I was back in the corrupted paradise, walking toward the place we trained in. Why didn’t Velarion just drop me there directly? No idea. But it didn’t really matter he just did weird shit sometimes. And Honestly, the walk was pretty nice anyway.

  It didn’t take long to find the elves, and we huddled together. Joro didn’t bother wearing his armor, his massive arms straining against the fabric of his shirt. He rolled his shoulders and grumbled, “I know you’re not supposed to feel anything from the Astral when you wake up, but I swear I was sore all day yesterday.”

  We all nodded in agreement, and my body tensed in anticipation of today’s training.

  Vael’dargar strode to her usual spot and wasted no time. “We don’t have time for socializing.”

  She pulled a spear from her storage ring, the motion practiced and effortless. “We’ll keep working on your footwork today, along with some combat drills.” Her voice rose slightly as she gave the command: “Pair up.”

  I faced Llin again as Vael’dargar continued. “Since we don’t have time to cover every weapon, we’ll focus on what you’re most comfortable with.”

  Without hesitation, the elves summoned their weapons. Sylvan held a simple wooden quarterstaff, while Thal took up the spear our trainer had given him.

  Most of the enemies I had faced so far were armored in one way or another, so I manifested my trusty war hammer.

  Vael’dargar’s sharp eyes landed on me. “Why are you using a hammer?”

  “Well, bludgeoning works well for bypassing armor, and I’m not confident I could stab through any gaps , if there are any to begin with.”

  She nodded. “Good. You’re using your brain.”

  Then, she turned her gaze to the rest of the group. “Remember, every weapon has its strengths and weaknesses.”

  She walked over to Bel, tapping his bow. “Bows are great for attacking from a distance and keeping enemies at bay, but they require a lot of training to be reliable. And against shields and armor? Arrows barely do anything.”

  Next, she pointed to Joro’s sword. “Swords are decent at everything but not the best at anything.” She chuckled at his confused expression. “They can stab, but a spear has greater reach. They can slash, but a well placed axe strike can be far more lethal.”

  Finally, her eyes landed on my hammer. “That’s pure blunt force, effective against armor, but far less useful against many types of monsters.”

  She didn’t stop there. “And do you know why most people prefer soul bound weapons over manifested ones?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Because soul bound weapons can carry enchantments. That’s the biggest reason. And no one wants to drain their total energy in the middle of a battle.”

  That actually made sense. I simply nodded. Not like I had much of a choice, and honestly, the freedom my manifestation skill gave me was worth it.

  “And that’s why team members typically use different weapons, to cover each other’s weaknesses.”

  Vael’dargar walked back to her usual spot and gave a wicked grin. “We’ll start with some basic attacks and counters.” Her expression darkened slightly. “And you all know what happens if you mess up your footwork.”

  We quickly nodded.

  Llin struck first, slashing at me before stepping back. I swung in return, but she deflected the blow with the flat of her dagger against my hammer’s shaft, minimizing the impact.

  We kept at it for half an hour before switching partners. Joro’s overhead swings were heavy, but I deflected them while he absorbed my attacks with his shield.

  Bel didn’t use his bow, instead wielding a beautifully crafted emerald short sword.

  For the next four hours, we drilled relentlessly, with the occasional sandy correction from Vael’dargar. Eventually, she stopped us, her sharp gaze scanning the group.

  “That’s enough drills for now.” She pointed inland. “There are a few monsters roaming around. They shouldn’t be any trouble.”

  Then, with that same villainous grin, she added, “And they’ll be the least of your concerns if I catch you messing up your footwork.”

  We started walking inland, and Sylvan stepped closer to me.

  "Your aura feels different. I didn’t want to use Astral Sight before asking your permission, though."

  I nodded gratefully. "Yeah, I’ve been working on attuning my energy. It’s getting there, but it’s pretty hard."

  She chuckled. "Of course it is. Training starts at a young age, and most people inherit a version of their parents’ attunements and they still struggle with it. Being introspective isn’t meant to be easy."

  She summoned a small flame in the palm of her hand, letting it flicker lazily.

  "Now you’re just showing off."

  She laughed. "So, what did you end up choosing?"

  I hesitated. "I don’t know what to call it, to be totally honest. Void, maybe, but that description still feels lacking."

  She tilted her head. "Huh."

  "What?" I’ve been told to use something I can relate to."

  She paused before answering. "That’s definitely true. I just... can’t see how it relates to you. Concepts are usually pretty indicative of someone’s personality."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Damn. What does it say about me if literal void is the best thing I can relate to?

  "Well, I always liked being alone."

  A wave of sadness hit me. "I’ve been alone most of my life."

  She reached out, squeezing my arm gently. "You never talk about anyone from Earth, so I suspected that. Do you have any family back there?"

  I slowly shook my head, tears threatening to spill. "No. Not for a long time. My parents passed away when I was sixteen."

  She wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into a warm side hug.

  "Do you mind telling me what happened?"

  I rubbed my eyes. "Yeah They had a car accident."

  The puzzled look on her face actually made me feel a little better and I chuckled "A car is like a carriage."

  Llin suddenly joined us, throwing her arms around both our shoulders. "What’s up with the gloomy mood?"

  Sylvan saved me from having to repeat myself. "Alex was telling me about his new attunement."

  Llin clapped her hands excitedly. "Can I see?"

  I chuckled. "Sure, be my guest."

  We stopped walking, and Llin stared at me. A second later, she recoiled, clutching her temple and cursing.

  "What the fuck was that!?"

  We all looked at her, puzzled, as she rubbed her head.

  "It hurts just looking at it. It felt like something was about to swallow me whole."

  Thal’s eyes lit up with excitement. "So what is it?"

  I exhaled. "The Void."

  His grin widened. "Can I see?"

  "You sure? It didn’t look fun for Llin."

  He nodded, somehow even more eager than before. A moment later, he had the same reaction, though much more polite.

  "I think it’s black, but I’m not sure. It feels like nothing .Yeah, that’s the closest I can get. My mind just refuses the whole idea."

  Well, that’s interesting. It would be neat if I could use it as a mental attack.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  The first thing that hit me was the smell.

  Rotting flesh mixed with the briny scent of the sea, thick enough to make my stomach churn. The car sized crabs crawled from the water’s edge, their bodies covered in broken, barnacle crusted armor, some of their limbs cracked and hanging by sinew. Hollow sockets stared at us where their eyes should have been, but that didn’t stop them from snapping their massive claws in anticipation. Dark, corrupted slimy liquid oozed from between their cracks, and as if that wasn’t enough, they began spewing floating orbs of water, bubbles the size of a man’s head, straight at us.

  "Remember your footwork!" Vael’dargar called, voice sharp. "Or get crushed under a crab shell."

  One of the bubbles shot toward me, and I barely had time to twist out of the way. It popped with a deafening boom, sending a shockwave strong enough to rattle my teeth. Great. Explosive bubbles.

  Joro took position at the front, raising his shield as another bubble slammed into him, sending him skidding back. "That’s, ugh, new!"

  "Less talking, more working!" Vael’dargar snapped.

  Fine. I manifested my war hammer. The crabs had thick armor, but from what I could see, that armor was already damaged. I could work with that.

  I dashed in, dodging another bubble, and brought my hammer down on the first crab’s exposed joint. The impact sent a crack through its shell, and it screeched, swinging a claw at me. I barely rolled in time to avoid getting crushed.

  Sylvan’s fire lashed across its face, making it recoil, and Llin darted in, slashing at the weakened joint. The leg snapped off with a sickening crunch.

  "Good," Vael’dargar called. "But you’re still not moving fast enough, Llin. Stop waiting for an invitation to attack."

  Llin scowled but didn’t argue, darting between the crabs, targeting their weak points.

  Meanwhile, Bel took shots from the back, aiming for their eyes, what was left of them. The arrows didn’t do much against the armor, but when one of them landed in the softer flesh of a crack, the crab let out an agonized shriek.

  Thal kept us standing, golden light flowing from his hands as he mended the cuts and bruises we collected from dodging too late.

  I saw another claw coming my way and jumped back, but the second crab was already swinging.

  "You’re watching the wrong one!" Vael’dargar snapped. "You think fights are fair? Keep track of all your enemies, not just the one in front of you!"

  I clenched my teeth but twisted at the last second, letting the claw slam into the sand where I had been. I retaliated with a crushing swing of my hammer, breaking through its weakened shell. The crab collapsed with a final, gurgling hiss.

  One down.

  The fight continued for what felt like an eternity, dodging, smashing, burning, cutting. The last crab finally collapsed, and I barely had time to catch my breath before I heard a shrill screech from above.

  I looked up.

  Seagulls. Corrupted, rotting, patchy feathered seagulls, their beady black eyes locked onto us as they circled in the sky. And then they dove.

  "Don’t let them surround you!" Vael’dargar shouted. "And keep your damn eyes up!"

  The first one aimed for me, beak snapping as I barely ducked out of the way. I manifested a darts and flung one up. It hit, sinking into the seagull’s exposed flesh, and the creature let out a horrible screech before spiraling down.

  Joro raised his shield as another dive bombed, the impact shaking his entire body. "They hit hard!"

  "Then hit harder!" Vael’dargar barked.

  Sylvan sent a burst of fire into the sky, and the flames caught the edges of the birds’ decayed wings. Several screeched and flailed, losing control and crashing into the ground, where Llin and I finished them off.

  Bel’s arrows tore through the sky, clipping wings and sending more of them falling.

  But then

  "Oh, hell no," Llin shouted, dodging to the side as something splattered next to her.

  I barely had time to react before more started falling, heavy, dark, acidic droppings.

  "Seriously!?" I shouted, jumping out of the way as one barely missed me.

  "Stop whining and adapt!" Vael’dargar called. "If you’re getting hit, that means you’re standing still too long!"

  I gritted my teeth and kept moving, hurling darts at anything that got too close. Thal did his best to heal the burns from those unlucky enough to get hit.

  Between Sylvan’s fire, Bel’s arrows, and my darts, the birds didn’t last long. But I was still wiping sweat from my forehead when the ground rumbled.

  Then I saw them.

  Lumbering, bloated creatures that looked like monstrous seals, their corrupted flesh hanging off them in chunks. Their dead eyes locked onto us, and then they charged.

  The first one slammed into Joro, nearly knocking him off his feet. He barely managed to brace with his shield, but I saw his knees buckle from the impact.

  "Hold your ground!" Vael’dargar shouted. "And don’t just take the hit, redirect it!"

  Easier said than done.

  Joro dug his feet into the sand and angled his shield, deflecting the next charge just enough to send the beast skidding past.

  I switched to my spear. The hammer wouldn’t be as effective here, too slow. The spear, at least, would let me keep some distance.

  One of the creatures lunged at me, and I stabbed forward, the spear tip sinking into its blubbery flesh. It let out a strangled wheeze, then swung a massive flipper at me. I barely had time to roll away before a blade of water shot past, slicing a deep gash in the sand where I had just been standing.

  Great. They had ranged attacks too.

  Sylvan threw fire at them, but their damp bodies resisted most of the damage. "This is gonna take forever!"

  "Then stop wasting energy on what doesn’t work!" Vael’dargar snapped.

  Bel started aiming for their eyes, and Llin darted in and out, slashing at their underbellies.

  One of them reared up to crush me under its weight.

  "Move!" Vael’dargar shouted.

  I dove, rolling just as the creature slammed down where I had been. Sand exploded around me.

  "Faster!" she barked. "If that were a real fight, you’d be dead!"

  I didn’t have time to glare at her. This was a real fucking fight!

  I stabbed my spear into the creature’s exposed side, and it let out a final, agonized wheeze before collapsing.

  One by one, we took them down.

  By the time the last one fell, I was drenched in sweat, my lungs burning.

  Vael’dargar crossed her arms. "Sloppy. But acceptable."

  That was the closest thing to a compliment we were going to get.

  I groaned, flopping onto my back. "Please tell me that’s the last round."

  Vael’dargar’s grin widened.

  "Get up. We’re just getting started."