The next morning arrived quietly.
The cottage was warm, filled with the soft crackle of the fireplace and the faint glow of the lanterns that dimmed on their own as the sun rose outside. Rafe was the first to wake. He sat up slowly, muscles sore from the escape, but a focused clarity settled in his mind. The bonus willpower from the system had sharpened something inside him.
Mara slept on the floor beside him, curled protectively near Lyn, who rested under a thin blanket. Selene sat by the doorway, awake, staff across her knees. She didn't look like she had slept at all.
"You wake early," she said quietly.
Rafe nodded. "Habit."
"Good. You'll need discipline for what comes next."
Mara stirred awake at Selene's voice, immediately scanning the room with protective instinct. When she saw Rafe was fine, she relaxed slightly—only slightly.
"Is it morning already?" she asked.
"Training starts today," Selene replied.
Mara made a face. "Can we at least eat first?"
"Yes," Selene said. "You'll need the energy."
She rose and tapped her staff lightly against the floor. A soft pulse of mana drifted outward, and the cupboards creaked open. Inside, fruits and bread appeared as if placed there by invisible hands.
Rafe blinked. "Mana storage?"
"Spatial imprint. The house refills basic provisions on its own every few days."
Mara widened her eyes. "This place is cheating."
Selene smirked. "Consider it a privilege."
They ate quietly. Lyn woke mid-meal, still tired, but her eyes calmer, her skin no longer feverish. The breathing exercise seemed to be working.
After they finished, Selene motioned them toward the training circle.
"Rafe, you first."
Mara shot to her feet instantly. "Why him first?"
"Because he's the least stable," Selene said simply.
Mara looked offended. "He's more stable than half the adults I know."
Rafe sighed. "Mara… it's fine."
She crossed her arms but stepped aside.
Rafe walked into the center of the rune circle. The air felt different—charged, humming with potential. Selene circled him slowly, assessing him the same way she assessed threats.
"Your body is weak," she said. "Your instincts are strong. Your mind is sharper than it should be. But strength, instinct, and intelligence mean nothing without foundation."
She stopped in front of him.
"Show me how you breathe."
Rafe obeyed immediately, inhaling from the lower lungs, expanding his diaphragm just as Mara taught him days earlier.
Selene raised her eyebrows.
"Who taught you that?"
"Mara."
Mara blinked. "I—I don't even know how I knew it."
Selene hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting."
She stepped closer to Mara.
"You have natural combat intuition. Very rare. We'll test you after."
Mara straightened her spine proudly.
Rafe coughed. "Focus?"
Selene smirked faintly and returned to him.
"Try to draw mana in."
Rafe froze. "I'm not awakened."
"You don't need to be. Mana is everywhere. Draw in a thread. Just a breath of it."
Rafe closed his eyes and reached inward the way he remembered seeing mages do in his past life—the way Lyn had done instinctively.
At first, nothing.
Then—A faint pressure.A sensation like cold air brushing the inside of his chest.
Rafe opened his eyes.
Selene stared at him as if he were a puzzle she was finally starting to understand.
"…Impossible," she whispered again.
Mara grew tense. "Stop saying that."
Selene ignored her.
"He isn't awakened, yet he can feel mana. And not just one type."
Rafe swallowed. "What do you mean?"
"You sensed the ambient mana as neutral," Selene said slowly. "But I felt your pathways react to more than one element."
Rafe narrowed his eyes. "Which ones?"
"Light…" Selene began.
Lyn gasped faintly.
"…and shadow."
The room fell silent.
Mara grabbed Rafe's arm.
"Shadow? That's dangerous, isn't it?"
"Only if misused," Selene said. "But the contrast between light and shadow is… unnatural. Not even hybrid mages have that combination."
Rafe felt a cold sweat run down his spine.
"What does that mean for me?"
Selene took a breath.
"It means your awakening will be violent. And powerful. It means you will be hunted. And it means…"Her voice softened.
"…your path is going to be far harder than Lyn's or Mara's."
Mara looked at him, fear and determination flickering in her eyes.
"Then I'll be strong enough to protect him."
Selene gave her a long look.
"You may need to be."
Lyn stepped forward timidly, still wrapped in her blanket.
"I want to help too…"
Selene smiled gently at her. "And you will. When your mana stabilizes."
Rafe exhaled, steadying himself.
"So… what's my first lesson?"
Selene tapped her staff lightly against the floor.
"Balance."
Rafe blinked. "Balance?"
"Your instincts are ahead of your body. Your mind is ahead of your age. You'll destroy yourself if you awaken too early. So we build your foundation."
She pointed at the runes.
"This circle will test your reaction, perception, and endurance. Your job is simple: survive inside it for as long as possible."
Rafe's voice went flat.
"…Survive?"
The runes lit up.
A pulse shot upward.
And the room shifted.
Rafe stumbled—
The ground tilted.The air thickened.His vision blurred for a heartbeat.
Mara gasped. "Rafe!"
Selene placed a hand in front of her.
"Do not interfere."
Rafe gritted his teeth, stabilizing his stance.
"What is this?"
"A controlled distortion," Selene said. "Your instincts must adapt. Your body must follow."
The room kept shifting—tilting slightly, reshaping perspective, bending balance.
Rafe fought to stay upright.
Mara whispered, "This is torture…"
Selene smirked. "This is training."
Rafe's breath became ragged, but he held his footing. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His muscles burned. His legs shook.
But he refused to fall.
Selene watched closely.
"Good," she said. "Very good. You endure well."
Rafe ground his teeth. "I… can do more…"
"Not today," Selene said.
The distortion vanished.
Rafe collapsed to one knee, panting.
Mara ran to him instantly.
"Rafe—don't overdo it!"
He gave a faint smile. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine," she scolded. "You look like you wrestled a bear."
"Maybe a small one."
Mara glared. "Not funny."
Lyn approached too, shy but worried.
"You… did amazing," she whispered.
Rafe's chest warmed slightly.
Selene tapped her staff.
"Mara. Your turn."
Mara stiffened. "W-What?!"
"You showed combat intuition earlier. Now we test it."
Rafe squeezed her hand.
"You've got this."
Mara swallowed hard, cheeks warm.
"O-Okay… but if I fall on my face, I'm blaming you."
Selene stepped back.
The circle lit once more.
And Mara stepped inside.