The sun was slowly rising in the sky, its golden rays filtering through the light mist that covered the trees. In the middle of an open area in the forest, Theo, nine years old, stood holding a long wooden stick, and sweat of exhaustion dripped from his forehead.
His body was trembling slightly from the intensity of the training that had begun at dawn. In front of him stood Kyle, the Rank Five warrior, with his messy gray hair and his sword in its sheath. He looked at Theo with a stern gaze that knew no mercy.
"Come on, boy, repeat the move!" Kyle shouted, raising his stick as if preparing to attack. "If you don't strike accurately this time, you'll get a hit from the stick on your legs!"
Theo sighed in exhaustion and tried to focus. His body was still tired from yesterday's training, where Kyle had forced him to do a hundred push-ups and run in the forest for two hours and some other violent exercises.
But he knew there was no escaping this harsh training. He raised the wooden stick and tried to imitate the move Kyle had taught him. A swift strike from top to bottom. But before he executed the strike, he felt a strange pulse in his chest, as if blood surged powerfully for a moment then calmed within his veins.
"What is this?" he whispered to himself, his black eyes lighting up with a hint of worry.
"Don't lose your focus, Theo!" Kyle shouted, stepping forward. "Strike now!"
Theo shook his head and tried to ignore the strange feeling. He raised the stick and struck powerfully, but the movement was shaky, and the stick hit the ground instead of the imaginary target. Kyle sighed, raised his wooden stick, and said: "I told you, focus! Come on, ten squats as punishment!"
Theo began the exercise in silence, but he felt strange. He didn't know if it was a fleeting sensation this time. There was a faint voice whispering in his ear: "Theo... let the darkness flow..." His body trembled, and he stopped moving for a moment.
"What are you doing?" Kyle asked sharply. "I didn't tell you to stop!"
"I... I heard something," Theo said, looking around. The forest was quiet, except for the rustling of distant leaves.
There was no one but the two of them.
Kyle frowned and said: "No excuses! If you're imagining things, it's because you're tired. Come on, finish the exercise!"
But Theo wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not. The voice was distant this time, unlike that night in front of the window. He decided to stay silent and returned to doing the exercise.
That night, Theo returned home exhausted.
Elena was waiting for him at the door, and when she saw him walking staggering from fatigue, she rushed to him. "Theo, my little one! What did Kyle do to you this time?" she asked worriedly, as she supported him inside and checked his body for injuries.
Theo smiled weakly and said: "Don't worry, Mom. I'm fine. But... training with Kyle is like hell."
Elena laughed gently and helped him sit down. "You are strong, Theo. I know you will persevere."
Celia entered the kitchen at that moment, carrying an old book covered in leather. She looked at Theo and smiled, saying: "It seems Kyle is merciless, isn't he? But don't worry, tonight we'll focus on magic. You won't need to run or carry wood."
Theo sighed in relief, but his eyes still held a slight worry. "Auntie, can I ask you something?" he said quietly.
"Of course," Celia replied, sitting in front of him. "What's on your mind?"
"The voice... I heard it again today, during training with Kyle," Theo said, his voice hesitant. "It was saying 'let the darkness flow,' and the voice seemed as if it were distant."
Celia's expression didn't change, and her warm smile remained. She put the book aside and said: "Theo, it's very normal, and I've read about it in some records before. It's normal for you because you are a mage with a rare element."
Theo didn't know what to do, and although the phenomenon was unverified, he believed what came out of his aunt's mouth without any doubts whatsoever, and he quickly felt more reassured than before.
Celia looked with the same smile and said: "My little Theo, you are worrying about nothing now, and the matter doesn't deserve all this worry and thinking. Just clear your mind and continue."
Theo fell silent, thinking about her words. He felt there was something bigger, but his aunt's words were always like law to him; if she said humanity would end, he would believe her immediately.
Later that same night, Celia took Theo to the backyard garden to continue his magical training. The moon had lit up the sky, and the air carried the scent of wild herbs.
Celia sat on the ground and gestured for Theo to sit in front of her. "Today," she said, "we will try something harder. I want you to form a sphere of darkness between your hands and maintain its shape for one minute."
Theo closed his eyes and tried to focus. He felt the black ring around his heart reacting, as if it were responding to his command. He imagined a shadow flowing from his chest to his hands, and slowly, a small black sphere began to form between his palms. "I'm doing it!" he said excitedly.
In reality, despite Theo having an exceptional affinity, it wasn't easy for him to create a mana sphere of a specific size and control the flow of mana to it at the same time, and this had always worried Celia.
"Good," Celia said, but her voice was tense. "Maintain your focus, Theo."
Another sudden pulse appeared in his chest, but he didn't pay attention to it and continued until the minute was over, and the sphere that had formed between his hands disappeared.
Celia didn't notice anything, and this increased Theo's reassurance and his belief that they were just hallucinations.
"Alright, now, Theo, we will double the size of the sphere, and if you can maintain it for five minutes without it exploding, I will teach you your first spell," Celia said, looking expectantly.
Theo was excited and began the test. He formed a sphere of darkness in his hand, and it began to grow from the previous small size to double the size until it stabilized at a certain size. It was very difficult at first and it almost exploded in the first ten seconds, but as time passed, Theo began to get used to it, and it was stable. The full five minutes passed until Celia said,
"Time is up, Theo, you succeeded," Celia said with a slight smile.
Theo felt joy and excitement at the same time, and the black sphere gradually disappeared, and he began to sit and wait, looking expectantly at his Aunt Celia.
"Look at my hands now, Theo," Celia moved her palms smoothly, displaying a small sphere in each hand. The two spheres looked modest, similar to the one Theo had used in his first training. Theo felt a slight disappointment and said,
"But Auntie, doesn't this look like the sphere I was training with earlier?" His voice held hesitant hope.
Celia smiled and said: "Don't be too quick to judge, Theo. These two spheres are not what you think." Then, with a swift movement, she directed her hands towards the dark forest. The two spheres flew quickly, and suddenly, a huge explosion shook the ground, covering a quarter of the forest. A bright flash lit up the night sky, as if the sun had risen again over Etherfield.
The villagers came out of their homes, their faces filled with terror, as if the Day of Judgment had arrived for them.
Theo's eyes widened to their fullest, and his heart pounded with excitement and astonishment. He turned to his aunt and found her looking at him with her usual warm smile, and she said: "That is called the Flame of Destruction, and it is just a spell of Moderate grade, and it doesn't deserve its name, but this name was given to it by its creator, and we have no other solution but to call it by the same name. It appears strong because I am a mage with six rings, and it will be different with you. And if I were its creator, it would be almost double its power now."
Theo's eyes opened wider from these words that had just come from his aunt. 'If that is just a Moderate grade, what would happen if it were a High or Exceptional grade?'
"Now, Theo, since you have a Moderate fire affinity, you are supposed to be able to learn it, but from now on, you will train to increase your control over fire, because you know what will happen to you if it explodes in your hand, right?"
Celia said, smiling at Theo, who was thinking about what would happen if her words came true. He suddenly felt a shiver in his body and said, "Okay."
Three years of harsh training and rapid growth passed. And now, Theo appeared in his same hellish training with Kyle, who enjoyed torturing poor Theo, and asked him: "You're thirteen now, right?"
"Coach, it's twelve," Theo said, smiling ironically at what would happen next.
"Are you correcting your coach now, you rascal?" Kyle smiled at Theo, then hit him forcefully with the stick on all four of his limbs.
In fact, if Theo had answered yes, he would have been punished for lying, and if he remained silent, he would have been hit for ignoring Kyle's words, so he spoke in the end.
"Alright, boy, stop now, your time is up," then Theo stopped training, saying goodbye to his coach now to go home for a good meal prepared by his mother, until he met someone.
"Hey, Theo, aren't you going to say hello now?" Ryan said with a smile to Theo.
"And why wouldn't I, Ryan? Is there any fool here besides you who can talk to me?" Theo said with a slight smile.
"Okay, okay, how are you, my friend?" Ryan asked, shaking Theo's hand and accompanying him for a bit.
Ryan was now a slightly sensible boy, and his brown hair now reached his shoulders, and he was also good-looking, and his parents were already encouraging him to date, unlike Theo, whom the villagers had begun to ignore even more since the explosions in the forest had increased recently.
"I'm fine as usual, Ryan. How are you? Have you become a Rank Three warrior yet?" Theo asked Ryan, who, in fact, had felt a little jealous for years, and had started training under Kyle's supervision alongside Theo, but they hadn't coincided in time until now due to Theo's hellish training schedule.
"Unlike someone who has already reached Rank Three, I'm still close to Rank Three, and I don't know what I'm missing, and the coach refuses to tell me yet, claiming that I must discover it myself," Ryan said with a slight frown, then laughed ironically at himself.
Ryan was jealous of Theo because of his monstrous talent in training and development, but that jealousy never affected their friendship, and Ryan still saw Theo as his dearest friend and supported him at all times.
"In fact, Ryan, I can tell you too, but if I tell you, you will remain stuck in Rank Two forever, and you must think for yourself, and take a day to rest and think," Theo said, advising Ryan, and noticed that Ryan was frowning more.
"Alright, Theo, the matter ends here, let's not think about it again, because I frown more whenever I remember it," Ryan said, smiling ironically at himself.
"Hey, Ryan," Theo suddenly called out to Ryan.
"What is it?"
"Does this village have a name?" Theo said, thinking, 'He will make fun of me again now,' then turned his head slightly to the other side.
"Have you really been living for 12 years without knowing the name of your village, Theo?" Ryan asked in shock while Theo felt embarrassed.
"Theo, the name of our village is Etherfield."
"Alright, Theo, I'll leave you here, this is enough," Ryan said to Theo, then they said goodbye to each other, and Theo completed the last few minutes home alone, until he met his aunt waiting outside.
"Auntie, why are you waiting without Mom? Isn't she coming with us today or what?" Theo asked, looking around.
"She is preparing the food as usual so we can take it with us, Theo, now," Celia replied calmly, with her eyes closed.
Then Theo's mother arrived immediately after the conversation ended, carrying a basket with some food in it, as always.
"Mom, we've told you many times that you don't need all of this, as we will hunt a few beasts and return directly. You can just stay at home, and we'll be back after a few hours," Theo said, repeating their usual daily conversation, worried about his mother who insisted on coming, worried about Theo.
"You've grown up, Theo, and you're opposing me now?" Elena said, scolding Theo a little before going to the forest adjacent to the village for Theo to gain some experience in combat using magic.
Now, Theo wouldn't just be a spectator, but would start hunting himself, for the first time.
The family walked to the forest, chatting for amusement until they reached a slightly large forest, and if one were a little far from the forest, they would be able to see remnants of fire damage still remaining in the forest.
Theo and his family entered, and walked a little until a small goblin appeared. And before his aunt could guide him, he moved directly before he started feeling tension and worry, while hunting, and he tried to strike its head directly, but the goblin was faster and managed to evade Theo's dagger.
Theo had started using daggers since he noticed they suited him best, as he wasn't specialized in unarmed combat techniques, and wasn't specialized in sword fighting, so he chose daggers that suited his shadow techniques and his shadow abilities in stealth and killing.
After Theo's attack was evaded by the goblin, it also took out stone daggers from its clothes, and tried to stab Theo, but Theo suddenly disappeared, revealing that it was just a copy of Theo in the first place, then he reappeared behind the goblin's back, and sliced its neck from the first try, and blood flowed until it covered Theo, and then tension began to build in his heart now.
"Good job, Theo, for the first time," Celia said, while Theo's mother was scolding him for what he had done, and how he had almost killed her from fear just by her seeing him stab.
Then Theo hunted seven more goblins before returning home, covered in blood, and anxiety and tension filled his heart. And Celia said, while noticing Theo's face: "Theo, you are not supposed to worry like this, rather you were supposed to feel proud simply because you were able to plan before your heart fell into the fear and overthinking that a person gets for their first hunt."
The tension lessened a little from Theo's heart, and he went to do some extra training to clear his heart and mind, until he noticed his mother Elena approaching, and she sat about ten steps away from him, watching him and smiling at him, and he didn't notice her until some time passed, and he suddenly stopped. And while he was getting ready to go home, he was surprised to find his mother sitting and watching him, and he went and sat beside her for a bit, then his mother began to speak.
"Are you alright, my little one?" she said, looking at him with a warmth that removed all the worry from his heart.
"Yes, just a few thoughts," Theo said, smiling a slight smile at her, then continued, shifting his gaze to the stars, "I still don't have any goal, and this is hindering my progress, actually," Theo said with a little embarrassment, because it was the first time he had opened up to his mother about his training.
"Well, Theo, why don't you train to protect me, your aunt, Kyle, and Ryan?" she said to Theo, while Theo replied immediately,
"Certainly, Mom, I don't mind protecting you, and I don't really care about Ryan, but how can I possibly protect both Kyle and my aunt? They are monsters to me!" Theo said, making fun of himself.
"My little one, we all grow older, and we will weaken in the end. Perhaps you will live longer than me, but it is inevitable," Elena said, still giving Theo the same smile.
Theo thought for a moment before some sadness appeared on his face, which he quickly hid, then they stood up to go to their house after a little talk.
At dawn the next day, Theo got ready, and went to Kyle, who was waiting, carrying his sword.
"You're half an hour late, boy," Kyle said, then continued before Theo could reply: "Pick up this sword."
Theo was surprised by a sword flying towards him and caught it, and Kyle explained,
"I know you're not good at using swords, unlike your daggers, but you must get used to it, as battles won't be easy on you in the future. And congratulations on your first hunt, boy," Kyle said, looking at Theo, and added, "Now, you should fight using this sword, and we won't stop until you wound me with it, or you collapse unconscious from excessive hitting. And this is just today's training. And if you pass out, I will certainly hit you, and I will wake you up three times, and on the third time, today's training will end. And now you can begin."
Theo got ready, then took two steps forward, and was about to use magic, but Kyle suddenly said, "If you speak to me with anything other than your muscles, I will guarantee you a body that aches for at least a month."
As soon as Theo heard that sentence, his body shivered immediately, and he sealed his magic so he wouldn't use it instinctively by mistake.
Theo charged forward, carrying the sword, while trying to hit Kyle, but none of his swings could hit him. And Kyle lunged forward, and caught the sword with his fingertips, then punched Theo in the face, and he fell backward a few meters from the force of the punch.
"Get up, boy, otherwise I will start hitting you while you are still on the ground!"