Kayne felt his blood boil at the rhythmic chanting from the legion as his entire being got submerged under the killing intent of the armoured group. A clash of metal and death reverberated externally and internally.

The feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced back on earth. The heavy air around him was almost palpable as it brushed over his skin, causing what little hairs he currently had to stand on end.

He watched as the two twins clutched their new armour, their eyes moist with them holding back obvious tears at the surprise initiation ceremony. The groups broke up, having been released from their positions by Ajax after the chanting had ended.

Everyone surrounded the chubby pair as they congratulated them with polite smiles and some heavy pats on their backs and shoulders.

Kayne felt the whole chanting was a little over the top, but he knew you could cultivate a particular type of atmosphere within a large group by chanting or cheering, much like a sporting event. Although he had never served in a military unit, it was pretty obvious such acts were also valuable for psyching up the soldiers.

The ceremony continued with a more informal one taking place for the legion. The General brought out a large bucket of red paint, declaring their previous crest would be abandoned and replaced by a new one.

It looked like the old crest was a dark red sun with wavy flames of light coming off in all directions set on a white background. A flag got raised and then summarily torn down. A new one with a red handprint placed against a black background took its place.

To Kayne, the new crest appeared more menacing, like a bloody handprint left behind at a crime scene.

The General then used the bucket of red paint as he dipped his hand into it, slapping it against his breastplate, leaving behind a thick red outline of his hand that ran slightly, giving it the effect of dripping blood.

The paint dried fast and didn't run too much to ruin the outlined hand. Each legion member came up in a single file to repeat the same actions, their silver breastplates now holding the new crest of the bloody legion. Even the two twins joined in, applying the new paintwork to their armour as they smiled like Cheshire cats.

"We will begin training every other day for the foreseeable future instead of once every month," Ajax said, his words met by a series of murmurs and quiet comments from the large group's unarmoured members.

The giant man moved over to a large, flat rock, stepping up on top of it with ease, raising him further above the throng of people. Kayne wasn't sure why the man bothered as he wasn't hard to miss. As he and his mother stood off to the side, he could get a decent view of the man either way.

"I know many of you didn't sign up for the military, and there will be no payment for this work. Make no mistake, though, that if you want to live in this village, you will be required to contribute to it and learning to defend it will be the most basic task I expect everyone to perform. We may be left alone here in peace to get on with our lives, but you know we live in a ruthless world."

"Each person is here because you are either an ex-legionnaire or related in some way to someone who is. We will teach you everything we know so that no matter what we encounter, be it a bandit raid or beast surge, no one here will be left to die a helpless death." Ajax's authoritative voice continued, sounding like the military leader he was. The massive Warhammer was still carried around by him with ease, like a small child carrying a stick.

"Conquest is not our goal. We will only defend our village. My primary focus is the future of our village, and I believe that the heart of that future prosperity lies with our children. To that end, as some of you are already aware, we, the legion, have pooled all the remaining resources from our time in the military to procure materials for all the children in the village. In my storage device," Ajax tapped his bracelet.

"I have numerous cultivation and skill manuals ready to be studied free of charge by our young ones,"

Ajax finished his speech, his head moving side to side as if taking in the expressions and comments of the group he was addressing. The buzz of excitement from the villagers earned a nod from him.

Kayne wasn't sure if the cultivation and skill manuals were rare, but their mention fired up the village's civilian portion. Even some of the older children stared with wide, excited eyes at the prospect of learning such things.

"Very well, now I can see you're all worked up. Let us see how far we can push our little village. Training will be every other day, as I previously mentioned, but only in the mornings. We will break everyone down into groups based on cultivation level, with one of the legion squad commanders directing your training."

"At the start of every month, we will hold a series of mandatory sparring matches for everyone but the support group. Today is the first day of a new month, so we will start with some bouts. Don't worry, I won't make you fight the blooded members of the legion. They will fight each other first so that you can see how it is done." Ajax said as he gave out directions with the help of the squad leaders like his father, who cleared out the area of people.

Kayne was surprised to see the general and his father remain in the centre of the arena, facing off against one another. The General had his hammer face down in a relaxed position with both hands atop it.

His father had his large twinblade held horizontally, slightly to the side and behind him as he leaned forward, looking like he was about to pounce into action at any moment.

It seems father isn't treating the General lightly.

"Your matches today will not involve any essence and will just test your body and skill at arms. I will give you a demonstration in slow time on what I expect each of your fights to look like once you start using your full cultivation eventually. Begin."

The General barked, and at the word 'begin', Kayne watched as his father nearly blurred from where he had been standing, appearing next to Ajax's left side in a split second. The large blade was already swinging through the air in an attempt to decapitate the man.

His father held the dual-sided weapon with both hands in the middle as the blade on the right side was used in the attack. The General, who still casually stood holding onto the hammer, leaned back slightly as he kicked the bottom of the heavy weapon while firmly holding onto the handle.

This action caused the head of the hammer to shoot up, aiming straight for his father's outstretched right arm as the tall man slipped out of the blade's reach.

He watched as Marcus raised his right leg in step with the rising hammer and used his foot to kick off from the weapon's head, allowing him to avoid the blow to his arm and sending each of them a few steps back.

The strange thing was that during the exchange, the pair seemed to slow down and speed up again at parts, and it reminded him of how, in some movie action scenes, they would appear to slow down, making it easier to see what was going on.

The same thing seemed to be happening here, but Kayne was at a loss as to how it was done. His best guess was that both men fighting slowed their speed intentionally after committing to their attacks to allow everyone to see them.

It was like watching combat chess with all the attacks and counterattacks. Kayne had to admit he also never thought about using an opponent's weapon to help disengage from a disadvantageous position like his father had.

He shouldn't have been too surprised by the action, though, as he realised that after thinking it through, directing and using your opponent's movements were a staple of many combat techniques back on earth.

Another thing that surprised him about the duel was how acrobatic his father was. The man was tall and well-built, but seeing Marcus in action made him realise how lean and agile he was.

Thinking it through logically, it should not have come as a big shock to him as the only person he had to base such a weapon on previously was a bad guy from a famous sci-fi fantasy movie, and he also moved similarly.

Marcus wasn't as flashy in his movements as that red and black alien, but he wasn't using a weapon made of light either. Not at first, anyway.

The clash was a series of back and forth between the pair with their weapons and bodies. No essence got used until his father, who had been knocked away again by the General, did something with the twin-blade.

The blades on each side started to glow, one light and one dark. Shooting forward again, Marcus closed into melee distance, pushing the edge in a downward chop that sent an arc of bright light flashing towards Ajax.

Whilst the light flashed out, his father rotated counterclockwise, sweeping upwards with the rear blade covered in darkness. Kayne watched transfixed as a black shadow shot across the grey stone of the arena, trailing just behind the arc of light.

A large shell made of volcanic rock and lava appeared out of thin air, floating directly in the path of the Arclight. The attacks clashed with a meaty-sounding thud.

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

The first attack sent by his father ended under the impact as the floating molten shell burst into fragments that littered the arena. Kayne thought it was interesting that the pieces didn't seem to dissipate and instead remained to litter the ground, looking like hot coals.

A shadow snuck under the previous attack and defence clash as Kayne noticed his father was also a step just behind it and off to the side.

The long, dark shape stretched out of the ground like a spear sent from hell as it elongated and stabbed towards the General's chest. As it drew close, his father came in from just off to the side with his thrust, hoping to catch Ajax in a pincer.

He must have noticed both attacks as he snorted out loud and stamped his foot down onto the ground, causing the earth under him to erupt in all directions like a crater had just formed. The edges of it spiked out all around, catching both the shadow spear and his father mid-attack.

The shadow struck and pierced through the stone, the defence causing a drop in speed enough for Ajax to narrowly avoid it as it scraped across his cheek, drawing a line of blood. His father wasn't as lucky as he caught the brunt of the exploding ground that hit him and launched him cartwheeling through the air.

To his credit, his old man managed to self-right himself and neatly land on his feet, wiping blood away at the side of his mouth. The blow had left a scrape across his chest plate, so it didn't seem like a weak attack.

"Looks like you've been practising." The General said as his deep voice had a spark of amusement.

"Still not enough to catch you off guard." His father laughed as he dusted his chest plate down. His usual affable smile replaced his serious look throughout the fight.

"Looks like you'll need to hammer out this dent for me, though. Serves you right for being heavy-handed."

"You have a lower cultivation and are less than half my age, but you still gave me a little nick anyway. Maybe I need to stop holding back as much." Ajax said as he motioned down at the shallow wound on his cheek that already looked like it was scabbing over before addressing the crowd.

"That is a slowed-down basic example of how I expect everyone here to be able to fight. You need not worry about losing your life or trying to slow your actions down, as I will officiate each match personally and step in when needed." The General said as a noticeable relief washed over the gathering.

The people were eventually split up, with the children taken off to one side over to where the crude weight area was. The woman with the bird on her back was taking their training, but the bird was nowhere to be seen as it must have gotten bored and flown off into the forest to hunt or sleep.

His mother and the other men and women in the support group moved to another area closer to the children's training ground. This group mainly comprised women and young children but still had some much older men helping.

They set out a seating and cooking area using a pile of supplies from a small shed to the side, nestled between large bushes. Kayne wasn't sure whether to call them new recruits or conscripts, but they all gathered around the arena, exchanging pointers and sparring.

None of the group had objected to the training, and it all seemed to be voluntary so far, but he knew he wasn't on earth now, so he wasn't quite sure if it was different here.

Thankfully, he was close enough to hear the woman training the children whose name he had found out to be Kouris. Even better, though the children got put through some physical training, she still asked and answered the young group's questions.

"Who here can explain essence cultivation to me... you hiding in the back, answer." Kouris said as he walked between the rows of busy children huffing and puffing, doing various workouts.

One of the younger children he noticed seemed to be slacking off when her back turned. It was this little boy who got singled out for an answer.

She must have eyes in the back of her head or something.

"Erm… It's how we get stronger?" The dirty-looking boy said as he used this chance to stop what he was doing. The boy looked about seven or eight with wild hair and brown eyes.

"Did I say stop working when you answer me? For that and slacking off, you can move up a weight, go on. Just because my back turned doesn't mean my hawk can't see you being lazy. Take that as a lesson. Beastmasters don't just rely on themselves as they also have their beast companions to be their eyes and ears if needed." Kouris said as she continued to walk around the lines of panting children.

"Tell me what you know of Beastmasters in more detail than your first answer." The blonde-haired Beastmaster ordered, and she watched with green eyes as the boy obeyed and moved to a new, heavier stone.

He picked it up, doing shoulder press exercises as he huffed out his answers between quick breaths.

"A... Beastmaster... can tame... wild... beasts... creating... a bond... with them... that... then allows... them to fight... and get stronger... together." The young boy said, wheezing out at the end, and Kayne was worried he was about to drop the heavy stone on his head.

It must have been a satisfactory answer as the woman moved on.

"You there, tell me what you know of Beastmasters," Kouris said as she pointed at an older, dark-haired teenage girl doing a squatting and jumping regime.

"A Beastmaster can tame and control wild essence beasts using special soul abilities. The process can vary, but a link gets formed between man and beast. This link allows the cultivator to share some senses with the animal when it is nearby. They can also transform a little, taking on some aspects of their beast or beasts, gaining strength." The girl replied after a few seconds of thought. She never stopped doing squats the entire time, obviously not wanting to fall foul of the harsh taskmaster.

"Very good. Can you tell me the weaknesses of a Beastmaster?" The woman pointed to a boy who looked to be around nine years old.

From what Kayne could see, the boy seemed almost bored until he got singled out.

"Ah… oh… ouch!" The red-haired youth had been lifting some stones similar to kettlebells.

The sudden question caught him off guard, causing his grip to slip as one of the weights landed on his foot. Having just crushed his right toe, the boy released the other weight instinctually, dropping it right onto his other foot with a loud squeal.

Kayne winced internally at the scream that caused a few heads to turn over in its direction.

"Just because you're injured doesn't mean you can get out of doing your duty on the battlefield. Your enemy will not let you off because you trip and stumble like an idiot." Kouris berated the crying boy, who was rolling around on the ground, looking comical in figuring out what foot to rub first.

"Answer me, or I will drop a heavier one on them this time." The Beastmaster said, and she snatched up a large-looking stone weight from nearby as she stalked over.

Kayne watched the other nearby children gulp and speed up their workouts, not wanting to face the wrath of their trainer. The boy stopped rolling around crying out at that threat as the blonde-haired woman stood over him, holding the new weight casually in her crossed arms.

"They need to share their resources with the beast, slowing down their cultivation as they need more than normal unless they are rich." The boy stuttered out, looking up at his new tormentor with fear-laced eyes.

"And?"

"Errr… the beasts can rebel and kill the master sometimes. Oh, If the animal dies, it can also hurt the Beastmaster." The boy said the last part quickly, and Kayne thought he saw his teary eyes light up in joy at the thought of a Beastmaster getting hurt. His voice almost sounded pleased.

I guess this kid is one to hold a grudge.

The daft look on his face turned to horror as the woman dropped the weight down that landed right next to his head.

"Get up and get back to work. The healer can take a look at you later. Not sure he can fix stupid, though."

Ruthless.

He also made a mental note to avoid this woman in the future. He hoped all the women in this village were not as violent as Kouris or Texon. With his smart mouth, he was going to suffer otherwise.

Currently, he wasn't sure what to think about all this. On one hand, the village seemed to be made up of decent people. A little worry grew in his mind about being pressed into future military service, but that might just be how they do it here.

He would have to pay more attention and get a better lay of the land before making any hasty judgements. For all he knew, this world was so dangerous it could be cruel to not teach a child how to defend themselves.

"This knowledge and training are the things that will be the difference between life and death for many of you. I'm sure Copper Top here will get himself killed regardless, but the rest of you take note and continue to work hard."

The red-headed boy got to his feet with a few sniffles and continued training. Kayne was impressed with his sturdiness. He wasn't sure if he could go on working out after dropping such heavy things on his feet.

He did agree with the woman; the boy seemed a little unreliable, but he knew many people changed over their teenage years for the better and some for the worse. Labelling him as cannon fodder so soon was a little unfair, but it could just be a way of motivating him.

"Cultivation is how we get stronger, yes," Kouris said as she returned to what the scruffy boy had said earlier.

"Cultivation is like a cooking pot with three legs. Take any of the legs away, and the pot will fall over, spilling everything out. Useless." The woman said whilst continuing to casually walk around the group with her arms crossed, assessing them all as she went.

"The three legs of cultivation are the body, soul and will. Without a body, nothing keeps the soul tethered to the mortal world. Without a soul to control it, the body withers. Without either of those two parts, a person will not exist to be able to form their will."

"These are the three pillars that make up the cultivation world. Of course, you can live as a pure mortal, but who would choose such a thing unless you were born with some deficiency?"

Her words made him think of the old ghost and of the apparent injuries his body had sustained. He was curious to know if the dream had been real when he listened to Kouris give the short lecture about cultivation.

He thought of the little song he had made up and the diagram that he needed to heal himself. He was confident that he could remember it all, but the main thing he needed to focus on was awakening his willpower. With that in mind, he returned to the fiery taskmaster, giving lectures nearby.

"All of you here have already attuned your mind and grasped hold of the crux required to cultivate. Today, we'll train your bodies. I know many of you have been taught cultivation methods by your parents. Still, there is always room for improvement, and those of you who show promise may be able to choose from a better cultivation method or even a skill manual."

"You're young yet, and swapping methods is far easier in the beginning, so don't worry if you have already started to walk down a path," Kouris said as she walked past a girl, pushing the bar she held higher before carrying on.

The other children exchanged excited looks at the mention of cultivation and skill manuals. Kayne didn't know what to feel. On the one hand, learning and studying magic would be anyone's childhood dream, but it seemed to come at a cost.

Was the cost of joining up for what seemed like military service worth it? He wasn't sure. It didn't seem as bad if it was just all to protect the village, but he remained open-minded and sceptical at the same time.

The focus of the children's training shifted from lectures and weights to other aspects, such as running and archery, that he was unable to listen in on.

He turned his attention to the other groups for a time, watching riveting displays of essence skills and acrobatics. But he soon started to drift off, betrayed by his constant need for sleep.

He repeated the song he had made up, remembering it as his mother fed him. She got the milk from a large vase that someone had brought along. He drifted to sleep shortly after, his filled stomach giving him a sense of contentment as being milk-drunk took hold.