Azrael’s voice was calm, almost reverent. "It’s a translated copy of an ancient Buddhist scripture from millions of years ago. The original language of Sanskrit is lost to ti. So, I translated it into Orlon, for you."
Orion looked up, "Buddhist scripture? I don’t understand."
Azzy smiled faintly. "This is a guide to understanding the laws of nature. It teaches the stillness between things, the rhythm of the world. If you understand it, you’ll learn to manipulate natural energy, not by force, but by flow."
Orion’s brows knitted. "Why give this to ?"
"Because you don’t have soul energy," Azrael said simply. "And while divine energy is powerful, it’s still an attribute energy, Orion, and attribute energy manipulation requires great ntal energy, and you can’t extract it as you wish for a longer period of ti."
He stepped back and placed a hand on Orion’s shoulder. "However, Natural energy is different. It’s abundant. It exists in every leaf, every gust, every grain of sand. And it can be used endlessly. I want you to learn how to manipulate the natural energy on your own. When you do, co and visit again. I’ll train you in Sage Techniques."
Orion nodded, a sense of clarity dawning in his eyes. "Thank you. Tomorrow morning, I’m returning ho anyway. I’ll put my entire focus on this scripture until the academy starts."
Azrael’s grip lingered on his shoulder a mont longer before he said, with a light chuckle, "Actually, there’s no need to co ho just yet."
Orion blinked. "What?"
"You still have a tournant to finish," Azzy said, turning slightly toward the edge of the balcony.
"But..." Orion rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn’t finish the match under five minutes. Didn’t that an I failed, and I need to withdraw?"
Azrael glanced over his shoulder. "The ti limit wasn’t there to punish you, son. It was there to test your worthiness. And you passed Gideon’s trial. That’s enough to prove your worthiness to compete in further rounds."
He paused, then added, "But let give you one last piece of advice."
Orion looked up, attentive.
"Don’t fight to win or impress soone. Rather, don’t chase after success at all." His voice dropped lower, steadier. "Fight to prove sothing to yourself. Give everything you’ve got, not for victory, but for excellence. And if you do that..." he smiled faintly, "success will chase after you, eventually."
With that, Azrael stepped into the wind and vanished.
Orion stood still on the balcony, holding the ancient book, his heart oddly calm. The city below didn’t feel so loud anymore.
He walked back inside.
The penthouse was quiet, shadows dancing under the ambient lamplight. He shut the balcony door behind him, switched on the warm reading light by his bedside, and sat down slowly on the edge of the mattress.
He opened the book.
The scent of old pages hit him, earthy, grounding.
He began to read.
"The sky does not struggle to be vast. The river does not strain to flow. The wind does not race to prove itself swift. So too, must man not force his strength. One who understands the rhythm of the world can shift mountains without moving a stone."
Orion’s breath caught.
He flipped to the next page, and the next. Symbols of movent, diagrams of breath, ditations on sensation and silence. There are also quick notes on the side, and incantations, called mantras, were almost seen on every page.
His mind focused, thoughts slowing.
Outside, the city’s nightlife shimred.
The following morning,
The soft light of dawn crept into the penthouse room, brushing golden hues along the floorboards.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Orion, if you oversleep again, I swear I’ll drag you by your..."
CRACK.
The door flung open with force.
Fiona stepped inside, fully prepared to berate him as she doesn’t want him to be late again, but her words caught in her throat.
Her eyes widened in surprise, spotting Orion on the floor.
He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, bathed in the glow of morning light.
And behind him shimred a faint golden figure, towering, seated in the sa lotus position, its multiple arms folded in gestures of calm and power. She could feel divinity inside that form, and more importantly, when she saw it at a closer range, she felt peace in her heart as if she had forgotten her woes.
"Orion..." she called, hesitantly.
At her voice, Orion slowly opened his eyes.
The golden form behind him dissolved into streaks of light, vanishing into his spine.
He looked at her, not groggy, not startled. Just Calm, although a bit too calm.
Fiona took a step forward. "What... was that? I’ve never seen you radiate sothing like that before. Where did you learn that technique?"
Orion smiled faintly and stood. "The mind is everything, Aunt. What you think... You beco."
She blinked, thrown by the serenity in his tone. "Okay... sothing is wrong with you. Aren’t you still sober?"
He just chuckled and got up to his feet, shaking his head.
*
A few hours later, the Grand Arena of Graena City buzzed with tension.
The waiting hall was filled with the remaining sixteen competitors, each entering one after another.
As soon as Fiona and Orion walked in, Selene approached, arms behind her back. "Where did you disappear after the match yesterday?" she asked, tilting her head. "Everyone thought you ran off."
Orion gave her a calm, sideways glance. "You could say... I went for a special training session."
Selene narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to read deeper into the vague answer.
Zion, leaning against the opposite wall, scoffed. "Tch. Special training? What can one night do for anyone?" He rolled his shoulders. "Your Opponent was Skylar, Orion. Against soone like him, tricks and techniques don’t work. Only absolute strength will work."
Orion turned to him, unfazed. "We don’t train to defeat others, Zion. We train to understand ourselves."
He gave a polite nod. "Excuse . I didn’t sleep all night. I’ll ditate while I still can."
And just like that, he walked toward an empty corner, sat down against the wall, and closed his eyes.
The room quieted.
Selene stared after him, brow furrowing. "There’s sothing different about him today..."
Zion didn’t respond at first. He watched Orion for a mont longer, then gave a slow nod. "Yeah."
Fiona joined them, letting out a sigh. "He’s been like this since I found him this morning. And the special training session. I don’t know where he learned it, but he had so new technique I had never seen before.
Selene’s eyes widened slightly.
Zion narrowed his. "A new technique?"
After a while;
The chanical whirrr of rotating gears echoed above as the giant screens lining the arena walls flickered to life.
[ROUND OF SIXTEEN – FIXTURES ANNOUNCED]
Nas flashed across the screens in bold, golden letters. The first bracket glowed brighter than the rest.
MATCH 1: ORION GARCIA vs SKYLAR BLOOD
Fiona, arms folded and leaning against the wall, did a double-take.
"Orion."
He didn’t respond imdiately, still seated, eyes half-lidded in a gentle ditative state.
She raised her voice. "Orion!"
He opened his eyes slowly, like waking from a dream. "Hmm?"
She pointed up toward the screens. "You’re first. Your match is starting."
Orion blinked once, then stood without a rush. His movents were fluid, quiet, and composed.
"Alright," he said, glancing in the direction from which he felt a gaze. His eyes t another pair of eyes, scarlet in color.
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