I awoke with a start.

The sun shining in my eyes woke me up, and I grabbed my spear, springing to a fighting stance. The last thing I remembered was working on my breath control during my time in the cultivation module. I thought my time in the Augmented Reality Program would have ended long before, but I guessed that I must have been more tired than I thought. The program must have either ended after the thirty minutes or closed when I fell asleep.

When I calmed down, the only sound in the area was the light crackling of the burnt wood of what was once my fire. I could see some bushes and trees moving slightly in a breeze, but it didn't reach me where I was. A foul odor in the air mixed in with the pervasive smoky aroma.

I sniffed around, trying to locate the stench. It was coming from around me, and when I tilted my head down, pulled my shirt out and sniffed again, I realized it was me. I was covered in the Brownie-Spider's dried blood and hadn't bathed for a few days.

I wanted to stay as high on the hill as possible while making my way to the city, but I knew I would have to go to a water source sooner or later. Based on my ragged state, it was going to be sooner. I dreaded what I would look like at the end of my jaunt through the mountains if that was what I looked like after one day.

I did have a change of clothes, but I only had one. I decided to wait until I reached a source of water to change. There was no point in putting on clean clothes when I would instantly dirty them again.

My map showed a small stream at the bottom of the hill I was walking along. It was the middle of summer, so hopefully, there was enough water to wash up everything. I cleaned up my campsite and then headed down.

Walking down the hill felt great. I didn't notice it when I woke up, but I felt like I had a great night of sleep. The ground on my feet felt incredible as I practically flew down the hillside. I did my best to not sniff too much, though, because every time I did, the smell ruined my mood.

Just as I did the day before, I scanned everything I could. I hoped to be as far along with my compatibility when I rested for the night as I was the night before. I felt good about it turning out the same, but I was concerned because I would have to fight again.

The path down to the water I was taking was apparently highly used by the Brownie-Spiders. My DTA program kept lighting up while I was walking. Apparently, it could differentiate between different tracks, or it assumed they were the same. Either way, something made the tracks that traveled in the same direction as me.

I made it down to the stream without incident but even calling it a stream was pushing it. I could see where the water level could get significantly higher during the wetter months. I was thankful that it wasn't that time of the year.

Before stripping down and cleaning, I did a safety check in the area. The tracks that I had seen appeared to move into the water. According to the DTA program, they then continued to the other side. However, on the other side, another set of tracks mixed in with those of the Brownie-Spiders.

If I had to guess, the two tracks mixing seemed like a fight. I analyzed them and found that both moved up the mountain in different directions. I was going to follow the river, so I didn't give it much more thought.

After ensuring the area was safe, I set up another place for a small fire. I was running low on water and decided to refill my supply. To do that, I needed to boil the water.

I set up a small area and a place to hang my pot for boiling. My father packed a pan and a pot in his bag; if he hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to travel. He would always say having the equipment was a must, even if you didn't think you would be gone that long.

While getting my pot out of the bag, I came across the Razor Tusk pelt again. It was quickly going bad. I didn't think it would last until I made it to the city. I set it aside and wasn't going to reclaim it as it only weighed me down.

Once my fire was lit, and the water was boiling, I washed myself and my clothes. I wanted to discard my clothes just like the Razor Tusk pelt, but I thought I would need them in the coming days. Although it smelled like it needed to be burned, after a wash, it was passable, and I set them out to dry.

I also checked the cut I received from the Brownie-Spider for any signs of infection. Getting an infection out there would spell a quick end for me. While the cut wasn't deep, I was shocked to see that there was barely a visible line where the wound was. I checked the rest of my body for the bruises I was sure my body would be pockmarked with, but there were none.

From head to toe, there didn't seem to be any blemishes. I had no idea how my body healed so quickly, but I supposed my good feeling while walking downhill made sense. I chalked it up to good luck and went about getting dressed and then returning to my journey.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

While waiting for the water to boil and the clothes to dry, I took a few extra minutes to check out my spear again. I had a wrench in the bag that would allow me to switch out the blade if I had another one. I didn't have one, but I still thought about taking it off to use as a staff. Looking at it closer, I decided it was for the best, so I took a few minutes to complete that task.

Once everything was cleaned up, and my clothes were dry enough to store in my pack without getting moldy and smelly, I went on my way. The sun was almost straight overhead when I left my spot. I decided to stay close to the water since there was space on either side of the stream and trees to provide shade as I traveled.

Traveling along the river proved to be the wrong choice. It wasn't a bad walk nor dangerous; it just took too long to follow that path. Since it was the dry time of the year, the stream went on a meandering path, and the ground around it did the same. I would have been able to walk in a straighter and, therefore, faster line if I moved up into the hills more.

As the sun set, I again looked for a decent place to stay for the night. I found a shallow cave on the side of the mountain, not too far from the riverbed. I set up my campsite, nourished my body and then decided to relax for a few minutes before initializing my Augmented Reality program.

I initiated the program and marveled as it went through the startup process. When it finished, I walked around my fire. I sat in the middle of the training space in front of the instructor.

"Good afternoon, initiate," the instructor said. "You made excellent progress yesterday. Would you like to continue with where you left off in the lesson or move to another section?"

"I don't really remember where I left off," I replied, thinking about it. "Could you tell me what we were in training? Then I can decide."

"Certainly. We covered optimal areas of cultivation, then moved on to proper posture. After completing that section, we moved into breathing. The session automatically ended during the breathing section. You did manage to harness some of the ambient De in the area. Of course, it was minimal due to being in the training environment."

That made sense since that was the last thing I remembered. I was happy that I managed to absorb the De in the area on my first try, especially since I couldn't remember it.

"What is the next section of the training?"

"The next portion is learning to feel and control the De energies while continuing the breathing technique."

"Let's start there," I said after giving it some thought.

"Affirmative. I see that you are already in the best sitting position to collect ambient De. Additionally, your chosen area is also excellent for De absorption. You must begin the breathing exercise and the cultivation process for the next part of the lesson. Once you reach the point where your mind is on the verge of transitioning to a heightened state, you should bring your awareness inward."

I started to breathe in the patterns I was instructed the night before, and I felt like I had gotten into a good rhythm before long. At first, my thoughts were solely focused on maintaining the pattern. I had to ensure that my inhalations were deep enough, my exhalations quick enough, and that the prescribed pattern was sustained. My mind started to drift to other things. Instead of focusing on those, I clamped it down.

I struggled to continue the cultivation process for a long time. Much longer than I thought should have been possible if I only had thirty minutes. This was the thought that pulled me from the cultivation process. It was a question I couldn't push down, and I had to know the answer. That and I was curious about how long it would take me to reach a heightened state.

My eyes opened, and I expected the human-like instructor to have their eyes closed and cultivating. Instead, the instructor was scarily staring straight at me without blinking.

"Have you reached a heightened state of awareness?" the instructor questioned. Although, the way it asked the question made me think it knew the answer. That made me question whether the instructor was real or not. I felt that he wasn't. '

We never had a DV in our house since we didn't have the De energy lines. I didn't think my father would have purchased one either way. Although, the other children would often talk about things they watched on their DVs. They were plays that recorded people doing something or talking about what was happening in the kingdom. Only a couple of the kids in town had them.

"No," I said absently. "How long have we been cultivating? I feel like it has been hours."

"It has been three hours, fifty-seven minutes, and thirty-three seconds within the Augmented Reality Training Program. Outside of the program, it has been twenty-nine minutes."

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"It has been three hours, fifty-seven minutes, and thirty-three seconds within the Augmented Reality Training Program. Outside of the program, it has been approximately twenty-nine minutes."

"No, I understand what you said. I just don't understand what you mean." The instructor just sat there looking at me without saying anything. "How are there two different times that have passed?

"This question exceeds the parameters of this training program," a robotic voice sounded in the area. I was clearly not from the instructor as he didn't move his body or mouth.

"Great," I slowly drawled. "I can receive training through my robotic goggles by an illusion in augmented reality that was downloaded from a galaxy traveling spaceship, but my question is too much for it."

So it had been twenty-nine minutes in the real world but almost four hours in this augmented reality state. I didn't understand how that happened, but I decided to go with it. After all, it wasn't bad. In fact, it was an excellent aspect of the program. If I could theoretically have eight times the training time, I could go through some of the other downloadable modules if cultivation doesn't take too long.

I was interrupted from my musing by the instructor.

"The time for this training is about to end. Please ensure you cultivate outside the Augmented Reality Training Program. The time dilation does not allow sufficient amounts of energy to be circulated."

The instructor and the augmented world flickered quickly, and I was once again alone in an open area outside my protected space. I ensured the site was secure, then went back into the cave to learn more about my robot.