Kai and Lia stepped down the famous forest path. The sun was high in the morning sky. The rays of the sun were filtering through the branches, creating soft patches of illumination on the ground. Both of them were excited yet drained by Garrick's training session. They never knew what new lesson Garrick had in store for them. Reaching the spot where they usually met for their training session, there was another figure standing with Garrick.
"Lia, is that… your mother?" Kai whispered, eyeing the silhouette of the figure.
She was about to respond when the lady turned toward them, her big brown eyes catching their. "Mom!" Lia shouted with shock, which slid immediately into delight as she beamed. "What brings you here?"
She moved towards them, smiling quietly. Her tranquil smile kindled a warmth that was as if to lighten up the whole clearing. Smoothing a strand of her dark hair over Lia's head, she placed a hand on her head, her voice warm. "I wanted to see how things have been going. And it seems I was not wrong to come; both of you have grown in leaps and bounds."
Garrick nodded as he folded his arms in a nod of approval. "Today is a special day. I asked Aurelia to join us because the two of you are finally ready for your first lesson in cultivation."
Kai and Lia looked at each other, their thoughts merging into one word: Finally. They had tolerated weeks of grueling practice, each day punctuated with vague allusions from Garrick about "something greater" waiting for them, but he always left them hanging. Now, finally, the answer was in their grasp.
"But before you take this step, I need to hear what you've learned from me in these past months."
Her voice held a gentle authority that demanded their focus, and they both straightened, eager to respond. They thought back to the quiet evenings spent in Aurelia's cottage, where she had shared things about the world that they could scarcely believe.
They looked at each other, remembering nights spent teaching them by candlelight, the stunned silence they shared trying to put together the gigantic and multifaceted world beyond their village of Elaris. They learned that humans were far from alone and in many ways, among the weakest.
Aurelia had spoken to them of races they'd only read about in obscure legends—giants whose strength could topple mountains, demons with cruel cunning and raw power, celestials with a lightness and magic flowing through their veins and many more. There were races that could alter nature itself, turning mountains into rivers or making forests vanish. Compared to these, even the noble bloodlines of humankind were barely a match.
That knowledge had left them stunned by its depth. Kai had even turned to Aurelia one night, asking, "Why didn't Mistress Elena ever tell us any of this?"
Aurelia's answer had been so simple, her face creased with a solemnity they barely understood, "Because most children of Elaris, and many adults, will never even venture past Havenbrook, and let alone into the kingdom. They will probably never need this knowledge. But for you two. it is different."
Kai hadn't entirely understood why it was different then, but her words stayed with him. And as he recalled them now, he nodded in silence.
Aurelia watched them consider her words, her eyes warm but calculating. "If you two are only ordinary humans," she asked quietly, "how could you ever dream of equaling, let alone surpassing, the power of those born with such gifts?"
Her question sat in the air like an unyielding weight. The edges of Kai's eyes dropped. He'd wrestled with this thought now for weeks, trying to make sense of it, and no matter how much he imagined, he saw no way for an ordinary human, one without the gifts of birth, to outmatch these powerful beings.
Beside him, Lia's voice was small but desperate as she turned to her mother. "Is there really no way to compete with them?"
Aurelia held her daughter's gaze for a long moment before answering. Her voice was steady, almost reverent. "There is."
Kai's eyes went wide at this, a spark of hope flaring to life. "What. what do you mean?" he whispered a little louder, fearful that if he spoke any louder he might shatter the fragile possibility looming before him.
Aurelia stepped back a step, her expression serious-looking, and neither one of them had ever seen a glimmer of that before. And she looked at them with the light of fierce conviction, saying, "Our forefathers were once the weakest of all. For centuries, humans lived at the mercy of the other races, no more than slaves or playthings to those who saw themselves as superior. But in time, humanity discovered something unique - a way to harness strength not given by birth, but earned through sheer force of will and determination. We call it.....Willforce."
She spoke the word with a reverence that made the air around them feel charged, as if the very syllables held a forgotten power. Garrick's usual stern demeanor softened, and for the first time, Kai saw a glint of something akin to pride in his eyes..
Willforce," Aurelia continued, her voice firm, "allowed humans to rise, not just in power but in dignity. It gave our ancestors the strength to defy their chains, to seize their own fate, and to hold their heads high among the very races that once enslaved them.".
Kai's head spun trying to wrap up the scope of what she was saying. A force—an ancient power—that didn't rely on lineage or the privilege of birth. Could it be possible?
Kai furrowed his brow, raising his hand, tentatively, like he was back in school. "If our ancestors could stand against the other races with Willforce… why are humans still considered the weakest?"
A shadow passed over Aurelia's face, and she glanced at Garrick. They shared a brief, silent exchange, something deep and complicated passing between them.
"That", Garrick said, in that low voice of him so regretful almost. "is a long story. All you need to know is that Willforce is a lost art. Barely anyone remembers its name, let alone how to use it-not anymore".
Aurelia's gaze sharpened as she looked back at them "This secret has the potential to put both of you into grave peril if others know about it. You have to avoid saying anything about Willforce in public or to anybody else-not friends, villagers, nor anyone else."
It lay across them like a cloak of lead. Kai felt hairs bristle on the back of his neck. Danger: he thought he saw it in the way she used the words. But nothing diminished the spark that seemed to be growing inside him. Willforce. The word echoed in his mind and infused him with a strange, wild energy, as though a fire was catching igniting in his chest.
Lia nodded gravely beside him, her usual brightness subdued but her eyes blazing with the same determination he felt. They knew, in that moment, that they were not being entrusted with knowledge. This was a legacy—a hidden inheritance that had the power to reshape their destinies.
Garrick cleared his throat with a harsh cough, jolting them back to reality. "If you are both prepared to start, then we shall not delay another moment."
Kai and Lia shared one last look, this time with resolve in their eyes, and then turned to face the instructors. The clearing surrounding them seemed to shimmer in expectation, as if the trees themselves witnessed the momentous journey that lay ahead of them.
Aurelia stepped back, a faint, proud smile on her face as she watched them. "Today, you begin the journey our ancestors left behind. A path nearly forgotten, but one that could bring strength beyond anything you've known. Remember, this isn't just about power. Willforce comes from within. It's a testament to your will, your resolve, and the strength of your spirit."
Kai took in a deep breath, and a fire flickered to life within him. Beside him, Lia straightened, her fist clenching. In that silent promise they shared lay a connection, a binding purpose - one that would take them long beyond the sleepy village of Elaris and into worlds neither of them could see yet.