Chapter 60: Breaking Through

The glowing fist didn’t just move fast; it tore the air apart, creating a vacuum that dragged me forward right into the strike.

Bracing my core exactly as he had instructed, I threw both forearms up to protect my face. The impact sounded like a cannon firing point-blank.

Pain exploded through my bones, shooting straight down to my elbows and rattling my teeth.

My boots completely left the dirt.

Twisting in mid-air to avoid hitting the cracked stone wall a second time, I hit the ground rolling and kicked up a thick cloud of dry dust.

My arms felt like they had been hit with a sledgehammer. Nothing seemed broken, but the deep, radiating ache made my fingers go numb. Dragging myself back to my feet, I spit a mouthful of dirt onto the ground.

Torin didn’t press the advantage. He just stood there. The white heat radiating off his wrapped knuckles distorted the morning air around him.

"You braced," Torin noted, dropping his stance. The glowing aura faded from his forearms, leaving no trace of the devastating power he had just wielded. "Your instincts are sharp, but your body is still hollow. If I had intended to kill you, your arms would be powder right now."

Rubbing the deep ache in my left arm, I nodded. "I told you I need to learn. My team needs me to be better."

The memory of Elise, chained to that cold metal table in the flooded cavern, fueled the fire in my chest. I couldn’t let anyone hurt them again. Relying on brute strength wouldn’t be enough against trained mages.

Torin walked over to a weapon rack leaning against the wall. He grabbed a heavy wooden staff and tossed it at me. Catching it awkwardly against my chest, my arms trembled from the residual shock of his punch. He pulled a second staff for himself.

"Augmentation isn’t a spell," Torin instructed, returning to the center of the cratered yard. "It operates as a physical pressure valve. Your body naturally generates energy. You must compress that raw power and force it outward to coat your skin. It acts as armor. It acts as a weapon."

Gripping the rough grain of the wood with both hands, I frowned. "How do I compress it? You just told me I’m hollow."

"Find the center of your chest. Visualize a locked door," Torin explained, settling into a combat stance. "Break the damn door down."

Before my brain could process the instruction, Torin lunged.

He swung his staff directly at my ribs. I brought my wood down to block the strike. The collision sent a painful vibration straight into my cramped hands. He immediately swung again, aiming low for my knees. Jumping backward, I barely cleared the wide arc.

He pressed the attack relentlessly. He swung, thrust, and swept with brutal precision. Backpedaling across the cratered dirt yard, I blocked desperately just to keep my ribs intact.

"Find the door!" Torin barked.

He feinted high and struck my shoulder hard. The solid wood bit deep into my skin. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the stinging pain and focused on my chest. I imagined a heavy iron door locking my energy away inside my ribs. Pushing back the pain, I swung my staff at his head.

Torin parried the strike effortlessly and smacked my thigh. "Break it down!"

Swinging again, I channeled my absolute frustration. I channeled the vivid memory of that flooded cage, the blood, and the overwhelming helplessness of watching the people I cared about get hurt. Slamming my mental weight against that iron door, I pushed with everything I had.

Something snapped open inside my chest.

Raw heat flooded my veins instantly. It burned hotter than Elise’s thermal magic, rushing down my arms and pooling directly into my hands.

Torin didn’t hesitate. Stepping into my guard, he swung his heavy staff directly at my temple.

Instead of dodging, I dropped my weapon and raised my left hand. A faint, flickering white aura coated my bare knuckles. I caught the thick wooden staff with an open palm.

The wood cracked loudly upon impact, splintering into two jagged pieces and showering fragments over my arm. Thrown completely off balance by the sudden resistance, Torin stumbled forward. The broken end of his staff hit the dirt.

Standing completely still, my hand smoked slightly in the cold air. The white aura faded away. My palm stung like I had grabbed a hot coal, but no bones were broken.

Torin tossed the broken piece of wood aside and looked at my smoking hand. His expression remained neutral. "Sloppy. You leaked way too much raw mana."

I flexed my fingers, wincing as the scorched skin pulled tight. "But I blocked it."

"Your aura was completely uneven. You burned your own skin," Torin corrected. Turning his back, he walked to the weapon rack. "You survived it. Survival isn’t mastery. Come back tomorrow at early dawn."

He threw the remaining piece of wood into a pile. "Bring your own bandages next time. I don’t supply medical care to my students."

A genuine smile broke across my bruised face. "Thanks, Torin."

Waving his hand dismissively, he walked toward a stone building at the back of the yard.

Walking out through the heavy iron gates, my ribs ached with every breath. My shoulder throbbed, and my hand stung violently. Despite feeling absolutely exhausted, a profound sense of accomplishment washed over me.

Deep in my pocket, my phone vibrated. Pulling it out while navigating the stone road, a bright golden banner flashed across the glass screen.

[NEW SKILL TREE UNLOCKED: Physical Augmentation]

[PASSIVE SKILL ACQUIRED: Iron Skin (Level 1)]

[REWARD: + 50,000 Favor]

Locking the glass screen, I quickly shoved the heavy device away with a deeply satisfied sigh.

The walk back to our manor took exactly thirty minutes.

The afternoon sun beat down on the muddy streets of New Haven, warming my aching muscles.

Ignoring the damp chill hanging in the coastal air, I knew I had finally taken the first real step toward protecting my party.

Reaching the front porch of the quiet manor, the comforting scent of freshly baked bread drifted through the cracked front door. The girls were already home from the local bakery.

Pushing the heavy door open, I stepped inside the warm foyer and kicked the loose mud off my boots.

Damara stood in the kitchen, wiping white flour off her hands. Katrina sat comfortably on the living room couch, eating a fresh pastry.

Elise stood by the large front window, talking quietly with Sarah. They all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at me.

"What happened to you?" Katrina demanded right away. Her fuzzy ears twitched as she dropped her half-eaten pastry onto a small paper napkin. "You’re covered in blood."

Damara crossed the room very quickly, her crimson eyes scanning the damage. She inspected the dark bruises forming on my jaw and arms, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Did you fight today?"

"I found a crazy teacher." Leaning heavily against the doorframe, I offered a tired grin.

"He beat you up," Sarah observed from the window, crossing her tiny arms.

"He taught me," I corrected. "I learned how to use my mana today. I cracked the door open."

Elise walked right over. Tracing the dark bruise on my neck with her eyes, she raised her hands. "Let me heal that."

"No," I answered gently, stepping back slightly. "Save your mana for emergencies. I just need a hot shower, a long nap, and some bread."

Damara crossed her arms. "You went to the old armory. You found Torin."

Nodding, I let out a wince. "He told me to come back tomorrow at dawn."

Katrina picked up her pastry, her tail lashing behind her. "If he hits you that hard again, I’ll go down there and bite his ankles."

"I would gladly pay good money to see that," I joked, a genuine smile breaking.

They hovered around me like an impenetrable protective shield. After spending the morning getting battered against solid stone, standing right here inside the warm, cozy kitchen with them felt like a completely different world.

It was a quiet, peaceful life truly worth fighting so incredibly hard for.

A loud laugh escaped me, causing my ribs to flare with sharp pain. Clutching my side, I took a shallow breath to ride out the sting.

"Shower," Damara ordered, pointing toward the stairs. "Now. Go get cleaned up. I’ll bring you some hot food upstairs when you finish."

Arguing sounded totally and completely exhausting. Walking past them, I climbed the solid wooden stairs. The house felt incredibly warm and safe.

Stripping off my muddy clothes, I stepped into the shower. The hot water washed away the dirt and sweat, soothing the worst of the deep aches in my muscles.

Leaning against the tiled wall, the flickering white aura replayed in my mind. I had finally cracked the door completely open.

Tomorrow, I’d rip it off the hinges.