“And what do you think you’re doing?”

Turning to face the knight who had been keeping an eye on him, he saw the displeasure written on her face. Eyebrows slanted downwards as she saw the weapon in his hand. If the weapon was any smaller, he might have tried to hide it, but that wouldn’t work with a great sword. Looking at her, he decided that lying would get him nowhere.

“I was going to look at the shields.”

He tried his best to sound confident, but he couldn’t honestly say that he was sure of his decision. That realization brought him no shame, and he was surprised to feel a lack of embarrassment. For so long he felt horrible whenever he had to admit any weakness, but now that he was healed, it was like that had vanished. If he had a weakness, he could finally work to fix it, it was in his power to change himself.

“So, your grand plan is to wield a great sword, and what? A great shield. From what little knowledge I have, I know you’re one of those with the best durability. So, tell me, what do you gain from using a shield?”

The knight spoke, though she didn’t sound as angry as before. It felt much more like a reprimand, and a lot less like blind anger. His eyes went wide for a second, as her words processed more than her tone.

He had been so focused on what he thought was normal, but he wasn’t normal. Thinking about it he never was, even before taking the elixir. His eyes slowly fell to his hands, and he saw how his right arm was only a hand’s length longer than his left. How long had he wished to be normal? What if the solution had always been to try something else?

Not wanting to go down that line of thinking, he focused instead on what she had asked and thought about why he wanted a shield. Originally, he had wanted the shield to protect him, but he wasn’t afraid of pain. Plus, she was right, his body was basically a shield already, right? With that in mind, he decided to change his answer. Not to explain his decision, but to show that he had made a different one.

“I don’t think a shield is a very good idea anymore, but I still think the sword is a good choice. Can I just get a gauntlet or something, maybe for both arms?”

The knight nodded. It was a small gesture that Cedric had almost missed.

“I’m glad you realize the futility of the shield, as for armor, we will be getting you all equipped as we see fit, but can you tell me why you think you need even that.”

Cedric was glad to receive the question. He had somewhat expected this, and his voice slowly got louder as replied.

“My bones are the strongest part, so I want something for my skin so that I can block blades and stuff with my hands. And it’s better than a shield because I still have full function of my arms. Plus, with my strength, they will only feel like I’m wearing gloves. Honestly wouldn’t it be a good idea for a breastplate too? Though, I don’t want to cover my legs.”

Seeing the knight had caused him to speak with more fervor. Only his last sentence had caused her to raise an eyebrow, but she didn’t prod him for details. For a second, she just looked at him. Seeming to change her opinion of him, she spoke again sounding much more informative than angry.

“This is about what we expected from you all, so our armor is designed for such. Unlike the full plate we knights wear, you will be given plated hide armor, which will be much more suited to your group's size and function.”

That seemed to be the end of the discussion and she gave him one final instruction before leaving.

“Your weapon choice is acceptable. You may take any empty room for the night. Be out here by the time the sun rises, training will begin early in the morning.”

Her voice sounded perfectly in order now. It was so calm, that he wondered if the anger was just a charade. An act to make the newcomers tense. It worked on Cedric, and he gave a hasty salute, before running towards the rooms. It was the same one he had given to the general. Even with how fast he had run away, he managed to catch a glimpse of her wince. He didn’t give it much thought though as he left the now dark training grounds.

He had barely even noticed when the sun had gone down. Thinking about it, he hadn’t seen anyone else outside when he left. Leaving those thoughts behind him, he looked at the rooms before him. There were hundreds of hallways carved into the mountain, and a glance down any of them showed him many more rooms. The walls seemed like they were perfectly cut out of the mountain, and they looked like they were all a singular piece of smooth grey stone. It almost looked like the mountain was made like this, and he wondered idly if the royal family had made it. He dismissed that thought. Why would they go so far for someone like him?

With his own thoughts weighing him down, he realized that he wasn’t entirely sure where to go and slowed down significantly. As he approached a nearby hallway, he realized he could hear some voices echoing through them. He listened, carefully avoiding any hallways he heard noises from. Most hallways sounded like they had some noise, but eventually, he found a quiet one. He entered and took the first room on the right.

There was a stone door, one that would’ve been impossible for him to open yesterday. This, more than anything else showed him how much had changed. It wasn’t the room cut into a hollow mountain, it wasn’t the incredibly large sword in his hand, it was the simple act of opening a door without any struggle.

The moment passed as he looked at the room. It was plain, and beyond that it was small. There was a bed cut into the opposite wall from the door, but it didn’t look very comfortable. Thankfully there were blankets at least, and he decided to pilfer some extra from the other rooms. Once he collected almost ten blankets, he was able to make a pseudo-bedroll. He was smart about it though and grabbed most of the blankets from rooms at the end of the hallway.

There was nothing else in the room other than a wooden chest that doubled as a table. There weren’t any chairs either. He realized that he didn’t even know where the bathrooms were but had seen something like one while searching for blankets. About halfway down the hall, he had found an exit to a running stream. He assumed that was for bathing but couldn’t be certain about it.

These rooms made the building feel much less majestic now. He idly wondered how the others were doing, but that made him realize the purpose of the rooms. This very building was designed for their training, so even the rooms and lifestyle were meant to be harsh. Obviously, they would need strict training to become powerful fighters. Feeling rather confident in his reasoning, he headed to bed. He was supposed to wake up before the sun was out, and he had no idea how much time he had left.

It had been surprisingly easy to wake up on time. He had always been a light sleeper, and the sounds of people moving in the hallways was enough to wake him up. As he left his room, he was surprised at how comfortable he had been last night. His body didn’t feel sore in the slightest, despite having slept on a literal stone. The first thing he noticed upon exiting his room was the smell. The hallways were surprisingly effective at containing smells, and he followed his nose to find some food. A door he hadn’t noticed last night had been opened, and within he saw rows of long tables and benches laid out. In the distance, he saw some people preparing meals.

He ate quickly, it was a stew of some kind. There was a significant amount of spice in the dish, but he enjoyed it as they had poured it over rice. The meal had filled and woken him up. With the energy and warmth of the food surging in his belly, he headed towards the training grounds.

He was surprised to notice that he wasn’t the first one out. The sun was still down, and he could only barely make out who was outside. It was the man who had matched rocks with the arrogant guy. He was holding an ax and seemed to be swinging it wildly. A knight was nearby, and he understood that the man was receiving some instruction.

Cedric guessed he was supposed to find the person from last night and sought out the female knight. She wasn’t there, but he wasn’t kept waiting for long either. An old man was clearly walking towards Cedric with a purpose, and he guessed that the man would tell him what to do. He had white hair and was balding slightly. Or maybe it was due to the scar that ran from the top of his skull and down the front of his head. It snaked around his left eye and ended beneath his ear.

“You there boy, I am to be your instructor. Let us go to the doctors, you must get your next infusion before we start your training.”

Cedric eagerly followed in the direction the man had pointed towards, his voice sounded like what Cedric had imagined. It thrummed with an air of command and was deep enough that it made him a little jealous. However, the man didn’t have to say much, as Cedric was running as fast as he could to get to the doctors.

One drop of the holy elixir had given him so many benefits, and he could only imagine what more would do. He stopped in front of the doctors and scanned them briefly for the one he had seen before. She wasn’t there, but it didn’t really matter as another doctor told him to take a seat. A second later the doctor returned with another one of the injectors. Cedric didn’t really understand the name but guessed that it fit the object. He didn’t really pay much attention to the doctor in question, as he slowly pierced his skin. Well, it wasn’t slow as the man couldn’t get it past his skin. Cedric ended up doing it himself, and the doctor looked grateful when he managed to get the needle past his skin.

He felt the fire churning within his body, reforging him like a piece of metal. There was no pain, only a distinctive feeling of power.

“You are well suited for the elixir. Do you not feel any pain, or are you one of those people that enjoy it?”

Having not noticed the old man’s approach, Cedric turned his head when he heard the voice. Cedric felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise when he heard the mention of pain.

“No, I’m not one of those. It really doesn’t cause me any pain; I only feel the power. In fact, I wish I could get more.”

The old man nodded once, before whispering something to the doctor. The doctor said something in return but left shortly after. Only once the doctor was out of earshot did the old man give Cedric an explanation.

“I have arranged for you to receive another drop of the elixir. However, even I can’t get you more than that in a day.”

"Thank you, sir. I am truly grateful.”

Cedric spoke with as much gratitude as he could, even going so far as to give him a salute. Even though he didn’t look like a knight, Cedric decided the man deserved his respect. Shortly, he received another injector, which he promptly applied on himself. The doctor didn’t have the strength to get it past his skin now. It was a little harder now too, and he was happy to notice it.

The second drop entered his body, and the small fire that had been present before turned into a raging inferno. The fire that had trickled to the rest of his body, pushed through it like a river now. If he had been reborn before, he was being remade now. Becoming a more perfect person and gaining the power only a God could grant. Cedric wanted to laugh, to scream, and let the world know that he was no longer weak. Staring at the weapon in his hand, he realized there was something else he could do.