Getting up at the crack of dawn to train had never been easy the first time—and it still isn't.
The cold air cuts through my lungs as I move through the clearing behind the barracks. My muscles ache, my knuckles are raw, and sweat clings to my skin—but this is where I belong.
Training alone is far more effective than training with the recruits. I’ve already walked the path they’re just beginning.
Still, I have to attend the drills. Not because I need them, but because of the tournament.
In one year, the Royal Tournament will begin. The winner earns a sacred position: the personal aid of either the prince or the princess. That means more than just a title—it means being their shadow, their sword, their closest advisor.
It means I’ll be beside the princess.
And that matters.
Because she was one of the few people who stood by my side until the very end.
When the world turned its back, when the kingdom fell apart, and when even I had given up—she hadn’t.
It’s my best shot to be there for her this time. To change things.
Last time, Talon won. He became the prince’s aid—someone I once trusted with my life.
And then they killed the king.
Framed the elves for it.
That’s how she…
...Forget it.
Anyway, Talon will be in the tournament again. But so will I.
And this time, I’ll win.
In Elgraad, there are three types of energy:
- Ki – the energy of the body.
- Ryūki – the energy of the mind.
- Reiki – the energy of the soul.
They are the only paths to access magic. Each one must be trained in a different way.
- Ki is trained through physical exertion.
- Ryūki through mental discipline.
- Reiki through spiritual healing and soul restoration.
Mind, body, and soul.
But I can only walk one path.
My soul is fractured—broken beyond what I could afford to repair in my last life. Fixing it could take two years, and I never had that kind of time. I still might not.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
And I was never suited for Ryūki—no affinity, no stability.
Which leaves Ki.
My body is my only weapon now.
Thunk.
My fist slammed into the wooden post.
"Control your breathing..." I muttered. "Focus all your Ki into your core—into one area—and strike."
Thunk.
Again. Harder.
"Draw it in. Compress. Release."
CRACK!
The post split in two, snapping at the center. I exhaled slowly, letting the tension roll off me with the steam rising from my skin.
Every living thing exerts Ki—but controlling it is something else entirely.
That’s what I’m here to master.
I’ve learned how to sense it, how to mold it. I just need to train it. Strengthen it. Sharpen it.
Because it’s all I have left.
As I wiped the blood from my knuckles, I caught my reflection in the frost-covered bucket of water beside me.
She won’t remember. Serena—or Clara, as she calls herself now—probably won’t recall anything from the past timeline.
But Selphira...
The Goddess of Creation.
She has to remember.
She always looked at me like she knew something I didn’t. Like she could see the fractures in my soul.
Back then, I couldn’t fix them. Now… maybe I can.
But first—my body. My Ki. My path forward.
Got it! Here's the revised and expanded version of the scene, now reflecting that Serena (Clara) is not a noble, has blue eyes, is trying to appear calm and serious but is actually clumsy, and that the protagonist suspects she’s concealing her true identity with magic and spying on the humans. It also incorporates the detail that she is the Pillar of Creation, likely sent for a purpose.
It took a breath and exhaled.
I narrowed my eyes. The clearing wasn’t empty.
“I know you're there,” I said calmly. “Come out.”
A startled gasp.
Then—clang!—a bucket toppled over nearby, the sound slicing through the morning stillness.
She stumbled forward from behind a tree, awkwardly brushing dirt off her tunic and trying to act composed.
“Sorry,” she muttered, straightening up like nothing happened. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
It’s her.
Clara. No—Serena.
She always tries to keep a calm and serious front, but behind it all… she’s just a clumsy girl trying to act like she’s not.
I stayed quiet for a moment, eyes studying her.
Same short hair. Same blue eyes. Definitely her.
And no ears.
She must be using magic to conceal them.
She’s here to spy on us humans. If I remember correctly, she was sent undercover to watch us… to observe humanity’s growing instability.
They could’ve sent anyone.
They sent Serena—the Pillar of Creation.
She looked at the cracked post beside me.
“You broke that with your fist?”
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t that… hurt?”
I smirked. “Pain’s part of training. Helps you learn faster.”
She blinked a few times and fidgeted with her sleeve. “You talk like someone who’s lost a lot.”
I paused.
More than you’ll ever know.
“Maybe,” I said. “But losing something once doesn’t mean you let it go again.”
She nodded slowly. “That’s... surprisingly deep.”
“I’m full of surprises.”
She kept looking at me—just a little too long. Like she was trying to make sense of something that wasn’t quite clicking in her mind.
I had to steer the conversation back.
“You’re up early,” I added. “Didn’t think recruits liked the cold.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied. “Wanted to see how the others trained before the day starts.”
Recruits. Right. She’s blending in, just like before.
“I asked around,” I said. “Clara, right?”
She flinched almost imperceptibly.
“…Yeah. Clara.”
She turned to leave, clearly flustered, but managed to trip over a stone and stumbled.
Typical Serena.
I didn’t move to catch her—she recovered on her own and walked off, back stiff with embarrassment.
But I didn’t take my eyes off her.
She’s here. She’s watching.
She might not remember me… but I remember everything.