Kaelen had seen a few of the children in his village being selected by clans, sects, and families as mana apprentices. Seeing the excitement on those children's faces at that time made him wish that it happen to him too.

  He had always thought that training under a mage would mean learning spells, summoning fire from his fingertips, or bending the wind to his will.

  However, here he was. Running. For the 10th time.

  "Ha.. Ha.. Haaa....!"

  His breath came in short, sharp gasps as he sprinted across the dirt field behind the mage’s tower. His legs burned, his lungs ached, and sweat dripped down his black brow. The crisp morning air did little to cool him.

  'T-This is ridiculous!', He thought as he stopped and leaned against a tree.

  The old mage, standing with his arms behind his back, watched him from a distance and shouted angrily, "Keep moving, boy!"

  Kaelen gritted his teeth in frustration and shouted back before he resumed running, "T-This isn't training! This is pure torture!"

  The mage had given him a set of exercises that he had to complete every day and he didn't explain it. No magic. No spells. Just basic running, push-ups, stretching, and breathing exercises.

  Kaelen’s frustration boiled over and he shouted, "I-I don’t see how this has anything to do with magic!”

  The old man remained unbothered and replied lazily, "That’s because you think magic is just about throwing fire from your hands.”

  Kaelen skidded to a stop, panting, and asked, "I-Isn’t it?”

  The old man sighed tiredly and explained, "Magic flows through the body like blood. If your body is weak, your magic is weak. If your mind is clouded, your control is lost. Without a strong foundation, power is meaningless.”

  Kaelen narrowed his eyes and asked, "T-Then why not just remove the seal first?”

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  The old man’s eyes darkened and he said, "Because the moment that seal is gone, your power will surge like an unchained beast. If you are not prepared, it will devour you.”

  "D-Devour me?!"

  A shiver ran down Kaelen’s spine and he asked with a terrified expression on his face, "Is that what happened to others before me?

  The mage didn't answer and instead turned away, saying, "You’re wasting time, boy. Start again.”

  Kaelen clenched his fists and began running again. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to move, thinking, 'If this is what it takes to break the seal, then I have no choice.'

  "That's it for today!"

  Kaelen collapsed onto the ground, gulping down air like a hungry whale.

  With his heaving chest, he murmured, "I… can’t… do this…”

  The old mage walked over and crouched beside him. Seeing his pathetic state, he shook his head and said, "Your body is gasping like a drowning man. You waste energy.”

  "Oh?!", Kaelen glared at him and sarcastically asked, "And how should I breathe then, oh wise one?”

  The old man ignored his sarcasm and ordered, "Sit up!"

  Kaelen groaned but did as told.

  The old man nodded in appreciation of his obedience and instructed, "Close your eyes.”

  Kaelen hesitated, then obeyed as he closed his eyes and asked, "What's next?"

  “Inhale through your nose. Slowly. Fill your stomach first, then your chest. Hold it.”

  Kaelen followed the instruction, though the effort made his ribs ache.

  "Now exhale through your mouth, emptying the chest first, then the stomach.”

  Kaelen exhaled, feeling a strange sensation—his heartbeat slowing, his mind clearing slightly.

  The old man nodded in appreciation and ordered, "Good. Again.”

  Kaelen repeated the process and thought, 'This is stupid…'

  But as he continued, something changed. His thoughts weren’t so scattered. It is gradually becoming calm. The exhaustion remained, but it felt… manageable.

  The old man watched him with approval and thought, 'He learns quickly. Good. This will be very helpful for him later on.'

  While Kaelen repeated the process, the old man ordered, "You will do this every morning. Before training. Before eating. Before sleeping.”

  Kaelen opened one eye and joked, "Before pissing too?”

  The old man smirked and taunted, "If it helps.”

  Kaelen rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

  The next day, Kaelen woke up with his muscles aching. He groaned and murmured, "Aaaah! Every part of my body hurts! And feels heavy!"

  The old man was already waiting outside as he knocked on the door and shouted, "On your feet!”

  Kaelen groaned and turned on his bed. He waited for the old man to go away but he was very patient. He kept on knocking until Kaelen finally shouted angrily at him, "Can’t I get one day to recover?”

  However, the response from the old mage did nothing to calm him down.

  "No. Either you walk out of the room by yourself or I turn you into a frog."