CHAPTER 3: First step
The Next Morning
The sun rose over the citadel, painting golden streaks across the stone walls of the royal district. Despite the soft light, Allen's heart was weighed down with purpose. For years, he'd been consumed by pride, shame, and bitterness. But now, something in him had shifted.
He no longer wanted to be strong because he had to.
He wanted to be strong because he chose to.
He made his way to the chamber of Baron, the Hand of the King Ikki's most trusted man and master of multiple SERRA disciplines. At his side stood his elite guard, six warriors known throughout the kingdom:
• Liora Calm, calculating, with eyes that missed nothing.
• Ravik A silent brute, loyal only to Baron.
• Nara Blunt and fearless, known for her lightning reflexes.
• Kael A tactician who smiled too easily.
• Veyra Mysterious, her SERRA affinity was said to bend shadows.
• Dax Youngest, but fiercest a rising star among the ranks.
Allen approached, standing tall despite the weight of all he carried.
"Baron," he said, bowing slightly. "I want you to teach me SERRA."
Baron didn't even look up from the bone he was tossing to a peculiar, feathered beast perched at his side. "Why? You already have the Iron Chain. Didn't Ikki tell you? You don't need his permission. You never did."
"I know," Allen said quietly. "I don't need permission. Not from Ikki. Not from you. I'm not here to use the Chain. I'm here to grow without it."
That got Baron's attention. He turned, one brow raised. "So now you want to take the long road? Why not just create a rule that gives you mastery over all forms of SERRA? You're the chosen, aren't you?"
Allen shook his head. "That's the problem. Being chosen… doesn't mean anything if I don't become someone worthy of it. I'm tired of shortcuts. I'm tired of being empty."
Baron's smile faded. "You really think this is some noble quest for redemption? That training like a peasant will save you?"
Allen stood his ground. "I'm not asking for salvation. I'm asking for a beginning."
Baron scoffed. "You spoiled brat. For five years you chased the Chain like a mad dog, begging the world to see your pain. And now, when you finally have it back… you pretend it's not what you wanted?" He stepped closer, voice low and venomous. "Go look in a mirror. You're disgusting."
He slammed the door in Allen's face.
The Waiting
But Allen didn't leave.
He stood there, unmoving, from dawn until the night swallowed the sky. The next day came, and still he remained hungry, filthy, exhausted but steadfast.
Baron ignored him.
Three days passed.
Then four.
Then six.
Baron finally remarked to his guards, "He'll give up. Always does."
But on the seventh day, Baron received a quiet report from Ikki.
"Allen's been coming home late," Ikki said. "Covered in dirt. Bruised. He won't tell me where he's been. But he's not acting like himself."
Baron's expression twitched.
Later that night, he followed.
The Discovery
He found Allen far from the palace, alone on a hillside, swinging a wooden staff over and over. His movements were unrefined. His breathing ragged. Every strike was wild wrong form, no rhythm, no control.
"A waste of time," Baron muttered to himself.
But then he saw something that made him stop.
A group of villagers passed nearby, mocking Allen, even throwing stones. One man spit on him. Another kicked him in the ribs.
Allen didn't retaliate.
He simply bowed his head, murmured an apology, and returned to training even as his hands bled and his legs trembled.
He trained until he collapsed.
The Turning Point
Allen awoke to the sting of a cold cloth against his face. Blinking through blurred vision, he saw Baron sitting beside him, arms crossed.
"You're not dead," Baron muttered. "Though you should be. A normal man would've died from that kind of exhaustion."
Allen coughed. "The Iron Chain… it saved me, didn't it? Even though I'm trying not to use it."
Baron didn't answer. He just stared.
"What did you think you were doing?" he finally barked. "You think SERRA will just awaken if you beat yourself into the dirt? You're not learning anything. You're just... surviving."
Allen forced himself upright. "Then what was I supposed to do? Beg you forever?"
Without warning, Baron punched him hard across the jaw.
Allen hit the ground again.
"You're a pain in the ass," Baron growled. "Always have been."
He stood, turning his back. "Get your ass up."
Allen blinked, stunned. "W-What?"
"I'll train you. Starting tomorrow. You show up even one minute late, and we're done. Got it?"
Allen sat in silence, stunned, blood dripping from his lip.
"And don't thank me," Baron snapped. "This isn't for you. It's for Ikki. That idiot still believes in you. Me? I don't think you'll survive my training."
Allen smiled through the pain and whispered, "I will. I won't fail."
Baron looked over his shoulder. "Then be ready. Six sharp."
Location: A windswept training ground behind the castle. The sun has barely risen. Dew still clings to the grass. Allen stands waiting breath visible in the cold air, clothes soaked in sweat from his pre-dawn warm-up. The castle bells chime once. 6AM. Baron steps out of the shadows, a lazy yawn escaping him as if he hadn't taken this seriously. But the moment his eyes meet Allen's, the tension sharpens.
Baron (gruffly, crossing his arms):
"…Heh. So you're not late. I was sure you'd sleep in."
Allen (steady):
"You told me to be here at six."
Baron: (shrugs)
"Didn't mean you'd listen. Most people don't."
(He steps closer, tilting his head slightly. The cold wind rustles his long coat. His eyes narrow not cruel, but calculating.)
Baron:
"Before we start, I want to know something. Do you even understand what you're asking me to teach you?"
Allen:
"I know I can't rely on the Iron Chain forever. I want to master SERRA. The real way."
Baron:
"Hmph." (Snorts, amused.)
"SERRA isn't something you 'master' overnight. It's not a sword you just pick up and swing. It's fuel but it burns you just as easy as it powers you."
He walks past Allen, stops, and turns his back to the rising sun. His voice shifts colder, more serious.
Baron:
"There are five types of SERRA. You're born with one, maybe two. Most people live and die without ever understanding what that means."
(He raises a finger, the morning light catching on the scars that cover his knuckles.)
🜁 1. Enhancement
"Strength. Speed. Reflexes. This one fuels the body. Fighters who live for the frontlines usually stop here and most never get past it."
🜂 2. Emission
"This lets you push SERRA outside your body projectiles, waves, shockbursts. It takes precision and control. The kind you don't have yet."
🜃 3. Transmutation
"You change the shape of your SERRA into elements. Fire, lightning, ice, sound, even gravity. But don't get cocky. You're born attuned to one, maybe two. Trying to learn more breaks most people."
🜄 4. Summoning
"You call forth things that don't belong in this world beasts, spirits, relics of war. Some say summoners become their summons in time. Most go mad first."
(Baron lowers his hand. He pauses for a moment. The fifth finger never raised.)
🜅 5. The Fifth
"The last type… you're not ready to know. And I'm not ready to explain it to someone who hasn't bled for it."
Allen: (quietly)
"Most people can only use one or two, right?"
Baron: (nods once)
"One if they're lucky. Two if they're gifted. Three? You're born different. Four or more?"
(He steps close now, voice dropping low.)
"You're no longer human. You're something else."
Allen:
"...Then what am I, Baron?"
Baron: (with a dry smirk)
"Right now? You're just a brat with big dreams and a magic leash around his neck. But if you survive the week…"
(He turns, starts walking toward the training posts.)
"Then maybe I'll start calling you something else."
Allen: (follows, voice firm)
"I'll prove it. To you, to Ikki, to myself. I'm not taking shortcuts anymore."
Baron: (without looking back)
"Good. Because my training? It breaks bones before it builds warriors."
The wind howls. Somewhere far above, the first light touches the city's highest towers. The training begins.