Cassian was a strange teacher. Chaotic, unsympathetic, and insufferably smug, he seemed more intent on proving his superiority than guiding me. Yet, behind his sharp grin and cutting remarks, there was something undeniable: he got results.

Not that I was anywhere near ready to admit that.

“Let the world teach you,” he said often, as if pain and confusion were the only lessons worth learning. He called it experience, though it felt more like torture. Every session left me mentally battered, weary, and questioning whether I could survive another.

His magic was peculiar—summoning worlds within the mind’s eye and challenging me in a multitude of different ways. The training was mental, but somehow it gave me greater control over my body. Time in those worlds moved differently too. What felt like days passed in hours, yet the toll it took on my body—exhaustion, frustration, and the ache of unused muscles—was all too real.

Each session unfolded differently, in various biomes. I had swam through the endless ocean, walked through deserts, and lost my way within the jungle.

The faint hum of activity beyond my pen was a constant reminder of life continuing outside my torment. But inside the pen, my failures mounted, and no matter how hard I pushed, I couldn’t control the mana tearing through me

And then, there was this.

I froze, staring at the creature before me. At first, I had thought it was Cassian—but no. It was me. My shadow.

It looked like me, but it wasn’t. Its form mirrored mine perfectly, down to the scars hidden beneath my coat and the faint wear along the curve of my horn. Yet there was something… off.

Its golden eyes gleamed and it moved with a grace and confidence I didn’t possess, every step deliberate, every motion fluid. It was everything I wasn’t—everything I should have been.

I hated it.

My breath came in short, sharp bursts as I lowered my head, nostrils flaring. It met my gaze with calm detachment, utterly unbothered by my aggression.

The rage bubbling in my chest spilled over, and I charged.

Our horns clashed with a deafening crack, and the vibrations rattled through my skull. Sparks of mana flared at the point of impact, the wild energy feeding off our clash. I pressed forward, grinding my horn against its own, trying to force it back.

It didn’t move.

Instead, it shifted its weight, dragging me off balance in one smooth motion. My hooves skidded across the dirt as I stumbled, but I caught myself just in time to counter its next move.

The battle was fast, brutal, and unrelenting. I slammed into it again and again, each strike met with perfect precision. It was like fighting a reflection that had all the experience I lacked, and for every move I made, it had an answer.

I thought I had it when I drove my horn toward its side, but it sidestepped with unnerving speed, slipping beneath my guard. Its horn thrust upward, piercing through my throat.

The pain was searing. My vision blurred as I staggered back, choking on the phantom sensation of blood pooling in my throat.

And then it was gone.

I gasped as my eyes flew open, the familiar sight of the pen pulling me back to reality. The dirt beneath my hooves felt unsteady, my legs trembling as I fought to stay upright.

Cassian stood nearby, leaning casually against the fence. Sweat dripped from his brow, his breathing heavy, though his face betrayed no strain.

“You’re improving,” he said, his tone frustratingly neutral. “Kind of.”

I wanted to snarl at him, but my body refused to cooperate. My lungs burned with every breath, my muscles aching with each small movement.

I whinnied in response, shaking my head. A tired attempt at letting him know that his training wasn’t working.

Cassian arched a brow. “I can only help so much, you have to at least put in some effort.”

My ears flattened at the jab, but he wasn’t wrong. I had failed repeatedly—painfully—and the gap between me and that shadow image felt insurmountable.

“Were you hoping he’d awaken already?”

Elara’s voice pulled my attention, and I turned to see her perched on the edge of the pen, her mismatched eyes watching us intently. She was dressed simply, but there was an elegance in the way she carried herself, as if she belonged to another world entirely.

Cassian sighed, running a hand through his damp curls. “Normally, someone who comes near death as often as he has would’ve pulled it together by now. Desperation has a funny way of forcing mana to harmonize.” He glanced at me with faint irritation. “But he’s just... not there yet.”

I let out a low grunt, unsure whether I was more insulted or ashamed.

Elara tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Have you made him suffer through death?”

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Cassian didn’t miss a beat. “No. What good would that do?”

Her gaze lingered on him, sharp and probing, before she finally nodded.

I tried to read her expression, but it was distant—calculated. Something about her demeanor was off, but I was too exhausted to dwell on it. As my body sagged under the weight of fatigue, sleep pulled me under.

When I woke, the sun was already high in the sky, bathing the castle grounds in warm light.

I groaned as I pushed myself to my hooves, my body protesting every movement. My muscles were stiff, my coat still damp with sweat from the previous day’s training.

I needed to move.

I started slowly, each step deliberate. The pain was sharp, but it kept my mind focused. Gradually, my pace quickened, my movements becoming more fluid. I broke into a trot, then a gallop, letting the exertion drown out my thoughts.

For a moment, I felt free.

The wind rushed past me, carrying with it the faint scent of grass and earth. My hooves pounded against the dirt, each stride pushing me further from the weight of my failures.

But the moment didn’t last.

A violent coughing fit brought me to a sudden halt. I stumbled, my legs buckling beneath me as blood splattered the ground.

The mana poisoning was getting worse.

I stood there, staring at the crimson stain as a wave of frustration and despair washed over me. How much longer could I keep this up?

“Well, that’s no good,” Cassian’s voice rang out, shattering the silence.

I turned to see him strolling toward me, his golden eyes glinting with amusement.

“If you’ve got the energy to run yourself ragged, you’ve got the energy to train,” he said.

I let out a sharp snort, taking a step back.

Cassian’s grin widened. “Don’t get shy on me now.”

I gauged him and for a moment I didn’t see Cassian, rather I saw the face of a man I had tried desperately to forget. A man whose smile had once made me believe in something more.

I shook my head, forcing the memories out. But, Cassian remained oblivious.

“This time,” Cassian said, his mana flaring around him, “we’re going somewhere special.”

The world shifted before I could protest.

The familiar sights of the pen dissolved into darkness, and when the haze cleared, I found myself standing on reddish-brown soil.

A black fog clung to the ground, and the air was heavy with the stench of decay.

I knew this place.

The Darklands.

The moment I realized where I was, my body tensed. The reddish-brown soil beneath my hooves felt sickeningly familiar, and the oppressive black fog that clung to the ground stank of decay. This was no ordinary training ground—this was a graveyard for warriors.

Screeches echoed through the air, a symphony of inhuman wails that sent a chill racing down my spine. The fog thickened as the sound grew louder, and then I saw them.

One by one, they emerged from the darkness. Twisted corpses, their flesh rotted and broken, stumbled forward with movements that belied their decayed forms. Their glowing purple eyes burned with unnatural fire, and their jagged claws dragged across the earth, carving deep grooves into the soil.

I recognized this place, but I didn’t know how Cassian could have. These were the lands I had roamed in my past life. A battlefield soaked with my own blood and littered with the bodies of those who had fallen alongside me. How did he know of it?

The undead turned their hollow gazes toward me, and I felt the familiar fire of rage ignite within my chest.

It wasn’t just anger—it was a primal fury, a visceral reaction to the desecration of this place. Memories I had buried long ago surged forward, bringing with them the sting of failure and the bitter taste of regret.

The embers deep within me flared to life, burning hotter with each step the creatures took.

A roar ripped from my throat, shaking the air around me. I reared back on my hind legs, my muscles coiling with energy as the wild mana coursed through my veins.

And then I charged.

The first corpse lunged at me, its claws outstretched. I drove my horn through its chest, lifting it off the ground before flinging it back into the fog. The sound of its body breaking against the earth brought me a fleeting moment of satisfaction.

But there were more.

They came at me in a wave, their grotesque forms moving faster than they should have been able to. One clawed at my side, its jagged nails raking through my coat and drawing blood. I swung my head, catching it with the curve of my horn and sending it sprawling.

Another leapt at me from the side, its maw open wide. I twisted at the last second, slamming my hooves into its chest and shattering its ribcage.

But no matter how many I struck down, they kept coming.

Their numbers were endless, and with every strike I made, more emerged from the fog to take their place.

Their claws dug into my flesh, their teeth snapping dangerously close to my neck. I shook them off, trampling one underfoot as another leapt onto my back. My breath came in ragged bursts, and the wild mana within me raged, feeding off my fury.

The red soil beneath me grew darker as my blood mingled with the earth.

I couldn’t stop.

The embers within me grew hotter, fanned by my desperation. My vision blurred, and the edges of my mind began to fray. My movements became wilder, less controlled, as I gave in to the madness.

I slammed my horn into another corpse, driving it back into the ground. Another lunged at my side, and I turned, biting down hard on its throat. The taste of rot filled my mouth as I tossed it away, but even then, more came.

They began to overwhelm me, their twisted forms piling on top of me. I felt their claws tearing at my flesh, their weight pressing me down into the dirt.

I roared again, but it was weaker this time.

I was drowning in them.

And then, it happened.

The embers within me flared one last time, igniting into a searing inferno.

Flames erupted from my body, wild and untamed, engulfing everything around me. The corpses screamed as the fire consumed them, their forms crumbling into ash as the red glow of the flames cut through the darkness.

For a moment, I felt hope.

But then, the darkness surged.

More creatures emerged from the fog, their glowing eyes piercing through the firelight. They swarmed me, their numbers overwhelming as they smothered the flames.

The last of my strength slipped away, and the world went black.

When I opened my eyes, the Darklands were gone.

I was back in the pen, the faint hum of activity from the castle grounds reaching my ears. My body trembled, my muscles aching as I struggled to catch my breath.

The dirt beneath my hooves felt cool against my skin, a stark contrast to the searing heat of the flames.

Cassian stood a few paces away, leaning casually against the fence. His expression was smug, but there was a sharpness in his golden eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“It seems like you’ve been cured,” he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. “You’re welcome.”

I didn’t respond. My chest heaved as I tried to process what had just happened.

Behind him, I saw Elara standing silently, her mismatched eyes fixed on me. Relief flickered across her face, but it was fleeting. There was something else in her expression—something heavier.

I felt it then.

The wild mana that had raged within me was no longer chaotic. It moved with purpose now, flowing in steady, rhythmic waves. Deep within me, I felt the solid presence of a mana core, fully formed and humming with energy.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I was in control.

I could wield mana again.

But as I met Elara’s gaze, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.