Dhruv woke before sunrise.
Not because somebody called him.
Not because of noise.
Instinct.
Something felt different.
The mountain air was colder now.
Thin morning fog drifted through the paper windows while faint blue light spilled across the wooden floor of the guest room.
For a few seconds, he simply stared upward quietly.
The house was silent.
Too silent for Deep to be awake.
Dhruv sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.
Then paused.
A sound echoed faintly outside.
CLANG.
Metal.
Another one.
CLANG.
Not chaotic.
Rhythmic.
Training.
Dhruv quietly stood and slid the paper door aside.
Cold mountain wind touched his face immediately.
The village still slept beneath layers of pale fog while lanterns glowed faintly beside the stone paths.
The sound came from uphill.
Dhruv followed it.
Barefoot steps against cold wood.
Morning wind.
Distant bells swaying softly.
The higher training grounds rested above the village near the cliffside.
Open stone platforms.
Wooden dummies.
Weapon racks.
Old scars carved into the ground from years of combat.
And standing there beneath the pale morning sky… was Disar.
The old swordsman moved slowly across the training platform with a wooden sword resting in his hand.
Slowly.
Yet every movement felt impossibly sharp.
Controlled.
Like watching water cut through stone.
CLANG.
Another wooden blade struck against his.
Dhruv finally noticed the second person training with him.
Kael.
The Silver Wolves leader attacked again.
Fast.
His wooden sword sliced forward with precision toward Disar’s shoulder.
Disar stepped sideways casually.
One movement.
Tiny movement.
Kael completely missed.
Disar tapped Kael’s ribs lightly with the wooden sword.
A clean hit.
Kael exhaled sharply and reset his stance immediately.
Again.
CLANG.
Again.
Miss.
Again.
Miss.
Dhruv watched silently from the staircase.
Kael was strong.
Very strong.
Yet Disar moved around him effortlessly.
Not overpowering him.
Understanding him.
That looked more terrifying somehow.
Disar finally stopped moving.
“You’re rushing.”
Kael lowered his sword slightly.
“He hesitated yesterday.”
“Because he’s young.”
“He’ll die young if he keeps hesitating.”
Disar rested the wooden sword against one shoulder.
“And you’ll die early if you keep fighting angry.”
Kael went quiet.
Interesting.
Dhruv slowly stepped closer now.
The wooden floor creaked softly beneath him.
Kael glanced toward him briefly.
No hostility today.
Just caution.
“You’re awake.”
Dhruv scratched the back of his neck slightly.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Good.”
Disar tossed a wooden sword toward him without warning.
Dhruv barely caught it.
“Fight.”
Straight to the point.
Kael stepped aside calmly while Dhruv walked onto the training platform.
The wood beneath his feet felt cold.
The mountain wind stronger up here.
Disar stood opposite him holding the wooden sword loosely in one hand.
No stance.
No tension.
Which somehow felt more dangerous.
Dhruv adjusted his grip.
Then attacked first.
Fast step forward.
Horizontal strike.
Disar blocked effortlessly.
CLACK.
Dhruv immediately swung again toward Disar’s shoulder.
Blocked.
Third strike.
Blocked.
Fourth.
Disar stepped aside casually.
Dhruv lost balance slightly.
The wooden sword struck his forehead instantly.
THOK.
“OW.”
“Your feet are louder than your sword.”
Dhruv rubbed his forehead painfully.
Then attacked again.
This time faster.
More aggressive.
CLACK.
CLACK.
CLACK.
Every strike failed.
Disar moved minimally while redirecting each swing with almost lazy precision.
Dhruv tried disappearing.
Nothing happened.
He blinked.
Again.
Still nothing.
Disar watched calmly.
“You can’t focus because you’re frustrated.”
Dhruv cursed quietly under his breath.
Kael crossed his arms near the training platform.
“Your emotions control your Ember too much.”
Dhruv glared slightly.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
Dhruv attacked again immediately afterward.
Too quickly.
Disar stepped inside his range instantly.
Then lightly pushed two fingers against Dhruv’s chest.
Dhruv stumbled backward completely off balance.
“If somebody enters your range that easily…”
Disar pointed the wooden sword toward Dhruv’s throat.
“…you’re already dead.”
Silence.
The morning wind passed across the cliffside.
Far below, East Cloud’s forests slowly awakened beneath golden sunrise light.
Dhruv lowered his wooden sword slightly.
Sweat already formed near his neck.
And Disar barely looked warmed up.
Kael quietly spoke from nearby.
“He relies too much on instinct.”
Disar nodded once.
“Instinct creates talent.”
“Discipline creates monsters.”
Deep’s voice suddenly echoed from the staircase below.
“WHY IS TRAINING HAPPENING AT DAWN?!”
Everybody looked down.
Deep climbed uphill half asleep with his coat hanging off one shoulder while carrying three random tools for absolutely no reason.
Behind him came Deepika and Robin.
Deepika already looked awake.
Some things apparently never changed.
Deep reached the platform dramatically and pointed at Kael.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE?”
Kael looked unimpressed.
“I train here.”
“You attacked us yesterday.”
“And?”
Deep blinked slowly.
“…fair point.”
Deepika stepped beside Dhruv while observing the training ground carefully.
“You already started?”
Dhruv rubbed the sore spot on his forehead.
“He hits hard.”
Disar corrected him calmly.
“No.”
“You defend badly.”
Robin quietly watched the weapon racks nearby.
Different swords rested there:
– curved eastern blades
– twin daggers
– massive heavy swords
– thin dueling blades
Years of use marked all of them.
Disar noticed her attention immediately.
“You understand weapons?”
Robin shook her head slightly.
“I understand history.”
She stepped closer toward one sword hanging separately from the others.
Old.
Black sheath.
Silver markings near the handle.
“Why is this one isolated?”
Disar’s expression shifted slightly.
“That belonged to Harun.”
Dhruv froze.
Robin slowly looked back toward him.
Disar walked toward the sword rack quietly.
“For years he trained with that blade here.”
The old swordsman carefully removed the weapon from the rack.
Then handed it toward Dhruv.
The sword felt heavier than expected.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The black sheath carried scratches along the sides while faded red thread wrapped around the handle beneath the grip.
Grandpa’s sword.
Dhruv slowly unsheathed it halfway.
Silver steel reflected the morning light sharply.
Beautiful blade.
Worn.
Used.
Real.
Not ceremonial.
Disar watched him carefully.
“He named it Veyra.”
Dhruv looked toward the blade again.
“You kept it all these years?”
Disar nodded once.
“He said one day his future generation would come for it.”
Silence settled across the training grounds.
Even Deep stopped talking for once.
The mountain wind moved gently through the trees surrounding the cliffs.
Dhruv stared quietly at the sword in his hands.
Grandpa really planned this far ahead.
Or maybe… he simply believed.
Disar turned away afterward.
“Training starts properly tomorrow.”
Deep immediately looked offended.
“THIS wasn’t training?!”
“No.”
“This was disappointment.”
Robin quietly covered her mouth again to hide a smile.
Kael looked mildly entertained too.
Dhruv slowly attached Veyra to his side.
The weight felt unfamiliar.
But strangely right.
Like another step of the journey had finally begun.
Far below the mountains, messenger birds crossed the morning skies above East Cloud.
And somewhere beyond those endless forests… other hunters were already searching for the map.
Searching for them.
END OF CHAPTER 19