NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Awakening the Warrior Within
The dawn was still breaking when Torak rose from his tent. The faint echoes of his mother's words lingered in his mind, a quiet but insistent reminder of the prophecy she had shared. Though he remained skeptical, the events of the previous day—his body's unnatural reflexes, the dagger striking true—had planted a seed of determination.
He stepped into the clearing where the group trained, the morning air sharp and cool. The others were already awake, sparring and working on their weapons. Nakarro nodded at him in greeting before resuming a heated bout with Korrin.
Picking up a spear from the ground, Torak approached Nakarro once their match ended. "Let's spar."
Nakarro smirked. "You think you're ready to take me on? Fine."
The two squared off, weapons raised. At first, Torak fought with calculated movements, each thrust and parry deliberate. But something felt off. He couldn't summon the same fluidity he'd experienced before. His strikes lacked the instinctual precision he'd shown during the hunt.
Minutes turned into hours as they cycled through bouts. Sweat dripped from Torak's brow, but his muscles didn't ache as they should have. Instead of exhaustion, he felt an odd emptiness, as if something within him was dormant.
Frustrated, Torak stepped back, lowering his spear. "It's no use," he muttered. "I'm not feeling it."
Without warning, a dagger flew through the air, glinting in the morning sun. Torak's body reacted before his mind could register the danger. His spear shifted to deflect the blade with a metallic clang, and in the same motion, he lunged forward, disarming Nakarro in a single, seamless strike. The clearing fell silent.
Nakarro's eyes widened as he stepped back, his hands raised. "Where did that come from?"
Torak turned to see Alaena standing at the edge of the training ground, her hand still outstretched from the throw. She met his gaze with a knowing look but said nothing, leaving the group to grapple with what they had witnessed.
Determined now more than ever, Torak resolved to hone this newfound power. Each day, he trained with every weapon he could find—swords, spears, bows, and daggers. His practice sessions grew intense and creative. One morning, he climbed a steep cliff with a bow strapped to his back, using the height to practice firing arrows at distant targets. Another day, he set up a gauntlet of swinging logs and blunted blades, dodging and deflecting them in rapid succession.
The others joined in, turning training into competitions. Korrin devised challenges to test endurance, while Nakarro sparred with him in mock battles that pushed both to their limits. Through it all, Torak's strength and endurance shone. He endured grueling sessions that left others collapsing, his inhuman resilience becoming a source of both awe and whispers.
When he wasn't training, Torak worked with the group to craft weapons and armor. Bone and hide from the sandbeast were fashioned into shields and breastplates. Teeth were sharpened into blades. Under his direction, the camp transformed from a ragged band of exiles into a burgeoning force. Whispers spread that Torak was chosen by the gods, his abilities a divine gift.
Months passed in a blur of hard work and relentless practice. Where once he struggled to match Nakarro, he now bested three or four opponents at once. His movements became a blur of precision and power, each strike deliberate and devastating. Even Nakarro, who had once doubted him, accepted his growing prowess with a grudging respect.
Yet, for all his progress, Torak couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. The power within him—the raw instinct that had saved Nakarro's life—remained only partially awakened. It was as if his body was waiting for a catalyst, a spark to unleash its full potential.
One evening, as the group gathered around the fire, Korrin spoke up. "You're not human," he said, his tone half-joking but filled with awe. "No one trains like that and survives. What's your secret?"
Torak smirked, though his thoughts were elsewhere. He glanced at Alaena, who met his gaze with a small, knowing smile. "Maybe I'll find out when you do," Torak said, his voice steady.
As the fire crackled, Nakarro leaned forward, his expression unusually serious. "This skill of yours," he said. "It's more than practice. I've trained all my life, and I can't match what you've done in months. Something is happening to you, Torak."
Before Torak could respond, a sudden sound broke the quiet night. A distant roar echoed across the wasteland, low and guttural. The group froze, their hands instinctively reaching for weapons. The sound faded, leaving an uneasy silence in its wake.
"What was that?" Korrin whispered, his voice trembling.
Alaena's gaze turned to the horizon, her expression grim. "Whatever it is," she said softly, "it's getting closer."
The group exchanged wary looks, and Torak felt a flicker of something he hadn't felt in months: excitement and foreboding. Whatever lay ahead, it would test him—and perhaps bring him closer to unlocking the truth about himself.