Shin’s eyes widened in disbelief, but instead of disappointment, a grin spread across his face. "Maybe wasting all that energy earlier wasn’t such a bad thing after all," he muttered. He clenched his fists, a spark of determination igniting in his gaze as a faint, colorless aura flickered around his eyes.

After the activity concluded, Shin met up with the others outside the academy.

"Hey, Shin, that’s awesome! It’s your first time awakening your core, right?" Rayden asked with a wide grin.

Shin scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I got lucky."

"That’s not luck," George said, clapping Shin on the shoulder. "You’ve got real talent."

Shin smiled, his expression bright like a ray of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. "Thanks."

"Alright, enough talking. Let’s head to the banquet hall I’m starving!" Jack interjected, pointing toward the massive building in the distance.

"Yeah, we’ve got to fuel up to grow these muscles!" Lloyd added with a cocky smirk, flexing his biceps.

The group laughed and nodded, falling into step as they made their way toward the banquet hall. The conversation buzzed around them, but Shin’s mind drifted.

Talent? he thought to himself, his expression clouding over. "Maybe. But I’ve never believed in talent only luck."

Memories from his past flickered in his mind, moments of struggle and chance. Since I was a kid, luck is all I’ve ever known. He clenched his fists, pushing the thoughts aside as they reached the banquet hall.

Inside, the room was alive with activity. Some students were eating while others lined up to grab trays of food. Shin and his group quickly filled their plates, hunger driving them to finish their meals in record time.

Afterward, George, Jack, and Lloyd headed to the bathhouse together, laughing and joking as they walked off.

"You good with heading to your dorm alone?" Rayden asked Shin.

"Yeah, I’ll be fine," Shin replied.

"Alright. See you tomorrow!" Rayden waved as he climbed the stairs to his dorm.

Shin returned the wave with a tired smile. "See you!"

The walk to his dorm felt longer than usual. His body ached from the day’s training, and by the time he reached his room, he collapsed onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Hopefully, I can get used to this life," he murmured, staring up at the ceiling. His eyelids grew heavier with each passing second, but he forced himself up. Dragging his feet, he made his way to the bathroom to wash off the grime of the day.

Just as he finished, a loud knock echoed through his room.

"Wait!" Shin called out, hastily grabbing a shirt.

The knock came again, louder this time.

"I said wait! I’m putting on clothes!" he shouted, irritation bubbling to the surface.

Another knock, this one thunderous, shook the door.

"Ah, for crying out loud..." Shin yanked his shirt over his head and stormed to the door.

As he swung it open, his breath caught in his throat. A massive shadow loomed before him, and his eyes widened in shock.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

It was Sir Bajar.

“Shit, it’s just you, Sir Bajar,” Shin thought, his face betraying a mix of annoyance and relief. Quickly, he composed himself and spoke in a cheerful tone, "Oh, hey, sir!"

"How's the training?" Bajar asked casually as he stepped into Shin's room without hesitation, promptly laying down on Shin’s bed.

“Ah, it’s alright,” Shin replied, though his thoughts screamed, He just straight up laid down on my bed! His face twitched with barely concealed irritation.

"I see. Did you make a lot of comrades?" Bajar continued.

"Yes, I made a lot, actually," Shin said with a forced smile.

"That’s good," Bajar nodded. "In two months, the Academy Festival will begin. It’s good to make allies nowcomrades who’ll take your side when it matters."

"Academy Festival?" Shin asked, his curiosity piqued.

"You’ll learn about it soon," Bajar said, tossing a small white pill engraved with strange symbols at Shin. Startled, Shin caught it mid-air.

"What’s this?" Shin asked, examining the pill.

“Essence Pill,” Bajar explained in a serious tone. “It restores energy perfect for someone like you with a single core foundation.”

“Isn’t this rare or something?” Shin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s pretty common in Arcanathis. They mass-produce stuff like this,” Bajar replied nonchalantly.

"Arcanathis?" Shin thought, recalling Fiona mentioning it before when they discussed Elfple’s creation. “I see,” Shin said aloud before swallowing the pill.

Almost instantly, he felt the effects surge through his body. A colorless aura enveloped him as energy flooded his system.

“Wow, I feel replenished!” Shin exclaimed in amazement.

“Heh, feels good, right?” Bajar said with a grin.

“But wait, what brings you here at this hour? It can’t just be this, right?” Shin asked, suspicion creeping into his tone.

“Oh, right,” Bajar said, sitting up. “Remember when I said I was going to train you? Well, starting today, after your daily academy activities, we’re training.”

“Wh-what? Right now? After all that training during the day?” Shin asked, clearly not thrilled.

“Yes,” Bajar replied without hesitation. “Your energy is restored anyway.”

“Wait-”

“Let’s go!” Bajar cut him off, pulling out a small cube etched with glowing runes. He tossed it to the floor, and the cube lit up, creating a floating portal in the air.

“WHAT IS THAT?!” Shin exclaimed, equal parts awestruck and terrified.

“Cube Drift,” Bajar explained matter-of-factly as he stepped into the glowing portal.

Shin stared at the swirling light in disbelief. “Cube Drift?” he muttered to himself.

The Cube Drift is a compact, rune etched item capable of creating portals to preset locations when thrown or activated by pressure. More advanced versions allow users to open portals to any desired location.

As soon as they stepped through the portal, Shin felt a sudden change in the air. The atmosphere here was heavy, almost oppressive, and his skin prickled as if the very air itself was alive. A faint fog hung low, swirling lazily across the ground. Shin's hair stood on end, and he instinctively rubbed his arms.

The eerie fog began to dissipate as Shin moved closer to Sir Bajar. What lay ahead made him pause in awe. They had entered a dense forest, its canopy so thick that only faint slivers of moonlight seeped through. In the clearing was a small, worn-down cabin surrounded by various pieces of training equipment. Everything looked old and overgrown tree roots coiled around weights and wooden dummies like snakes, moss covering the remnants of what might have once been pristine tools.

As Shin scanned the area, his eyes landed on a particularly massive tree, its trunk wide enough to house several people inside. Beneath its shadow, something caught his eye a grave. Unlike everything else here, it was untouched by roots or grass, as though the earth itself respected its presence.

“A grave? Isn't that a little... creepy?” Shin thought uneasily, his gaze lingering on the solitary marker.

“Wh-what is this place?” Shin finally asked, his voice trembling as he tore his eyes away from the grave.

Sir Bajar turned to him, his face lighting up with a wide grin. “Our training ground! Awesome, right?”

Shin frowned, unconvinced. “I don’t think so. The equipment looks ancient, and there’s a grave-”

Before Shin could finish, Bajar moved with lightning speed, clamping a hand over Shin’s mouth. His usual carefree demeanor was gone, replaced by a cold, serious glare that sent chills down Shin’s spine.

“Don’t mention that here,” Bajar said quietly, his voice low but firm.

“O-okay,” Shin stammered, nodding quickly.

Bajar's expression softened, and he stepped back, a grin creeping onto his face again. “Anyway, let’s get started.”

“Started?” Shin echoed, still unnerved.

“For the next two months, you’ll spend every single night here,” Bajar announced, his voice filled with authority. “I’ll teach you the basics properly. Don’t expect to master them in two months, but you’ll at least learn enough techniques to hold your ground against the other students.”

Shin gulped. The thought of training here every night wasn’t exactly comforting.

Bajar suddenly turned to face Shin fully, his eyes glowing faintly with a dark, almost menacing aura. A grin spread across his face, sharper than before.

“And,” he added, his tone low and dripping with intent, “I’ll also teach you my method.”

Shin’s stomach twisted at the sight of Bajar’s black aura swirling around him like a living shadow. The grin on Bajar’s face only widened, his excitement palpable.

Shin thought to himself, "What have I gotten myself into...?"