My Tribrid System.

Tahir was practicing with his sword when he sensed a hand reaching for him. Spinning around swiftly, he grabbed the hand tightly. Bale was stunned by Tahir's reflexes. Does he know Qi? Or is he really the prodigy the master spoke of? It didn't matter.

I'll finish this quickly, Bale thought.

"I'm here to give you a warning and make you bleed. You don't get to be with her. She's mine," Bale said, enhancing his legs with Qi to boost his speed. In an instant, he closed the distance between himself and Tahir, slamming a punch coated in Qi into Tahir's chest. The blow lifted Tahir off his feet, slamming him hard into the wall behind him.

A large dent marked where Tahir had been thrown. His head hung low, blood dripping from a wound, making it clear he had sustained an injury from the impact.

"You couldn't even defend yourself. You're weak! You don't deserve her. I alone deserve her," Bale ranted, completely absorbed in his self-praise. He didn't notice Tahir had already risen from the ground.

Looking down, Bale's eyes widened in shock—Tahir was no longer there. Panic began to set in.

"Impossible. He was injured—how could he have moved?" Bale's thoughts raced.

Just as Bale began to turn, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. "Move again, and I'll kill you," Tahir whispered, his voice laced with deadly intent.

"You fool! Do you even know who I—" Before Bale could finish, Tahir plunged a knife into his other arm, causing a scream of agony to escape from Bale.

A crowd had gathered to witness the brutal scene. In the Shadow Fang, there was one rule: the weak do not belong. Here, it was survival of the fittest.

"If you ever attack me again, I swear I'll kill you," Tahir warned, as Bale collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

Immediately after the confrontation, Silver appeared, observing Bale's two lackeys, beaten and bloodied on the ground. "I told you he was an interesting one," the Shadow Fang leader commented to his students.

Two masked women entered soon after. They were the dojo's healers, hired professionals since they didn't possess abilities of their own. Placing their hands on Tahir and Bale, they healed both of them quickly.

"Alright, listen up," the teacher announced. "What happened here has happened, and someone has shown us how strong they are. The real training begins today."

"This training will break you down and remake you. Some of you may die, while others will survive. It all depends on your resolve," the teacher explained.

The Shadow Fang believed that only through intense pain and suffering could one achieve true strength and control over their powers. "You're probably wondering what kind of pain I'm talking about, right? Let's start with physical torture. This will push your bodies beyond their normal limits. It's a test of endurance."

"The second phase is mental torture. Psychological torment. Isolation, sensory deprivation, and intense illusions—designed to break your minds and rebuild them stronger. It's training to resist manipulation and brainwashing."

"For that, follow me to the training room," the teacher instructed with a smile that sent shivers down their spines.

Tahir walked in front, followed closely by the others.

They were led into a dark room, and as they entered, the teacher seemed to vanish, his entire aura concealed.

"You are here," the teacher began, his voice calm yet menacing, "because you seek strength. But true strength does not come from comfort. It is forged in pain. In suffering. In agony. Those of you who cannot endure it do not deserve to stand among the strong."

His vanishing and reappearing? Tahir thought to himself, wary of the teacher's abilities.

"Tonight, you will each face a trial," the teacher continued. "A trial that will push you beyond your limits, shatter you, and then remake you. Do not think this is just about endurance. It's a test of your will to survive and your ability to overcome your weaknesses."

The teacher stopped in front of Tahir, a thin smile playing on his lips. "Especially you."

"You think you're strong, don't you?" the teacher whispered so only Tahir could hear. "But I see the hesitation. The doubt. You've barely scratched the surface of your abilities." Straightening up, the teacher raised his voice for all to hear. "Tonight, we'll break through those illusions."

Behind the teacher, a set of doors creaked open, revealing a narrow hallway lined with strange symbols. The temperature dropped as they proceeded inside, each step colder than the last.

They entered a large chamber with stone slabs arranged in a circle. Chains hung from the ceiling, clanking softly in the freezing air. Tahir's instincts screamed at him to run, but there was no escape.

"You'll be restrained here," the teacher gestured toward the slabs. "You'll bleed. You'll suffer. You'll beg for it to stop. But it won't—until I say so. Or until you learn to use your body to stop the bleeding.

The human body is strange and strong. This is where you learn control—of your body, mind, and powers. Pain will be your teacher now."

Without a word, the students were bound to the slabs, their wrists and ankles secured by cold iron chains. Tahir clenched his jaw as the cuffs snapped around him, holding him tight. He looked around, seeing fear in the others' eyes. Some were already trembling. He wasn't sure they'd last the hour.

The teacher stepped forward, holding a small blade that gleamed wickedly in the torchlight. "This is the first stage: endurance. How much pain can you endure before you break?"

The blade cut into their flesh slowly and deliberately. Tahir bit down, refusing to scream, as shallow cuts appeared along his arms and chest. Others cried out, but he stayed silent, his skin burning from the stinging wounds.

"Some of you think that this much blood loss will kill you. But the body—it's far more resilient than you think," the teacher explained, addressing the class. "Your heart pumps blood through your veins, forcing it out with every beat. But with control—mastery—you can slow that flow."

Some students looked confused despite their pain. Tahir focused, taking shallow breaths, fighting to stay conscious as the blood loss began to weaken him.

"If you clench your muscles just right, you can slow the bleeding," the teacher explained with a twisted smile. "It's basic biology. Muscle contraction compresses the blood vessels, slowing the flow. Control your body, and you can hold on longer."

Tahir grimaced, forcing his muscles to contract despite the agony. His arms throbbed, but the bleeding slowed slightly as he squeezed with all his remaining strength.

"Ah, Tahir understands," the teacher said with satisfaction. "But remember—this is only a temporary fix. Eventually, your body will give out, no matter how strong you think you are. Control only goes so far."

Tahir felt the difference. His cuts bled less, the flow reduced by his muscle tension. But it wasn't enough. His strength was fading, his vision blurring as the minutes dragged on.

The teacher crouched beside him, voice soft and threatening. "Blood can be your greatest ally—or your downfall. Learn to control it, or it will betray you."

With those words, the teacher moved on, leaving Tahir behind as he began to address the other students.

After what felt like an eternity, the teacher's voice cut through the haze. "Now, for the second stage."

Tahir's eyes snapped open.

The teacher stood over him, smirking. "You think that was hard? That was nothing. Now, we break your mind."

Tahir, weak from blood loss and dazed, was unchained and dragged to a smaller room. The teacher stood in the doorway, watching him with a smile that chilled Tahir to the core.

"You are special, Tahir," the teacher said. "You have talent no one else does. But that makes you a threat—to yourself. Until you learn control, you are a danger. And now, I will help you unlock that control."

Tahir stumbled back as the door slammed shut behind him, plunging him into total darkness. His breathing quickened, heart pounding against his ribs. He tried to gather his thoughts, but the silence was oppressive. Then, slowly, his mind began to play tricks on him.

Shadows shifted in the corners of the room. Whispering voices grew louder. His worst fears, his darkest memories, surged to the surface, threatening to drown him. He clenched his fists, trying to push them away, but the visions became sharper, more vivid.

He was back in the place where it all began. His friends on the street, their faces twisted in agony. The screams. The blood, his entire past was now playing right before his eyes.

"No," Tahir whispered, sinking to his knees. "This isn't real."

But the pain in his chest told him otherwise. The darkness was suffocating, and his mind was breaking under its weight. He was losing himself.

The door creaked open, and the teacher's voice drifted in like smoke. "Do you see it now, Tahir? Your power is locked behind this weakness. Embrace it, and you will emerge stronger. Resist it... and you will break."

Tahir's body shook, his mind teetering on the edge of collapse. But somewhere, deep inside, a spark ignited.

"No," he growled, pushing himself to his feet. "I won't break."

The teacher smiled from the doorway. "Good. Now, let's see if you can survive the next trial."