"In the end you were always destined to walk alone...."
Those words hit Leo harder than any sword or training injury ever could, as he felt as if his very soul had been ripped out of his body.
He had always known, deep down, that in the long run his talent and his ability to transcend mortal limits were more of a curse than a blessing, as while his body would remain youthful and his strength unbroken for centuries to come, those he held closest would inevitably wither and fade, their lives slipping away one by one, until at the end of it all he would be left standing alone, carrying nothing but memories that time refused to spare him from.
"I don't want it.... I don't want immortality, I just want to be the strongest so that I can protect you all for however long you live,"
Leo muttered, as he snapped back to reality, and saw Veyr beside him cursing the First Elder for poisoning the very air the two of them breathed.
'Huh? Is the air around me really poisoned?'
Leo wondered, as once that thought entered his mind, his chest suddenly tightened, as he felt like he was inhaling liquid fire.
Gasping for air, Leo leaned across the table, as he felt his lungs protest against his thoughts.
On one hand, the rational side of his brain told him that this was all an illusion, that there was no poison in the air.
However, for some inexplicable reason, even though his mind knew that this was all a facade, his body did not comply, for his lungs refused to breathe the air around him as though he were submerged underwater.
It was in this state that the minutes dragged on, as Leo's struggle mirrored Veyr's descent, both of them trapped in cages forged not of iron but of their own distorted thoughts, while the potion seeped into every corner of their minds, making the ordinary unbearable and turning shadows into knives, footsteps into death itself, and even the still air into a noose tightening around their throats.
For the next half an hour they battled against themselves, Leo forcing each breath through lungs that insisted they were drowning, while Veyr thrashed and spat curses at phantoms that never came, their bodies shaking as sweat poured down their temples, and their voices cracking as fear pushed them toward the brink of madness.
Yet slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the fire began to ebb, the frenzy dulled into exhaustion, and the feverish rhythm of their hearts gave way to something steadier, until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the haze lifted, leaving behind two warriors slumped and panting, their eyes hollow yet clear, their sanity pieced back together though not without cost.
Their rational selves had returned, but it was not because they mastered the sixth sense, but because the effects of the potion naturally wore off, allowing them to return to sanity.
Their faces bore the look of men dragged through a nightmare, ragged and disoriented, as both of them silently realized that this was by far the most challenging training either of them had ever undergone.
"Good," the First Elder said, his voice carrying the calm satisfaction of a teacher whose lesson had struck exactly as deep as intended. "You did well for your first day, and I will permit you both to rest for the remainder of it, so that you can gather yourselves and regain your strength."
For a fleeting second Leo almost thought he heard mercy in the man's tone, yet the illusion of kindness vanished just as quickly when the Elder added,
"Tomorrow, we begin again and perhaps hold two sessions, and the day after that maybe we do three or four, as we continue with this pace of training until the [Sixth Sense] takes root inside you so deeply that no hallucination, no illusion, and no threat, whether real or imagined, can ever break your instinct again," the First Elder said, as his lips curved into a smile that only made the truth of their ordeal sink heavier into their hearts.
Leo glanced at Veyr, whose jaw clenched as though he wanted to spit a curse but lacked the strength, while Leo himself remained silent, both of them knowing that no protest would change what awaited them tomorrow, as the path forward had already been carved, and it was one they had no choice but to walk.
And so the day ended not with triumph or relief but with two Dragons left hollow and trembling, their minds scarred in ways that even war had never managed, as they were forced to wrestle with both their inner demons and their primal survival instincts at once, a battle that left no visible wounds yet cut far deeper than steel ever could.
"This is some grade A bullshit, Cuz, I feel like a junkie who just crawled out of the worst trip of his life. I saw some fucked up shit when that drug had its claws in me, and I swear I don't ever want to go through that again," Veyr confessed to Leo, his voice still shaky, as Leo turned his eyes away, unwilling to meet his cousin's gaze, for his own mind was already replaying the visions that had haunted him, each one too raw to speak aloud.
Deep down, Leo did not wish to confront those demons either, however, somehow, he knew he had to.
"No, Veyr, I think it's about time we faced our fears.
The universe isn't as rosy as our life has been lately.
Nor are wars as easy to win as we won Nemo and Koral.
I think it's about time we woke up to reality.
For if we do nothing about the visions we fear today.... Then someday they are bound to become a reality."
Leo advised with gritted teeth, as he resolved to never let those fears turn into reality.
(More chapters in Buyers Club for TMT)