The morning sun spilled through the tall dormitory windows, warm light stretching across the wooden floorboards. Rei had already been awake for a while. Sleep had been restless, his mind running circles around yesterday’s training and the strange woman who had guided him. Even so, the hot bath he’d taken had helped loosen the stiffness in his legs. Steam clung to him as he wrapped a towel around his shoulders and stepped out into the dorm room.

  That’s when he noticed it.

  A bird sat on the edge of the open window frame but not like any bird he’d ever seen before. Its body was sleek and crow-like, yet its feathers shimmered with bright, unnatural colors: streaks of emerald, sapphire, and gold, layered over patterns that almost looked painted on. Its eyes were a pale silver, sharp and unblinking.

  It tilted its head at him. Then, it spoke.

  “Back to the forest. Sanctuary awaits,” the bird croaked in a voice that was neither entirely avian nor human, but something between.

  Rei froze mid-step. “…You talk.”

  “Yes,” the bird replied bluntly, giving its wing a quick shake. “Hurry. She is waiting.”

  Rei didn’t need to ask who she was. Ariel’s image immediately came to mind. Her emerald eyes, the leaf-patterned wings, the faint scent of earth and forest that lingered around her.

  The bird didn’t bother to elaborate. It hopped once, then launched itself from the window frame, a streak of brilliant color disappearing into the morning light. Rei hurried to dress, tossing on a simple training shirt and pants before grabbing his boots.

  By the time he stepped out of the dormitory, the bird was perched atop the railing, watching him.

  “Follow,” it instructed before taking off again.

  The path from the dorm to the forest was quiet except for the rustle of leaves in the breeze. The bird always stayed just ahead, never more than a few paces forward, making sure Rei kept pace. Soon, the dirt trail gave way to dense greenery. Rei could feel the shift in the air, that same thick, ancient presence from yesterday, as though the forest itself was watching him.

  When they reached the two massive trees that formed the gateway, the bird stopped mid-flight and perched between them, cocking its head.

  “Go on,” it urged.

  Rei took a slow breath, stepping between the towering trunks. Just like before, the forest beyond seemed to open into another world entirely. The light shifted into a softer, golden hue, the air sweeter, the sounds clearer. The sanctuary was ahead. Its pond, its glades, its quiet sense of being untouched by time.

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  And waiting by the water’s edge was Ariel.

  She turned at the sound of his approach, a small smile touching her lips. “You came. Good.”

  “I… didn’t have much of a choice,” Rei admitted, glancing over his shoulder at the bird. It gave a satisfied caw before disappearing into the treetops.

  “That one likes to think it’s in charge,” Ariel said, her tone amused. “But no matter. We begin.”

  She pointed toward the pond, calm and mirror-like under the morning light. Then, with a sharp clap of her hands, the water rippled violently. Thick, green vines erupted upward, twisting and coiling as they grew. They hardened into thick pillars, each varying in height and distance from one another, some barely above the water’s surface, others stretching high into the air.

  Rei’s brows rose. “This is…?”

  “Your next training,” Ariel said, stepping lightly across the grass until she stood at the pond’s edge. “Cross to the other side. Without falling.”

  “That’s it?” Rei asked, skeptical.

  She tilted her head. “You think it simple?”

  “…I mean, it’s just jumping.”

  Her smile deepened, faintly mischievous. “Then begin.”

  Rei stepped up to the first vine pillar, testing its surface. It was firm but had a slight give, the way a thick branch might under his weight. He leapt to the next one. It wobbled. He overcorrected. The third jump barely caught the edge, and when he tried to push off, the slick surface sent him slipping.

  Splash

  The pond’s cool water swallowed him instantly. He resurfaced with a cough, brushing wet hair from his eyes as Ariel’s voice rang out from the shore.

  “Again.”

  And so it began.

  For hours, Rei tried and failed. Sometimes he lost balance after only a few jumps. Sometimes he reached a quarter of the way across, only to misjudge the spacing. The pillars weren’t evenly placed, some demanded short, careful steps, others long, lunging bounds. And the height differences threw him off every time.

  By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, his clothes clung heavy with water, his legs burned, and his patience frayed.

  “That’s enough,” Ariel called.

  Rei sat on the shore, dripping and breathing hard. “You… couldn’t make it just a little easier?”

  She approached, kneeling gracefully beside him. “It is not meant to be easy. Tell me, what made it difficult?”

  Rei frowned, thinking. “The spacing changes. The heights are inconsistent. Some of the pillars aren’t stable. It’s hard to plan ahead when every jump’s different.”

  Ariel nodded as if satisfied. “Good. Then widen your vision.”

  He blinked. “What does that even mean?”

  “It means,” she said, her tone calm but firm, “you are seeing only what is in front of you. Not what is beneath you, around you, or within you. Look for the little things. The things most would never notice. They will speak to you if you let them. And when you fail—” she tapped his chest lightly, “learn from it, instead of wearing it like a weight.”

  Rei stared at her for a moment, then gave a small nod. “…Alright.”

  She stepped back. “Then again.”

  This time, Rei tried to put her words to use. He noticed the way some pillars leaned ever so slightly toward others, making for easier jumps if he approached from the right angle. He spotted faint ripples in the water when the taller ones swayed in the wind, giving him a half-second warning.

  Halfway across, his foot slipped on a wet surface. He fell but when he emerged, sputtering, there was no flare of frustration. Instead, he replayed the jump in his head, breaking down exactly where his footing had failed.

  And so the hours bled into the next day. And the day after.

  On the third day, Ariel added new obstacles. Some pillars began to sway constantly. Others sank slightly before bouncing back up. At random moments, thick vines whipped from the water, forcing Rei to dodge mid-jump.

  By the fourth day, the entire layout changed every time he tried. Pillars shifting height or position while he was in the middle of crossing. What once seemed like a straightforward crossing became a living puzzle, forcing him to adapt instantly.

  Every failure was followed by stillness moments where Rei would close his eyes, replay the sequence, and adjust.

  On the morning of the fifth day, Rei stood at the water’s edge again. The air was cool, the pond perfectly still. His legs felt like steel cables from the constant exertion, yet his mind was sharper than when he’d first arrived.

  He stepped onto the first pillar. Then the second. His feet moved with certainty, his body adjusting instantly to shifts in height or distance. Even when a vine lashed toward him, he bent low, letting it pass over before springing forward.

  The final jump brought him to the opposite shore.

  Rei exhaled, chest heaving but this time from exhilaration rather than exhaustion.

  Ariel stood waiting, her expression one of quiet pride. She extended her hand. “Phase two is complete,” she said. “Phase three awaits.”

  Rei took her hand, the weight of the past days settling into a strange mix of relief and anticipation. Whatever came next… he was ready to face it.

  [End of Chapter]