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I closed my eyes, forcing my breathing to slow. Inhale... exhale. The dark cave around me faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. My mind was a swirling storm of fragmented images and sensations, flashes of something just out of reach. I pushed harder, focusing, like diving into a dark, endless ocean. Each thought felt slippery, like trying to hold water in my hands.
I need my memories!... who am I exactly and why...why can’t I remember….
FUUUUU!
Taking one more deep breath to bring some control in the chaos of depressing thoughts, a familiar chill seeped deep in me, in my mind as I felt more at peace.
I reached deeper, my fingers clawing through the murky haze. Shapes flickered at the edges of my consciousness – shadowy figures, the faint sound of metal clashing, voices blurred and distant. They taunted me, pulling back every time I got close.
“No,” I growled, gripping the memory harder with sheer force of will. It felt like trying to lift a boulder with bare hands, but I refused to let go. My pulse quickened, a searing pressure building in my chest.
The edges of one fragment began to solidify, its shape becoming clearer as I dragged it from the abyss. It resisted, clawing to stay hidden, but I wouldn’t let it go.
Not this time.
Finally, with one final surge of determination, I seized it. The moment burst into focus, sharp and vivid, pulling me into its depths like a riptide.
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The memory began to unfold...
.
.
The first thing I remembered was cold steel against my neck.
It wasn’t real, not yet. Just a phantom sensation clawing its way into my thoughts, dragging with it a scene I couldn’t fully piece together. Uncle Sebastian’s voice was there, who’s Uncle Sebastian…why do I know and remember my feelings but not the memories
“Preparation means nothing if you can’t anticipate an ambush.”
My breathing hitched. I felt the weight of his words, though they were barely tangible. Shadows flickered at the edges of my mind, teasing me with fragments of a memory just out of reach. My stomach twisted in frustration.
I clenched my fists. Why can’t I remember anything beyond this?
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to focus. Slowly, the fragmented edges sharpened, the haze parted, and I felt myself falling into the memory.
.
.
Uncle Sebastian’s blade was cold against my neck, the steel biting just enough to remind me how easy it would be to end me.
“Well, well,” his voice cut through the silence, calm and measured. “It seems you’ve learned a thing or two since our last session, young master. Being prepared is decent practice, but readiness is useless if you don’t prepare yourself mentally for being ambushed.”
“Yes, teacher,” I replied, swallowing hard.
“It may be very difficult to be on edge when you are in a safe spot but for how long will you be safe there”
The blade disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Sebastian melted into the shadows, his presence vanishing entirely. My heartbeat was loud in my ears as I stepped forward into the training room, my hand instinctively resting on the pommel of my sword.
The vastness of THE DOME surrounded me mountain-sized dome, echoing space layered with enchantments. My eyes darted across the room, taking in every detail. I knew better than to expect anything straightforward here.
Uncle Sebastian stood in the center, his posture relaxed but commanding. Dressed in his formal dark butler attire, he seemed to blend seamlessly with the dim light, an extension of the shadows themselves.
“Young master,” he said, his voice cutting through the quiet, “no one will give you warnings in battle. Long gone are the days when knights and warriors clung to chivalry and honor. Today, survival is the only code.”
With a flick of his wrist, a table and two chairs materialized out of thin air.
“Sit,” he instructed. “We’re talking today – though you’ll need your strength for sparring with your mother.”
Suppressing a groan, I obeyed, sinking into the chair across from him.
“You’ve got power, Lexi,” he began, leaning back. His tone was calm, but there was a weight behind his words that pressed against me like a vice. “Strength. Potential. But raw power without control is meaningless. Instincts are tools. You wield them – they don’t wield you.”
“Rely too heavily on instinct, and you’ll become predictable, a puppet to your own impulses.”
“Does that only come with experience, teacher?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“For most,” he replied, gesturing toward the vast expanse of THE DOME, “Yes, At this place we drill into soldiers to prepare for the worst. To teach them to hold their ground and not run when things go wrong. But you? Your path is different. It’s not about holding your ground. It’s about dancing with death. One misstep, one misjudged variable, and it’s over.”
His words settled heavily in the air between us.
“For that is the price for power, remember that” Leaning in as I saw a solemn expression on his face.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“I’ve lost too many people who thought they were untouchable,” he continued. “Tell me, young master – the rule of my teachings.”
“Fear the Known. Beware of the Unknown,” I recited automatically.
He smiled faintly. “Good. Remember that. Your enemies, whether human, beast, or otherwise, always have hidden cards. And when cornered, desperation drives them to unimaginable lengths. Underestimating sentience is the quickest way to die.”
I nodded, the weight of his gaze pressing down on me.
“Your mother’s harshness?” he said after a pause. “It’s her way of preparing you. Peace is fleeting, Lexi. Calamity waits for no one.”
The word hit me like a strike to the chest. My heart raced, my breath hitching as a cold, gnawing dread settled in my gut.
Sighing Uncle Sebastian leaned back, “As you are aware young master, I am a Rogue/Assassin Archetype and we prefer darkness, being in dark, in shadows to bring our foes to eternal darkness”
‘That’s edgy but …”, I listened carefully disregarding various thoughts,
“Although you have yet to commit to an archetype remember these things which we tell you will become your core principles “
“The paths are endless Lexi, but remember Exira is the only power that’s truly your archetypes are just professions how you will mold your Exira will create the path that’s only yours and as I and others have mentioned before, most of your battles will be unplanned, unknown you will be thrown into battles that you didn’t choose to be a part of if you continue on your path to power”
“You will bleed, will be broken, and witness the death of both people you knew and your enemies”
Uncle Sebastian met my gaze and said seriously, “It’s important to not drown in self blame and self pity that’s disrespecting anyone who you’ve known”
“I know talking about these things is easy, only when you are going through these will you understand all i hope you remember these words”
I nodded seriously, personally, I can’t even think of losing anyone in my family…
“Now I have been teaching you and it’s important that you understand your combat style is more of an ambush striker, right now you are a glass cannon with very high versatility and power but very little juice in the tank to keep pumping up the damage”
“As such you must never stretch the battle into one of endurance unless you are planning on going for full plate heavy armour and shield like Ser Mathias and being a tank knight archetype “
“Which you are not and probably will never be, am I right to assume that Lexi?”
“Yup teacher, I would rather be moving around dodging than be sitting ducks”
“That'll bring us back on topic, you must finish the battle quickly but never be hasty. If you stall with your build and take excessive time, what will happen? Can you guess ?”
Well I’m pretty I’ll be dead but if I say that Uncle Sebastian will beat the hell out of me no matter how kind he is most of the time that will warrant a beating, a violent one at that Quickly shaking my head, I dumped those thoughts and thought of possible scenarios…
Man, I’m only 17. How would I have those experiences… damned kind old man
“Hmm,..Reinforcement, probably the enemy may also be stalling for time,...um Recovery rates,... Some hidden tricks, Ace..”
Uncle Sebastian nods and continues, “ Indeed! You will learn with time or by injuries if you survive us “
I felt my eye twitch, these guys are my teachers and I respect them for that but all of them may have some screw loose when it comes to combat
Uncle Sebastian continued, “Remember Lexi, in a foreign land oftentimes it will be a hostile environment, never wait for an attack, take initiative, explore possible surroundings, and set them up for the battle if confrontation is inevitable”
“However, sometimes your initiation of an attack may fail even when you have the best cards in your hand, in such situations getting greedy and losing patience is akin to death.”
Uncle Sebastian seriously said, “Retreat after dealing as much damage as possible to avoid the enemy from giving a counterattack on you, even the ground between you and your foes.”
“Never give a hold of advantage to your enemy, no matter how small it is”
“Never face 50/50 odds”
“ Weakness of flesh is very important”, With a sly grin, Uncle Sebastian continued, ”I’m sure Lady Nora must have taught you the required skill for performing autopsy and appraisal on them.”
“Yeah She did, it was a horrific experience Uncle Sebastian”
My face scrunched up recalling the experience that Uncle Sebastian chuckled.
“It’s better you feel disgusted and reluctance now than when the times are desperate”
“Although It may seem useless now that there is tons and tons of information about nearly all the monsters seen in the gates and rifts we never what could happen in the future”
Uncle Sebastian casually flipped a pocket watch out of existence and checked the time.
Huff show off! still not teaching me that huh old man
“Lexi,” Uncle Sebastian’s voice brought me back. “Don’t let that burden twist into darkness. Everything we do is for your growth. One day, you’ll understand.”
I clenched my fists under the table, my nails biting into my palms.
“The path you’ve chosen isn’t one of comfort,” he continued. “It’s pain, loss, and blood. But it’s your path. And the only way forward is through.”
He stood abruptly, conjuring a pocket watch out of nowhere, his movements smooth and practiced. He checked the time, then pocketed it just as quickly.
“There’s still time,” he said. “Breathe. Meditate. Process what I’ve told you. I’ll meet you at the sparring grounds.”
And just like that, he was gone.
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The memory shattered like glass, pulling me violently back to the present.
I staggered, clutching at my chest as my breath came in sharp, ragged gasps. The cold sensation of the blade lingered against my neck, even though I knew it wasn’t real.
“Damn it...”
My voice was low, trembling with frustration. I pressed my fists against my temples as if I could physically force my scattered thoughts into order. The memory had been so vivid, so real—but it stopped abruptly, leaving me staring into a void of nothingness.
“What happened after that?” I hissed, my voice cracking. “Why can’t I remember?”
I tried to steady my breathing, but the questions buzzed in my mind, sharp and relentless. Why did it all end there? What came next? What was I forgetting?
My frustration twisted into anger. Anger at myself. Anger at the world. I slammed my fist against the nearest surface, the impact reverberating up my arm.
“This isn’t enough,” I growled. “I need more. I have to remember.”
“Fear the Known. Beware of the Unknown.”
Clenching my teeth, I straightened, forcing myself to take a deep, shuddering breath.
Inhale... exhale...
I couldn’t afford to break now. Not here. Not yet. There was too much I still needed to figure out—too many gaps I needed to fill.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” I muttered bitterly, almost laughing at the absurdity of my own words. “She won’t kill me... probably.”
But the bitterness in my voice betrayed the truth. This wasn’t about the fight ahead.
It was about the shadows behind me—the ones I couldn’t seem to outrun.
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