Rex awoke to the soft glow of bioluminescent vines spilling into his nook, stretching across the carved stone walls like liquid light. The warmth and quiet of the alcove lingered in his chest, a small comfort after the dark currents of the deep. Despite the calm, his mind replayed the whispers from the hallway the night before, the words of Master Varrun and the chieftain pressing against his thoughts. Something was coming. Something big.
The guide appeared quietly at the entrance of his nook, her white gown flowing around her as she gestured for him to follow. Rex rose, adjusting his pack and flexing stiff muscles, and followed her through the winding tunnels to the training cavern. The space was vast and echoing, half dominated by the deep pool, half by smooth stone platforms that led toward the pressurized chamber. Mist hovered over the water like a living thing, curling and twisting with each movement of the air.
Master Varrun waited at the far end of the cavern, spear in hand, silver eyes fixed on Rex as though measuring his soul. "Today we begin in earnest," he said, voice low and even. "Every movement you make must be precise, controlled. The deep will punish hesitation."
Rex swallowed, gripping his practice dagger tightly. The metal felt familiar in his hand, a small piece of certainty in a world that had offered him little. He began with warm-ups, simple stretches and controlled breathing exercises that forced his lungs and limbs to respond to the subtle pressures of the cavern. Varrun circled him, adjusting posture, correcting balance, and watching the tiniest flaws in Rex's form.
Then the sparring began. Rex lunged, dagger slicing through the air, aiming for speed over strength. Varrun's spear met every strike with gentle taps, redirecting and countering, forcing Rex to retreat and reset. Time after time, Rex tried to anticipate, to move ahead of the master, but each attempt was met with a precise block or sidestep.
"Too tense," Varrun said quietly after a particularly clumsy lunge. "Relax. Read the space, not just me."
As the session continued, Varrun added challenges: shifting currents in the pool that threatened to throw Rex off balance, narrow platforms that forced careful foot placement, uneven surfaces that punished missteps. Each environmental obstacle was designed to mimic the pressures of the valley, where unpredictable terrain and relentless water currents would be just as dangerous as any creature.
Rex adapted gradually. He rolled, ducked, and thrust in fluid sequences, combining his dagger's reach with swift dodges and pivoting strikes. Varrun demonstrated a flurry of movements—strike, parry, feint, dodge—in rapid succession. Rex tried to mimic, stumbling, recovering, striking, dodging, but gradually keeping pace with the rhythm. His arms ached, his legs burned, but his mind began to sharpen, mapping the spear's motion, predicting the trajectory.
Despite the intense focus, his thoughts occasionally drifted toward the eastern section of the valley, the whispered warnings echoing in his mind. The creatures of the deep were gathering, forming strange patterns, and he felt a twinge of unease even as he trained. The thought drove him harder, each movement an attempt to prepare himself for the unknown threats looming beyond the cavern.
Hours passed like minutes. Sweat slicked his hair to his forehead, water dripped from his shoulders, and his breathing came in ragged gasps. Still, he pushed forward under Varrun's watchful eye, learning to control his strikes, his weight, and his anticipation. By the end of the session, Rex dropped to the stone edge of the pool, chest heaving, muscles trembling, but a faint glow of pride illuminated his eyes.
Varrun sheathed his spear and approached. "You are slow, hesitant, still reacting instead of anticipating. But you endure, and that is the beginning. Practice this every day. Patience, precision, and observation will carry you further than brute strength ever could."
Rex nodded, swallowing the burn in his throat, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction. As he returned to his sleeping nook later, muscles still buzzing from exertion, he reflected on the growing sense of purpose inside him. The valley was no longer just a distant place of danger—it was a challenge, a proving ground, and he would have to be ready.
Even in the quiet, the whispers of the deep lingered in his mind. The creatures were gathering, something formidable moved in the shadows, and Rex knew that every lesson he learned here could mean the difference between survival and destruction.