Luz wandered beyond the borders of Biringan, the tall gates of the city fading behind him. The wind blew gently through the trees as he stepped into the nearby forest, a familiar place where he could finally breathe.
He'd been coming here more often lately—far from the judgment, far from the noise, and far from the weight of his own failures.
He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and stared at a tree ahead.
"Again."
Luz charged forward, throwing a spinning kick into the tree's bark. He dropped to the ground and followed with a flurry of punches into the air, mimicking the stances Ino once used. He wasn't as fast. Not as graceful. But it didn't matter. He trained. Over and over. Until his legs were sore and his breath came in sharp gasps.
The sky dimmed, clouds gathering above. He fell to his knees, sweat dripping from his chin.
"Just a few more..." But his body refused. Darkness crept in from the edges of his vision, and everything turned black.
---
Rain.
He woke to the sound of droplets hitting leaves, cold water soaking into his clothes and the earth around him. Luz sat up, groaning. He clutched his side. His body ached like it had been trampled by a herd.
"I overdid it again," he muttered.
He wiped his face and stood, unsteady. He needed to get back to Biringan. But just as he turned to leave, he heard something.
Crunch.
A footstep in the trees.
Luz froze. His eyes darted across the forest shadows.
Another step. Closer. Then another.
He reached down and grabbed a jagged rock. His heart thundered in his chest.
A figure burst through the trees—dark cloak, eyes full of malice. A blade flashed.
Luz didn't think. He ducked and slammed the rock straight into the attacker's jaw, knocking the man off balance.
But more came. At least four.
"No... I can't fight this many."
He turned and ran. Sprinting through the forest, stumbling over roots, blood rushing through his ears.
Then—SLASH!
A blade caught him in the shoulder. He cried out and fell to the ground, gripping the bleeding wound. The attacker raised his sword for the final blow.
Suddenly, the world lit up.
BOOM!
A beam of light shot through the trees, blasting the dark soldier away in a burst of energy. The rest of the attackers halted—then turned and fled like cowards before the storm.
Luz gasped for air, blinking through the rain and pain.
A silhouette approached from the shadows. An older man, tall with a rugged beard. He said nothing.
"T-Thank you, sir..." Luz managed.
The old man gave him a glance, then turned and began walking toward Biringan without a word.
"W-Wait, mister!" Luz called, stumbling after him.
No response.
"Are you also going to Biringan?" he asked.
The man stopped, pulled out a bottle from his bag, and took a swig of alcohol.
Then he walked on.
Luz blinked—and the man was gone.
"W-Where...?" He spun around. Nothing. Not even footsteps.
---
Luz finally limped back to Biringan, soaked and shivering. When he arrived home, his father was waiting.
"Where did you go!?" he barked. "I already told you—you have no future in this army nonsense! You're not special, Luz. You're just a boy chasing dreams that don't belong to him!"
Luz flinched at the words. His mother stepped in, trying to calm his father without saying a word.
But the damage was done.
Luz grabbed his wallet, a few coins, and stormed out into the night, eyes stinging—not from the rain.
---
He sat alone on a mountain ledge, watching the stars. The cold wind blew hard, but it didn't hurt as much as his father's voice echoing in his head.
"I'm not special…"
"You're just a boy…"
"You'll never protect anyone…"
"Then why do I still want to?"
"You're sitting here alone."
A familiar voice broke through the silence.
Luz looked up.
The old man from the forest now sat beside him, arms folded, eyes gazing at the stars.
"What happened?" the man asked.
"My parents…" Luz hesitated. "They never believed in me. They said I can't be anyone…"
The old man nodded slowly.
"Parents fear what they don't understand," he said. "But I saw something in you earlier today. You didn't freeze. You fought back. You ran to survive. You burned with a spark I haven't seen in years."
Luz stared at him, confused.
The man stood. "I think you're the right one to be my apprentice."
"Apprentice?" Luz asked, eyes wide.
The man smiled faintly. "Name's Jay. I trained under the Fifth Light Descendant. That light you saw today wasn't magic—it was discipline. Power forged through pain. If you want to learn… meet me here tomorrow at sunrise."
Then he vanished again, into the wind.
Luz sat in stunned silence, then slowly looked up at the sky.
For the first time in a long while…
The future didn't look so dark.