A week after Daniel entered the training room with Mr. Pendelton, the heavy steel doors finally opened.

  Daniel stepped out first, his shirt completely torn off and hanging loosely from his shoulder. Bruises covered his chest and arms, sweat still dripping from his hair as he stretched his sore muscles.

  Mr. Pendelton followed behind him calmly, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves as if the brutal training session had been nothing more than a casual afternoon exercise.

  Daniel wiped sweat from his face and exhaled heavily.

  Daniel: Whew… that was rough. Don’t ever want to do that again.

  Mr. Pendelton: Well, Mr. Fortuna, that is the result of training to surpass your previous self.

  Daniel chuckled tiredly.

  Daniel: I guess… but damn. You really let me have it.

  Across the room, Elric lounged against a table, casually drinking a soda while Walter sat nearby with a large bag of chips in his lap.

  Elric raised an eyebrow.

  Elric: Looks like the training went well.

  Walter shrugged, crunching loudly.

  Walter: Yup. Guess you're the last one left then.

  Daniel walked over and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging half of it in one go before speaking.

  Daniel: Let me tell you something, Elric. Teach will not let you off easy. Don’t expect him to baby you. He’ll really let you have it.

  Elric smirked faintly.

  Elric: Don’t worry, guys. Whatever he has in store for me… I can handle it.

  Mr. Pendelton adjusted his glasses and gestured toward the hallway.

  Mr. Pendelton: Oh? If that’s the case, Mr. Bonewell… then let us proceed to Training Room Three.

  Elric finished the last sip of his soda and casually tossed the empty can into a nearby bin before following him.

  The doors closed behind them.

  Daniel and Walter remained in the mansion’s main training hall, relaxing after the intense week.

  Walter leaned back in his chair.

  Walter: So… you finally found out how tough Mr. Pendelton really is, huh?

  Daniel laughed dryly.

  Daniel: Yup. Let me tell you, Walt-man… that dude is a monster. No matter how many times he knocks you down, he’ll make sure you stand back up. I don’t know how you survived against him for so long.

  Walter nodded knowingly.

  Walter: Yeah… that sounds like him. Mr. Pendelton’s definitely the tough-love type.

  Daniel glanced toward the closed training room doors.

  Daniel: I just hope Elric can handle it. That boy is the definition of a pampered prince. He’s had it easy his whole life.

  Meanwhile…

  Inside Training Room Three.

  The moment the doors sealed shut, the battle had already begun.

  A massive invisible force slammed into Elric’s chest like a freight train.

  BOOM.

  He crashed against the ground, sliding across the polished floor before barely managing to roll back onto his feet.

  Elric wiped blood from his lip.

  Mr. Pendelton stood calmly across the arena, hands folded behind his back.

  Beside him something massive moved.

  Something invisible.

  The air distorted around it as the enormous unseen giant shifted its weight.

  Elric gritted his teeth and thrust his arm forward.

  Bones erupted from his forearm, rapidly extending and twisting into a long serrated whip that cracked violently through the air toward Mr. Pendelton.

  But the invisible giant intercepted it.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  The whip wrapped around something massive—but Elric could only feel the resistance.

  Then the force yanked violently.

  The whip snapped apart.

  The giant rushed forward.

  Elric barely had time to react.

  Elric: This isn’t fair! I can’t even see what’s attacking me!

  Mr. Pendelton’s voice echoed calmly across the arena.

  Mr. Pendelton: Then learn to adapt. Pay attention to your surroundings. Notice even the smallest disturbances in the air, the floor, the sound of movement… and you’ll know when my giant is about to strike.

  Elric clenched his fists and stomped the ground.

  Bone structures erupted from his body, rapidly forming into a thick skeletal armor that covered his torso and shoulders.

  But before the armor could fully solidify—

  The invisible giant struck.

  CRACK.

  The punch shattered the half-formed armor like glass.

  The impact launched Elric across the arena floor, his body skidding violently before slamming into the far wall.

  Dust and debris scattered around him.

  Elric coughed violently, blood splattering across the floor.

  Elric: C’MON! That was so not fair!

  Mr. Pendelton walked slowly toward him.

  Mr. Pendelton: The world isn’t fair, son. This isn’t your family mansion where servants wait on you hand and foot. The enemies you’ll face on the Five Islands won’t go easy on you because your family has money.

  Elric wiped blood from his mouth and laughed weakly.

  Elric: Well… they should.

  Mr. Pendelton stopped.

  Mr. Pendelton: And why is that?

  Elric slowly pushed himself up.

  Elric: Because people like me have money. A lot of money. So much money that we can pay people to do whatever we want… whenever we want. If I wanted to buy someone’s house, I could. If I wanted someone’s car… I could buy that too.

  Mr. Pendelton studied him carefully.

  Mr. Pendelton: So you’re that type of person, huh? The type who believes money solves everything.

  Elric shook his head.

  Elric: Don’t be stupid. I know money can’t buy everything.

  He paused.

  Elric: But… it helps.

  Mr. Pendelton folded his arms.

  Mr. Pendelton: How so?

  Elric looked down at the floor.

  Elric: My family is the type that keeps to themselves. Not just from outsiders… but from each other too. My mother and father were in an arranged marriage. They didn’t love each other, but they were required to have at least three children to remain relevant in the family.

  Mr. Pendelton frowned.

  Mr. Pendelton: What do you mean… “remain relevant”?

  Elric let out a bitter laugh.

  Elric: Our family isn’t one you’re born into. Not exactly. To even be considered part of it, you need wealth, influence, and power. Even if you’re accepted… you’re not truly acknowledged until you marry another member and produce children of quality.

  Mr. Pendelton raised an eyebrow.

  Mr. Pendelton: Quality?

  Elric nodded slowly.

  Elric: About eighty years ago, the government began capturing True-Borns and forcing them into military service. The founder of my family—Thomas Bonewell—was one of the leaders of those operations.

  The moment that name left his mouth—

  Mr. Pendelton exploded forward.

  He grabbed Elric by the collar and lifted him off the ground, fury blazing in his eyes.

  Mr. Pendelton: You’re telling me that monster is one of your ancestors?!

  His grip tightened.

  Mr. Pendelton: That man was the reason I lost everything! The reason I was forced into a war I wanted no part of!

  Elric didn’t struggle.

  He simply looked at him calmly.

  Elric: I’m sorry for what he did.

  His voice was quiet.

  Elric: But there’s nothing I can do to return what he took from you. All I can do… is distance myself from him as much as possible.

  The anger in Mr. Pendelton’s eyes slowly faded.

  He released him.

  Mr. Pendelton: …I’m sorry.

  He stepped back.

  Mr. Pendelton: You’re just a kid. None of that was your fault.

  Elric brushed dust from his clothes.

  Elric: It’s alright. Your anger is understandable.

  He continued.

  Elric: It took fifteen years before True-Borns finally started fighting back. A rebellion formed… led by two young men. The conflict became so intense that the government eventually declared the raids too dangerous to continue.

  He paused, taking a slow breath.

  Then he looked Mr. Pendelton directly in the eyes.

  Elric: That’s when Thomas had an idea.

  His voice grew colder.

  Elric: He thought… why risk capturing these freaks… when we could just make our own?

  Mr. Pendelton’s expression darkened.

  Elric: He took one of the women he had imprisoned and forced himself on her. Nine months later she gave birth to a True-Born.

  Silence filled the room.

  Elric: Then he did it again. And again. With multiple women who had already been taken from their homes.

  Mr. Pendelton shook his head slowly.

  Mr. Pendelton: My lord… I knew that man was evil… but that…

  His fists tightened.

  Mr. Pendelton: That’s monstrous.

  Elric continued.

  Elric: As the family grew, many children were born with weak Aspects… or Aspects that were too powerful and considered unstable. So Thomas created strict guidelines to control bloodlines.

  Elric slowly sat down on the floor.

  Elric: Only approved pairings were allowed. Only approved children were acknowledged. If you met the requirements… you were officially inducted into the family and given wealth, status, and power.

  He stared at the ground.

  Elric: My parents had three children. My older sister… my twin brother… and me.

  He laughed quietly.

  Elric: We were separated and raised by different factions of the family. By then, my parents had already secured their position… so they had no use for us anymore.

  His voice grew hollow.

  Elric: I never had friends. I never felt love.

  He closed his eyes.

  Elric: My existence was hollow. Empty. Cold.

  Mr. Pendelton said nothing.

  Elric opened his eyes again.

  Elric: That changed last year.

  He looked up.

  Elric: I tried running away from my family and ended up lost in the alleys of Sundown City. That’s where I met a woman… who I later learned was Dean Frederick’s wife.

  A faint smile appeared.

  Elric: She took me home with her. When they discovered my Aspect… they enrolled me in the academy.

  He looked around the training room.

  Elric: And now… here we are.

  Mr. Pendelton spoke quietly.

  Mr. Pendelton: Mr. Bonewell.

  Elric straightened.

  Elric: Yes, sir.

  Mr. Pendelton: Do you hate your parents for what they did?

  Elric thought for a moment.

  Elric: Hate them?

  He shook his head.

  Elric: No.

  He looked toward the ceiling.

  Elric: In a world this dark… money and status give you protection. It might not buy happiness… but it can buy paradise.

  Mr. Pendelton studied him carefully.

  Then he nodded slowly.

  Mr. Pendelton: Elric, my boy… it seems I’ll need to take a very different approach when it comes to your training.

  Elric tilted his head.

  Elric: What exactly do you have in mind?

  Mr. Pendelton turned toward the center of the arena.

  Mr. Pendelton: You’ll see soon enough.

  He looked back at him.

  Mr. Pendelton: But you must promise me one thing.

  Elric stood up.

  Elric: What is it?

  Mr. Pendelton: Whatever happens next… you cannot disclose it to anyone.

  Elric nodded without hesitation.

  Elric: Yes, sir.

  Mr. Pendelton smiled slightly.

  Mr. Pendelton: Good.

  The invisible giant behind him shifted once more.

  The real training… was about to begin.

  End Chapter