"What the hell happened to you two?"
Caedus and Dorian sat down at the table, joining the usual, familiar faces, looking a little worse than they did before. After washing off the dirt and blood, the cuts and bruises were more apparent.
People were staring at the two with stunned expressions.
"Captain Thorne decided to train us in martial arts since we don't have an instructor currently." Caedus winced, taking a bite of his food. The cut on his lip stung.
"Captain Thorne did that? What did you do to piss her off?" Eric said with surprise.
"Nothing," Caedus replied flatly. "I think she just likes torture."
Dorian took a bite of food as well, not showing that he planned to explain anything to his comrades, who all stared with questioning looks.
"Was it really that bad?" Jared asked.
This time, Dorian replied. "Yes. I am considering filing a complaint."
"Against Captain Thorne?" Mira asked.
"Against whoever assigned her to us." Dorian hadn't looked up from his food during that whole interaction.
"Dorian, are you okay?" Even the cold-hearted Keira spoke up with concern. Dorian was definitely a lot more vocal than he has ever been while being here at the Ironwood Crown Initiative.
"I think he hit his head towards the end, but I am sure he'll be alright," Caedus mentioned casually, as if it wasn't the worst thing that happened.
"How are you feeling, though, Caedus?" Iris spoke up this time.
"Just about how I look." Caedus tried smiling to relieve the concern of the others, but he couldn't muster it.
'Damn, my body hurts.'
The rest of lunch was uneventful.
Lunch passed quietly after that.
Small conversations drifted around the table, but neither Caedus nor Dorian had much energy left to participate.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, Caedus had stared into the depths of his soul.
Since then, he had awakened mysterious powers, been interrogated by a General, chosen a weapon, and been beaten half to death by Captain Thorne.
And yet, somehow, the day was close to being over. He still had soul cultivation later with Captain Thorne.
Caedus stared at his empty tray for a few seconds.
His future looked bleak.
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Survival training was actually interesting to Caedus.
While he did have considerably better survival skills than his peers who grew up as nobles, it was still interesting to learn new things and to understand why he had done what he had done before.
It came naturally to him.
After survival training ended, they went into battle formation, which Caedus found significantly slower to learn than survival training.
Learning the noises of horns, what flags mean, and basic battle tactics in a formation. This all made his head hurt, while everyone else seemed to be great at it.
"Don't worry, Violetshade. You excel in survival." Ragnar, who was standing nearby, tried comforting Caedus.
"Thank you, Stormrune," Caedus said with an embarrassed smile. Despite being a large man, Ragnar seemed to be on the softer and kinder side.
-------
After fumbling through formations, it was finally time for Soul Power cultivation.
In puffs of smoke, all the cadets had disappeared, where Caedus was assuming their instructors waited for them.
Leaving only Dorian and Caedus, wallowing in dread, waiting for Captain Thorne to appear.
*poof*
The familiar noise of teleportation came from behind the two, but they didn't want to turn around.
"Blackthorn, I honestly don't think my body can take more damage." Caedus honestly said, accepting his death.
"I agree," Dorian replied.
"Good thing we're cultivating then." Both cadets froze before turning around.
Captain Thorne just stood there.
"Come sit. There won't be any beating- *cough*- fighting."
'Did this lunatic admit it was just a beating? What the hell did we do!?'
"Yes, ma'am." The two replied and walked slowly towards her, not completely trusting they wouldn't get hurt again.
"Hurry up, the faster we get this done. The faster you guys can go back to your barracks."
Hearing this, the two rushed forward, with as much speed as their bodies could muster, before sitting in front of Captain Thorne.
"Listen closely. Violetshade, I know your history and where you're from, so I know you don't know what cultivation is. Blackthorn, I know you know what it is, so this will be a review for you." Captain Thorne said, looking between the two.
Dorian raised his eyebrows a bit and looked at Caedus in slight surprise, before looking back at Captain Thorne.
"Cultivation is the process of strengthening both your soul and your body through mana. When an awakener absorbs mana from the world, it doesn't simply sit inside them waiting to be used. It constantly flows through every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve in the body. Over time, that mana reinforces and strengthens those areas, allowing them to withstand greater amounts of power. The stronger your soul becomes, the more mana it can gather and store, but if your body cannot keep up, that power becomes a liability rather than a strength. A powerful soul in a weak body is like trying to stop a great river with a wooden dam; the dam will break, and the river will run rampant, destroying its surroundings. That is why cultivation exists. It increases your mana reserves, improves your control over that mana, and strengthens your body so it can safely contain and utilize greater amounts of power. Every realm you advance through is not simply a measure of strength, but proof that your body has adapted to carrying more mana than it could before."
Caedus listened intently. It made sense to him.
"Remember this, your soul determines how much power you can wield, and your body determines whether you can survive wielding it. Your soul uses mana to manifest its powers in the real world and uses your body as a conduit through which your power flows. A weak conduit breaks and explodes if your soul is stronger than your body. That is why my physical training is so harsh. As I said earlier, repairing your body with your own mana makes it so your body can use it more efficiently. If your mana repairs your own body, it becomes stronger."
Captain Thorne walked around and placed a hand on each of the cadets' backs.
"Close your eyes and breathe in. Focus on feeling the mana that naturally occurs in the world. Feel it fill your lungs, your veins, your muscles, and slowly and gently, use your soul power to guide it to every fiber of your being. Including your Soul Sea."
Caedus's stomach tightened.
The Soul Sea.
He wasn't sure he wanted to see that place again.
"Don't worry, Violetshade." Captain Thorne spoke up, as if she could read his thoughts. "Nothing will happen as long as I am here."
"Understood." Caedus then closed his eyes and tried to tune out the world.
They felt a flow of mana come from Captain Thorne's hand that was placed on his back. It flowed roughly at first, which didn't surprise him as his body was brand new to mana.
He got used to the feeling of mana flowing, and then, as he felt her hand leave his back, he focused on trying to move mana himself.
Caedus took deep breaths, feeling the mana enter his body. When he would flow the mana to his soul sea, he could feel the occasional spark of lightning emitting from him, but not in a violent way, in a way that made it look like the lightning was just thirsty for the natural mana of the world.
A purple glowing aura slightly emitted from his body.
He could feel the flowing mana go to his wounds, very slowly but surely healing his bruises, broken bones, and cuts. Feeling his body become more dense and mana sensitive after the severe beating made him a bit conflicted. He was glad he was getting stronger, and it seemed to be at a visible rate as well, but he didn't want to feel the pain of getting beaten again, even if it was efficient.
'They both are naturals.' Captain Throne took a few steps back from the duo. She had taken off her eye patch and was observing the mana flow in both Caedus and Dorian.
The purple lightning and aura emitting from Caedus and the black wispy smoke rising from Dorian's skin gave Captain Thorne an eerie feeling.
'At this rate, they will hit the middle stage of the Condensation Realm in a few days.'
Caedus wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he got addicted to the feeling of his body healing. The sense of relief brought an euphoria to him that he wasn't quite sure came from. And it was even more addicting knowing he was becoming stronger with each breath he took.
'Strength.'
Remembering his past sorrows. Caedus felt the euphoria of getting stronger fade.
His grandfather died because he was weak. He had to burn down his home because he was weak. He had to join the military because he was weak.
Trying not to get angry, Caedus steeled himself.
He wanted to live a free life of his own choosing, and while he was weak, he never felt he could choose his own path.
'Even more so, now that the Divine General, Duke Steelheart, and Umbra are trying to interfere with my military career.'
Caedus, of course, remembered the kindness Umbra showed him, but he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking Umbra cared. He always knew that he was just a tool for Umbra to achieve his goals, but he had no real choice but to go along with it. As he was in a new world with no knowledge of how to proceed, and trying to journey across the Endless Plains alone with no supplies would be a death sentence.
The more Caedus thought about what led him here, the angrier he got.
*Crack*
A bolt of lightning, stronger than the sparks that were coming off him during cultivation, struck the ground, causing Caedus and Dorian to snap their eyes open in surprise.
"Okay, that is enough for today." Captain Thorne spoke up from behind them. Caedus and Dorian nodded and stood up. And Caedus observed Captain Thorne's posture and noticed her hand was resting on the hilt of her sword.
"You guys are natural cultivators. The higher-ups will be pleased to hear this. I will see you two tomorrow morning at formation. You are dismissed."
Caedus and Dorian both saluted and began their journey back to the barracks.
The sun had gotten low in the sky, meaning that, without realizing it, they had both been cultivating for a few hours by then.
"At least my body feels better," Caedus said, rolling his shoulder, testing the limits of his body.
"Same."
The two walked in silence before Dorian spoke up again.
"What was that, Violetshade?"
Caedus turned to look at him and met his dark, empty eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I sensed that you seemed angry for a second," Dorian said bluntly.
"Ah, it's nothing. Just remembered some stuff." Caedus brushed it off, not bothering to explain.
Dorian didn't reply, and the two continued their walk in silence.
As they approached the barracks, Caedus saw a familiar stunning figure sitting on a bench; she seemed to be waiting for them.
It was Iris Steelheart.
As Caedus approached, Iris Steelheart straightened her posture, her figure unmistakable even in the dimming light of the evening. Her sharp eyes assessed him silently.
"You seem to be feeling better." She spoke with a small, polite smile.
Caedus smiled back and nodded. "Who knew mana was so refreshing?"
"I'm going to bed, have a nice talk." At that note, Dorian left.
The two paused for a bit, letting the silence hang before Caedus moved and sat next to her on the bench, turning his body towards her.
"So, Iris. What do we need to talk about?"
--------------------------------------------
Captain Thorne was deep in thought while on her walk.
"What is wrong?"
In a puff of smoke, a person Caedus would recognize as the smoking gate guard appeared in front of her.
"Commander." Captain Thorne snapped her heels to attention and saluted.
"No need for that, Minerva. Now what is bothering you?" The smoking commander spoke.
"After keeping an eye on Violetshade as General Voss ordered, I think the cadet shouldn't be given an option even to join a cohort." Captain Thorne explained.
"Oh? Is it because of that flash of anger he showed during cultivation?" The commander asked.
"Yes. Previous evaluations showed he had never shown much anger before his awakening, despite being put through hell with physical training. I am worried that when he rises in cultivation, he might not be able to control his own wrath."
"Minerva, it is WAY too early to tell if someone won't be able to control their emotions. It has been one day. His soul must have really frightened you." The commander hit a long inhale from his cigarette.
"It isn't even that! Even Blackthorn's soul, the literal embodiment of the Underworld, doesn't compare to how dangerous and ancient Violetshade's soul felt!" Captain Thorne was now shouting. As much as she may like the banter and personality of Caedus, she knew he could potentially be very dangerous.
"What would you have us do then, Minerva?" The commander sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If we kill him, we will be gaining the attention of a duke, a Divine general, and a family of spies."
"Hand him over to the Slayer Corps early, then! I am not sure we can handle him advancing to the foundation realm, which, with the quality of his soul, would definitely happen here at Obsidian Gate."
"Ugh." The commander flicked off the extra ash from his cigarette. "I will consider a solution, Minerva. For now, pretend everything is normal. And continue as if you aren't terrified."
Captain Thorne could hear the slight disdain in her commander's tone, but she didn't care. Her eye had never led her wrong before, and she knew in her heart they needed to come up with contingencies for Caedus.
"Yes, sir." Captain Thorne saluted again at her orders.
In another puff, the commander disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared.