The new training wing lay beneath Vanguard Institute.
Deep.
Far below the crowded halls and roaring arenas, where only the Federation's highest-clearance personnel were allowed to tread.
The elevator descended for nearly a full minute before stopping.
Kali stepped out into a silent corridor lit by pale blue strips embedded in the floor. The walls were smooth alloy, pulsing faintly with energy. No windows. No outside sound.
Isolation.
The instructor walked ahead of him. "This sector is designated Advanced Development. You will train here until further notice."
They reached a sealed door.
It slid open.
Inside waited a vast chamber — gravity control fields, energy convergence pillars, and a circular training platform at its center.
"This is where unstable assets survive," the instructor said.
Kali nodded.
The door closed behind him.
The silence pressed in.
He stood alone at the center of the platform, breathing slowly. The fracture inside his core throbbed like a second heart. His injuries were healing, but not fast enough to keep up with his ambition.
Kali activated the control panel.
Gravity: 4.0x.
The pressure dropped like a hammer.
He bent, muscles screaming.
He smiled faintly.
"Let's continue."
He raised the gravity to 4.5x.
Then 5.0x.
The world narrowed to pain, breath, will.
Minutes stretched.
Sweat drenched his clothes. Blood ran from his nose.
The fracture pulsed.
His core trembled.
He pushed.
The platform shook.
Energy surged.
The fracture widened.
His body screamed for him to stop.
Kali didn't.
At the edge of collapse, something shifted.
Not a breakthrough.
Not yet.
But a foundation.
He fell to one knee, gasping.
When the gravity disengaged, he lay on the platform, chest heaving, vision dim.
He laughed softly.
The climb had entered a new stage.