rough voice echoing across the training ground.
"Consider it a warm-up. If you're going to learn the Dragon-Elephant Technique, you need to understand how to take hits."
'Wait, how did he gotten the ball back?'
"I'm not trying to die tonight!"
"Alright, fine." He said, taking a few steps back. "We will start slow."
Osmund raised his hand again, and the glowing sphere floated above his palm.
This time, the light dimmed slightly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Focus on your stance," Osmund said calmly. "Breathe through your nose. Ground your feet. If you lose balance, you'll take the full impact."
Eden did as told, inhaling deeply. The air tasted of dust and burnt mana.
The old man snapped his fingers. The ball shot forward again—slower this time, but still heavy.
Eden clenched his jaw and crossed his arms in front of him.
BAM!
The impact pushed him back two steps. His arms stung, but he didn't fall.
"Better," Osmund said. "Now throw it back."
Eden throw his hand back to generate as much force but when the ball moved towards Osmund he caught it easily.
'Fuck and I used all my strength.'
Eden gritted his teeth as he readied himself for the impact.
And the impact did come, and the ball rattled his bones when he caught it.
"You know, I used to play this with my father." Osmund said, grabbing the ball. "I was…hm, six or seven back then."
"And did grandfather stop when you grew to my age?" Eden asked, his hands numb.
"Perhaps I would have." He spoke with a smile. "But never got to experience it."
Eden forwnedfrowned. "Why?"
"Because I ran away." Osmund said as he threw the ball. "Just after awakening."
Eden paused looking at him from bottom to top. "…You ran away with that body?"
Osmund looked down at his fat body as he chuckled. "Don't make fun of your father, brat."
Eden snorted. "I'm not making fun, I'm just… surprised you could even run."
Osmund let out a loud laugh, catching the glowing ball with one hand.
"Ha! Back then, I wasn't this round, you know. I was a handsome, lean warrior!"
Eden tilted his head, unconvinced. "You sure you didn't eat that warrior later?"
The man froze for a second, then cracked up again. "You've got a mouth for a scrawny boy."
"Stop body shaming your child."
"I could say the same." Osmund smiled. "Stop body shaming your father."
Osmund rolled the glowing ball in his hand thoughtfully.
"You remind me of myself when I was your age…a reckless fool." He chuckled. "But you are smarter because of your mother."
"Thanks… I guess?"
"Don't thank me. It's not a compliment."
Before Eden could reply, the old man hurled the orb again.
Eden braced himself, this time letting blood instinctinstinctively course through his arms just before the hit.
When the ball slammed into him, the impact felt lighter.
It was more like a heavy shove than an explosion.
He grunted but stayed on his feet. 'Damn it.'
Osmund nodded approvingly.
"You're getting it. The Dragon-Elephant Technique isn't just about muscle. It's about flowing with force, not fighting against it."
Eden's breathing steadied. "Flowing, huh… easier said than done."
"Everything worth learning is."
Osmund caught the returning ball effortlessly, his movements strangely graceful despite his size.
"When you master it, you'll be able to take a dragon's breath head-on and still stand."
Eden blinked. "A dragon's breath?"
Osmund grinned. "That's the goal. To be strong."
"Yeah, but I didn't mean suicidal strong."
"Same thing in this world," Osmund said simply, tossing the ball once more.
This time, Eden caught it with both hands, his arms trembling under the weight of mana.
He bent his knees, exhaled, and let his blood flow downward, just like before.
The shock faded quicker and his hands stopped shaking.
Osmund smiled at the scene. "You really are a genius, son."
Eden blinked as he looked at the man walking towards him. "What do you mean?"
"It took me almost two weeks to learn what you did in a few minutes." Osmund said, ruffling Eden's hair. "You did great."
"Hey! Don't mess it up," Eden muttered, swatting his hand away.
Osmund just chuckled, the sound deep and honest. "You should take the compliment, boy. It doesn't happen often."
"Yeah, yeah." Eden said, giving him an annoyed look.
Osmund smiled before he turned around and began to walk away. "I will see you tomorrow."
Eden hesitated before he softly muttered. "…Thanks."
Osmund didn't respond as he was soon out of Eden's view.
With a deep breath, Eden sat down once again and felt the flow of blood.
'Flow with the force, not against it…'
He replayed his father's words in his head, letting them sink in.
The moment he focused, he could feel it again.
The faint rhythm inside his chest, the steady thump of his heart pushing warmth through his veins.
Each pulse felt heavier, more defined than before.
'So this is what it means to control blood flow, huh?'
He guided the blood through his arms.
Slowly at first, like a beginner tracing invisible lines.
He then made it faster, smoother, until it circled through his whole body.
His veins glowed faintly red under the moonlight.
The reserve mana inside his body followed the same route, twisting around his blood flow like twin streams merging into one.
It was painful at first but then something clicked.
The two forces balanced.
'There it is…'
Eden exhaled softly.
His body felt lighter, but grounded at the same time.
A strange feeling cut through his mind.
Then, for the first time, he heard it. A faint but clear voice.
An elephant's roar.
It wasn't loud or terrifying, just… ancient, like a whisper echoing inside his bones.
Eden slowly opened his eyes as he smiled softly. '…I took the first step.'
The first stage of elephant.
[Congratulations!]
'Thanks.'
But his happiness soon diminished as he remembered Osmund.
[….What happened?]
'…Nothing.' Eden sighed. 'It's just this….'
He hesitated to speak as he looked down on the ground.
'Am I doing the right thing by pretending to be thiertheir son?'
The son of Osmund and Evelynn was already dead.
Even though Eden hashad thiertheir son's memories, he was still…a stranger to them.
Eden's family condition back on earth was never good.
His mother died when he was just born and his father was a drunken abuser.
Eden's father left him to die when he was just seven.
Has it not been Lunive in his life Eden wouldn't have come this far.
But right now…
'Do I really deserve a loving family?'
Eden wondered for a long while but didn't get his answer.