21# Control of Mantra

The sky was still deep blue when the two of them set off. The silence of dawn was broken only by the heavy sound of footsteps on the dirt path. Clint walked beside Darius, his eyes fixed on the horizon, the cool morning air filling his lungs.

Walking next to his master, now as a true disciple, brought a strange feeling — a mix of pride and crushing pressure.

For long minutes, neither of them spoke.

Until Clint finally broke the silence, his voice low, almost like a confession to himself.

— "Back then… when I jumped into the river…" he began, eyes drifting toward the memory, "for a moment… I really thought I was going to die."

Darius remained silent, listening.

— "Everything around me felt like it was going to swallow me. The current was too strong. My body… too weak." Clint took a deep breath. "But then… I felt something. Deep inside. Like a hidden part of me screamed… that it didn't want to die."

He clenched his fists, a fire returning to his eyes.

— "I can't explain it… I just didn't want to die. And in that instant… everything changed. The water lost its strength. My arms moved faster. The exhaustion vanished. It was like my body stopped being mine… and became something much greater."

He paused, staring at the ground.

— "And then… I blacked out."

Darius said nothing. But the look in his eyes said enough. He understood.

Clint had crossed an invisible line. A limit that few ever dared to reach. And he'd done it purely through instinct.

They continued walking for a few more hours until they reached the edge of a clearing, surrounded by tall trees and the constant sounds of wild animals echoing in the distance. The smell of the forest was thick — damp and full of life.

There, Darius finally stopped.

— "This will do."

Clint looked around, puzzled.

— "We're training control today," Darius said, turning to face him. "Your goal is to focus the Mantra only in your feet. Nothing else."

Clint's eyes widened.

— "Just… my feet?"

— "Exactly." Darius crossed his arms. "If you want to truly reach the 3rd Stage, you need to master the flow. Direct it. Control it."

Clint took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The Mantra began to stir, like a warm breeze flowing through his body. The sensation no longer felt strange — but controlling it… that was a different story.

He tried to channel everything into his feet.

But the flow slipped, climbing up his legs, leaking into his arms. The faint outline of energy covered his body, unfocused, weak.

— "Focus!" Darius barked. "The Mantra belongs to you. Not the other way around. It responds to your will. Not your weakness."

Clint gritted his teeth. He tried again.

This time, he forced the flow downward. Visualized the energy pooling only at his feet. He felt the heat there. The vibration. Muscles tightening with power.

For a second… just one second…

He succeeded.

The aura gathered around his feet, creating a faint, rippling glow. The feeling was strange — like he could dash forward and shatter the ground with one step.

But then, the energy burst outward in every direction, losing focus, quickly dissipating.

Clint gasped, drenched in sweat, his legs trembling.

— "Better," Darius said with a nod, his face unreadable. "But still weak. You have talent, boy. But if you don't learn to tame that power, it will be the one to destroy you."

Clint dropped to his knees, exhausted. But he wasn't disappointed.

For the first time… he had seen it clearly.

It was possible.

And from now on, it was all on him.