Cold. That was the first sensation that came to mind when Seth went through. It was a chill that was worst then the temperatures that could be felt in the dead of winter. It was c chill that ran through not only all the way to the bones, but also into the soul. Darkness covered Seth’s view momentarily as he passed and rescinded just in time for him to see a dark sword come swinging down on him.

Seth sidestepped slightly to the left as he saw the wielder of the weapon. It was the shape of your average man, void of any features. It was as if a mannequin had come to life to attack him, but only the mannequin was made of shadows. A nightmare for some, but Seth had already grown use to such figures. Seth threw his right fist as it and it ran right through the shadow being’s head.

“Nice to see you too, Master,” Seth greeted a figure in the distance.

“You’re late,” a horse voice game back.

“Sorry, I was held back by my history teacher. There was something wrong with my paper and-”

“Enough. I’m not here to listen for excuses. You know what to do. ”

Ghee. Thanks for caring. How was your day? My day was great! Thank you for asking! Seth thought as he dropped his bookbag and picked up a crudely made wooden sword from the floor. He got into stance while trying to observe all the details around him for signs of incoming opponents.

The Twilight Zone. That what his Master called it. This was where his Master rested and trained Seth. A space that acted as a bridge between the natural realm and the abyssal sea. They weren’t in the tree or it’s shadow, they were in a separate space entirely. Above Seth’s head, was a dusky grey ceiling. Below him was the abyssal sea. An completely seperate dimension. An ocean of darkness that could swallow all light and if anything ever sinks in, it would be lost forever. Fortunately, the abyssal sea wasn’t easily broken. Those capable enough to break through the sea of void, could harness its's powers and shape to their will. Just like what Seth’s Master was currently doing.

Shadow puppets was the mannequins were called. Darkness provided by the abyssal sea shaped into whatever the users wished. Right now, ten shadow puppets slowly rose from the floor, all similar physique, but each wielding a different weapon. Some held swords of varying lengths, others held spears or maces. They all charged at Seth threatening to end his life if he allowed them, which obviously he refused.

He met the charge of the first shadow puppet by tilting his body to avoid being pierce by it’s spear and swung his sword at it’s stomach. The sword went through without resistance and the shadow puppet dissipated into a puff of black smoke before slowly sinking to the ground.

Two more shadow puppets charged over, one holding a sword and the other holding a mace. He stabbed the mace wielding puppet in the head before parrying the slashing sword of the other puppet. Seth swept the legs of the puppet with a low lick and bought his sword down, ending the short life of the puppet.

He ended the other shadow puppets quickly by ending it in the first strike or dodging and killing it in the returning blow. Just as he was about to pierce the head of the last puppet, Seth felt a poke in his lower back. He turned his head to see a shadow spear touching him, the wielder still rising from the ground. Fortunately the spear hadn’t stabbed through him, but that was enough to make its point.

“Sloppy. You dispatched the puppets easily enough, but you let your guard down at the last moment. Never let your guard down. I told you this many times already," his Master's voice echoed out.

“Come on Master! That’s not fair! I had them! You can’t just add another puppet at the end!” Seth protested.

“ The battlefield is never fair. If you are so easily taken in the back here, you would be dead in real combat. Now get into meditation. Let’s check your progress.”

“Fine, fine,” said Seth as he sat down and crossed his legs, letting his chi flow through his body. He had this argument with his master so many times already that he was used to it. His master demanded dedication and perfection from Seth. Whenever Seth thought he had mastered a technique or lesson, his master would throw a curveball him, ruining his achievement. It was as if his Master never wanted him to enjoy success. Each time he failed or made a mistake, he would face hours of gruesome training. Seth remembered the words when they began training.

I don’t know if you will awaken abilities in the future, but I will train you on the basis that you will not awaken anything. I'm not teaching you how to be strong. I’m teaching you how to survive. It will not be easy, but it is only when you can keep yourself alive then will you be able to continue down your path. If you cannot survive, then you will be left somewhere to rot and be forgotten.

With technology now these days, bodies could be easily identified. His Master was wrong on the last part, but that Seth attributed that to the time period that his Master came from. Or that was what Seth assumed. He was either from a long distant past, or a alternate dimension entirely. His Master was very vague on the topic.

At least that was one of the theories that Seth had came up with. The latter possibility completely boggled Seth 's mind so he gave up on thinking about it. None of the details that he did share matched with any known point of history that he could find. All he knew was that his Master came from a place that was very dangerous and his master was an active participant on the battlefield. The experience he gathered from all the battles he fought; his master was now trying to beat it into Seth.

As Seth circulated his chi, he could feel a large amount of chi gathered in his chest. According to his Master, he could store and purified his chi in his core.

That was if he had a core.

The chi he had gathered soon dissipated and spread throughout his body. He had been trying to create his core for a year already. Unfortunately despite all his effort, he would fail at the last step in forming his core.

His master only stared at Seth, already sensing the failed attempt. To Seth, the stare was more harsh then complaint that his Master could have given. Seth ask “Master what am I doing wrong? No matter what I do, it just doesn’t seem to work for me.”

“Patience. A core cannot be forced. Do you remember what I said about the core?” his Master replied in turn.

“It’s where one gathers their chi and stores it? It’s the beginning of becoming a practitioner? ”

“What else?”

“It requires the balance of body, mind, and soul?”

“Yes. A core cannot be forced. Something forced will only lead to ruin. It will come to you naturally.”

Was his Master trying to comfort him? Seth couldn’t believe his ears. The sky must be falling somewhere. It had taken him many years of hardship to get to his current step. The first few years was him desperately trying to feel the chi within him. The years after that was forging a body worthy of using the chi. However, his Master rarely comforted or complimented him.

“Enough. I remember you talking about the Houtie Empire last time. I knew of a empire that once existed that is similar to what you researched. They were once considered one of the most powerful countries around. Their soldiers were aggressive, harden veterans. They had a belief. It was only through the trials of fire and steel of war could men truly be born. That was their beliefs and how they trained their soldiers. Had it not been for their eternal rival, the empire would sweep the whole continent into war. The Giant tribe.”

HIs master who was sitting a distance away had disappear and appeared right in front of Seth. His right-hand touched Seth’s forehead and Seth blanked out.

The next thing Seth knew, he was a on a deserted field. In front of him was a being that could be only described as something similar to a caveman. It would be considered male evident with the bare essentials being covered by animal skin. The only difference was the size. A normal person height would be about a few feet, the caveman was a few stories and was swinging a tree at Seth.

Only one word came to Seth ‘s mind as he watch the tree fly at his face.

Gods damn it master.