✴️ Phase 1: Eyes That Don't See Me
He wasn't told it was over.He wasn't told it had begun.
On a cold morning in the year 1755,Kalidor awoke to a silence that felt… unfamiliar.
Estera wasn't there.Nor Jess.Nor Lyn.Not even his sister.
It was just him…and a courtyard that demanded nothing of him.
He walked through the castle's corridors—the same halls he used to run through as a child,but now they seemed longer…wider…and far less welcoming.
In the training yard, Lisa was practicing alone with a wooden sword.She didn't look his way.But as he passed nearby,she said in a quiet voice without turning:
"The master will come after noon… be there."
It wasn't an invitation.Just information.
Talia leaned against the wall opposite,idly stirring the ground with her staff,breaking the dry soil with her fingers.
When Kalidor looked her way,she gave a faint, cryptic smile:
"You're getting better at disappearing… in a good way."
Then she added, eyes still on her staff:
"Maybe one day… you'll earn a new name."
He wasn't sure if she was comforting him…or saying goodbye.
He entered the hall.Sat in the same seat he always had.No one stopped him…but no one asked anything of him either.
Outside the window, he saw Neron training alone.Every strike like a blade carving into glass.Everything about him was precise—even the silence.
A wordless servant approached,set a dry piece of bread before him,bowed… and left.
For a moment, Kalidor wondered:Was he still a student?A guest?Or just… a piece of furniture no one had replaced yet?
And that evening, when he returned to his room,he found a book placed neatly on his desk:"Principles of Physical Balancing – Volume One"
No note.No name.
He opened the first page.And found this line:
"When you are unseen,remember every movement… for you may be asked to show it without warning."
He closed the book slowly.And smiled—as if someone had finally said something to him… something final.
Then he left the room—to wherever no one was waiting.
Phase 2: The Departing Procession
It wasn't a royal farewell.
It wasn't even a full spectacle.
It was closer to a silence in which a transparent film was removed from memory, without you ever realizing you were holding it.
Kalidor stood at the threshold of the Great Hall, the air cold… even though the sun was at its zenith.
A small procession moved: A covered carriage, drawn by a slow gray mare, and before it, three riders: The maid who accompanied Estira, Jace, and the person who wasn't supposed to be here.
His sister.
Her name: Alyana.
Her eyes the color of melting snow, her hair a light golden hue, as if the sun had agreed to reside within it. Small, yet she walked as one who knew the place before seeing it.
She wore a long, blue cloak with embroidered edges, it was too large for her, but she didn't look lost… rather, as if she were growing into it.
Beside her… Lin.
She wore almost the same color, but her cloak was narrower, her footsteps softer, her face tense… her eyes bewildered.
At the gate, Lisa stood.
She seemed taller than usual, her shoulders taut, her chin raised… but her eyes held something else. Something unspoken.
"Alyana" stopped before her. She didn't speak.
But Lin looked at her sister, hesitated, then whispered:
"I… I'll stay with her. Don't worry."
Lisa didn't answer. But she suddenly stepped closer… and hugged her sister.
Soundlessly. Tearlessly. Without acknowledgment.
But her embrace lasted… two seconds longer than it should have.
When she pulled away, she didn't look at anyone. She simply turned. And walked slowly towards the courtyard.
Jace boarded the carriage without looking back.
His face was as always: Pale, yellowish, his eyes devoid of sparkle… but, for the first time, he seemed tense.
As if he wasn't leaving… but distancing himself from something he hadn't yet understood.
Estira did not alight from the carriage.
But one of the guards handed a wax-sealed parchment to the administrative guard.
He told him:
"By the Lady's signature… the recommendation and guardianship decree. Alyana, daughter of House Arvalore… candidate for early admission."
Then he added, without waiting for a reply:
"Accompanied by her maid, Lin… until further notice."
Kalidor did not approach. He stood by the side door, where he could see… without being seen.
But Alyana saw him.
She looked at him from behind the gray mare, then offered a small smile… It wasn't a farewell. Nor an apology. Nor thanks.
It was just… a smile. Then she entered the carriage.
Lisa remained standing alone.
After everyone had left, she walked back with slow steps… and when she passed by Kalidor, she stopped.
She looked at him. He was looking at the ground.
She said, in a voice unlike her usual tone:
"You know… Lin isn't weak."
He replied, without raising his head:
"Neither am I."
Then he added, in a steady voice:
"When you asked me why I don't try to be like her… you thought I was afraid. I just don't want to be her shadow… nor her rival. I want to be… a foundation."
She fell silent.
Her eyes filled with light, but no tears fell.
She smiled. Then said:
"You… are strange."
He replied:
"And you… are not cold."
Then they parted.
Each to a place resembling only the shadows of trees at dusk.
✴️ Phase 3: The Master Arrives
There were no drums.No announcement.
Only, in the early morning,the gate to the great courtyard was shut…and four guards lined the edges in silence.
The air was thick with the scent of iron.The ground still damp from the night's rain.Wooden swords stacked neatly by the wall,as if someone had known something was about to begin—but chose not to say it out loud.
He came from the southern end.Tall.Not broad, but his shoulders were drawn back as if they refused to know the meaning of a bow.His hair was short and grey,his face void of any distinguishing marks—which, in itself, made him all the more distinct.
He didn't introduce himself.Didn't even glance at those around him.
He stepped to the center of the yardand spoke—without raising his voice:
"Those with swords, come forward.Those without… make one."
Everyone moved.Lisa was the first.She took a wooden sword and chose her position without hesitation.Her steps were firm,her gaze steady—just as everyone expected of her.
Neron followed.He selected a sword, but unlike the others,he didn't test its weight or balance.As if he knew—everything was to be used exactly as it was.His face was unreadable… as always.
Talia stood before the rack,examining the swords as if choosing a dress for a ball.She finally picked a shorter one,and said aloud:
"I prefer something light… so it won't kill me with its weight."
A servant in the back laughed.But the master didn't react.
Kalidor…was half a step late.
He had been watching the master from the edge of the yard.Then chose an ordinary sword—but his grip was tense,as though the blade weighed more than it truly did.
The master scanned them all.Then said:
"Each of you—fifty strikes.Forward and back.No stopping.Anyone who stops… starts over."
They began.
The sound of wood slicing air,feet striking the ground in a rhythm not yet refined.Faces strained—except Talia's,whose expression seemed to smile, even through the ache.
By the twentieth strike,Kalidor's breathing had grown heavy.But he didn't stop.
By the thirtieth…sweat poured down his brow,and his leg trembled faintly.
The master didn't look at him.But stepped closer, quietly,and said:
"You… repeat the last set.Alone."
Kalidor said nothing.He raised the sword… and began again.
Slower.Heavier.
But he finished.
Talia, from across the yard,stopped.
She dropped her sword to the groundand walked toward the master.
She spoke aloud, her face flushed:
"This isn't training…This is punishment for one person.Why are you targeting him?"
The master turned to her.He didn't yell.He wasn't angry.
He simply said:
"He can bear it.And the rest are watching."
Silence fell over the courtyard.
But in the back,Lisa raised her hand.
She asked calmly:
"Do you want us to do what he did?"
The master looked at her…and nodded once.
She stepped forward,repeated the same drill—without complaint.Without hesitation.With precision.
When she finished,she spoke without looking at anyone:
"It's not injustice to be given a hard task…but to be denied the chance to complete it."
Talia didn't respond.But she turned to look at Kalidor…and this time,her gaze lingered.Softer.Quieter.
And that night,when everyone returned to their quarters,they were all thinking:
Who would be next?
But only Taliawas thinking of someonewho no longer seemed to resemble any of them.
Phase 4: Uncontrolled Motion
The air was dry that afternoon. The sun didn't burn… but it weighed heavily on their backs.
They lined up in the middle of the courtyard. The ground was covered with coarse sand, and the swords, this time, were heavier than wood… a mix of light iron sheathed in wood.
The Master stood in the center of the arena.
He said, without looking at anyone:
"We will perform the Ten-Step Exercise… Each step corresponds to a straight strike. Focus on balance, not power."
They began, one by one.
Neron executed it as precisely as a written character. His steps covered the same distance every time. His arm didn't rise too high. His strike didn't waver.
He was a silent machine… calculated.
Lisa… less precise. But more attuned to the movement. As if she embodied the lesson, rather than merely repeating it.
Talya laughed during her execution, then fell at the sixth step, raised her hand and said:
"The sand betrays those who don't smile."
The Master didn't comment. But he didn't ask her to repeat it.
Then it was Kalidor's turn.
He gripped the sword, looked straight ahead… and advanced.
His first step… solid. The second… heavier. The third… harder.
By the fifth step, his body began to tense. As if something inside him didn't know how to distribute itself.
He reached the seventh step, then raised the sword… and struck.
A single strike.
But it was not as requested.
Sand scattered. The air momentarily parted. The sword hit the ground at the wrong angle… and the hilt broke.
Silence.
Then the Master's voice, calmly:
"It was a balance exercise… not a test of strength."
Talya, at the other end, closed her eyes. Then she turned, and walked towards him.
She stood between him and the Master.
She said in a loud voice:
"This is too much. Every time… it costs him more than us. More than his capacity. And he doesn't object. But he's punished… because you haven't given him a place."
The Master didn't respond.
But he looked at Lisa, and gestured to her with his finger:
"Repeat the exercise… with the same strength. Now."
Lisa stepped forward.
She took the sword, and executed the steps… as they were. Slowly. With balance.
At the seventh step, she struck.
But the strike was precise, controlled, silent.
Then she turned towards the Master, and said:
"He who lacks balance… does not need more pressure. But to know why he trembles."
The Master fell silent. He showed no satisfaction… nor objection.
He waved his hand: "Next."
Talya looked at Kalidor, and for the first time… her smile wasn't sarcastic.
There was something in her eyes. Something akin to sadness, or anger… or somewhere in between.
As for Kalidor… he looked at no one.
But his fingers were trembling, and it wasn't just from exhaustion.
Phase 5: No Place Between the Strikes
At the dawn of autumn, in the year 1757,the wind began to carry away the leaves of the trees…and Kalidor began to feel that he too was falling,but from within.
In the training yard,his place had become known:the back corner,where he was summoned only when someone needed a "body for simulation."
The instructor no longer asked him to build anything,only to test those around him.
He would be brought in,handed a wooden sword,and told to "just endure,"then attacked by another student…and returned to the back.
One day,the instructor gave him a sword heavier than usual.It didn't suit him… but he didn't refuse.
The instructor said, without looking at him:
"Imagine it's your sword in the first battle…you must carry it,even if it betrays you."
His name was Varel de Carnham.
He came to the castle from the eastern border,known as a field adventurer in the expeditions that followed the "Year of Return."He took part in the surveying of border caves,and was later appointed to the Blood Guard… before he suddenly disappeared for years.
He never spoke of his past.But everyone in the castle knew his fingers had been broken twice…and never properly healed.He leaned his left arm slightly when speaking.
His eyes were pale grey,as if they looked into the person before him… not at their surface.
Neron refused to train with Kalidor on multiple occasions.He once said:
"I can't improve my skill if the opponent can't even hold the sword properly."
The instructor did not object.
Talia remained silent.But every time she saw Kalidor being used as a tool,her eyes would drift toward him more than toward her own strikes.
As for Lisa…she simply executed what was asked of her.No more… no less.
And during one of the sessions,Kalidor fell during the side-impact exercise.
The pain wasn't severe,but dust entered his eyes,and his sword fell to the side.
One of the new students approached him,laughed, and said:
"You don't fall… you evaporate."
He didn't respond.He just stood up,and picked up the sword.
But from a distance…Varel saw him.Then said:
"Sometimes…those who aren't good at defending,become the best at observing."
That same evening,the roster for the upcoming field training was posted:An exploratory trip into the "Ghilan Trey" forest,for three days.
The instructor said:
"Whoever isn't summoned…isn't needed for this phase."
Kalidor… his name wasn't on the list.
But the next morning,he entered the storeroom…and began preparing a light pack.
As if he was going…even if alone.
Phase 6: Footsteps in the Darkness
When they crossed the borders of Ghilan Tray,it wasn't the humidity or the darkness that caused concern—but the silence of the forest.
It was as if the forest was watching them…but with no ill intent.
Instructor Varel walked ahead of them like a soldier who knew the land more than he knew people,a worn dagger on his hip,and a sword that hadn't been drawn from its sheath since training began.
He spoke while opening a small notebook:
"The goal of this mission: coexistence without interference.Those who carry it out… succeed.Those who disrupt… repeat."
Tasks were assigned.
Neron observed the movements of the deer.Talia tracked rare birds and recorded their melodies.Lisa charted the terrain and drew the path.And Kalidor… caught a wild rabbit.
But it wasn't a bloodstained hunt.It was a calm rabbit…as if the forest had granted it to him.
On the third night,they all gathered around a quiet fire,their faces tired… but at peace.
No one spoke.But success was evident in their eyes.
At that exact moment,in the upper wing of the castle,a letter arrived—sealed with the Academy's insignia.
The maid handed it to Lady Silvania Al Valendor,her golden-blonde hair flowing like soft waves,just like her daughter, Eliana.
She sat by the window,wearing a silver-grey dress,under candlelight that deepened the stillness and dignity of her face.
She opened the letter and read in the child's handwriting:
"Dearest Mother,They say I'm learning quickly.My new teacher doesn't smile much, but she's kind.As for Lynn… she loves to sleep on my left side,because the light is warmer on that side.Could you tell Lisa I haven't forgotten how she used to comb my hair?"
She closed the letter quietly.
Then pulled out a second paper that was attached…a note from Lynn,simple, short, and addressed to Lisa.
But she didn't deliver it.
She placed it on Lisa's pillow…then left the room, saying softly:
"When she returns… she'll need to read it.Not before that."
The next day…the students returned from the forest.Their faces dirty, their clothes stained,but their eyes were calm.
All of them… had passed.
That night,Lisa entered her room quietly,removed her coat,and placed her sword aside.
As she laid her head on the pillow,she felt something there.
She pulled out the letter,opened it…and read:
"I always watched you…even when you thought no one saw you.I wasn't strong like you,but you made me believe that I could be.Thank you, sister."
She said nothing.But her eyes didn't resist…only the pillow absorbed the reply.
Phase 7: The Final Crossing
Part 1: An Unheralded Return
Steps on the mud were slower than they should have been, not because their feet were heavy… but because their minds could no longer bear to rush.
The small caravan passed through the pine trees, each one of them trying not to look behind, as if the trees were watching them.
The practical training journey in the forest had ended… It wasn't a battle, there was no real danger, but it was the first time they had been tested… without supervision.
They learned what hunger meant. The taste of sleeping in the rain. The sound of animals rustling at night… when no sword was ready beside you.
They all returned.
No one failed.
Varell stood at the threshold of the castle's outer gate, his eyes narrowed, watching them as if counting them… not welcoming them.
"You succeeded… ostensibly," he said coldly, before adding: "But what awaits is not a forest, but something much deeper than a forest."
Then he turned, leaving them standing, under the light snow that had begun to fall.
Part 2: The Silence Before the Boil
The first week after their return passed like wind through old stone corridors. Cold… invisible… yet it wounded.
No one spoke of the test. But it was present in every gaze, in every silence during dinner, in every sword sharpened without need, and in every book read without focus.
Neron, always solitary, but now more disciplined than before, as if he felt his future awaited him in some unwritten line.
Lisa tried different swords, trained twice daily, laughed less, but maintained a constant sarcastic look… whose origin no one knew.
Talya, always nervous… but she slept like a rock, and woke as if she'd fought a battle in her sleep.
As for Kalidor…
He was too still.
He attended training, followed instructions, but he… didn't seem present.
He walked… as if his feet were touching the ground for the first time.
He looked at his sword… as if he didn't know what to do with it.
And in the eyes of some… this was foolishness. In a few other eyes… it was something else.
Something yet to be understood.
Part 3: Notice of Entry to Halgor
On a gloomy evening, Varell entered the students' hall, and announced in a voice that brooked no discussion:
"Prepare. In four days, we move to Halgor."
Nothing was explained.
Neither the type of challenge. Nor what would be demanded of them.
Only one phrase he wrote on the board behind him:
"The test… is not measured by victory, but by who returns."
Part 4: The Night Before Entry
That night… no one slept.
Even the servants… disappeared early.
Lisa sat alone on the window ledge, staring at the snow covering the edges of the walls.
Talya was polishing her sword, but she stopped every ten minutes, to look at the door… as if waiting for someone who wouldn't come.
Neron sat in the old archives hall, memorizing maps with frightening meticulousness.
As for Kalidor…
He sat alone in the northern corner of the covered courtyard.
Not moving. Not reading. Not training.
Just… sitting.
His eyes half-closed, his hands on his knees, as if listening to a sound within his body.
Part 5: To the CavernDawn of the Next Day – The Path to Halgor
The small caravan moved in silence.
Six students: Neron, Lisa, Talya, Kalidor, Riven, Odel. And Master Varell.
The air was bitterly cold. And the sky was gray… as if the light had decided not to shine this day.
No one spoke.
Even the horses' footsteps… made no sound.
At the edge of the Western Mountain… the cavern appeared.
Its entrance like an ancient arch… weathered by time, but still standing, as if waiting for something to enter it… for a century.
Varell stood at the entrance, and raised his voice:
"Here your depths are tested. If you succeed… you gain recognition. If you fail… you are returned to your old lives. But if you die… you will not return to anything."
Then he turned, and walked first.
Part 6: Entering Halgor Cavern
The light was dim at the threshold.
As if the place didn't like light… and didn't want it to enter.
Varell stepped first, followed by Lisa and Talya. Neron was behind them, then Odel, Riven, and in the rear… Kalidor.
From the first moment… everything changed.
The air wasn't just colder, it was thicker… as if you were chewing silence.
The walls weren't just rocky, but etched with marks—finger scratches, nothing understood… but they screamed.
The Master explained nothing.
He moved steadily, and every three steps, he struck the ground with his staff.
"Hmm… the earth still breathes." He said it, in a low… but clear voice.
Lisa turned to Varell:
"What do you mean?"
He said:
"This cavern… is not just stone. It holds everything that has entered it."
Talya swallowed. But Neron showed nothing.
Kalidor didn't raise his head.
Part 7: The First Hall – The First Test
They passed through a narrow passage, then entered a wide, domed hall.
There, beneath their feet, the ground was etched with circular carvings, and on the walls, remnants of ancient symbols, half erased by fire, the other half by weeping.
Varell said, stopping:
"This is the first limit. What comes out now… tests your cohesion."
He didn't wait long.
From the walls, ash fell. And from behind the shadows… three creatures emerged.
Not wolves… nor humans.
Distorted bodies, torn skins, and white eyes as if dead and never closed.
Odel gasped. Riven recoiled.
Neron, without hesitation, raised his sword. Talya let out a short scream… and advanced.
Lisa stood near Riven, protecting him despite his confusion.
As for Kalidor… he remained at the back, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword… but nothing in him moved.
One of the creatures lunged towards Talya. She parried it, but it struck her shoulder. She fell to her knees.
The second jumped towards Odel… striking him in the chest.
Confusion engulfed everyone.
At that moment, Riven panicked even more, pulled out a small mana crystal—he was not authorized to use it.
"No… no! Not now!" Lisa screamed, too late.
But he had already released it.
The burst hit the ceiling… and a part of it collapsed.
Stones fell. The ground cracked.
The hall split.
One part fell downwards: Lisa, Talya, Kalidor. And one part remained above: Neron, Riven, Odel, Varell.
Darkness swallowed half of them.
Part 8: The Bottom – The Moment of Transformation
When Kalidor opened his eyes, dust filled the air.
Lisa screamed… her leg trapped under a rock. Talya breathed with difficulty, her lip bleeding.
He… was unharmed.
But his face was darkened by something else.
The creatures came down with them.
Only one. Larger than all the previous ones.
It walked slowly, as if it didn't see… but knew exactly where they were.
Talya said:
"I can't get up…"
Lisa mumbled:
"The sword… take it. Take my sword…"
Kalidor looked at the sword, then at the monster… then at the two girls.
He said nothing.
But he reached out his hand, and took the sword. Slowly… as if choosing for the first time.
The monster advanced.
He stood between it and Talya.
Lisa screamed:
"Don't think! Just do it!"
But he didn't move.
Half a second… then a second.
Then, suddenly, he ran.
Not quickly… but with the gravity of a man who had decided not to be as he was.
He struck.
First mistake.
Second.
Then a stab… then a retreat… then a quick turn.
He hit the monster in its flank.
The monster attacked. He parried it.
A strike from the left. He responded.
But he didn't fight with just a sword.
But with his whole body… with eyes that watched everything as if they had been closed for years.
Then he raised his left hand, released a magical burst – unrefined, but pure.
It struck the monster directly in the face.
A roar. A tremor. Then… a fall.
Talya was staring at him, her mouth open, but no words came out.
Lisa, despite the pain, smiled.
"What did you do?"
He said, in a voice even he couldn't hear:
"What I had to do… if I were me."
Part 9: After the Battle – Meeting Again
There was no time for silence.
But silence… imposed itself.
The creature fell, and black blood seeped onto the rocky floor, as if it belonged to nothing human.
Kalidor stood amidst the dust, breathing heavily, but his eyes were steady.
He didn't waver. He didn't look back for applause. He didn't speak.
He just… remained standing.
Lisa, with an injured leg, tried to stand… then leaned towards him:
"You… are not who I thought you were."
Kalidor didn't answer, but his gaze said something different… as if another person was emerging from within him.
After long moments, they heard sounds coming from the side passage.
It was Varell, Neron, and Odel… coming through a back passage.
When Varell saw the monster dead, and Kalidor standing, and the two girls sitting behind him, he didn't comment.
But his features shifted for a moment… that moment not recorded in evaluation notebooks, but only in eyes.
Part 10: Return to the Castle
Exiting the cavern took longer than entering.
No one spoke. Even Varell didn't scold Riven.
Lisa leaned on Talya's shoulder, and Kalidor walked at the back, but this time… his shadow was not the weakest.
In the castle courtyard, the servants stood, watching the group return.
The cold was more intense than ever. But it wasn't the cause of the trembling.
There was something new in their eyes… a sound not yet uttered, but it had changed.
Part 11: Announcement of ResultsA Week Later – The Great Training Ground
Everyone gathered under a cloudy sky, and the accumulated snow had not yet melted from the edges of the training ground. Varell stood before them, a wax-sealed scroll in his hand.
He opened it, and said in a rigid voice:
"Neron… successful. Talya… successful. Lisa… successful. Riven and Odel… partial pass, not qualifying them to continue in the academic path. They are returned to their families. Kalidor Al Valandor… did not demonstrate standard combat proficiency, but a special recommendation from the training body and with a signed endorsement… it is decided to transfer him to direct academic evaluation, with his combat classification deferred."
A faint murmur rippled through the attendees. But Varell did not raise his eyes.
"Beginning next month, the three qualified individuals: Talya, Lisa, and Kalidor, will be transferred to the High Lumina Academy."
"As for the rest… their formation here has ended."
Lisa looked towards Kalidor, and said nothing… but her eyes were not sarcastic this time.
Talya offered a short smile, and patted his shoulder, without a word.
And in the evening, Kalidor sat alone in the back courtyard, where he had first stood five years ago, a lost youth from whom nothing was expected.
Now… nothing had changed in his features, but the eyes watching him no longer looked at him the same way.
Perhaps… because he had decided, for once, not to be just a shadow.
AFTERWORD
And thus, the shadows of this chapter fade… yet the echoes remain, whispering through the corridors of the castle—memories of the past and the heartbeat of what's to come.
If this story has touched something within you—if you believe it's a tale worth following—then I humbly ask you to support it with a Power Stone vote. It's more than just a number; it's a spark that helps the story reach new hearts and climb its way up the weekly rankings.
Thank you for walking this path with me.The journey has just begun.