Clapping his hands and rubbing them, Gareth shouted, “Get up, boy, let’s get to it!” Jake looked at his mentor’s wide grin. The apprentice groaned but pushed himself up. “You mentioned something about… knowing my parents, maybe?” Gareth sighed. “Maybe… you have the right age, the same frame… but don’t get your hopes up. We’ll see soon enough if you have his talent.”

  Jake was dying to ask more. He had spent his whole life searching for clues about his past without success. Easy, Jake. The truth is close. You'll get there. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to focus. “What was my… your friend’s talent?” Gareth’s gaze drifted into the distance, lost in memory. “He was incredibly fast and nimble, really hard to hit.” Jake opened his mouth to respond, but Gareth spoke first, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “A bit like you yesterday… but better.

  Jake rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Gareth pulled off his shirt, revealing a collection of uneven scars crisscrossing his muscular chest. Without another word, he strode toward a massive oak tree, rolling his shoulders. “Alright, boy, we can go into the mist, but we can also call the mist to us.”

  Jake watched as Gareth took a battle stance, muscles flexing as he inhaled deeply. A swirling mist coiled around his fist, its glow almost blinding from the sheer energy pulsing through it. Then, with a battle cry, Gareth drove his fist into the tree. A deafening crack split the air, like thunder striking right overhead. The tree trunk exploded, shards of bark and splintered wood flying in all directions. With a final groan, the massive oak toppled, crashing into the undergrowth in a chaos of broken branches.

  Gareth turned, puffed his chest out, and jabbed a thumb at himself. “Myself, I’m more of a brawler type,” he said, his grin as proud as a child showing off a new toy. Jake sighed and buried his face in his hands. “Are you going to keep showing off all day, or do we actually start my training?” Gareth’s booming laughter echoed through the trees. “That’s the spirit, boy! Let’s get to it. I have three days to teach you.”

  He motioned toward the dense forest ahead. “Come, boy. I know the perfect place.” The trees loomed around them as they walked, their canopies whispering with the wind. The deeper they went, the quieter the world seemed, as if the forest was holding its breath in anticipation.

  They stood at the base of a towering cliff. Above them, jagged rocks jutted out, while around them lay a sea of fallen boulders, some as small as a fist, others as large as houses. Gareth made a grand gesture, puffed his chest, and in his best mentor voice, announced: “First day: agility training. Jump from rock to rock, and don’t break your neck.” Jake smirked. His mentor couldn’t have picked an easier challenge. Parkour was his specialty. My turn to show off. Without hesitation, he took off, effortlessly bounding from stone to stone, his body moving with practiced ease. He leaped, flipped, twisted, and landed smoothly, reveling in the familiar rush of movement.

  Minutes passed, sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn’t slow down. Then Gareth’s voice rang out. “Stop.” Jake came to a halt and jogged back. His mentor let out a low whistle. “You sure have some skills, boy.” Jake grinned, but it quickly faded as Gareth continued, “You’re ready for phase two. Same thing, but this time, mid-jump, I want you to phase in and out of the mist.” Jake’s jaw dropped.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Gareth made a shooing motion. “Come on, get to it.” Jake exhaled slowly. Alright. Focus. He ran forward, leaped onto the first rock, then sprang toward the next. Mid-air, he tried to phase—

  —and the world blurred.

  Disoriented, his body twisted awkwardly as he phased back in too late. SMACK. He landed stomach-first on the cold, hard stone.

  “Aww…”

  Gareth’s thundering voice echoed across the cliffs. “AGAIN!”

  Throughout the day, the forest echoed with sharp cracks of impact, yelps of pain, and Gareth’s relentless commands. At first, the wildlife scattered because of the unfamiliar noises. Birds took flight. Small creatures darted into their burrows.

  SMACK.

  -Aww…

  “AGAIN!”

  But soon, the forest grew accustomed to the sound. It became just another backdrop of the wild, like the rustling of leaves or the distant hoot of an owl.

  SMACK.

  -Aww…

  “AGAIN!”

  As the shadows stretched long and the sky turned gold, Jake landed on his feet more often than not. His body ached, but his movements were sharper, his instincts keener.

  Finally, when it was too dark to see, Gareth called the training off. “Good job, boy. Let’s go back to camp.” Jake clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay silent with each agonizing step back.

  The fire crackled as they prepared their meal. Neither spoke, but the silence between them felt comfortable. An unspoken agreement that words weren’t necessary. As his body rested, Jake’s thoughts drifted back to something Gareth had said. He might know my father. I have a family out there. His heart pounded in his chest.

  Gareth, staring into the fire, seemed to read his mind. “You know, boy, what you did today was quite extraordinary.”

  Jake was surprised; this was the first time his mentor had praised him. “Thank you. I did my best.”

  Gareth shook his head. “You don’t understand. Only one group was able to pull that kind of stunt.” His mentor locked eyes with him. “And it was your father’s.” Jake’s throat felt dry. His hands clenched into fists as emotions twisted inside him. He wanted to ask the next question, but he didn’t dare. All his life, he had wanted answers. Now, he wasn’t sure he could handle them.

  Gareth looked down. His voice was softer this time. “I have to tell you, though. Your parents are dead.”

  Jake nodded slowly. It felt like his heart had been cast in burning ice. He had expected it, prepared for it. But that didn’t make the pain any less real. He looked away, blinking rapidly, determined not to let the tears fall.

  Gareth’s fingers tightened around the stick he was using to poke the fire before slowly laying it down. He sat still, his head down, an unmoving figure against the darkened forest. Finally, he took a deep breath and, in a slightly wavering voice, said, “That’s enough for today. Sleep well, boy.”

  Jake lay down and looked at the night sky. He sighed; he would probably stay awake all night.

  It took time, but he eventually drifted into a deep, restorative sleep… until the pain interrupted his rest.