The next morning came too soon.
Aiden woke to the sound of Leon knocking aggressively on his door.
"Get up, deadweight. We start in five."
Aiden groaned, his body aching from yesterday's hellish spar. Why does every muscle in my body feel like it's been crushed by a boulder?
Xaleth's voice followed, muffled through the door. "If you don't hurry, Renzou will personally drag you outside."
That was all the motivation Aiden needed. He scrambled up, hurriedly throwing on his training gear before rushing out the door.
Leon and Xaleth were already waiting, both dressed in dark training attire. Leon had a confident smirk, while Xaleth's usual unreadable expression gave nothing away.
"Let's go," Xaleth muttered, leading the way.
Aiden sighed. Why do I feel like today's going to be worse than yesterday?
The trio arrived at the training grounds only to find Takeda Renzou already waiting.
He was casually sitting on a large boulder, arms crossed, eyes closed—as if he had been meditating.
When they approached, his eyes snapped open, sharp as ever.
"You're late," he stated.
Aiden frowned. "It's literally dawn—"
A wooden training sword flew at his face. Fast.
Aiden barely managed to duck before it embedded itself into a nearby tree. His heart skipped a beat. He wasn't even looking when he threw that!
"Lesson one," Renzou said. "Never assume you're safe. Because you're not."
Aiden gulped. Yep. Today's gonna be worse.
Renzou stood, cracking his knuckles. "I don't train weaklings. You three will either learn or break. Simple as that."
Leon smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Sounds fun."
Xaleth simply nodded, while Aiden… Aiden tried not to scream internally.
Renzou turned to them, his expression serious.
"First, let's see how well you three work together."
Aiden tensed. This is it.
"Your first real exercise," Renzou continued, stepping back. "Survive."
A moment of silence.
Then, without warning—six training dummies shot up from the ground, each one enchanted with combat magic.
Leon reacted first, dashing forward with blinding speed, delivering a spinning kick to the closest dummy's head. It didn't even flinch.
Xaleth, already calculating, waved his hand, opening a spatial rift beneath one of the dummies—only for it to resist the pull and rush him instead.
Aiden?
Aiden was running.
"Don't just run, idiot!" Leon snapped, dodging a dummy's fist.
"I don't have magic, what do you expect me to do?!" Aiden yelled back.
"Fight!" Xaleth answered.
Before Aiden could argue, a dummy lunged at him. He barely managed to roll to the side, grabbing a fallen training sword. Alright. Think, Aiden. Think.
Leon's raw speed made him the fastest, but these dummies were tough. His strikes landed, but they were absorbing the impact.
Xaleth's spatial magic gave him mobility, but he wasn't used to prolonged fights—his techniques required careful planning.
Aiden? He had no magic. No enhanced reflexes. Just instincts and desperation.
And yet—he found himself moving.
Leon struck a dummy's leg, forcing it off balance—Aiden saw the opening and swung his sword at its head, knocking it down.
Xaleth created a small warp portal, repositioning himself behind another dummy—Aiden saw the attack coming and distracted it just long enough for Xaleth to land a clean strike.
It was chaotic. Unrefined.
But they were working together.
For the first time, Aiden wasn't just avoiding.
He was contributing.
As the dust settled, all six dummies lay shattered on the ground.
Aiden was panting, Leon was stretching his arms, and Xaleth wiped a small cut from his cheek.
Renzou, watching from the side, nodded slightly.
"You're still pathetic," he said.
Aiden groaned. "Seriously?"
"But," Renzou continued, smirking, "not completely hopeless."
Leon crossed his arms. "So? Do we pass?"
Renzou stepped forward. "Pass? No. Now, we begin."
Aiden blinked. "Wait—THAT wasn't the training?!"
Renzou's smirk widened. "That was warm-up."
Aiden sighed. I'm going to die.