Chapter 17

The first rays of dawn painted the sky in streaks of gold and crimson, Caelums two moons low on the horizon. Eli was stretching his muscles, his flexibility was back, even better than it was. He had woken up to Alira cooking something on the make shift stove.

Eli threw his feet over the side of the cot and glanced toward the small makeshift stove, where Alira was standing, stirring something in a pot.

“You ever sleep?” he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Alira let out a quiet laugh, not even turning to look at him. “I haven’t needed to sleep in a long time. I meditate for long stretches, and that’s enough. You’ll get there eventually.”

Eli stood, stretching again until his hands brushed the ceiling. “And eating? I swear you don’t eat. Ever.”

Alira finally glanced at him, smirking. “I do when it’s appropriate. But Caelum’s mana sustains me more than food ever could.” She turned back to the pot, stirring. “Anyone Emerald or higher doesn’t rely on food. I can go months without eating. Even longer without breathing.”

Eli stopped mid-stretch. “I’m sorry, what?”

Alira shrugged, as if that wasn’t an insane thing to say. “I could probably go even longer, but it never felt natural. That’s a sensation your mind has a hard time letting go of, I guess.”

Eli just stared at her for a long moment. “Yeah, okay, well. I’m still trying to mentally process the fact that poop mana exists, so I think I need a minute before I tackle ‘not breathing’ as a concept.”

Alira blew out a sharp laugh. “Eat. Dainen will be ready soon.”

Eli sat down, picking up his plate as his HUD pinged.

☰ Meal Identified

☰ Item: Hearty Grains & Smoked Beast Strips

☰ Quality: High

☰ Nutritional Value: Balanced meal. Sustains stamina regeneration for up to four hours.

☰ Effect: Slow-release energy boost. Slight resistance to fatigue.

Eli took a bite, nodding in approval. “Okay, this is solid.”

Alira sat across from him, sipping a cup of something that looked like tea but probably wasn’t.

“With Dainen,” she said, “he has his own method of training. I’ve seen him work with dozens of people over the years, and he never teaches the same way twice.”

Eli, still chewing, raised an eyebrow.

She continued, “When he read your past yesterday, that wasn’t just a test. It gave him a foundation—how to maximize your potential.” She sipped her drink. “This will not be easy.”

Eli swallowed, setting his fork down. “I can handle it. Honestly? Compared to learning how to walk again, this is gonna be a cakewalk.”

Eli thought back, his memory almost able to recall everything as if he was there, he could still smell the sterile smell of the hospital.

The cold tile beneath his feet as he tried—failed—to step forward. The way his legs trembled, how his balance felt wrong.

Miles had been the one to catch him when he almost collapsed.

Eli snapped back to the present, shaking his head. Alira was watching him. She didn’t ask, didn’t press, but her gaze was steady.

Eli exhaled. “I know I’ve said thank you before, but seriously—thank you, Alira.”

She tilted her head slightly, but before she could respond,

“I mean, for everything.” He pushed himself up from the table and—before she could react—hugged her.

It wasn’t long, just a brief squeeze, but it was real.

Alira froze.

Then, just as Eli let go and turned toward the door, he reached over and patted her on the head.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” he said casually as he walked out.

Alira just… sat there.

Two hugs in as many days.

More than she’d had in the last hundred years. Maybe longer.

Eli suddenly poked his head back in.

“Oh, and by the way, I’ve been waiting since last night for this—thanks, Ally!”

He bolted.

Or at least, he tried.

Before he even turned fully, Alira had him by the collar of his shirt.

Her voice was soft. And dangerous.

“…What did you say?”

Eli cleared his throat. “Uh. Thank you?”

Alira tightened her grip.

Eli, feigning innocence, sighed dramatically. “Sheesh. We really need to work on your ability to take positive feedback. You should see someone about that.”

Alira’s eye twitched.

“Uh huh,” she murmured. “Last person besides Dainen to call me ‘Ally’ still hasn’t been dug up.”

Eli grinned wide. “Y’know, Lit Fuse is making more sense by the minute.”

Alira released him, rolling her eyes. But as she turned to clear the table, a small smile flickered across her lips.

That kid is going to be the death of me.

Taren was built solid. About three inches shorter than Eli, but with broader shoulders and thick arms that made it clear he relied on raw strength. His dark blonde hair was a bit messier than Dainen’s, and his deep brown eyes had a sharp, thoughtful glint.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Eli immediately saw the resemblance. Eli had got Taren’s HUD info during the evening last night. He went back into his history to find the ping:

☰ Taren Kethral – Gold Tier User

☰ Affinity: Physical

☰ Passive: Titan’s Grip – Increased grip strength and weapon control.

☰ Active: Iron Rush – Short burst of enhanced speed and reaction time.

☰ Power: Avalanche Strike – A downward strike that amplifies force upon impact.

Dainen wasted no time.

“We start with flow.” His voice carried across the open field. “Mana and body must work as one. The most dangerous fighters I’ve ever faced—and fought alongside—have mastered the balance of blending martial technique with mana-infused strikes.”

Eli nodded.

“If you can do that,” Dainen continued, “no one—not even those faster or stronger than you—will be able to keep up.”

Eli exhaled, rolling his shoulders. That sounded awesome.

Dainen smirked. “First, though… let’s see what you can do.”

He turned to Taren. “Spar with him.”

Eli, blinked, “Wait, what?”

Dainen gestured between them. “Taren is a Gold Tier Physical User. He’s been training in Tenrae since he was five. I want to see how you handle yourself.”

Taren stepped forward, his left hip turning slightly. Balanced stance. Strong foundation.

Eli felt a little goofy putting his hands up to fight, but mimicked him.

Taren nodded.

Eli nodded back.

Then—Taren moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

Eli’s HUD flashed purple, and suddenly—he could see it.

Taren was already mid-step, his hand snapping forward in a sharp, precise palm strike aimed at Eli’s chest.

Eli reacted instinctively.

Meteor Dash activated.

Time slowed.

Eli shot forward.

Unfortunately—so did Taren.

His strike connected first.

Eli’s momentum amplified the impact.

Both of them went flying.

Taren skidded back several meters, gritting his teeth.

Eli went airborne.

Twenty feet through the air.

And landed—**face-first—**into a pile of dirt.

Silence. Then— Taren laughed.

Dainen sighed. “Well. That was a start.”

Eli groaned into the dirt. “I regret everything.”

Dainen led them to the open field behind the house, where makeshift training equipment had been set up. The ground had been cleared for sparring, and a few training dummies lined the perimeter.

Taren leaned against one of the wooden posts, arms crossed. “So, what’s the plan?”

Dainen turned to Eli. “You’ve got power. A lot of it. But right now, it’s raw, unfocused. If you try to fight someone skilled, they’ll pick you apart before you even land a clean hit.”

Eli nodded. He knew that. He had the strength to break things, but not the control to actually win a fight against someone who knew what they were doing.

Dainen continued, “I’m going to teach you something that hasn’t been practiced in centuries. A martial art that blends physical combat with mana—an art that only works for those with affinities like yours.”

Eli’s interest immediately piqued. “So, like… what? Magic karate?”

Taren looked at Eli, “This is more stuff from your Earth?”

Eli was about to answer when he saw Dainen’s look on his face. He shut his mouth and listened.

Dainen ignored him. “It’s called Tenrae.”

Dainen stepped into a low stance, his posture fluid but rooted. “The key to Tenrae is balance. Every attack, every motion must be seamless between physical and mana flow. If you use too much power, you waste energy. If you hesitate, you break the flow.”

Eli nodded. He could already tell this was going to be a process.

Dainen and Teran spent the next several hours going over the form and the basic movements.

Eli was taking everything in. This was physical and he could learn physical. He could repeat mechanics for muscle memory.

He could do the same movement over and over until he perfected it. And then do it again and again and again.

He thought back to his time on the court, he would shoot 1000 shots from different locations. He would keep track of makes and misses. He was a perfectionist when it came to learning technique.

Dainen spent the next few days splitting up his training. The first half of the days was form and technique and the second half of the days were learning the ins and outs of each of his abilities.

He went through what he knew of each of his abilities and then he would have Eli tell him what his HUD would say.

Dainen seemed to be formulating a plan based of what he learned about each ability. He would have Eli perform his actives all in a row and then he would time him until he could do it again.

Eli eventually told Dainen that all the cooldown times and mana impact are in my HUD.

Dainen just stared at him, “are you kidding me. You literally have the info just sitting there and you didn’t tell me 2 days ago?”

Eli shrugged, “You never told me what you were doing with the info, you were doing the whole, mysterious trainer thing and I didn’t want to ruin that for you. It really seemed like something you enjoyed.”

Taren nodded and said “You have really mastered the Mysterious All-Knowing trainer thing dad.”

After the days training would end, Taren would go through the days training. Eli found himself enjoying this part as he got to just relax and talk.

Sometimes, if Eli was being honest it was most of the time, they would find their conversations derailed by Eli’s reference to something from Earth and then he would spend the next 30 minutes going over what that was to Taren.

Taren really seemed to have a passion for tech. Any kind of tech, be it Earth tech or Manatech.

The second week of training went from working on technique to using the them.

Taren and Eli would spare, and Taren would beat him every time.

Eli just used everything that Taren did and then would lay in bed going over each moment. How he could change his stance here, or balance there to make Taren miss, or leverage to apply more power to a punch.

Every day over the next two weeks went about the same. Taren would always seem to have a counter to Eli’s plan. But he was making progress, he would make Taren have to use more steps, more mana, more energy. Every day felt like he was making progress.

Despite the brutal training, evenings at the homestead became something Eli didn’t expect.

Comfortable. Familiar.

Dinner was always a full table— Alira, Dainen, Taren, Mirelle, and their two kids, Rion and Liah. The first night, the kids were shy.

By the fourth, they were climbing on Eli’s back, demanding he did his “Dash of Rocks.”

Teran would always correct them, “Its Meteor Dash, and leave him alone.”

But they just ignored him and Eli would always give in. He would take one at a time and did his ‘Dash of Rocks’ and they loved every second of it.

One night, after training, Alira and Dainen sat by the fire.

Dainen looked out at the fields, his expression unreadable. “You’ve noticed it, haven’t you?”

Alira nodded. “The fluctuations?”

“Yeah.” Dainen exhaled. “Monsters aren’t just evolving into Emerald-tier anymore. Some are manifesting at Emerald from the start.”

Alira leaned forward. “The Preserver and Reformer?”

Dainen frowned. “You think they’re involved?”

“I think they’re in meditation—connected.” Alira’s voice was thoughtful. “You know how time warps in a joined meditation. Sometimes an hour feels like months. Sometimes weeks pass in the blink of an eye.”

“I think Venya could tell I knew something.” Alira said as they both looked into the fire.

“I am 100% sure she didn’t know that Eli was supposed to confront them one day and defeat them to help restore the Mana flow to and from this world.”

Dainen let out a sigh, “Yeah, I am pretty sure not a single soul on Caelum believes anyone could or would challenge them. I know Eli will reach heights that we have never seen, but to be able to harness all that and then defeat two beings that not only are Dimond Tier, but have mastered their affinities that essentially make them Celestials.”

Eli sat alone on a log just outside the hut, gazing up at the night sky. His body was still buzzing from the long meditation session, muscles loose but mind sharp. It had been three months since he arrived in Caelum. Three months.

Every time he really thought about it, the insanity of everything threatened to overwhelm him.

He exhaled slowly, watching his breath curl in the cool night air. Miles had to be freaking out. He wondered what the students thought after they were sent back. Did they remember anything? Would anyone even believe them if they did?

But more than anything, he thought about his parents.

His dad would love this place. The adventure, the magic, the challenge of it all. His mom? She’d love Alira. They’d probably be best friends, bonding over their shared ability to see through his bullshit.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

The stars were so much brighter here. For all of Arindral’s futuristic cities, out here, you could almost convince yourself this was a medieval world. A place untouched by time.

The whirlwind of that first week didn’t even seem real anymore. If it weren’t for his enhanced memory, he might’ve thought it was just a fever dream.

But he’d come a long way.

He wasn’t a master—not even close. He still wasn’t on Taren’s level, but every day, he was closing the gap. His movements were sharper, his instincts faster. The training was brutal, but he was adapting.

He closed his eyes, the memory of his dad’s wink flashing through his mind.

"You got this, kid."

Eli inhaled deeply, nodding to himself. “I’m trying, Dad. I’m trying.”

When he opened his eyes again, the stars were still there—unchanged, unbothered. No matter what happened, the sky remained steady.

With a final stretch, he stood and headed inside. Tomorrow was another day to get stronger.