our story with some grammatical adjustments and a revised ending to heighten the tension and emotional impact:
Three students in white garments appeared from behind the banners, but only two rushed at him; the third one stood back, drawing a bow.
Drazel quickly positioned himself behind the students closing in on him, blocking the archer's view. The first opponent wielded an axe, while the other carried a sword. Both attacked simultaneously. Drazel sidestepped, feeling an arrow whiz past, missing him by mere centimeters. Using his momentum, he swung his spear, striking the side of the swordsman, who immediately dropped his weapon. Drazel didn’t pause; he continued his attack, pivoting to deliver a powerful kick to the disarmed man. However, this left him exposed to the axeman, who fiercely swung his weapon at Drazel's chest.
Reacting swiftly, Drazel blocked the axe's shaft with his spear. The impact was so strong that his spear snapped in half, leaving him with two pieces—one with the edge, the other with the shaft. He seized the opportunity, redirecting his attacker and positioning him in front of the archer. With a skilled move, Drazel disarmed the axeman and sent him crashing to the ground. Abandoning his broken spear, Drazel grabbed the fallen axe with both hands and hurled it at the archer's bow, shattering it.
The archer barely had time to react. As he tried to retreat, Drazel delivered a fierce kick to his stomach, followed by a swift strike to the back of his neck. Drazel had won.
Fierce Grand Master:
"You! How could you let go of your weapon in the middle of a fight? What if there had been more opponents?"
Bald Grand Master:
"An unconventional way to pass the test, but pass it you did. Let's move on to the next challenge."
Fierce Grand Master:
"Crude, but effective. A pass is a pass, I suppose. Tsk. Next, you must prove your stamina. Follow the Dragon's Road and return here within three hours."
The Dragon's Road circled the White Order's buildings, comprising 18 km of paved road, 9 km of dirt road—interrupted by several rivers—leading to a 3 km swim. A total of 30 kilometers.
Drazel completed the test in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Fierce Grand Master:
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Not bad for a young hatchling.
Bald Grand Master:
The final test will be conducted by master Eunarth, please proceed to the hollow chamber.
Finally, the last test required the aspirant to drink the “Dragon’s Blood,” a red broth that induced a trance state. During this state, the Grandmasters would ask questions that always elicited true answers, testing the aspirant's heart against the three dogmas of the White Dragon Order:
1. Find Balance in all aspects of your life.
2. Follow your Instinct.
3. Grow every day.
Master Eunarth proceeded with the questions that were conducted in a secluded room. At the end of the test, the bearded master joined the other masters and passed his veredict.
Bearded Grand Master:
He passes
Bald Grand Master:
Congratulatiosn young one, with this, you have passed the test.
Fierce Grand Master:
So the whelp has it in him, he passes then, but I'll keep an eye on you! There is something in his spear, something I have seen before...
Through sheer willpower, Drazel had completed these tests at the age of 14. Although he wasn’t the youngest to join the order, it was still a rare occurrence. With that, he was accepted into the Order and given his first Dragon garment.
There were 10 Garments in total, each represented by a unique color. Each Garment marked a different stage in a student's journey, signifying progress not only in martial mastery but also in personal growth. Each color indicated that the student was ready to learn a new Form or Dance—skills used in combat that allowed the practitioner to transcend human limits.
For an initiate, the color was White, symbolizing an empty slate with endless possibilities. In the White stage, the Form taught is called “Void,” a technique that can shift between defense and offense in an instant.
During their training, all students were prohibited from leaving the Order's premises, except for those who had attained a Blue Garment or higher. If a student left training for personal reasons, they would have to restart from their last acquired Garment and retake the entrance test.
As a student, Drazel's duties consisted mostly of training. Occasionally, he would help with hunting, gathering logs, firewood, and fetching water from the well.
He trained in the morning, ate lunch around midday—meals that mostly consisted of fish, birds, or game hunted in the mountain range, accompanied by fruits and vegetables. Vegetables were often more common than meat, especially during winter, when their meals often consisted of fish and a special type of potato grown in the Order’s greenhouse. After lunch, students would train for three more hours before having free time.
It was during one of these hunting trips that something out of the ordinary happened.
Drazel had ventured deeper into the forest than usual, pursuing a deer. The wind had stilled, and an eerie silence settled around him. Just as he was about to take the shot, a shadow passed over him, swift and silent, like a predator's gaze. He froze, his instincts screaming at him to turn back. But before he could react, the ground beneath him began to tremble, and a low growl echoed through the trees. The air grew thick with a presence that made his heart race—a presence that shouldn’t exist.
Something was coming for him.