As evening approached, mirroring the day before, it was time for their afternoon training. Raze, once more involved in the physical exercises, struggled as he had previously, but endeavoured to push himself a bit further.
"I think I lasted 3 minutes and 25 seconds this time. If I stay on track, I can improve bit by bit. It's a shame there are no elixirs here... but if there are cultivation pills, I might find a way to acquire more," Raze mused.
Considering this, he deemed it too risky. The temple was secluded, far from the central city, and the only cultivation aids of value were from the Pagna warriors. Unless he courted danger, he needed to chart his own path for growth.
"With my current stamina, I might not even make it there and back before sunrise."
During the run, Safa was near the lead, running closely behind Gren. Seeing this, Gren quickened his pace. Other students began to lag, but Safa, determination etched on her face, maintained her speed.
Gren thought with a hint of irritation, "What's she trying to prove? Overtake me? Just who does she think she is?"
In a sudden move, Gren lifted his foot carefully, and at the right time, he stomped on Safa's foot, causing her to trip. Because of their swift pace, she fell hard, scraping her hand against the ground.
Seeing the mishap, Kron swiftly ordered everyone to stop and moved to the next phase. Simyon, meanwhile, eyed Gren and the twins with evident displeasure, occasionally shooting glances at Raze.
"Does he genuinely not care about his sister?" Simyon pondered.
Next came meditation, channeling energy and refining one's Qi. Raze enjoyed this immensely, feeling the power of his dark core grow stronger. Soon, they transitioned to the practical lesson.
"Now that you've mastered the two-step shift, I want to teach you about controlling distance in a real scenario," Kron announced.
"Pair up with someone of similar ability. Stand with your fist just touching your opponent's nose. Take two steps back, execute the two-step shift, and return to the starting position. Your partner's task is to focus on the incoming fist, resisting the urge to flinch. Start slow, then gradually increase speed. If a hit seems inevitable, dodge, but only if you see it coming."
As the students began to pair up, Simyon approached Raze. "Hey, I know I'm ahead of you in this, but first, I think I'm the only one who talks to you, and secondly, matching you against the younger ones? It's clearly a disadvantage."
Raze merely shrugged in response. Simyon initiated, throwing punches without the steps. Raze was unphased. Even when Simyon incorporated the two-step shift, Raze remained steady, almost looking a little bored.
"Is it really not that frightening?" Simyon inquired. "Are you trying to get me to actually hit you?"
Simyon had to admit, right now Raze had a really punchable face.
He soon regretted asking. Raze, in a mock attempt, sent a fist towards Simyon who stumbled back in surprise.
"How were you so composed? I couldn't even keep my eyes open!" Simyon questioned.
Raze thought, 'Being a mage, I've faced countless magical formations. A fist is the least of my concerns.' He silently wondered how he'd fare against a genuine Pagna warrior.
Elsewhere, Safa was seeking a partner. As she spotted her brother, excitement filled her eyes, ready to approach him, but Gren stepped in her way. "Our scores on the pillar test were similar, and we're about the same height. No one else came close to our results, so we should be partners, right?"
Trapped by Gren's logic and unable to voice her thoughts, Safa resorted to sign language.
"Alright, here I go!" Gren stated, letting out his fist.
Overzealous, he shot his fist out, striking Safa's nose. Blood splattered as she fell, dazed and hurt.
"I'm so sorry! I misjudged the distance! I should've listened to Kron," Gren exclaimed, offering a helping hand, and bowing several times.
Safa, overwhelmed with emotion and on the verge of tears, refused the gesture. With her family gone and her brother's indifference, she felt utterly lost and alone.
When she heard Kron praising her for her skills and martial arts, she thought she could immerse herself in that, but now she was being treated this way. Why?
Simyon took a step forward, halting abruptly and staring at the ground.
'I really want to help,' Simyon thought. 'It's clear they're doing this intentionally. Even if I mention it to Mr. Kron, he'll just reprimand them. He won't expel them from the temple. They're too talented, and then they'll target me. If that happens, I'm not sure I can handle it. If I leave the temple, my dream of becoming a Pagna warrior will be shattered.'
Due to the unfortunate events that occurred, Kron had paired them up differently, and the training soon ended for the night.
Back in their room, Safa gingerly touched her nose. It was sore, but it didn't seem broken. She was stronger than she appeared, or perhaps Gren wasn't as forceful as he seemed. Either way, it was difficult for her to fall asleep.
"As usual, don't tell anyone what I'm doing," Raze said, sliding the door open. However, he didn't walk out and just stood by the door before sliding it back again.
"If you're frustrated, sad, angry, annoyed, or whatever you're feeling right now. If you don't do something about it now, you will end up feeling a lot worse later on. Some advice for you, you should fight back."
Opening the door, Raze left just like that.
Instead of going to the courtyard this time, he needed to head to a more secluded area. The temple was located partly up a large hilltop and was surrounded by trees in all different directions.
Walking out of the temple was easier, and after he was a distance away somewhere in the forest with enough space, he finally stopped, huffing and puffing from his steps.
'I wonder if Kron thought I would be heading outside of the temple. He did tell me to consume the pill away from the eyes of others, and I assume that means my sister as well.'
Raze broke off a branch and started to draw a circle on the ground. After drawing the circle, he then began to draw many symbols inside of it.
'The symbols in the magic circle are instructions for the energy to be used in a certain way. With my life as an outcast, I couldn't just use the normal facilities other mages had, so I had to memorize the magic circles.
'I'm sure this was a magic circle that opened up a portal to a relatively safe place with the creatures I'm looking for, but I am on a different planet altogether. Which could mean that these symbols could lead me to a different place altogether. For now, it's best that I don't try and experiment though, and stick with what I know.'
Lifting up the stick, Raze was proud of the design he had drawn, and now there was just one last step. He took the pill out from its container and stretched forward, dropping it in the middle.
Then, walking to the edge of the circle, dark magic surrounded his index finger as he touched the circle on the very edge.
Immediately, the magic circle started to glow a faint purple. It was moving, filling the lines that Raze had carefully drawn. When all the lines were filled, it started to light up, and the energy from the pill was being drawn out.
'I would have liked to have known what would have happened if I was to eat the pill, but right now, this is the much safer bet.' Raze had a large grin on his face because right in front of his eyes was a large glowing portal.
It looked like a giant floating mirror, but there was no reflection, instead, a mystical glowing power that was lighting up the forest.
"It worked," Raze said to himself, and didn't hesitate as he took a step forward into the portal. "Let's get stronger and then I can deal with this world of martial arts."