Chapter 20: Trial of Three
The warehouse had become their training ground. Night after night, Adrian, Leah, and Elias pushed themselves until sweat soaked the floor and their bodies trembled. Adrian was learning control, Leah's strikes were sharp and relentless, and Elias's discipline kept them from collapsing under the weight of their own ambition.
But training was one thing. Survival was another.
It happened on a Thursday night. The city outside buzzed with neon and noise, but inside the warehouse, silence hung heavy. Adrian sat cross-legged, pendant warm against his chest, guiding Qi through his veins. Leah practiced footwork nearby, her aura faintly golden, while Elias watched from the shadows, arms crossed.
Then the pendant flared.
Adrian gasped, clutching it. The glow wasn't calm this time — it was urgent, frantic. Elias straightened immediately. "Hunters," he said.
The doors burst open. Three figures stepped inside, cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing faintly. Their presence was heavy, their aura sharp. Adrian's stomach dropped. He had fought one hunter before and barely survived. Now there were three.
Leah moved first, golden light flaring around her fists. She struck hard, forcing one hunter back. Adrian rose, Qi flooding his veins, pendant pulsing. He met the second head-on, fists glowing faintly emerald. Elias stepped forward, calm and precise, his strikes carrying the weight of years of discipline.
The warehouse erupted into chaos. Blows clashed, Qi hummed, the air thick with energy. Adrian staggered, ribs aching, but Leah was there, fierce and steady. Elias fought like a storm, each strike deliberate, each movement controlled.
But the hunters were strong. Too strong.
One slammed Adrian into the wall, pain exploding across his side. He coughed, blood filling his mouth, vision swimming. The pendant flared, guiding him, but his body screamed. He forced the Qi through his veins, steadying himself, channeling it into his fists.
He struck back, harder this time. The hunter stumbled, eyes wide. Adrian gasped, chest heaving, but he didn't fall.
Leah fought beside him, golden aura blazing. Her strikes were sharp, precise, fueled by something deeper than survival. Adrian glanced at her, seeing the determination in her eyes, the fire that refused to burn out.
Elias held the line, his presence steady, his strikes carrying weight. But even he faltered under the pressure of three hunters.
Adrian clenched his fists, whispering to himself. Control. Discipline. Survival. He forced the Qi through his body, guiding it carefully, balancing pain with patience. The pendant pulsed brighter, flooding the warehouse with emerald light.
Together, they struck. Adrian's emerald, Leah's gold, Elias's steady force. The clash shook the warehouse, the hunters staggering under the combined assault.
One snarled, retreating into the shadows. Another hissed, aura flickering. The third glared, voice sharp. "You're not ready. But you will be. And when you are, others will come."
Then they vanished, leaving silence heavy in the warehouse.
Adrian collapsed onto the floor, chest heaving, body trembling. Leah sat beside him, sweat dripping down her face, golden aura fading. Elias stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
"You survived," Elias said quietly. "Barely. But you survived."
Adrian wiped blood from his mouth, pendant glowing faintly against his chest. He looked at Leah, then at Elias. For the first time, he felt the weight of trust pressing down, heavy but steady.
They weren't just three individuals anymore. They were a team.
Adrian clenched his fists, whispering to himself. "We'll be ready. Next time, we'll be ready."
The pendant pulsed, steady and calm.
And Adrian Reyes knew the path ahead wasn't just about cultivation anymore. It was about unity. About trust. About surviving together.