Dawn light barely crawled through the castle's stone hallways, weak and gray like it couldn't be bothered. Outside, fog covered everything on the training field
I cracked my eyes open, and instantly my body reminded me how much it hated me. Every muscle ached from this stupid gravity thing that's been crushing me. I stared up at those boring gray stones on the ceiling, and they might as well have been sitting on my chest. Just thinking about doing this whole thing again made me want to pull the covers over my head and pretend none of this was happening.
"Ten days," I muttered, my voice sounding as dead as the room around me. "Nine more to go."
I groaned and pushed myself up. My muscles felt like they were on fire, and just sitting up was like trying to lift a damn boulder. For a moment, I just sat there, breathing hard, with nothing but the sound of some distant birds chirping to break the morning silence.
The door creaked open, and Ray walked in with a tray of cake and water. His usual grin was toned down, replaced by this look of concern.
"Still alive?" Ray asked, setting the tray down next to my bed.
"Barely," I replied, reaching for the water. The weight of the cup made my hand shake, and I cursed under my breath.
Ray watched me with this mix of amusement and sympathy. "You'll get used to it anyways you've nine days to find out."
I shot him a glare but didn't say anything. I focused on eating, each bite feeling like a battle with by body
"Master Edhir's cruel, but he's not wrong," Ray continued, leaning against the wall. "If you can survive this, your body will adapt. Your physical ability will increase dramatically."
"That's not saying much," I muttered, which got a chuckle out of Ray.
Once I finished eating, we headed to the training field. The mist clung to us like a second skin, and I could feel the weight getting worse with every step. By the time we reached the center of the field, I was breathing hard, and sweat was running down my face despite the cold.
I'd had a question burning in my mind since Master Edhir first put this gravity on me, so I didn't waste another second.
"Ray, is this Master Edhir's key ability?"
Ray smiled a bit "Yes, it is."
Master Edhir was already there, this dark figure against the rising sun. That black fog that always followed him around was swirling lazily at his feet, like it was waiting for orders.
"You're late," Edhir said, his voice sounded irritation i bowed slightly, though it felt like trying to move a mountain. "I had trouble standing," I said simply
Edhir's piercing gaze bore into me, and for a moment, it felt like the gravity wasn't coming from the ground but from those unforgiving eyes.
"No excuses," Edhir said sharply. "Today, you'll run without stopping until I say so."
My stomach dropped. Running was impossible under this weight. Hell, walking had nearly killed me yesterday.
Ray, sensing my hesitation, patted my shoulder. "Don't die out there," he said with a grin before stepping back.
I took my position at the edge of the circle. My legs felt like lead, and my heart was pounding.
"Begin," Edhir commanded.
I pushed off and my thoughts became this chaotic mess of pain and determination.
"One step. Then another. Just one more."
The circle felt endless, my world shrinking down to just the crushing weight of my body and somewhere in the distance, I heard Ray cheering me on, his voice like a faint beacon in the suffocating fog of my mind "Keep moving, Rudra! Don't stop!"
By the time I hit the halfway point, my legs were shaking like crazy. My vision tunneled, and the world seemed to tilt around me. But I didn't stop no it was just i couldn't
When I finally crossed the finish line, my knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground. My body was trembling violently, and I was gasping for air.
Edhir walked over, his expression unreadable. "Not bad," he said, his tone not exactly praising but not completely dismissive either. "You'll do it again. Faster."
I couldn't response my body was too broken, my mind too clouded with exhaustion as edhir turned to leave, Ray helped me to my feet. "You're tougher than you look," he said, his grin coming back on face
I managed a weak smile. "I'll take that as a compliment." Now even putting a act on my face felt hard to me
The cold morning mist still clung to my skin, but my mind was focused, my steps getting into a rhythm as I ran across the training field. Despite the suffocating pressure of the enhanced gravity, something had changed.
Each stride felt lighter, the resistance that once crushed my spirit now just a faint memory. But before I could really think about it, the weight slammed down on me again, like some cruel hand pushing me into the earth. Still, I kept going, my focus unwavering, the will to keep going my only weapon against this torture.
When I finished the round, my legs were shaking but still holding me up. Standing in the center of the field, Master Edhir appeared, his silhouette sharp and commanding against the rising sun. That familiar black fog swirled around his feet like restless shadows. His eyes seemed cold
Edhir raised his hand, his palm opening slowly to reveal this small, glowing stone resting in his grasp. His gaze didn't waver as he spoke, his voice steady and deliberate.
"Take it," he ordered, pausing for a moment.
I narrowed my eyes as I studied the thing. The stone, though it looked pretty ordinary at first, seemed to hum faintly, like it was alive or something. Its surface shimmered subtly, hinting at power locked inside. Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked, "What is it?"
A flicker of amusement crossed Edhir's face before he replied. "This is a Mir stone" He let the name hang in the air, like its weight was enough to shut me up. After a moment, he continued, "There are many types of Mir Stones, each with unique capabilities. This one is a recovery stone and he gave me another stone saying it a strength boosting mir stone "
Without waiting for me to respond, Edhir commanded, "Eat it and continue running." Then, like a shadow disappearing under sunlight, he vanished, leaving me alone with this mysterious gift.
I hesitated, holding the stone in my hand. Doubt clouded my mind as I turned it over, checking out every detail. It was pretty unremarkable, but something about it felt unnatural.
I muttered under my breath, "Is this safe for me? They don't seem to have bad intentions... at least not yet."
And with a sigh of resignation, I put the stone in my mouth. Its texture was rough, the taste metallic. Chewing felt weird, almost unnatural. For minutes, nothing happened, and frustration started building.
"Was it all fake?" I thought out loud, bitterness creeping into my tone.
Then, like a spark lighting dry wood, this sudden warmth spread through my body. The pain that had been my constant companion for days started to fade, replaced by this soothing relief that radiated from within. My exhaustion disappeared like it was washed away by some unseen force, and my body felt lighter,
Thinking of this i eat the next stone in my hand like the last time nothing happened for a while the suddenly i felt stronger like my overall strength had increased, and even completely refreshed.
My amazement grew as I flexed my fingers, feeling the subtle but undeniable change. The World of Keys, with all its secrets and dangers, had just revealed another layer of its mysteries.
The World of Keys was a place of mind-blowing mysteries, Among its most sought-after secrets were the Mir stone, it's hidden within the living bodies of creatures that roame in the world of keys and sin..
The mir stone
The lore of the stones was simple but terrifying to have their capabilities intact with the stone, you had to extract the stone while the creature was still alive. If you killed the creature first, the stone lost its unique properties, reduced to just a valuable artifact. Even so, people still wanted those stones for crafting powerful weapons, alchemical wonders, or experimental tools.
But the real strength of the Mir Stones lay in their living essence. These stones were categorized by what they could do:
Physical Stones: increase strength and endurance.
Recovery Stones: increase natural healing ability.
Agility Stones: increases speed.
Sensory Enhancement Stones: Heighten senses
Ability Holder Stones: the most rare mir stone with granted unique abilities of the creature, usually found only in the kings of their domains.
But getting a Mir Stone was incredibly dangerous. The creatures of the World of Keys and sins were terrifyingly strong, most of them naturally 20 times as powerful as the average human. Few people dared to risk their lives trying to extract a stone from a living beast. It was a suicide mission unless you had extraordinary skill or a death wish.
I stood motionless for a moment, this soft, amazed expression spreading across my face as I processed what the Stone of Mir was doing to me. This quiet satisfaction bubbled up inside me .
With a slight breath of relief, I started running again. This time, it felt different. My body, which had once been fragile and shaking under the weight of gravity, now seemed to glide with little efforts my footsteps steady and strong. Hours passed, but I didn't falter. I kept running, my strides fluid and powerful, as the days blurred together in my relentless pursuit.
By the third day, Master Edhir showed up again, standing resolutely in the distance. His piercing gaze was fixed on me, and I hadn't slowed down a single step.
"From now on, add squats to your training," Edhir instructed firmly. I was already used to the brutal routine, so I nodded without hesitation.
I welcomed the challenge. The cycle continued: running, push-ups, squats, pull-ups. Day after day, the same routine, the same relentless drive. Each session was longer than the last, the time spent pushing my body to its limits and beyond. Through master edhir feed me few more mir stone when he found i needed them stone's. My body, once weak and fragile, now had real muscle.
By the end of ten days, I stood before Master Edhir once more, my chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. My breathing was calm, controlled—like I'd been resting for hours instead of enduring hours of intense physical training. Edhir's eyes widened as he looked at me. There was disbelief in his gaze, mixed with awe.
"Are you really a human child?" Edhir asked, his voice tinged with surprise. "Just ten days ago, your body was frail like a delicate flower. And now, look at you... Have you realized it? The gravity you're under has increased to five times its normal weight. And yet, here you are, standing tall."
I was still catching my breath, not quite understanding what Edhir was getting at. I'd been so focused on my physical transformation that the weight of the gravity hadn't really registered in my mind. Five times normal gravity? I'd been running under that kind of pressure and still hadn't broken
In that brief pause, something slipped out of my mouth, almost by accident. "Master, can you see these threads?"
Edhir's brows furrowed. "What threads?" he asked, confusion in his voice.
I suddenly realized what I'd said and nodded quickly, my face getting hot. "Nothing," I muttered, shaking my head, trying to brush off the weird words.
Edhir, sensing my confusion, softened his tone. As the days had passed, his voice had gotten warmer, more encouraging. He looked at me with something that seemed almost like fondness, the sternness that had once defined him now replaced by something gentler.
"Go rest," Edhir said, his voice filled with rare warmth. "It's already late. Tomorrow is an important day for you. I will remove the gravity in the morning. So, take the night to relax, and enjoy the progress you've made." With that, Edhir's figure began to fade into that familiar black mist, his presence disappearing from sight.
I was exhausted but strangely content as I made my way back to my room. My body, though tired, no longer felt weak or fragile. After a long shower, I collapsed onto my bed, my muscles sore but my mind racing. I thought back to the last ten days the trials, the unrelenting pressure, and the way my body had changed.
My thoughts wandered, drifting aimlessly as I stared out my window, gazing up at the moon. Its soft light bathed the room. My tired eyes fixed on the moon, its beauty calming my racing thoughts. The moon, so distant yet so close, seemed to offer me a moment of peace, a fleeting connection to something beyond all the chaos I'd endured.
With my eyes getting heavy, I whispered quietly to myself. "It's beautiful."
And as the words left my lips, my eyelids fluttered closed, and sleep slowly took over. Tomorrow would come soon enough...