Chapter Thirty-Two: Beyond Repetition

"Why do I feel like I'm repeating the same day?"

The question slipped into Marcus's mind as he sat beneath the shade of the ancient tree, deep in meditation.

"I do the same things. Same movements. Same sounds. Same questions. Same silences after them."

Everything was starting to feel disturbingly familiar… His thoughts, his reactions, even the questions he asked — it was as if he already knew the answers before Ashilad even spoke.

"What's happening to me?"

He suddenly opened his eyes wide, a subtle panic hiding behind his gaze.

Ashilad was sitting before him, smiling gently, almost as if he had been waiting for Marcus to reach this exact moment.

"In what are you lost?" Ashilad asked, his deep voice layered with quiet amusement.

Marcus hesitated, then slowly replied,

"You're tampering with your Claim… aren't you?"

Ashilad burst out laughing, a loud, heartfelt laugh that echoed through the silent field. Wiping a tear from his eye, he shook his head and said,

"What a clever little child you are."

Suddenly, the wooden stool beneath Ashilad vanished. So did the teacup in his hand. The air around them shifted, and the world seemed to fold into a different reality.

Silence fell.

Ashilad's voice grew firmer:

"I have taught you the four fundamentals: sensing, sight, reinforcement, and alignment."

He lifted a finger into the air and continued,

"And I have taught you the three core skills linked to your Claim: the field of sense, deep vision, and total focus."

A wind unlike any Marcus had felt before brushed past him — heavy, invisible, yet filled with presence. The kind that made even stillness feel loud.

Ashilad nodded toward the edge of the clearing, where a small, grey-furred cat had appeared, walking slowly but alert.

"See that cat? I want you to catch it — using everything you've learned."

Marcus focused, but before he could move, another presence arrived.

A second cat stepped into view. Its eyes glowed faintly, and it stared at Marcus without blinking.

Ashilad's tone deepened: "And once you catch the first… I want you to evade the second."

He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper but heavy with meaning:

"Only then… will I know I've truly given you everything."

He turned and began to walk away, then added without looking back:

"I don't know where your speed comes from… but I just want to be sure."

And with that… the test began.