Damon walked the castle's corridors, his arms rolling, joints bending, trying to ease the ache from the canyon's punishment. Each step carried the sting of shockwaves, his bones still humming from the strain of failing Resonant Stride.
He turned a corner and saw Queen Thessa with Hazel at her side. Hazel's voice carried, playful and earnest, telling the Queen how a girl Damon seemed to care for chased her with a book, and how strange it was that people from Earth always seemed to chase her. The Queen's laugh was subtle, warm, until her eyes found Damon.
Hazel smiled nervously. "I was just telling the Queen about how wonderful the people of Earth are."
Damon smirked, his voice dry but playful. "Yeah, sure."
Queen Thessa's gaze softened. "How was your first day of training?"
Damon rubbed his shoulder, still sore. "The first part was good. The second part almost killed me. I'm still surprised I'm walking in one piece after all this."
Her calm, happy tone never wavered. "I'm glad you're not complaining. You will face worse."
Damon nodded. "I know. Nyra told me I'll have to go to school now."
The Queen's smile deepened. "Yes. People from other kingdoms will be there too. You should be ready to explore."
He scoffed, looking away. Silence stretched between them as they stood at the balcony, gazing at the vastness of Woewyn. The Queen's voice dropped, reverent. "I've lived here all my life, yet not a day passes that I don't feel Woewyn is alive."
Damon turned to her, catching the way her eyes lowered. "Did your father… speak of me?"
He hesitated, then said quietly, "He did. Mother, he was broken. Not only did he sound used and thrown away— he looked like it. Felt like it."
Her face saddened, shadows crossing her calm. "I hate myself for that. I know it's much to ask, but… did you tell him that I do love him?"
Damon's voice steadied. "Dad knew. Well, he kinda did. He knew something was off. He said the way you walked had this elegance that didn't fit with the people around. He knew you loved him because you stayed when you didn't need to. But yeah, I told him anyway. Honestly… I think he'd love to see you again."
Her smile trembled, sadness lingering in her eyes. "I will… soon."
Damon chuckled faintly. "Solaren says you're the only one in Woewyn at the Sovereign stage. When he told me, I wondered how many ways you could've dealt with me when I misbehaved on Earth."
The Queen turned, both hands cupping his cheek. "I am weak, Damon. Weaker than Woewyn needs. I don't take pride in the fact that my son was chosen to fight battles he shouldn't." Her voice broke. "I'm sorry."
Damon's reply was firm, unwavering. "You'll always be strong to me. Regardless of circumstance."
Her face lit saying 'the words every mother longs to hear'. She hugged him, kissed his forehead, and whispered, "Rest. We have plans tomorrow, if the Eternal One wills it."
Later, Damon stood before the painting of his father and a dog, staring at it before retreating to his room. He stripped off the bangles and shoes, collapsing onto his bed. His thoughts whispered: "So this life now…"
He hit his chest lightly. Daichi barked, shifting into his dog form. "I can assure you this is not a dream."
Damon smirked. "Daichi, what did you expect? A world where my dog talks, my mom's alive and she's the strongest, I can fight demons, and I'm running on a magical canyon?"
Daichi's ears flicked. "That is a lot to take. But think about it — if you can carry all of that, and you've succeeded so far… maybe, this is yours."
Damon paused, staring at him. "You're right. If only you could talk like this all the time."
Daichi barked. "I can only tell you the truth, Damon. And one truth is… Natsuki's been listening since you stepped in."
"Huh?" Damon blinked.
Natsuki's voice rang out. "Daichi, c'mon!"
Damon sat up. "You've been listening this whole time?"
She laughed softly. "Well, hearing you two talk is compelling."
Damon smiled faintly. "Perhaps that's true."
Daichi rolled onto his back near the window. Natsuki's voice floated from above. "I didn't get the canyon part though."
Damon lay back, staring upward. "Funny. You can see me, but I can't see you."
"Well, yes," she teased, "but that doesn't explain the canyon."
Damon exhaled. "It's something called Resonant Stride. I have to run the canyon with a heartbeat rhythm while carrying this heavy diamond. I have to reach the end in sync."
Natsuki giggled, her laugh making him smile. "You're living Daiki's dream."
She added, "I've been working on my hand‑to‑hand coordination. It's like your stride thing."
"I'm listening," Damon said.
"Well, you have to coordinate your hand with the ball. Instinct predicts where it'll bounce. Sometimes it doesn't bounce where you want, so you've gotta be quick. Same with your canyon — don't just go fast, follow its rhythm. The heartbeat you described."
Damon's thoughts whispered: I could kiss her now.
Daichi's ears shot up, catching the thought. Natsuki asks if everything is okay "Damon was just thinking you're extremely smart."
Natsuki smiled. "I doubt it, but okay."
Damon chuckled. "You might just have made me clear this one." He stood, ready to leave.
"Where are you going?" Natsuki asked.
"To try what you said."
"Even I can see Woewyns skies are late," she warned. "Can't you do it tomorrow?"
"But I don't feel sleepy."
Her voice sharpened. "Sit your ass down."
He obeyed. She softened. "You should rest. We all know your relentless attitude. But an idiot once told me sometimes you need to calm down and try again later."
Damon was that idiot.
Damon smirked. "I wouldn't call him an idiot, y'know."
She laughed, but her mother's footsteps interrupted. "Bye, Damon. I've gotta go." She tossed the shard under her bed. Damon sighed. "Of course. Someone had to interrupt." He turned off the lamp.
Hours later, Woewyn's sun rose, spilling fire across the horizon. Damon stood at the balcony, breath caught. "Beautiful… like her eyes."
He stretched, picked up the shard, and ran to the canyon as a warm up. It no longer felt heavy. "Natsuki… I'm taking your advice now." He leapt into the canyon, Eterna lines pulsing beneath him. His stride fell into rhythm, closer, sharper. His vow echoed in his chest:
Damon whispered, "I can't give up. I won't"
Clutching the shard as he leapt from the canyon's edge. The Eterna lines pulsed beneath him, veins of light threading through stone. His stride fell into rhythm — not perfect, but closer, like a drummer chasing the beat.
The canyon stretched before him, a scar carved into the earth, its walls humming with resonance. His eyes burned, sweat streaked down his face, each step heavier than the last. He pushed farther than ever before, the canyon's breath pressing against him, the resonance almost aligning.
Then the punishment came. A shockwave ripped through the air, slamming into his chest. Damon flew back, his body crashing against the wall. The diamond crystal spun from his grip — he twisted, catching it before it shattered, clutching it tight as he slid down the stone.
Groaning, dust clinging to his skin, he forced himself upright. His voice was low, steady despite the pain: "Well… Natsuki's method seems to be working. But I still need to be faster."
He ran again. And again. And again. Each attempt ended the same — shockwave, collapse, crystal nearly lost. His body screamed, but his will refused to break. He lifted his gaze to the sun, its light cutting across the canyon floor. Only a couple of hours had passed. His fists clenched. "I need to finish this today."
Time blurred. The canyon swallowed his rhythm, his failures, his persistence. Hours bled into each other, his figure a lone shadow against endless stone.
At the castle, Solaren strode down the corridor, voice echoing with exaggerated cheer. He pounded on Damon's door. "Prince Damon!!! Time to traiinnnn!!"
Silence answered. Damon was still in the canyon, chasing resonance, chasing speed, chasing the strength he needed not to lose.
Daichi stirred from sleep, grumbling. "This is the only reason I miss Earth." He shifted into wolf form, padding to the door with narrowed eyes. "Why can't you just let me sleep?"
Solaren flinched at the sight. "W‑where's Damon?"
Daichi yawned. "He's gone back to the canyon. If I had to guess… it's over nine hours now."
Solaren's mind raced. 'Nine hours since morning… nine hours of falling and standing? What kind of creature pushes like that?' He straightened, urgency replacing cheer. "We have to go."
Daichi reluctantly followed. Their steps echoed until they met Queen Thessa. Her calm presence slowed them, but her eyes sharpened. "Have you seen Damon?"
Solaren bowed low. "Your Majesty… he's at the canyon. I was tutoring him in Resonant Stride, but he left too early, without my supervision."
Her gaze darkened. "He could… unlock it." She turned, voice commanding yet laced with maternal fear. "Go. Quickly. Ensure he does not unlock it before he is ready."
Daichi reached out telepathically. "Damon, what are you doing?"
"Aghhh!" Damon slammed into the wall, spitting blood. "I'm feeling good, Daichi. Never better." He staggered up, staring at the shard now cracked.
Daichi's voice pressed. "You look like you've got broken bones."
"Feels like it," Damon admitted, forcing his stride back into rhythm.
Daichi growled. "Why are you even going this far? You just started training."
Damon's tone rose, his body crashing into the same wall again, carving a dent from repeated falls. "Because… because I have to get stronger. Gamishi has caused enough pain, and that responsibility rests on me! I need to get stronger as soon as possible — to end this as soon as possible!"
His body screamed, forcing him to rest briefly. Daichi urged, "Stay down for now."
At the cliff, Solaren shouted, "Damon!" He threw a minimized hologram forward. Damon's earlier score — at -1% — had risen to 87%. Solaren's eyes widened. "Just how long has he been doing this? His growth… it's too fast."
Damon rose slowly, voice cutting through the canyon: "The canyon can throw me back a thousand times, but I'll rise a thousand and one." He coughed blood "I don't care how many times I fall — I'll keep running until I'm stronger."
His stride steadied, syncing closer to the Eterna pulse. "Each step I take, each time I fail, I'm one step closer to ending Gamishi for good. So no — not until I've beaten him. Not until I've made him better."
He stormed forward, speed surging, rhythm finally aligned, he used eterna to make himself faster. Solaren stared in awe. He had never seen anyone master Resonant Stride in such time — never seen anyone work as hard as Damon.
Damon faltered, rhythm slipping. "No." He forced himself back into sync, stride correcting, concentration absolute. His score climbed higher on Solaren's 4D chart.
Closer. Closer. The canyon's end loomed. His legs staggered, refusing to stop. And then —
The cave at the canyon's end opened, its seal lifting from the ground like a living breath. Damon stumbled inside, the shard clutched tight.
Solaren's eyes widened with fear. "No…