Rael stood over the defeated bandits, his chest heaving and falling with the exertion of the battle. His heart pounded in his ears, adrenaline still pumping through his system. The strength that had flowed through him was alien, yet somehow familiar. It was as if he had always known how to move, how to respond, as if something within him had stirred, pulling the strings of his body.
He glanced at the bandits—four of them were either groaning with pain or lying unconscious. The fifth, the muscular man holding a rusted axe, was gripping his fractured wrist and whining, too scared to even try to escape.
Rael's gaze moved over to the bandit's axe, forgotten in the dust. His fingers spasmed. It would be so simple to claim it, to kill them, to make them understand power. But he wasn't like that—was he?
A sigh. He moved closer, holding up a hand in a movement that indicated he wasn't here to kill. The big man stood still, eyes expanding as Rael's voice cut through the silence.
"Go. Now," Rael said, his voice firm but unyielding.
The bandit paused, then sprang to his feet, looking wildly from Rael to his fellow bandits. With one last, terrified look at the young man who had defeated them all, the bandit took off, abandoning his companions.
Rael stood and watched them leave, his mind whirling. He had no clue what had just occurred. The movement of his body, the way he could anticipate his foes' next action—it was like something from a novel. But he couldn't shake it. Something had shifted.
He bent down to collect what little they had left—some food, a few coins, and the rusted axe. It was far from ideal, but it would have to do.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind him.
"You're good," it said.
Rael turned sharply, his hand instinctively reaching for the axe. He was prepared for another attack, but what he saw made him pause.
There stood a woman, tall and confident, her dark eyes as night. She had black armor that glimmered with odd symbols, and her long hair was tied back in tight braids down her back. The sword on her belt caught the faint light.
"Why have you come?" Rael asked, holding back but not revealing fear.
The woman smiled weakly, her eyes sweeping over him from head to toe.
You're powerful, but you don't know how to harness it yet," she stated, her tone low and smooth. "I've been observing you."
Rael's expression narrowed. "Who are you?"
"The name's Selene," she said. "And I believe it's time you learned a bit more about who you truly are.
Rael felt a chill run down his spine. There was something about this woman—something dangerous. But it was also… familiar. The same way he had felt when the power awakened in him. She wasn't here by chance. She had been watching him for a reason.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his grip tightening on the axe.
Selene's eyebrow rose. "You don't have to pretend. I know what you've felt. That power inside you. It's time you understood it."
Rael retreated a step, still not knowing if he could trust her. But something about what she said rang true.
"Why me?" he asked. "Why now?
Because there's more at stake here than you know," Selene told him, her tone turning somber. "There are people like you—people who've been selected for something much bigger than they have any idea. And it's time you learned how to survive it.
Rael's thoughts were racing, but one thing was certain—his life would never be the same. The world he knew no longer existed. The energy within him was true, and it was only a matter of time before it destroyed him if he didn't know how to control it.
"You want to train you?" Rael asked, his tone low.
Selene nodded. "Not only train you. Educate you how to survive in this world—because there are worse things than petty bandits out there. Things you've never even imagined."
Rael wavered, but he knew deep within himself that there was no other option. His life had been changed already. Now, it was time to confront whatever was next.
"Okay," he said, his determination setting hard. "Teach me.