Magically Disappeared

Niara kept climbing on pure stubbornness. When she reached nine-tenths of the way up, she hit an unprecedented crisis. She felt a violent current of green and white energy slam into her.

Her whole body hurt — it was like being ground down by a whetstone. On top of that, the energy went straight through her body and her scales. It felt like millions of flies were eating her alive.

Darian, who couldn't feel any of it, watched the changes in her with surprise.

The first steps tested aptitude and willpower. Then came physical resistance. But the final ones... it was like they refined the climber's life force.

That made sense, since this martial art used exactly that. If you didn't have enough life force, the technique would be useless. To help, the trial itself boosted one of those powers in whoever passed it.