Morning came without warmth.
The forest was quiet again, but this time, it wasn't calm—it was expectant.
Nime didn't want to move.
His body felt like it had been torn apart and put back together incorrectly. Every muscle ached. Even breathing reminded him of yesterday.
"…I'm not going back in there," he muttered, eyes still closed.
"You are."
Nime groaned. "Give me one reason."
"You are hungry."
Silence.
His stomach growled loudly, as if agreeing.
"…That's betrayal," Nime whispered.
The lion stood a short distance away, watching him. "Stand."
"…I hate mornings."
"Stand."
Nime slowly pushed himself up, wincing as his legs protested.
"…If I die today, I'm blaming you."
"If you die, it will be because you failed."
"…You really don't do encouragement, do you?"
"No."
—
The river looked the same.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Lying.
Nime stood at the edge, staring into the water.
"…They're still there, right?"
"Yes."
"…Of course they are."
He exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself.
"Alright," he muttered. "No panic. Just… don't get eaten."
"Jump."
"…You enjoy this."
"Yes."
"…Yeah, I'm starting to accept that."
Nime stepped forward—
—and jumped.
—
The moment he landed, the water shifted.
He felt it.
Not saw it.
Felt it.
A disturbance.
A presence.
His body reacted on instinct—
He moved.
A sharp shape shot past his side, missing him by inches.
"…Okay," he breathed. "Okay… I felt that."
Another one came.
Faster.
He turned—
Too slow.
SLASH!
Pain tore across his arm.
Nime shouted, stumbling backward as blood mixed with the rushing water.
"FOCUS," the lion's voice cut through the noise.
"I AM FOCUSING!"
"Not enough."
Another attack came.
Closer.
Nime forced himself to calm down.
Ignore the pain.
Ignore the fear.
Feel it.
There.
Movement.
Pressure.
Intent.
He shifted—
Dodged.
Cleaner this time.
"…I'm getting it," he whispered.
Again.
Another attack.
He moved.
Again.
Closer.
Better.
But not enough.
One grazed his leg.
Another clipped his side.
Each hit small—
But adding up.
His breathing became heavier.
His movements slower.
"…I can't keep this up…"
"Yes, you can."
"…That's easy for you to say!"
"Then prove me wrong."
Nime gritted his teeth.
"…Fine."
Another presence.
Closer than before.
This time—
He didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward instead of back.
Reached out—
And grabbed.
His hand locked onto the body of one of the creatures.
It thrashed violently, sharp fins cutting against his skin.
But he didn't let go.
"…I got you…"
The creature twisted, trying to break free.
Pain shot through his hand.
His grip slipped—
"No…!"
He tightened it.
Held on.
And with a desperate motion—
He threw it.
The fish slammed onto the riverbank, flopping wildly.
Nime stumbled out after it, collapsing onto the ground beside his catch.
For a moment—
He just lay there.
Breathing.
"…I did it…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"I actually did it…"
The fish continued thrashing beside him.
Alive.
Real.
Proof.
Nime let out a weak laugh.
"…So this is what victory feels like…"
"Do not relax."
Nime turned his head slightly. "…What now?"
The lion's eyes were fixed on the river.
"Behind you."
Nime's body tensed.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He slowly turned—
The water exploded.
A much larger creature surged out of the river, its body thicker, faster, more violent than the others.
Its jaws opened.
Wide.
Too wide.
"…That's not fair."
It lunged.
Nime tried to move—
Too late.
—
BOOM!
The ground cracked.
Dust burst into the air.
For a split second, everything froze.
The creature had stopped.
Right in front of him.
Something invisible held it back.
Pushed it down.
Crushed it.
Nime blinked.
"…What…?"
The pressure increased.
The creature struggled—
Then snapped.
Its body slammed into the ground, lifeless.
Silence fell.
Nime stared at it.
Then slowly turned his head toward the lion.
"…Was that… me?"
The lion didn't answer immediately.
"…A fragment," he said at last.
Nime's heart pounded.
"…A fragment of what?"
The lion's gaze sharpened.
"Of what you are becoming."
The words sent a chill through him.
He looked back at the creature.
Then at his hands.
"…I didn't do that on purpose."
"No."
"…Then how do I control it?"
"You don't."
Nime let out a shaky breath.
"…That's not reassuring."
"It is not meant to be."
—
The river grew quiet again.
But something had changed.
Not just outside—
Inside him.
That power…
It wasn't just unstable.
It was dangerous.
—
Far away, in the unseen dark—
Something stirred again.
Stronger this time.
"…Interesting…"
—
Nime sat there, soaked, injured, and exhausted.
But for the first time—
He had proof.
He wasn't just surviving.
He was becoming something else.
Something he didn't understand.
Something that might not be human.
—
The lion turned away.
"Eat."
Nime looked at the fish beside him.
Then at the larger creature.
Then back at the lion.
"…Raw?"
"Yes."
Nime sighed.
"…This power better be worth it."
—
The training continued.
And it was only getting worse.