CADEN
Elder Madok did not believe in mercy.
Every training session was designed to break me. To push me past the limits of what I thought I could endure and then push further still.
He would attack without warning, strike without hesitation, and accept nothing less than absolute perfection.
“Again.” He commanded.
I pulled myself off the ground for what felt like the hundredth time. My muscles screamed in protest.
Blood dripped from a cut above my eye, and my ribs ached from the blow he had landed moments before, but I got to my feet because the alternative was unthinkable.
Madok circled me like a predator, assessing wounded prey. His movements were fluid despite his age, and his eyes missed nothing.
“Your power is vast,” He said. “But power without control is worthless. A storm t
