The four of them—Henrry, Conrad, Mia, and Ronnie—followed George out of the hideout, their steps quick and quiet beneath the cover of dusk. The silence stretched for a while until Conrad finally spoke.
"Where are we going?"
George didn't turn as he answered. "Northeast. The edge of the Illusion Belt. There's a place I discovered long ago. That's where your real training begins. It's called *Bruiser Land*."
"Bruiser Land?" Henrry echoed, brows furrowed in confusion.
Mia nodded. "It used to be part of the Enclave War Zone. Back then, clans fought vicious wars to expand their territories. That land... it was soaked in blood and destruction, seeing the devastated war many clan leader joined a alliance to stop the war and that how belt system was born."
George added with a grim tone, "The Illusion Belt doesn't mark the end of Abron. Just because no belt lies beyond it doesn't mean the world stops there. After the Enclave Wars, the land beyond the belts was devastated—burned, shattered, cursed. But Abron continues. We call those broken regions the zones—Alpha Zone, Nemo Zone, Octane Zone, and XR-47 Zone. All of them were ruined during the wars."
Henrry frowned. "Then why go there?"
"Because no one dares to," George replied. "It's abandoned, forgotten... the perfect place to train in secrecy and also its within the border of illusion belt."
Henrry, still trying to make sense of it all, asked, "Does anyone live there?"
George's voice lowered slightly. "Yes. Mages, Semi-Mages, Alchemists, Barbarians, Beastkin... beings from many races. They rejected the Belt System. And so, they were exiled. Never allowed back in."
Mia looked at Henrry. "Many of them want to enter the belts now. But because their ancestors defied the system, they're barred. Life in the zones is miserable. Most barely survive. That's why they take the Regal Dignity Test—to prove themselves, hoping a clan will accept them, give them a new life inside the belts."
Ronnie glanced at George. "So... when do we face the Mirage Clan candidates?"
"In five months," George replied. "After that, ten candidates will be selected and split into two groups of five. You'll train under the Mirage Clan's sixth-ranking officer. And if you make it to the top ten..." He paused, locking eyes with them. "...I'll be one of them."
Henrry asked the obvious next question. "What if someone finds out we're not really from the Mirage Clan?"
"There's always a risk," George said, facing him seriously. "But as long as I stay within a Thousand meters of you, the Blood Rain Technique becomes stronger and conceals your presence. Once we reach Bruiser Land, you'll all have to undergo a Blood Bath Ritual. That will enhance the effect even more."
Conrad narrowed his eyes. "And our new identities?"
George smirked and pulled out four folded parchments from his cloak. "From now on, Mia and Ronnie will be seen as my bloodline successors. Conrad, you're their mentor. Henrry... you are Conrad's younger brother."
He handed them the papers. "These contain your past-life identities—who you were, what you did. Learn them well. From now on:
- Mia, you are Riva.
- Ronnie, you are Zaiden.
- Henrry, you are Ryan.
- Conrad, you are Master Leo"
Conrad looked at the papers in disbelief. "All of this... prepared so quickly?"
George shook his head. "It wasn't sudden. Ujraq anticipated this long ago ever since Mia and Ronnie left Abron."
Ronnie chuckled, nudging Mia. "Riva and Zaiden, huh?"
Mia elbowed him sharply.
Suddenly, George stopped walking. "We've arrived."
They looked ahead. The land was cracked and lifeless, the air dry and still. Not a blade of grass in sight. Just parched soil and dead trees with twisted branches reaching toward the sky like skeletal hands.
George stepped forward, knelt down, and pressed his hand to the ground. His voice rang through the silence:
"Griham Kastham!"
The earth trembled. Wooden pillars emerged from the fractured soil, twisting and locking into place. Within seconds, a large wooden structure—like a house formed from ancient magic—rose before them.
George turned toward them, his eyes glowing faintly in the twilight.
"Welcome to Bruiser Land—your training ground. Go inside. Rest well.