Zayd woke up feeling groggy, the sunlight spilling through his window reminding him that he is late. After a quick splash of water to his face, he dressed hastily. Changing into a beige tunic and brown pants tied with a simple cord. He put on a practical scuffed leather shoes which were ideal for training on uneven ground to complete the look.
He hurried toward the training grounds. Yesterday's resonance ceremony had left him humiliated, and he knew the whispers about the elementless chief's son hadn't stopped, so he couldn't afford to show any weakness. Things would only get harder from here on, and being late to training would only add fuel to the fire.
The training field buzzed with activity. His peers balanced atop stone columns, their rune circles glowing in faint brown hue, pebbles floating around them as they practiced basic spells. The moment Zayd stepped onto the field, he felt their eyes on him.
A familiar voice called out, dripping with mockery.
"Look who finally decided to show up!" Fahd sneered,
"The elementless heir!" the insult was loud enough to ensure that others heard it.
Zayd's fists clenched as scattered chuckles resounded in the field, he glared at Fahd but kept walking.
THWACK! THWACK!
Sharp yelps filled the air as precise shots of pebbles struck the laughing children legs.
"Laugh again," Jabal growled,
"and I'll make sure you leave with fewer teeth than you came with."
The snickers died instantly.
The instructor's towering frame strode toward Zayd. With arms as thick as tree trunks crossed over his broad chest, Jabal stared down at him with a gaze sharp enough to cut stone.
"Brat, you're an hour late."
"Sorry teacher… I-I overslept." Zayd mumbled.
"Overslept?" Jabal scoffed, gesturing toward a rack of metal weights.
"Put those on and run three laps around the field."
His tone made it clear this wasn't just training – it was punishment.
Zayd strapped on the heavy weights. Each one weighed five kilograms of solid metal, dragging at his ankles and wrists like anchors.
Taking the first steps was a challenge, his muscles protesting from the sudden burden. Slowly, he built up his pace from a walk to a shaky jog.
The heat of the blazing sun made things worse, draining what little energy he had.
'Damn, I hate running in the sun,' he thought bitterly, his lungs burning as he pushed through the final lap. When he finished, he collapsed to his knees, sweat streaming down his face.
Jabal watched as he gasped for air, allowing him barely a moment to rest before barking his next command.
"Twenty-five push-ups. Now."
Gritting his teeth, Zayd dropped into position. The weights on his wrists turned each push-up into a herculean effort. By the twentieth, his arms trembled so bad he could barely hold himself up, but he refused to stop, conscious of the watching eyes around him.
He barely had time to breathe as Jabal placed a heavy boulder onto his back.
"Five more,"
The sudden pressure crushed him to the ground. Making him unable to move. Still, he refused to quit—not here, not with the other kids watching, waiting for him to fail.
So he pushed beyond his limit, fueled by desperation and determination. Each push-up became a battle against gravity itself. Sweat dripped into the soil as he finished the final push-up. He collapsed immediately, panting like a thirsty dog in a scorching day.
A water jug landed with a thud next to his head.
"Drink,"
Zayd grabbed the jug with shaking hands, gulping down the cool water. It felt like life flowing back into his body.
His instructor lived up to his name. As soon as he finished the ground beneath him rumbled, lifting him onto a towering column of solid earth.
"Balance yourself," Jabal commanded, his voice as sharp as the cracks forming in the column.
Zayd struggled to find his footing as cracks formed beneath him. The column crumbled in the middle, leaving only two precarious footholds.
"Fifty Squats."
Zayd balanced himself. Each squat was agony, his legs burning as though fire coursed through them. The weights dragged him down and forced him to fight for balance.
"Forty-five," Jabal said, unmoved by his struggle.
"Five more. Keep going."
By the time he finished, his legs felt ready to give out. But Jabal wasn't done. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a series of swaying stone columns ahead of him.
"Jump, Don't fall." He kept ordering.
Zayd leaped to the first column, his feet sliding on the uneven surface. He wobbled for a few moments before stabilizing himself and jumping to the next.
The columns swayed with each landing, Jabal making them unstable with small movements of his hand.
"Keep moving!" Jabal shouted, sending a pebble whistling at his head. Zayd twisted mid-air to dodge it, landing awkwardly but managing to stay upright.
More rocks followed, forcing him to duck and spin between jumps. Each leap felt like gambling with his life, his tired reflexes the only thing keeping him from a painful fall.
He made it halfway when exhaustion took its toll. A misstep sent him plummeting to the ground with a crushing impact. A cloud of dust rose around him as he lay there groaning, most of his bones and muscles throbbing from pain.
"Ughh." He barely managed to moan, his voice cracking from pain.
Jabal towered over him "Your reflexes have improved. But your endurance is pathetic."
"We're done for today. Don't come late next time," He added, before turning and leaving to watch over the other kids.
Zayd remained sprawled on the ground, too drained to move. The jagged rocks digging into his back and the layer of dust coating him didn't matter. All he wanted was to melt into the earth and rest.
A shadow fell over him, smaller and brighter than Jabal's looming presence.
"Oh my! Did you roll down a cliff, or did a mountain throw you?" Nour's familiar teasing voice broke through his exhaustion.
He groaned, tilting his head toward her. "Something like that. His name's Jabal, you know?"
Her melodious laughter resounded.
"Ah, so it really was a mountain! No wonder you look like a ragged doll."
"enjoying my misery huh," Zayd muttered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Not enjoying—admiring," she replied with mock sincerity.
"I mean, the way you dodged and leaped up there... very acrobatic. You should consider joining a circus!"
He scoffed, the tiredness in his voice mixing with amusement.
"I guess that's the only job that would accept an elementless like me."
"You're capable of more than you think," she said, sitting down beside him.
"At least you didn't lock yourself in your room after yesterday. Most kids would've."
She reached into her bag, pulling out a small jar.
"Here, a healing salve. I got it from Nadia on the way."
Zayd took the jar, his lips twitching into a faint smirk.
"Well, at least someone has the decency to appreciate my efforts."
Nour raised an eyebrow, catching the implication.
"I thought you helped her because you're kind, not for a reward."
"I didn't expect one," he admitted, twisting the jar open.
"But It's nice to know that not everyone thinks I'm cursed."
Her smile turned into a frown.
"Stop calling yourself that. Keep saying it, and you might just invite a real curse upon yourself."
"Okay, okay." lifting his hands in mock surrender before taking off the weights.
"How is your training going?" he started applying the salve to his scratches.
"Wanna see?" her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Yeah, show me."
She flipped her hand and concentrated, then the runes on her wrist shimmered as a flicker of light appeared in her palm. It burned steady, casting long shadows behind him.
He felt a mix of envy and admiration.
"That's impressive. Most kids need at least a week and a mentor to manifest their first spell."
"Yeah, but I'll have to leave the village and join the Order of the Phoenix to grow stronger." Her smile faltered.
"Next month huh?"
"Yes," she admitted, her gaze dropping to the jar in his hand.
"Father's already preparing the paperwork." She paused, then added softly,
"I'll miss my family, the village... and you."
Zayd was touched but tried to sound indifferent.
"You'll fit in there. With your talent, your future will be bright."
"Maybe," her tone light but her expression thoughtful.
"But who's going to drag you out of the dirt when Jabal decides to turn you into a training dummy?"
"I'll manage." he said, avoiding her gaze.
"Promise me you'll try to make friends when I'm gone. Don't shut everyone out."
He nodded reluctantly.
"I'll try."
"That's all I'm asking." She stood up, brushed off her tunic, and held out a hand to help him up.
"Let's get you out of here before Jabal changes his mind."
Zayd took her hand and let her pull him up, wincing as his sore muscles protested.
"Yeah right."
As they walked back in the streets, Zayd couldn't shake the thought of her leaving. The idea of facing everything alone felt heavier than any training Jabal could throw at him. But for now, he let her voice, bright and steady, carry him through the moment.