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    Raine hit the ground hard.


    The impact sent a jolt of pain through his ribs, his breath escaping in a sharp gasp. The rough gravel scraped his palms as he pushed himself up, only for a boot to plant itself squarely on his chest.


    “Sloppy,” Kael said flatly. “Again.”


    Raine barely had time to brace before the pressure lifted and Kael stepped back. He rolled to his feet, muscles burning from exhaustion, but he forced himself to stay upright.


    The past few days had been a waking nightmare.


    He had expected Kael to teach him magic—how to control the strange, terrifying power inside him. Instead, he had learned pain.


    Kael’s version of training wasn’t about magic. It was about survival. And survival meant strength.


    “Your body is weak,” Kael had told him on the first day, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. “Doesn’t matter how powerful your magic is if someone stronger than you crushes your skull before you can use it.”


    Raine had thought it was an exaggeration.


    It wasn’t.


    Kael drilled him relentlessly—running, climbing, sparring, enduring blow after blow until every inch of his body ached. If Raine collapsed, Kael gave him just enough time to breathe before dragging him up again.


    “Fight,” Kael ordered.


    Raine barely managed to raise his fists before Kael moved.


    A blur.


    Then pain.


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    Kael’s open palm struck his shoulder, sending him stumbling backward. Raine twisted, trying to recover, but a second strike caught his leg, sweeping his stance from under him.


    His back hit the ground, the sky spinning above him.


    Kael loomed over him, expression unreadable. “You telegraph every move. A blind man could counter you.”


    Raine clenched his teeth and forced himself up again. He had to improve.


    It wasn’t just Kael.


    The past few days, Raine had felt it—his power, that strange force inside him, pressing against the edges of his mind. It was restless, clawing to be used, but Kael refused to let him rely on it.


    “Power means nothing if you can’t survive long enough to use it,” Kael had said. “Your body is a weapon. Sharpen it.”


    So Raine trained.


    He ran until his legs nearly gave out. He drilled until his arms felt like lead. He fought, and lost, and fought again.


    It wasn’t magic, but it was changing him.


    Slowly, his reflexes sharpened. His movements became tighter, more controlled. The first time he dodged one of Kael’s attacks instead of taking the hit, he saw a flicker of approval in the older man’s eyes.


    A week ago, he wouldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds.


    Now, he could stand.


    But standing wasn’t enough.


    Raine adjusted his stance, heart hammering. Think. React. Move.


    Kael circled him, slow and deliberate. His body language was relaxed, but Raine knew better. Kael never attacked first.


    Raine feinted right. Kael shifted, reading the movement, but this time—Raine was faster.


    He pivoted and drove forward, aiming for Kael’s ribs—


    A mistake.


    Kael let him in.


    The moment Raine committed to the strike, Kael’s hand shot up. A simple redirect. Nothing flashy.


    But suddenly, Raine was airborne.


    A heartbeat later, he slammed into the dirt, his vision sparking with pain.


    He groaned, rolling onto his side.


    Kael crouched beside him, watching. “Better.”


    Raine blinked up at him. “That—was better?”


    Kael smirked. “You almost made me move.”


    Raine let out a dry laugh, then regretted it as his ribs protested. He didn’t have the energy to glare.


    Kael stood, offering him a hand. “You’ll be dead weight in a real fight. But at least you’ll last a few seconds longer before dying.”


    Raine took the hand grudgingly and let Kael haul him up. His entire body ached, but deep beneath the exhaustion, something else stirred.


    Pride.


    For the first time since he started training, he hadn’t lost instantly.


    Kael didn’t wait for him to recover. “Run the course again.”


    Raine groaned. “You’re actually trying to kill me.”


    Kael smiled. “Not yet. But soon.”


    Raine sighed and started running.


    His body was still weak. But not for much longer.


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