The First Real Training
Chapter 10: The First Real Training
The training hall was larger than the study rooms, lined with reinforced silver-etched flooring and smooth stone walls. The faint hum of energy pulsed beneath Lucian's feet, reacting subtly to his presence. He rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing himself for whatever Eleanor was about to throw at him.
Across from him, Eleanor ivnya, the captain of the Investigation Department, took a slow sip from her flask of Silver Cocoa Coffee. She examined him calmly, as if evaluating whether it was worth spending her morning teaching him at all.
Lucian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You drinking coffee before training? That supposed to intimidate me?"
Eleanor smirked slightly. "No, it's supposed to make this morning tolerable. For me."
Lucian exhaled through his nose. "Good to know my suffering is keeping you entertained."
Eleanor set the flask down on a wooden table near the edge of the training hall, then folded her arms. "Alright. Let's begin. This will be your first real lesson, so pay attention."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "You sure I don't need to do some dramatic pose or chant something first?"
Eleanor gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "Would you like me to sing while you learn?"
Lucian snorted. "Tempting, but I'll pass."
-------
Eleanor moved to a small metal container at the edge of the room, lifting the lid to reveal small silver stones, each pulsing with faint energy. She took one and tossed it to Lucian.
He caught it, feeling an odd warmth seep into his fingers at first.
"This," Eleanor said, "is raw silver essence, crystallized into its purest form. Every Silverborn manipulates this energy, either by absorbing it from the air or drawing it from within themselves."
Lucian held the stone up to the dim light, watching as tiny veins of silver light flickered inside it.
Eleanor continued. "At the **first level—Awakened—**a Silverborn can absorb silver energy and enhance their body. Strength, endurance, reflexes—everything improves."
At first Lucian did felt a little warmth seep into him, but after that moment when his fingers wrapped around it, he felt… nothing.
No warmth. No energy.
Just a cold, unremarkable rock.
He frowned. "Am I supposed to feel something?"
Eleanor smirked. "Try pulling energy from it. If you can."
Lucian narrowed his eyes, gripping the silver essence crystal in his palm.
He focused.
Nothing happened.
He focused harder.
Still nothing.
Lucian exhaled, furrowing his brows. "Are you sure this thing isn't dead?"
Eleanor chuckled. "It's not the crystal that's the problem."
Lucian scowled. "Then why isn't it doing anything?"
Eleanor tilted her head. "Because silver energy is not something you 'take.' It's something you synchronize with."
Lucian blinked. "You couldn't have said that before I sat here looking like an idiot?"
Eleanor smirked. "thats the best part of teaching a newbie."
Lucian muttered something under his breath and focused again.
This time, he tried to listen instead of force.
He imagined the silver energy inside the crystal as a pulse, a slow rhythm that needed to match his own.
For a while—nothing happened.
Then—
A faint flicker.
Like the first spark of a dying fire, a tiny warmth pulsed inside his fingers.
Lucian gritted his teeth, clenching the crystal as the warmth grew into a faint heat.
Eleanor watched, arms crossed. "Good. You're getting it."
Lucian exhaled. "This is… harder than I thought."
Eleanor nodded. "It usually is. Most recruits struggle for a hour or a day, some even for two before they get even a small response. You're doing fine."
Lucian wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.
------
After several more minutes, Lucian finally managed to draw a small amount of silver essence into his body. His muscles tingled, a faint energy running through his bloodstream.
Eleanor tapped her foot on the floor. "Now that you have it inside you, you need to learn how to use it."
Lucian frowned. "Use it? Already ?how?"
Eleanor narrowed her eyes. "Enhancing your body, of course."
She took a step forward.
"Silver energy in its raw form is not meant to just sit inside you. It enhances what already exists—your strength, your speed, your endurance. But if you don't learn to control it properly…"
She raised a hand and flicked a finger against his forehead.
Lucian stumbled backward.
It wasn't hard—it wasn't even painful—but for some reason, his balance completely failed him for a second.
Eleanor grinned. "Then it fights against you."
Lucian scowled, rubbing his forehead. "Great. My own energy just betrayed me."
Eleanor nodded. "Happens a lot."
Lucian sighed. "Alright. So how do I actually use this?"
--------
Eleanor picked up another silver crystal and tossed it at him.
Lucian caught it—barely. His fingers felt slightly sluggish, as if his own body was resisting his commands.
Eleanor gestured to a small training dummy across the room. "Try enhancing your strength and punching that."
Lucian exhaled, focusing on the silver inside him.
He willed it into his muscles, trying to guide the energy toward his fist.
At first, it resisted—like trying to force water through a clogged pipe.
Then, slowly, it flowed.
Lucian pulled his fist back and swung forward.
His knuckles slammed into the training dummy's chest.
There was a dull thud.
The dummy barely moved.
Lucian blinked. "That's it?"
Eleanor sighed. "You're thinking too much about moving the energy. It's not something you push—it's something you let flow naturally."
Lucian scowled. "That sounds annoyingly vague."
Eleanor smirked. "And yet, it's the only way."
Lucian sighed, shaking out his fingers.
"Again," Eleanor ordered.
Lucian took a deep breath and refocused.
This time, he didn't try to force the silver.
He let it settle, breathing with it instead of against it.
When he punched again—
The dummy jerked backward.
Lucian felt it.
The power. The strength.
A small smirk tugged at his lips. "Okay. That was better."
Eleanor nodded. "Good. Again."
Speed Enhancement
After another hour, Eleanor moved on.
"Now, let's test your speed," she said. "Try dodging this."
Lucian barely had time to react before she moved.
A swift strike, aimed at his side.
Lucian's instincts kicked in, and he tried to move.
Too slow.
Eleanor's palm hit his ribs, and Lucian staggered.
He cursed, regaining his balance. "Damn it."
Eleanor smirked. "Again."
Lucian focused, channeling the silver into his legs this time.
She struck again.
Lucian moved—faster.
Not fast enough.
Her fingertips brushed against his shoulder, just barely missing the strike.
Eleanor nodded. "Better. But you'll need more than 'better' to survive."
Lucian gritted his teeth. "Alright. Again."
For the next two hours, Eleanor had Lucian repeat the exercises.
Every time he thought he was improving, Eleanor knocked him flat on his ass.
She was faster, sharper, stronger. And she wasn't even trying.
Lucian panted, wiping sweat from his forehead as he sat on the floor, trying to catch his breath.
"This is… ridiculous," he muttered. "You move like a damn shadow."
Eleanor smirked, kneeling beside him. "That's what mastery looks like."
Lucian groaned. "Remind me why I signed up for this?"
"Because if you don't, you'll die the next time you fight something stronger than a street thug."
Lucian sighed. "Fair point."
-----
Lucian kept getting beaten while also getting trained.
Absorbing silver. Enhancing his body. Controlling it properly.
It was slow progress.
But progress nonetheless.
By the time Eleanor finally called for a break, Lucian was drenched in sweat, his body aching from exertion.
He sat down on the cool stone floor, breathing hard.
Eleanor smirked, kneeling beside him. "You're learning faster than most recruits."
Lucian groaned. "You keep saying that, but I still feel like a walking disaster."
Eleanor chuckled. "That's normal."
Lucian exhaled, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "So what's next?"
Eleanor's smirk widened.
"Tomorrow, we see what you can actually do in a fight."
Lucian wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that.
---------------
---
By the time Lucian left the outpost, the sky above Alexandria still held its perpetual dawn, casting its usual muted glow over the city. But as the hours dragged on toward nightfall, the fog had grown thicker—unnaturally thick.
Alexandria was always bathed in mist, but when night approached, the fog rolled in heavier, suffocating the streets, curling around the buildings like living veins.
Lucian rubbed his sore arms, feeling the deep ache of his training settle into his muscles. Every step felt like walking through mud, his body sluggish from exhaustion.
"Wonderful," he muttered. "First day of training, and I already feel like a broken puppet."
He glanced toward the reception area, noticing that Reze was already gone. He wasn't surprised—she had probably left the moment her work was over.
'Lucky her.'
He debated walking home, but after a few more sluggish steps into the heavy fog, he decided against it.
'Screw it. I'm taking a carriage.'
---
Lucian approached one of the silver-lined carriages stationed near the outpost entrance. These carriages were not horse-drawn—instead, they were powered by small cores of silver essence, engraved with runes that absorbed and compressed energy to move the wheels forward.
He stepped into the wooden compartment, which was lined with faintly glowing silver etchings to prevent moisture buildup from the fog. The inside was small but comfortable, with two cushioned seats facing each other. The windows were covered in a thin layer of condensation.
As he took his seat, he asked the carriage driver to drove him twords his address.
As the carriage began to move, the wheels rumbled softly against the smooth stone streets.
Lucian leaned back against the seat, exhaling slowly. His body ached, his mind felt half-dead, and his stomach was growling.
"A successful first day, huh?"
He smirked to himself, sarcasm heavy in his thoughts.
'Got my ass handed to me by my teacher, figured out that silver energy doesn't care if I want to use it, and now I get to ride through a city that looks like a ghost town at night. Fantastic.'
The carriage moved steadily through the fog, but Lucian could barely see outside. The mist was too dense, swallowing the streets whole.
A faint chill ran up his spine.
He shivered slightly and pulled his cloak tighter.
"Damn, it got colder all of a sudden."
The thought lingered in the back of his mind, gnawing at him.
But he brushed it off.
The city was just cold at night. That was normal.
---
When the carriage finally stopped in front of his apartment building, Lucian stepped out, tossing the driver a few silver tokens. The man barely acknowledged him, simply nodding before guiding the carriage back into the fog.
Lucian turned toward his door, pulling out his key.
But as he reached for the lock, a sudden chill crawled down his spine.
It was sharp, immediate—like cold fingers running down his back.
He froze.
His breath hitched slightly, and his grip on the key tightened.
Slowly, he turned his head, scanning the fog-choked street behind him.
Nothing.
The road was empty. The buildings stood silent.
Yet the feeling didn't leave.
Lucian swallowed, shaking his head.
"You're just tired. It's just the cold. Don't be an idiot."
He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and shut it behind him.
The moment he was inside, the strange sensation vanished.
But the unease lingered.
---
Lucian dragged himself to the kitchen, too tired to cook anything fresh.
Instead, he pulled out the leftover food from the morning—roasted bread and salted meat. He tossed the meat over the silver cooking plate, watching as it sizzled slightly, the scent filling the room.
After eating, he washed the dishes, changed into comfortable nightwear, and collapsed onto his bed.
The mattress was cool, firm, but strangely comforting.
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he felt himself drifting-------.
Time went by, lucian moved around the bed in sleep.
It was way past midnight.
The fog outside thickened.
The city grew silent.
And then—
A single, cold raindrop landed on his cheek.
---
Lucian stirred slightly, his hand reaching up to rub his face.
"Rain?"
He barely processed it, pulling his blanket higher over his body, sinking deeper into the warmth.
Then—
A second drop.
Lucian's eyes snapped open.
The room was dimly lit, shadows stretching across the walls. His gaze slowly drifted to the window near his bed.
It was closed.
Lucian sat up, his body tense.
"Wait a second…"
His mind pieced itself together slowly.
It had never rained once since he came to Alexandria.
Not once.
And no one ever mentioned it raining here.
His breathing slowed.
Then—
A faint tap, tap, tap against the glass.
Lucian's eyes widened.
The window split open.
A gust of cold, damp air rushed into the room, making his skin crawl.
For a second, he couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
The fog outside seemed thicker than before, almost alive, shifting unnaturally.
Lucian reached out, slowly—**too slowly—**toward the window.
And then—
He woke up.
---
Lucian jolted upright in bed, sweat dripping down his forehead.
His breathing was ragged, his fingers clutching the blanket tightly.
The room was exactly as it was before.
No open window.
No cold air.
Just silence.
He swallowed hard, rubbing his face.
"Just a dream."
But it didn't feel like a dream.
It felt too real.
And then—
The same chill from before crawled up his spine.
The same feeling he had when he stepped off the carriage.
Lucian's fingers twitched slightly.
Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the window.
It was closed.
But the fog outside was so thick now that he could barely see anything beyond the glass.
He stared at it for a long moment.
Listening.
Waiting.
But nothing came.
Lucian exhaled, forcing himself to lie back down.
His mind told him it was nothing.
Just exhaustion. Just stress. Just a lingering nightmare.
And yet—
As he closed his eyes, a single thought whispered in the back of his head.
'What if I wasn't dreaming?'
The night stretched on.
The fog thickened.
And somewhere, beyond the mist—something watched.
---
End of Chapter 10