Pain became their tutor.
By the second sunrise at Kaer Morhen, Cain no longer wondered if he had made the right choice—he was too busy trying not to vomit from exhaustion.
Coën—tall, wiry, and deceptively calm—oversaw their physical drills. He spoke little, but his eyes missed nothing. He barked instructions in a tone that brooked no argument:
"Hold the plank until your arms give out. Then keep holding."
"Fall again and I'll make the ghouls teach you balance."
"You stop moving, you stop breathing."
Each morning began before dawn. Each evening ended with bodies slumped around the fire like broken dolls. And somehow, Cain and Callum were always the last two standing.
🔹 Pain Drills and Endurance Trials
The first trial had been simple: run the perimeter of the fortress walls until someone collapsed.
Cain's lungs burned like fire, his legs barely responding to his will by the fourth lap. Sweat froze to his skin in the icy wind.
Beside him, Callum ran with fluid grace, not fast—but steady. Controlled. Breathing timed with his steps. His eyes never left the horizon.
Cain grit his teeth and matched him stride for stride. They didn't speak. Didn't need to.
When the others finally fell behind, Cain and Callum finished their final lap side by side, collapsing into the snow and laughing like madmen.
🔹 System Insight: Stat Growth
That night, as Cain sat alone by the fire with a bowl of overcooked venison, the System chimed.
[Stat Update – Physical Growth Detected]Due to intense physical exertion and successful completion of high-difficulty endurance training, the following has occurred:
+1 Strength+1 Constitution
Trait Progression Unlocked:"Cold-Blooded (Passive – Locked)" – You begin to resist physical and emotional stress under pressure.
Note: This trait requires multiple layers of trauma, cold exposure, and near-death experiences to fully unlock.
Cain exhaled slowly. So training feeds the system... not just quests.
He looked at Callum across the fire—still stretching out his calves, humming a tavern tune. Not a mark of arrogance on him.
Cain smiled. "Show-off."
Callum glanced up. "I'm pretty sure you're the only other one not vomiting blood, Cain."
🔹 Monster Theory & Alchemy
By week two, Lambert had taken over classroom instruction. Which meant cursing, sarcasm, and getting hit with chalk for dumb answers.
He held up a dried drowner's tongue one afternoon and said, "Who can tell me why this stinks worse than Coën's boots?"
Callum raised his hand. "It releases a scent when drying—an alchemical trigger for necrophage repellents."
Lambert blinked. "Huh. Smart bastard. You're not making the rest of us look bad on purpose, are you?"
Callum shrugged modestly. "I just read ahead."
Cain leaned over. "Of course you did."
The System pinged softly in Cain's vision again.
[Codex Entry Expanded: Drowner Alchemy]New Potion Recipe: Minor Necrophage RepellentBonus: If created successfully, grants +5% evasion against necrophages for 10 minutes.
Alchemy was slow to learn but rich in rewards. Cain watched carefully—measuring twice, grinding herbs, identifying reagents by scent and shimmer—and his system catalogued everything. His fingers stung from burns, but his mind was electric.
Callum wasn't just a fighter. He had the mind of a scholar and the heart of a monk. But Cain had an edge he couldn't share:
The System made sure he never forgot anything.
🔹 Sparring: Steel on Steel
The first time Cain and Callum crossed wooden swords in front of the senior Witchers, there were no cheers—only quiet nods.
Their styles couldn't have been more different.
Cain was precise, methodical. He moved like someone counting frames in a fight—measured, efficient, dangerous.
Callum was graceful, adaptive. He flowed like a dancer, reading Cain's tells, responding with just enough to stay even.
They clashed again and again, their training blades sparking and snapping, neither giving ground.
Cain lunged low, feinted left—and Callum caught the blade, twisting and flipping Cain over his shoulder into the dirt.
Cain hit the ground, breath knocked out, and grinned up at him.
"You son of a noble."
Callum offered his hand. "You almost had me."
Cain took it.
[Skill Progression: Swordplay – Basic > Intermediate]You are developing a unique hybrid combat style based on precision, adaptation, and observational reading.
New Passive: Momentum Chain – Consecutive hits increase accuracy by +2% per strike. Resets on miss or parry.
🔹 The Bond Deepens
By the end of the first month, they were brothers.
Not by blood. By scars. By bruises shared. By the silent look they gave each other after Coën's third mile-long sword drill, when everyone else collapsed from cramps and cold.
They ate side by side. Studied together. Trained. Bled. Laughed.
And when the other boys started calling them "Twin Blades," neither of them corrected it.
Because Cain knew now—this world would try to break them.
But he wasn't alone.