Support me on P @t r e o n it helps alot.
P @t r e o n.com/Darking099
For 30+ Advance Chapters
Or
You can buy me a Coffee
ko-fi.com/darking099
For my motivation
---
Morning crept in slowly.
The island was wrapped in pale light, the kind that made everything feel softer than it really was. Rael stood near the shoreline, staring out at the sea, hands in his pockets. When he finally turned back, the girls were already there.
Robin stood calmly, arms folded.
Vivi was stretching, still stiff from yesterday.
Kaya clutched her cane, looking nervous but determined.
Rael studied them for a moment.
"No running today," he said.
Vivi blinked. "Really?"
"No targets either," he added.
Kaya tilted her head. "Then… what are we doing?"
Rael walked past them and stopped in the middle of the clearing. "Something harder."
That immediately wiped the smiles off their faces.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Harder than yesterday?"
"Yes."
Vivi groaned softly. "Of course it is…"
Rael smirked. "Sit."
They hesitated, then sat in a loose circle around him.
"This isn't a technique," Rael said. "And it's not strength training. It's awareness."
He tapped his temple lightly.
"You've all been relying on your eyes. Your ears. Your instincts. That's fine—but it's not enough."
Kaya swallowed. "Enough for… what?"
"For staying alive when someone faster than you decides to kill you."
Silence settled over them.
Vivi shifted uncomfortably. "You really know how to motivate people…"
Rael shrugged. "Honesty works."
Feeling Without Seeing
"Close your eyes," Rael said.
They did.
"Don't reach for anything," he continued. "That's where you keep messing up. Just breathe."
The wind brushed past them. Leaves rustled. Waves whispered somewhere behind.
Minutes passed.
Vivi frowned. "I don't feel anything."
"That's fine," Rael replied. "You're not supposed to."
Kaya's shoulders tensed. "Then what are we looking for?"
"Nothing," Rael said simply. "You're listening, not searching."
Robin opened her eyes slowly. "Listening to what?"
Rael glanced at her. "Intent."
That word hung in the air.
"People leak it," he continued. "When they focus. When they hesitate. When they want something badly enough. You won't see it—but you'll feel it."
Vivi cracked one eye open. "And if we don't?"
"Then you fail," Rael said flatly. "And try again."
She closed her eye again, muttering, "Figures…"
Small Signs
Rael stood and began walking around them.
Not fast. Not slow.
Just enough to disturb the space.
Robin's brow furrowed. "There's… pressure."
Rael stopped behind her. "Good."
Vivi snapped her eyes open. "Wait—you felt that too!?"
Robin nodded. "It's faint. Like standing too close to someone without touching them."
Kaya hugged her cane tighter. "I think I felt something… but I don't know if it's real."
"It is," Rael said. "You just don't trust it yet."
That earned a small, embarrassed laugh from her.
They practiced like that for a while. No attacks. No drills. Just stillness.
Most of the time, nothing happened.
But sometimes—
Robin reacted a fraction early.
Vivi flinched before Rael moved.
Kaya shifted her weight just before he changed direction.
Tiny things.
But Rael noticed all of them.
Light Sparring
Later, he had them stand.
"Now we see if it sticks," he said.
Robin went first.
Rael stepped forward—and she reacted before he finished moving. Her Shadow Bind Flow adjusted, not fast enough to catch him, but enough to block where he would have been.
Rael stopped. "That's improvement."
Robin exhaled slowly. "It feels… strange. Like guessing, but better."
Vivi went next.
She flicked a pebble—not at where Rael stood, but where her gut told her he'd step.
It missed by inches.
But Rael raised an eyebrow. "You felt my intent."
Vivi stared at her hand. "I didn't even think…"
"That's the point."
Kaya was last.
Rael approached quietly.
She froze.
Then stepped aside—just barely.
His hand passed through empty air.
Kaya's eyes widened. "I didn't see you… I just felt like I should move."
Rael smiled. "Good instinct."
Questions Without Answers
They rested afterward, sitting under the shade.
Vivi wiped her forehead. "Okay… seriously. Where did you even learn this?"
Robin looked at him too, curious but calm.
Kaya nodded slowly. "It doesn't feel like anything I've seen before."
Rael leaned back against a tree, arms crossed.
He smiled.
"A secret."
Vivi sputtered. "That's it!?"
"That's it."
Robin chuckled softly. "I expected that answer."
Kaya smiled shyly. "As long as you keep teaching us… I don't mind."
Rael looked at them—tired, sweaty, still inexperienced.
But standing.
"You're still far from strong," he said honestly. "But you're learning how not to die. That matters."
Vivi puffed her cheeks. "You could've said it nicer."
"Probably," Rael admitted.
The sun dipped lower.
Tomorrow, they would train again.
Slowly. Carefully.
Step by step.
They weren't ready for the world yet.
But they were getting closer.
And for now—
That was enough.
---
Support me on P @t r e o n
join my patreon for more frequent upload.
P @t r e o n.com/Darking099
For 30+ Advance Chapters
Code: SUMMER_HOLIDAYS FOR 40 % off in membership
Or
You can buy me a Coffee
ko-fi.com/darking099
For my motivation
---
For every 50 power stones= 1 extra chapter
And Support my Other Storie