CHAPTER 39: REUNION
The forest clearing was silent. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in thin golden threads, landing on moss-covered stones and patches of wild grass.
John stood with his squad near the tree line. They weren't alone. Other squads filled the clearing, scattered in loose clusters. And every single person had one thing in common—they were nervous.
Some fidgeted. Some stood perfectly still, which was its own kind of tell. A few whispered to each other, but the words were too low to make out.
They stayed like that for a while.
Nico's patience ran out first. "What is th—"
He didn't finish.
CRACK.
The ground erupted. A figure landed in the crater. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing—flattening ferns, shaking leaves from the trees, blasting dirt and stone in every direction.
Trainees scrambled back. Most were thrown off their feet. Only a select few kept standing, and that was only because they'd been near trees.
Rauk straightened to his full height.
He was massive—easily past seven feet, maybe eight. His arms were bare, crossed with old wounds that caught the sunlight. His eyes swept across the groaning trainees, rust-colored and cold.
He didn't say a word at first. Just stood there, waiting for all of them to get back to their feet.
Nico coughed as he tried to get up, cursing under his breath. "I hate that guy."
John looked at him, already standing. "What if he hears you?"
"What if he does?" Nico said, dusting himself off. "I don't care. He can kiss my ass for all I care."
John just shook his head. When he looked away from Nico, he caught Rauk staring right at them.
Rauk turned away the moment John saw him. He clapped his hands together, and all the squads turned their attention to him.
"Well? Did you miss me?"
Silence.
"No? Can't say I'm surprised." He rolled his shoulders, stepping out of the crater. "But I missed you guys. I was getting bored."
His grin stretched wide—wider than any of them had seen before.
"Let's begin."
***
An hour later, the place looked like a battlefield—bodies strewn across the ground like corpses. Only a few were still moving, and even they looked half dead.
Sweat dripped from chins. Muscles screamed. Lungs burned. Every trainee wore a dull gray bracelet on their wrist. Rauk had told them they could never take them off for this month.
They were gravity enhancers.
John's arms trembled as he held a push-up position. The weight pressed down on him like a mountain. Beside him, Nico's face was purple, veins bulging all over his face—but somehow, he was still conscious.
Amara's claws dug trenches in the dirt as she dragged herself through a crawling drill. Malric's jaw was clenched so tight it looked like his teeth might crack.
Adam and Thalia were among the unconscious. The others were still struggling.
Rauk stepped over them like they were rocks in a path. He approached Nico and squatted down, his frame towering over him.
"You and John will do an extra hour after this."
Nico's eyes widened. His mouth opened—
Nothing came out. His body just... collapsed.
Rauk ignored him.
John's vision blurred. His body threatened to give out, but He refused to fall.
Two hours later, even the corpses had started to stir.
One by one, trainees pushed themselves up—slow, groaning, moving like broken dolls. Some threw up. Some just lay there, staring at the sky, too exhausted to move.
John and Nico had just finished their extra hour.
John's arms hung at his sides like dead weight. His legs were numb. Every breath felt like swallowing glass. Beside him, Nico wasn't much better—his face had gone from purple to pale, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Neither of them spoke. Neither had the strength.
Rauk stood in the center of the clearing, arms crossed, watching as the trainees crawled back to something resembling life.
When the last person had managed to sit up, he finally spoke.
"I want all of you to start circulating your energy," he said. "Now."
John couldn't even form a proper thought. All he could focus on was getting air into his lungs.
[Hey, minion. You should start doing what that sadist tells you. It'll help with your misery.]
John just rolled his eyes, but he did as Echo told him and started absorbing energy into his domain.
At first, it happened like it always did. But then something changed. A stream of ether began converging from different parts of the domain—first the purple threads, then the abyss, then the void, and finally from the red core. Slowly, it started to spread into his body.
It moved. Flowed. Sank into his muscles, his bones, his cells.
His eyes stayed closed, but he could feel his body waking up.
Beside him, Nico let out a shaky breath. Across the clearing, someone gasped in relief.
John kept circulating. The energy wove through him, gentle but insistent. His fingers stopped trembling. His arms stopped feeling like lead. He wasn't healed. Not even close. But he could move. He could breathe.
After about thirty minutes, the energy stopped spreading through his body and remained within his domain.
At the same time, Rauk's voice rang out. "Same time tomorrow. You're Varric's problem now."
Everyone looked as if they had just been sentenced to death when they heard that. But they still pulled themselves up and started walking.
***
The forest path stretched ahead of them, dappled in afternoon light. Normally, the squad would be talking, joking, arguing about something stupid. But now, there was only silence.
John walked near the back of the group, his eyes half-closed, his body still aching despite the energy circulation. Then Liora fell into step beside him.
She didn't say anything at first. Just walked. Her dark hair was matted with sweat, her training clothes torn at the sleeve, but somehow, she still looked… ok. John didn't understand how.
"Long day," she finally said.
John chuckled a little, "Sigh, you can say that again."
She glanced at him. "You did alright."
"You too."
"...Thanks."
"For what?"
She shrugged. "Nothing."
"Okay? I guess," John said.
"I wanted to ask you about something."
John frowned. "About what?"
Liora shook her head and walked faster, her shoulders tense. "Never mind."
John watched her go.
[What just happened?] Echo asked.
No idea.
[You kids are weird.]
You're one to talk.
Before John could ask what she meant, they rounded the last bend and stepped into the combat room.
And there he was.
Varric Ironbrand.
He stood in the center of the yard, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, one arm bare and scarred—the other a gleaming mass of metal and clockwork. A crystal eye glowed faintly in his left socket, casting a pale blue light across his weathered face. At his back hung a sword so massive it looked like it belonged on a siege weapon, not a person.
He was cleaning a blade. He didn't look up when they arrived. Didn't even look like he noticed them.
The trainees shuffled to a stop, forming loose rows.
Varric kept cleaning.
Seconds passed. Minutes. The only sound was the soft scrape of cloth against steel.
Then he stopped.
He lifted his head, crystal eye sweeping across the group.
"Welcome back," he said. His voice was flat. The trainees shuffled in place. No one spoke.
Varric looked them over like he was inspecting livestock.
"You won't be training today," he said. "Not really."
A few people exhaled. Others looked confused.
Varric ignored them all.
"First, you need to learn how to draw out your energy." He tapped his chest. "How to actually use it. To do... anything. When you want to. Not by accident."
He cracked his neck.
"It's pretty simple. Tap into your domain. Use the accumulated energy inside and try to make it follow your intent. You'll know what it feels like."
He sat down on a crate, pulled out his blade, and started cleaning it again.
Nico let out a sigh. "Time to endure another nutjob."
John shot him a glare. "Can't you keep your mouth shut? I went through that extra hour of hell because you opened your mouth. So shut up."
Nico shot back in indignation. "What are you talking about? It's because that guy is a sadist. Not because of what I said."
John just shook his head and closed his eyes.
[I'm going to sleep,] Echo murmured.
John ignored him and tried tapping into his domain.