Chapter 2: Training Begins

I sat on the edge of my bed, clutching the worn academy book, my heart pounding. Eona’s words from last night echoed in my head: “Your training starts tomorrow.” Her cold stare... the way she hesitated when touching my daggers it was like she’d seen something dangerous.

I shook the thought away. Focus. This is your chance to become a Realm Walker.
The clock read 6:00 AM when a sharp knock jolted me from my thoughts.
I opened the door.

Eona stood there, arms crossed, her silver hair catching the soft light of dawn. Her eyes swept over me sharp, calculating. Behind her stood Ona, all warm smiles and cheer, her dark braid bouncing as she waved.

“What are you staring at?” Eona snapped, her voice like frost but then, her lips twitched into a smirk. “Excited to train with me, huh? Don’t get your hopes up, loser.”

I blinked, thrown off by her sudden shift. “Uh… I just want to learn how to use my daggers properly.”

Her smirk faded. She tilted her head, studying me like I was some curious mistake.

“Good,” she said. “Because I’m not training you.”

I blinked. “Wait, what? You said ”
“Plans change,” Eona cut in, voice cool but not cruel. “Ona’s better with daggers than you’ll ever be. Don’t waste her time.”

She turned, then paused just for a second. “And don’t screw this up. I’m watching.”

I swallowed, glancing at Ona, who grinned like we were about to play a game.

“Well, I just want the training,” I muttered, trying to sound confident despite the tight knot in my stomach.

“Perfect!” Ona clapped her hands. “Let’s get moving, newbie. You’ll love the training grounds chaotic in the best way.”

As we walked through the Academy halls, the morning buzzed with students practicing aura techniques. Energy shimmered in the air bursts of color, stray sparks, wild laughter.

“That guy there?” Ona said, pointing to a boy frantically patting out flames on his sleeve. “Tried a fire aura with no control. Lesson one: your aura is a song, not a scream. And your daggers? Wild. So we’ll start small.”

I nodded, only half-listening until I saw her.

My breath caught.
Across the courtyard moved a cloaked figure, gliding through the crowd like the world parted for her. Her blade shimmered faintly. I knew that stance. I 

knew that aura.

Zeo.The Realm Walker from four years ago.The one who’d faced the NeLa beast. Who whispered “Absolute Dominance” as she cleaved it in half.“It’s her…” I breathed, stepping forward.“Idiot.”

 Ona’s hand shot out, gripping my arm. Her playful tone vanished, replaced by a razor-sharp edge. “Don’t even think about it. That’s Zeo. Apex rank. One wrong look and she’d crush you without blinking.”

I froze.
Zeo’s gaze swept the courtyard and for a heartbeat, I swore it landed on me.
Just like four years ago.
Then she turned and vanished into the crowd.

Ona’s smile returned, but softer this time. “Come on, newbie. We’ve got work to do. Let’s get those daggers under control before you start dreaming of legends.”

As we walked to the training grounds, the memory of the NeLa rift clawed at my mind. That sickly glow… the way it pulsed like it wanted to devour the world.

If I’m going to face monsters like that, I need to be ready.

I gripped the thought of my daggers white and red glow, wild and untrained. Promising power I didn’t yet understand.
Later that evening, I sat on my bed again, the academy book open to the page about Realm Walker ranks: Novice, Core, Prime… Apex.

The highest.

The untouchable few who could silence a battlefield.My mind burned with the memory of Zeo. Her aura. Her presence. Her command.

A knock broke through my thoughts.

Eona again. Same silver hair, same narrowed eyes like she already expected me to fail. Ona stood behind her, grinning like we were about to swap secrets.

“What’s that look, loser?” Eona asked, though her voice carried the faintest softness. “Dreaming of being Prime already? Keep dreaming.”

I shrugged. “I just want to train my daggers. Doesn’t matter who teaches me.”

Her smirk returned. “Good. Because I’m not wasting my time on a Novice like you.”

She gestured to Ona. “She’s training you. Don’t embarrass her. Or I’ll make you regret it.”

There was no bite in her threat just something strange. Something… uncertain.

Ona winked. “Don’t worry, Eona. I’ll make him Core material in no time!”
Eona rolled her eyes and left, but not before glancing back. Her expression unreadable.

I turned to Ona. “So, you’re… Core rank?”

“Yep,” she said brightly. “Don’t let that fool you. I’ve trained with Primes. Your daggers? They’re tricky, but we’ll make them sing.”

The training grounds pulsed with energy. Students sparring, auras clashing like fireworks.

Ona pointed to a guy yelping as his aura fried his hair. “Novices always rush. But aura has rhythm. Find the melody, or it burns you.”Then I saw her again.
Zeo.

Moving through the crowd like gravity itself bent around her. Her cloak billowed, her presence silencing everything. Her aura didn’t just weigh on the space it commanded it.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” I whispered. “The one who ”“Idiot.” Ona’s grip was firm again. Voice low. Dead serious. “That’s Zeo. Apex rank. The top of the Realm Walkers. A predator among predators. Not even Primes challenge her. You’re a Novice. You’re not even worthy of her shadow yet.”

I stood frozen. My daggers pulsed in my chest, as if they recognized her. As if they remembered.

Zeo’s gaze swept past us and for a fraction of a second, it landed on me.
Then she disappeared.

Ona exhaled, the tension in her shoulders easing. “Focus, newbie. You want to protect the realms? Start by learning to survive. Come on.”

As we walked, I clung to the memory of her: Zeo. Apex. Untouchable.
The NeLa rift.

The promise of the power in my hands still locked away.

We stopped at a quiet corner of the training grounds. Ona hummed, braid swaying as she sat on a bench and patted the spot next to her.

“Alright, curious boy,” she said. “You wanna know what an Apex really is? Buckle up.”

I sat, heart racing.
“Realm Walker ranks are like a ladder to the stars,” Ona began, grinning. “At the bottom: Novice. That’s you. All shaky aura, clumsy swings, and way too many questions.”

I chuckled. “Fair.”

“Next is Core. That’s me. We’ve got control, weapon mastery, and get sent on real missions small rifts, rogue beasts, that kind of thing. Most instructors here? Core.”

I nodded. “And above that?”

“Prime,” she said, and for once, her voice lost its playful edge. “They’re elite. Leaders. They handle the big stuff major rifts, advanced aura combat, stuff that could wipe a town if mishandled. Eona? She’s either on the cusp or already there. But she won’t tell anyone.”

“And Apex?” I asked, though I already knew the answer in my gut.

Ona’s expression changed no grin now, only reverence. “Apex is beyond the ladder. They are the ladder. They don’t follow orders. They are the order. Their aura alone can shut down a battlefield. Zeo?” She glanced toward the direction Zeo had vanished. 

“She’s the kind of Apex who could step into NeLa itself and silence it. That ‘Absolute Dominance’ move of hers? It’s not just a technique. It’s her nature.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
My daggers’ aura stirred again. White and red… pulsing.
Waiting.