The evening sky above Nexus Academy was an orange beauty, the twin moons still faint against the light evening as they ushered in the night. The students of Class 1N already gathered on the training grounds, the air heavy with anticipation. Word had spread that today's Physical Cultivation class would be unlike anything they had experienced.
Auren stood with his arms folded, expression unreadable as always. He could feel the slight tremors of excitement running through the students, even from Eiran, who stretched his long tail with unnecessary flourish.
"Gravity training," the instructor Boric announced as he strode to the center of the ground. His voice carried a weight of its own, calm but commanding. "A Therion's strength is not simply in their bloodline or their Primis. It is in their body's ability to endure. Today, you will all learn just how fragile you are."
A low murmur rippled through the class. Boric's eyes traced all the students before he activated the rune glyphs. The ground beneath the students shimmered. Glyphs of runic design carved themselves into the earth, glowing faintly blue. Then the world pressed down with mighty strength.
It was as though the heavens had leaned closer, smothering every breath. Students staggered, some fell to their knees immediately. Auren grit his teeth, legs locked, refusing to bend as the sudden gravity bore down on him. He was calm even as sweat headed down his face down to his neck.
Every movement felt multiplied, his own body a burden dragging him into the ground. Eiran groaned beside him, tail flickering erratically under the weight. "I can't… even flick one of my fingers… properly…"
Auren wanted to smile, but even his lips felt heavy. He could not afford the luxury. His shoulders already strained, every heartbeat resounding painfully in his chest. His blood surged like fire, but the flames did not blend, they collided.
This was the first time he had ever faced this. The Dragon bloodline roared with anticipation and the Fenrir howled with trepidation. Both his bloodlines clawed for dominance, snarling against each other. [Why is this happening?]
Auren's jaw clenched as he felt his own veins burn. His body was the battlefield of his heritage, and under the crushing gravity, the discord was unbearable. Auren felt his body give in to the weight, falling on one knee. He tried to stand but his bloodlines roared fiercely against his veins and muscle.
The instructor circled them slowly, hands clasped behind his back, watching like a hawk. "This is expected. Most of you will crumble. But Therions do not rise by surrendering to weight. They rise by embracing it."
Students panted, some already sprawled on the ground. The air was thick with frustration and faint whimpers of pain. Eiran too found himself falling to his knee, his singular tail unraveled into the seven beautiful purple tails but they too were subjected to the gravity.
"Support your bloodline with Primis," the instructor finally commanded, voice sharp as a blade. "You think Primis is only for combat? Fools. It is your foundation. Let it thread through your bloodline and hold it steady. Without it, you will forever be crushed by yourselves."
Auren barely heard the words over the thunder of his clashing bloodlines. Yet they sank in, resonating somewhere deep. Primis wasn't only external. It could brace the inside, be a spine to the chaos within.
He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, letting his awareness sink inward. The Fenrir in him was wild, untamed, yearning for freedom. The Dragon was regal, commanding, demanding obedience. They bit and clawed at each other, sending shudders of pain through his muscles.
Auren called his Primis. It was gentle and flowed in steady threads of energy. He wove them carefully, not to dominate either bloodline but to hold them apart, like two furious beasts kept in separate cages. The pressure lessened. His body still trembled, but the chaos eased into silence.
He opened his eyes. His knees unlocked, and he took one slow step forward. Once he stood he tried to do something else but that too became impossible. The cage he built for his blood washed strong enough and it would break at the slightest push.
The instructor's gaze flicked toward him, unreadable. Auren tool another step, trying to walk forward. The ground seemed to groan beneath him, but he kept moving. Sweat rolled down his temples, his vision blurred, yet he pressed forward.
"Of course he'd figure it out," Eiran muttered under his breath, struggling just to stand. His tails quivered under the oppressive weight, flicking wildly. His body wasn't built for sheer endurance, but Auren noticed he was forcing his Primis through muscle by muscle, bit by bit. It was Clever, Adaptable and something a smart brain like Eiran could pull off.
But for Auren, cleverness wasn't enough. He wanted control. He wanted dominance, to completely have everything within his grasp. So he tried something reckless. Instead of just bracing his bloodlines apart, he tried to push them closer. To merge them, they both had the compatibility of being cold and centred around frost. [ I can make this work. Maybe.... just maybe]
Pain exploded through his chest. His limbs locked in place as his muscles spasms became stronger. The Dragon and Fenrir clashed violently, roaring and tearing at each other as though they knew they were being forced.
Auren gasped, blood rising to his throat, his body collapsing under the doubled strain bringing him to his knees. His hands clawed at the earth as the gravity crushed him, yet he refused to surrender. He would not. He could not surrender. His silver tail brushed the ground creating a small cloud of dust and his ears twitched with pain.
[Move. Even if it's one step. Move.]
Through sheer will, through stubborn refusal to yield, he pressed his Primis deeper, weaving tighter bonds. And then a flicker then a small spark like feeling spread throughout his body. For a heartbeat, the Dragon and Fenrir bloodlines didn't clash. They instead merged and flowed together as one.
It was so brief, barely 1%, but it was there. His muscles surged with new strength, his heartbeat steady for one perfect second. Then it shattered, leaving him sprawled, chest heaving. Auren crashed back to the floor his body too shattered within for him to regain strength. His breaths left him in small pants even as his muscles relaxed and regained strength.
Instructor Boric's shadow loomed over him. "You succeeded," he said, voice calm. "Enough to raise your body cultivation and primis mastery to a new level."
Auren's eyes flickered open, glassy with exhaustion. The instructor held up a crystal slate, recording readings. "Rank A. You will rise every time you bring the merge further."
The instructor turned to the rest of the class, his voice carrying over their groans. "Remember this lesson. Bloodlines alone are not perfection. They are fragments. Your Primis is the mortar that binds them. Our goal as Therions is to reach the pinnacle of strength and to reach the perfection of our bloodline."
The instructor switched off the glyphs releasing the students from the gravity. Gasps and sighs of relief filled the hall room. Eiran also collapsed flat on his back, gasping for air. "I… hate… gravity…"
The instructor's lips almost curved, but not quite. He continued his rounds, checking each student, giving them adept instructions to raise their body cultivation higher. To everyone's shock, Eiran's slate flashed higher "Rank S."
The fox boy grinned smugly despite being half-dead. "Guess… even crushed flat, I'm… beautiful and powerful."
Auren sat up, wiping blood from his lips, it seemed he had pushed himself too far. His body trembled, but there was exhilaration beneath the fatigue. He had touched something new. Something his enemies could never reach. [This is something my parents didn't teach me. Something not in my memories either.]
The class ended with the instructor's final words. "Next week, you will face weapon combat under similar conditions. Pray you are ready. Gravity is merciless, but so are blades."
The instructor left and walked out of the hall room leaving the students mortified at the realisation that gravity training was about to become a norm. Auren rose from the ground slowly, unsteady but unwilling to show weakness. His body was battered, but his mind burned with determination. One percent merge was nothing. He would push it further. He would master his bloodlines.
Because for the first time since his rebirth, he felt it, the faintest possibility that his Fenrir and Dragon bloodline could be one. This will grant him more strength and power to protect his life, to be free and unfettered from any threat or control. [ I will be strong enough to control my own fate.]
And that possibility, small as it was, was enough to keep him moving forward.