The sixth day began like all the rest: silence, cold, walking. Sir 8 had led Kai up a jagged ridge with no explanation. Their boots crunched over stone and frost, breath visible in the early morning chill.
Kai dragged behind him, face pale, legs wobbling.
"You good?" Sir 8 asked without turning around.
"Nope."
"Good."
By noon, Sir 8 had Kai balancing on a snapped tree over a river. "Center your weight," he barked. "Don't look down. Don't think."
Kai flailed. "This better be some ancient warrior wisdom!"
Sir 8 just threw a rock at his feet. Kai yelped and fell into the river again.
Day seven was brutal. Sir 8 blindfolded Kai and forced him to walk through a dense pine forest based only on sound.
"Where are you taking me?" Kai asked.
"To the truth," Sir 8 said cryptically.
Kai hit three trees and tripped over two roots before face-planting into moss.
"Great," he grumbled. "The truth smells like dirt."
Sir 8 just laughed.
Evening: The Final Push
They sat by a fire as the sun dipped below the Elari peaks. The sky glowed gold and blue.
Kai, wet and bruised, looked like he'd survived a warzone. "So… was that it? The training?"
Sir 8 took a long swig of his flask.
Then he burst out laughing.
Like full-body, head-thrown-back laughter.
Kai blinked. "What?"
Sir 8 was wheezing now, holding his sides. "That—" he coughed. "—That wasn't training, kid."
"...What?!"
"You think climbing hills, chasing rabbits, and fighting wolves with sticks was martial art style ki mastery?" He wiped a tear. "Boy, I've seen chickens train harder!"
Kai stood up, fists clenched. "You MEAN to tell me you had me sleeping in broken ruins and eating bark for a week for nothing?!"
"Not for nothing," Sir 8 said, grinning. "You learned how to suffer. Step one of not dying."
"I hate you."
Sir 8 tossed him a flask. "You'll get over it."
Kai didn't drink. He just stared at the fire, humiliated.
But Then… Something Shifted
Sir 8 leaned forward, tone suddenly more serious. "Alright. You survived the worst of me. Now I'll give you real training."
Kai looked up, hope flickering in his tired eyes.
"But first—"
Sir 8 put two fingers together and snapped them toward the sky.
A brilliant flash of blue erupted from his hand. The air bent. Fire swirled into a glyph above his palm.
Sir 8 let it hover… then flicked it away like a soap bubble. "Show me yours."
Kai hesitated. Raised his hand.
Nothing happened.
"C'mon," Sir 8 said. "Even a baby mage can cast a heat flicker."
Kai focused harder. Nothing.
Sir 8 blinked. "Wait... don't tell me…"
Kai didn't say it.
Sir 8 leaned in, confused. Then amused. Then shocked.
"…You ain't got K.I?"
Kai looked down, ashamed. "No."
The silence was brutal.
Then Sir 8 howled with laughter again, even louder than before.
"OH, I CAN'T BREATHE!" he shouted, staggering. "YOU—YOU'VE BEEN BEGGING FOR TRAINING—AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO THE POWER SYSTEM?!"
Kai stood up, furious. "Why is that so funny?!"
"Because!" Sir 8 gasped, wiping tears again. "That's like asking me to teach you how to swim and then telling me you're made of sand!"
Kai turned away. "Forget it. I'll figure it out myself."
Sir 8 chuckled, walking up beside him. "Hey now… relax. It just means we're starting from below square one."
Kai mumbled, "I didn't think it was that important…"
Sir 8 put a hand on his shoulder. "It is. But it's not everything."
Kai looked up.
Sir 8 grinned. "I've seen men with K.I. lose to people with nothing but guts. I've also seen men with guts get vaporized in five seconds. So, let's figure out which one you are."
Kai's eyes lit up. "You'll teach me?"
Sir 8 looked off into the night. "Starting tomorrow."
Then he raised a brow. "But don't expect no flashy fireballs just yet, 'spell-less boy.'"
Kai groaned. "You're never letting that go, are you?"
"Not a chance."