The dojo smelled faintly of incense and ozone, the floating lotus gardens drifting lazily outside the wide glass panels. Selene moved gracefully among the students, adjusting stances and correcting posture, her silver hair catching every glimmer of light.
Jiro stood slightly apart, the faint blue glow of his First Pulse visible under his skin. His movements flowed naturally, integrating Ryūshin-ken stances with the subtle energy of his awakened core. Each strike, kick, and block traced threads in the air, sparking with Essentia energy.
"Good," Selene's voice rang out. "You feel the threads. You move with them. But this is only the beginning. Martial arts without awareness of your own core is empty. Energy without discipline is destructive. Combine them — body, mind, and Essentia."
The elite students watched silently, envy simmering behind polite bows. Some whispered, clearly unimpressed — but Jiro paid them no mind. His focus was absolute.
After the session, Darius approached him. "Selene has seen your potential. The next step is practical application. You will be dispatched tomorrow to an abandoned district," he said.
Jiro frowned. "Abandoned district?"
"Dangerous," Selene added. "Filled with creatures mutated by residual Essentia and Etherion. One glance, one wrong move, and they can kill you. Your task is simple: locate a suitable bloodline fragment to merge with your bone. It is the next stage of your core evolution — a step toward inner stabilization."
Whispers ran through the class. Many of the elite students looked pale, their postures stiffening. Jiro, however, felt a thrill. Danger, after all, had always been a familiar companion.
Darius continued, "The district was sealed off decades ago. Only rare individuals survive long enough to claim a bloodline. Your First Pulse gives you a slight advantage — you will sense life threads, but be warned: even the smallest mistake can be fatal."
Selene gave a final nod. "Remember, martial skill alone will not save you. Feel the Essentia in your surroundings, connect with the threads, and move with them. Only then can you hope to survive."
Jiro clenched his fists, the blue glow beneath his veins steady now, and felt the rush of anticipation. His journey, training, and survival had begun in earnest. Tomorrow, the dojo would be left behind, and the true test — the abandoned district, the beasts, and the search for bloodline integration — would challenge everything he had learned.
As he returned to his quarters, Jiro allowed himself a rare smile. For the first time since leaving the Rust District, he felt truly alive.
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