The next few days were hell.
Korir had thought he understood exhaustion—he'd run for his life, fought against men twice his size, and barely survived against forces he didn't understand. But this? This was different.
Zero was ruthless.
They trained from sunrise to moonrise, stopping only when Korir collapsed. Every muscle in his body burned, his head ached, and his mind felt like it was treading water in an endless ocean.
And still, it wasn't enough.
"Again!"
Korir gritted his teeth, his vision blurring as he focused on the wooden target in front of him.
Timeshift.
It wasn't speed. It wasn't teleportation. It was… something else. It bent reality around him, letting him step between the cracks of existence itself.
But controlling it? A nightmare.
He focused, trying to activate the ability—just for a second.
The world around him shuddered. The edges of his vision blurred, as if time itself had begun to unravel.
And then—
BAM!
He collapsed, coughing violently. His body hit the ground like a sack of bricks, his lungs burning as if he had just sprinted a marathon in seconds.
Zero sighed, standing over him with his arms crossed. "Not bad. You're only failing at an embarrassing level now."
Korir glared at him. "You call… that… not bad?"
Zero smirked, offering a hand. Korir hesitated, but took it, pulling himself to his feet. His legs wobbled, but he stayed standing.
"Look," Zero said, stepping back. "Timeshift isn't something you just 'use.' You don't control time—you ride it, like stepping onto a river that never stops flowing. The problem is…"
"…I keep drowning," Korir finished, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Zero nodded. "Exactly."
Korir clenched his fists. He hated this feeling—being weak, being helpless. He didn't just want power; he needed it.
For survival.For revenge.
For whatever came next.
Taking a slow breath, he tried again.
Korir's world flickered.
For the briefest moment, he felt it. The rhythm of time, the currents pulling him in all directions—past, present, future, all blurring together like reflections on shattered glass.
And then—
He moved.
Faster than before. Not perfect. Not full control.
But enough.
Zero raised an eyebrow as Korir reappeared half a second ahead of where he was before. "Huh," he muttered. "Not terrible."
Korir dropped to his knees, exhausted. "What… was that?"
Zero smirked. "3%."
Korir's breath hitched. "That's it?"
Zero laughed, shaking his head. "You're lucky it's even that much. Do you have any idea how long it takes to master just 1%?"
Korir clenched his fists. 3%… wasn't enough. Not yet.
But it was a start.
Korir sat outside the hideout, staring up at the fractured night sky.
3%.
Leo hadn't even awakened.Beric was watching them.And there were still 18 troops stronger than his.
Every time he thought he was getting closer to strength… reality reminded him how far he had to go.
His fingers curled around the dirt. He had to get stronger. Faster. There was no time.
And yet, somewhere in the distance…
Someone was watching. Again.