The gate to the village felt like a border between two different lives.
As I turned to leave, Mr. Ghale didn't just give me a nod or a handshake. He stepped forward and pulled me into a crushing, rib-cracking hug. He smelled of woodsmoke and the bitter herbs of his healing potions.
"Good luck, boy!" he roared, his laughter echoing off the mountain slopes. "Don't go making me look bad by failing your first exam, ahahaha! I'll miss you, kid."
I couldn't find the words to tell him how much he had saved me. I simply nodded, my throat tight.
I reached into my tunic and felt the cold metal of my mother's necklace. It was the only thing that hadn't burned in the fire—the only physical piece of my past I had left. I closed my eyes for a split second, feeling her memory settle into my heart like a steady flame.
Then, I looked toward the horizon. The Capital was waiting.
I didn't walk. I didn't run. I reached for the "State" within me and exploded forward. I became a blur of motion, a streak of wind cutting through the valley, leaving the village—and my childhood—behind in a cloud of dust.
The road to the Capital was supposed to be safe, but the scent of greed is everywhere.
I skidded to a halt as I saw them: a group of bandits surrounding an old man, his belongings scattered in the dirt. I didn't hesitate. I stepped forward, settling into a low Zen Zhi stance.
"Give him his stuff back," I said, my voice cold.
The bandits looked at me and burst into mocking laughter. "Look at this one," the leader sneered, eyeing my travel clothes and long hair. "Listen, little lady, get out of here before we make you our target. This isn't a place for girls to play hero."
Lady? I looked down at myself, a vein throbbing in my forehead. "Lady?! You... enough talking!"
I vanished.
Using pure physical momentum, I reappeared in front of the leader. My fist connected with his jaw, the impact sending him spiraling through the air like a discarded rag. Behind me, I felt a ripple in the air—one of them had a movement technique. He tried to take my back, but I didn't even turn around. I leaned forward and lashed out with a back-kick that caught him square in the chest. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood spraying from his mouth.
The remaining five swarmed me. To them, I was a blur; to me, they were moving in slow motion. I danced through their clumsy swings, delivering precise strikes to their vitals.
"NOW!" one of them screamed.
Suddenly, the air behind me roared. A new figure moved with a speed that rivaled my own. His shoulder slammed into my ribs, sending me skidding back across the dirt. I dug my heels in, carving two trenches in the road as I regained my balance.
I didn't even need the Body Enhanced State. My baseline was already enough.
I ignored Dham for a second, weaving through his next lunge to systematically knock out the remaining bandits. Once the "trash" was cleared, I turned to the newcomer. "Who are you?"
"My name is a secret," he hissed, his eyes narrowing. "But you can call me Dham."
"Dham, huh?" I smirked. "Appropriate."
"Enough talking!" Dham exploded upward, his foot catching me under the chin. I soared into the air, surprised by his technical skill. He followed me up, a barrage of kicks and punches raining down on me. I twisted my body mid-air, utilizing Zen Zhi to slip past 90% of the strikes.
As we descended, I found my opening. I drove a single punch into his solar plexus. The air left his body in a red mist as he collapsed into the dirt, unconscious before he even hit the ground.
I stood over him, wiping a smear of dust from my cheek. I was surprised—a common bandit with that much speed? The world outside my village was going to be more interesting than I thought.
I gathered the scattered bags and handed them back to the old man. He just stood there, his jaw practically touching the dirt, his eyes darting between me and the unconscious body of Dham.
"How..." the old man stammered, his voice trembling with awe. "How does a young lady possess such terrifying speed and power?"
I felt the heat rush to my face instantly. The cool, calm warrior persona I'd built over the last year evaporated into pure embarrassment. "I'm not a lady!" I blurted out, perhaps a bit too loudly. "I'm a guy!"
The old man blinked, then let out a wheezing, hearty laugh that shook his thin frame. "Ah! Forgive me, young man! It's the hair... and the grace with which you move. You have the features of a high-born maiden but the fists of a titan." He reached into his robes, fumbling for something. "I am deeply in your debt. Please, I must return the favor—"
"No need, really!" I waved my hands dismissively, already backing away. If I stayed any longer, he'd probably start complimenting my "maidenly" eyelashes next. "I'm in a bit of a hurry to reach the Capital. Just stay safe and keep your eyes peeled for more bandits. Good luck, old man!"
Before he could offer another word, I tapped into my momentum.
Whoosh.
I vanished from his sight, leaving nothing but a swirl of leaves and a very confused old man behind. I needed to get to the University fast—partly to start my new life,
After an hour of sustained, high-speed travel, the horizon finally shifted. The Capital didn't just appear; it loomed. Massive white-stone walls stretched as far as the eye could see, and the spires of the University rose like frozen lightning bolts in the center of the city.
I slowed to a walk as I passed through the Great Gates, trying to blend in with the bustling crowd. The sights, the smells, the sheer noise of thousands of people was overwhelming after a year on a quiet mountain.
I was busy staring up at a floating carriage when—Oof!
Someone slammed into me with surprising force. Even with my hardened bones, the impact caught me off guard, and we both tumbled onto the cobblestones in a heap of limbs and travel bags.
"Ow..." I groaned, shaking my head.
I looked up to see who I'd collided with. It was a girl about my age, dressed in a scholar's robe. But as she scrambled to her feet, I noticed her hair flutter back, revealing long, elegant pointy ears.
"Oh! I—I am so sorry!" she stammered, her face turning a deep shade of crimson. She began bowing so fast her ears were practically flopping. "I wasn't looking! I was in such a rush, I'm so, so sorry!"
I stood up, dusting off my new uniform. "It's fine," I said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "I was distracted too. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
She looked at me for a split second, her eyes wide with embarrassment, then let out a tiny, squeaky gasp. Without saying another word, she spun around and bolted into the crowd toward the University gates, her ears twitching as she ran.
"Wait! Your—" I started, but she was already gone.
I stood there for a moment, scratching my head. Between being called a lady by an old man and being run over by an Elf, my first ten minutes in the Capital were definitely not going as planned.
My stomach gave a loud, traitorous growl as I neared the University's massive iron-wrought gates. I looked at the giant clock tower overlooking the plaza—the hands were dangerously close to the closing hour.
I have time, I told myself. Probably.
I dived into the nearby stalls, my nose leading the way. I moved with a speed that blurred the vendors' eyes, snatching up skewers of grilled meat, loaves of honey-bread, and bags of dried fruit. I stuffed them into my travel bag until the seams were straining. A year of mountain training had taught me one thing: you never know when your next meal is coming.
I looked back at the clock. One minute.
"Crap!"
I didn't just run; I engaged my momentum. I became a streak of grey and white, weaving through the crowded plaza like a needle through silk. I reached the gates just as the heavy iron started to groan shut.
With a final, desperate leap, I slid through the narrowing gap, my bag of food clutched to my chest like a precious treasure. I tumbled onto the pristine marble floor of the University courtyard, skidding to a halt just as the gates slammed shut with a resounding BOOM that echoed through the entire campus.
I stayed on the ground for a second, panting, smelling the faint aroma of grilled chicken leaking from my bag.
"Safe," I whispered.
A pair of polished boots stepped into my field of vision. I looked up, clutching my bag of snacks, realizing that I probably didn't look like the "elite warrior" Mr. Ghale had trained me to be.