Void Tree Chronicles

As Wes floated in the void, his mind drifted back to the training he had endured as a child.

The first month had been waiting.

Waiting for the others to arrive.

Waiting for them to recuperate.

Many of the kids had been malnourished, weak, barely holding themselves together when they were brought in. Some had sunken cheeks and hollow eyes, others moved with the sluggishness of bodies that had gone too long without proper food. The orcs had given them time to recover, time to eat, time to regain their strength.

Most of the recruits had arrived within a week, but training didn't start immediately.

They were allowed to rest, eat, stretch, and jog—nothing strenuous. Their bodies needed to catch up before they could be broken down again.

Meals were surprisingly good.

Plenty of meat, vegetables, and fruit.

Wes quickly realized that with mana, food wasn't a problem.

The real issue was everything else.

Constant threats from portals, beasts, and the transformed wildlife that had mutated under the surges of mana.

When Earth's mana surged, it became something else.

Something chaotic.

For now, Earth was in what could only be called a tutorial—a prelude to what was coming.

The real apocalypse hadn't even begun.

Across the dimly lit hall, Xavier caught Wes's eye just as the heavy wooden doors creaked open. The sound of boots striking against stone echoed through the space before a deep voice cut through the air.

"Get in order! Move outside!"

The command snapped through the stillness, and the room stirred.

For the past month, they had done little but sit on their mats, aside from basic physical activity.

No one had spoken much.

Talking was only allowed when a servant assisted, and even then, words were sparse.

And if you were sick or hurt?

No one helped you.

You either recovered, or you didn't.

Wes had been through worse.

Compared to what came before, this was almost easy.

A vacation.

Until now