In the early morning, as the light slowly crept through the dark hills, Marcus stood waiting with Shilad. The teacher was in an unusual stance, his eyes closed, and he wore a confident smile that seemed almost like a natural part of his features.
"Maiko, I want you to improve your vision. Look here... don't look away." Shilad's voice was very calm, but it carried an air of absolute confidence.
Marcus hesitated, "But how?"
Shilad laughed casually, then opened his eyes in an instant, and it felt like a storm in its stillness, as if the sky itself had flipped upside down.
"I know this is difficult for you. But as you can see, nothing in this world seems impossible to me," he said with a wide smile, the kind of smile that a seasoned warrior with great understanding of his place in the world might wear.
Shilad took a step back, then threw a ball of light into the air, where it danced and swirled in an odd, mesmerizing pattern, as if testing Marcus's ability to respond.
"The exercise is simple. Sense it, and understand how to organize your energy around this ball. Make it stop in mid-air."
Marcus felt an unnatural pressure. Every time he tried to move his energy, the ball accelerated away from him. He felt frustrated for a moment.
Shilad turned his head toward him, his eyes glinting with ancient wisdom: "Now, let me tell you something... you don't need to think too long. Power is not just a physical ability; it's an ability to understand. If you don't understand something, you don't have control over it. Look at it with your eyes, but live the moment as if you've lived it for eternity."
Shilad was pacing back and forth, seemingly uninterested in what was happening, but there was something strange in the way he spoke. His words seemed to awaken something deep within Marcus, something beyond simple understanding.
Then, he suddenly stopped and said, "But you also know something, Marcus... in the end, we only have our moments. This moment is your chance to prove that you're here, and that you're not just another one of them."
Marcus looked at him, and suddenly, he saw the intensity in his eyes that he hadn't noticed before. It was as if Shilad was pushing him toward the peak with an invisible force.
"If you want to continue, you have to understand one thing: the world is unforgiving, and no one is waiting for you," Shilad said, his smile wavering between sarcasm and affection.
Then Shilad added in a voice as calm as the wind, "You're here for one reason only: because you're capable of being more than this. Now, sense your power and start organizing it, or I'll make you navigate between the stars."
He laughed lightly, "But I also don't enjoy seeing weakness. It's not fun."
At that moment, Marcus felt something strange moving in his heart, something that wasn't fear, but something stronger… something that resembled the drive that had pushed him to learn this system.
"Alright, I'll do it. I'll understand," Marcus said with newfound confidence.
Shilad smiled and said firmly, "Now you understand. But make this your first real test. So, let's begin the training."