The desert stretched endlessly…
But at the center of this sea of sand…
An anomaly existed.
An oasis.
An impossible place.
Greenery. Pure water. A waterfall crashing against rocks…
As if the world had forgotten this place.
At the heart of this hidden paradise…
A small stone house, smoke rising gently.
🌅 Awakening
Zadkiel suddenly opened his eyes.
His breathing was uneven.
His body still heavy.
Around him: simple walls, warm light, and the smell of burning wood.
Zadkiel:
"…Where… am I?"
Shin'en slowly sat up beside him.
His eyes scanned the room.
Shin'en:
"…This isn't Nerakh."
Silence.
Then—
A deep voice echoed from the shadows.
🧓 THE HERMIT
An old man sat near the fire.
Calm.
Still.
His staff planted into the ground.
As if he had always been there.
Hermit:
"You are in Zahrûn… the hidden city of the desert."
He slightly raised his eyes.
Hermit:
"A place even the hunters of Nerakh do not dare approach."
Zadkiel clenched his teeth.
Zadkiel:
"We need to go back. They'll hunt us."
The old man didn't move.
Hermit:
"If you return now… you will die."
Total silence.
Even the fire seemed to quiet down.
⚠️ THE TRUTH ABOUT THEIR BODIES
Shin'en frowned.
Shin'en:
"Why?"
The hermit slightly turned his head.
Hermit:
"When I found you… your bodies were already broken."
A pause.
Hermit:
"But that's not the worst part."
His gaze grew heavier.
Hermit:
"Your powers… are consuming you from the inside."
Zadkiel lowered his gaze.
Zadkiel:
"…Then why save us?"
The hermit gave a faint smile.
Hermit:
"Because you are still alive. And because… I know what you are."
The fire crackled.
🌌 THE IMPRINT
Hermit:
"Tell me… do you know what truly flows within your bodies?"
Silence.
Shin'en:
"…No."
Zadkiel:
"We use our powers… without understanding them."
The hermit nodded slowly.
Hermit:
"That is what you call… the Imprint."
He stood up.
And for the first time, his aura shifted.
🔥 ORIGIN OF THE IMPRINT
Hermit:
"The Imprint was born at the dawn of time."
"When the first humans began to sense the invisible flow of their existence… they tried to control it."
"Some succeeded. Others disappeared."
He walked around them.
Hermit:
"The Imprint allows one to surpass the limits of the human body."
"Strength. Speed. Perception. Transformation."
His gaze darkened.
Hermit:
"But it is not complete."
⚙️ THE 3 LEVELS
Hermit:
"There are three levels."
The fire flickered.
1 — ENHANCEMENT
Enhancement: increases physical strength and resistance.
Hermit:
"You strengthen your body to endure and strike beyond normal limits."
2 — TRANSFORMATION
Transformation: temporary alteration of the body through the Imprint.
Hermit:
"Your energy changes the nature of your body."
"Fire. Shadow. Ice. Wind… it depends on you."
3 — DISTORTION
Distortion: altering the limits of reality itself.
Silence fell.
Hermit:
"Very few survive this level."
"Some never returned… even after reaching it."
🌑 ORIGIN OF THEIR POWERS
The hermit turned to Zadkiel.
Hermit:
"The Aokugan… comes from an ancient clan."
"A clan that studied the Imprint beyond human limits."
His gaze deepened.
Hermit:
"You are the last heir."
Zadkiel froze.
Then looked at Shin'en.
Hermit:
"Kuroyami… has no known origin."
"Some say it comes from a lost civilization."
"Others… that it was born from pure will."
Shin'en clenched his fists.
Shadows trembled around him.
🧠 TRAINING BEGINS
Hermit:
"Now… if you want to survive… you must learn to feel the Imprint."
He pointed toward the desert.
Hermit:
"Go outside."
🌵 EXERCISE 1
The desert burned.
The sun crushed everything.
Hermit:
"Close your eyes."
"Feel… everything."
"The wind. The sand. The insects. The water."
Zadkiel and Shin'en closed their eyes.
🌌 AWAKENING
Zadkiel felt something.
Not an image.
Not a sound.
But a flow.
Everywhere.
Shin'en felt it too.
But unstable.
Too violent.
Suddenly—
Zadkiel felt an immense void.
Shin'en felt a dark heat.
And Kaion… silently observed.
His gaze hardened.
Kaion (thought):
"…These two are dangerous."
🌙 PARTIAL SUCCESS
Hours passed.
Then an entire night.
Until—
Zadkiel opened his eyes.
Zadkiel:
"…I can feel everything."
Shin'en:
"Me too… but it feels like it's burning me."
The hermit smiled slightly.
Hermit:
"You've passed the first step."
⚔️ TWO WEEKS OF HELL
Days passed.
They learned:
to feel flows
to dodge without seeing
to survive without thinking
But most importantly…
To fail.
Again.
And again.
And again.
🌊 WATERFALL — THE TEST
Hermit:
"Now… under the waterfall."
Shin'en:
"Seriously?!"
Zadkiel:
"…We don't have a choice."
Under the water.
The world became noise.
Pressure.
Chaos.
But within all that…
They learned to disappear mentally.
🧠 INNER MIND
Zadkiel found himself elsewhere.
A calm sea.
Shin'en…
An ocean of black flames.
And each saw… a version of themselves.
⚔️ INNER BATTLE
A voice:
"To move forward… face yourself."
Zadkiel faced his cold instinct.
Shin'en faced his pure rage.
When they returned…
Kaion was there.
Hermit:
"You succeeded."
🧨 END OF CHAPTER
Hermit:
"You have just entered the true world of the Imprint."
"But what you saw… was only your reflection."
A pause.
Hermit:
"The real enemy… has not appeared yet."
The wind blows.
The oasis suddenly feels… less peaceful.