Training and a new mindset

The next few weeks blur into one long, unbroken cycle of solitude.

I spent the weeks training, with a relentless focus on improving my abilities. The events of the dungeon - my party's betrayal - still haunts the back of your mind. But with each passing day, the weight of that trauma becomes a little easier to carry.

There’s no time for rest. There’s only survival. Only growth.

This new mindset carries me on throughout my next steps. I've refused every invitation to join another Party. After the events of the dungeon spread, numerous Parties in either guilt, pity or genuine interest offered me a place with them. But each offer was greeted with a polite rejection. Rumith tries to encourage me to join another Party to move on, learn that not everyone is a double crossed as the Silver Ever were.

But I couldn't bear the thought of trusting anyone again.

Instead, I focus on myself. I take on low-rank listings - simple, straightforward jobs. The Guild’s job board is cluttered with these low ranked tasks. usually not worth most the time or effort for most Parties. So for me, it provides the perfect opportunity to train. Each day follows the same pattern - rise early, eat a simple breakfast, and then set off for another low-rank listing. Kill some beasts, clear out a cave, retrieve an item and test the growing potential of my control magic.

After the events of the dungeon, I could feel something had changed. A bubbling beneath the surface, raw energy waiting to be tapped into. The more I practiced, the more I came to realise that this power was something I could shape. I don’t wield magic with brute **** anymore...

I bend it to my will with precision.

At first, it was clumsy - the sudden shadows that would rise were a struggle to contain. But the more I worked at it, the more the magic began to obey me. I could feel its pulse inside me, an extension of myself, no longer an unpredictable unknown. Now, when I focused, I can feel the currents of shadows running through my veins, like an intricate web, waiting for me command anything within my sight.

I won't lie - the feeling was intoxicating. It was here I realised I'd gained a need for control, the sensation of bending any potential threat to my will. No doubt the trauma from the betrayal had cause this. At times, I'd even find myself testing the limits of my control magic, seeing just how much the dungeon creatures could take. I'd make them do gruesome feats. Horrible tasks. Humorous acts.

But I'm careful. I'm focused. No one will take control from me again.

The 100,000 coins sits safely in storage at my room in the Adventure Guild. It’s a small fortune, more than I've ever had before. When I hold the coins, I can feel the weight of it, the freedom it offers. No longer do I have to worry about the costs of food or the room at the Guild. I can live simply, purely focused on training without distraction.

At first, the coins felt hollow in my palm, an empty reward for a task that left you with nothing but grief and guilt. But now, weeks later, I've come to appreciate the security they provide. There’s no longer a rush to accept any job, no need to scramble for coin.

After a few days of non stop training, I took a break and headed into the markets of Noxim. Rumith came with me, eager to show me what was for sale. I found the slightly older lady a real comfort, considering her even a friend. She showed me around, taking me to various blacksmiths, armour shops and vendors selling rare magical items.

I stopped at one particular market, with a man dressed in black. He wore a mask, a cracked white surface showing only his amber eyes. The masked man only offered one item - a black cloak called the Cloak of Sion. At first just looking like a regular cloak, the masked man suddenly thrust a dagger into the fabric only for it to be met with a loud CLANG.

Rumith and I stared in wonder as the masked man explain the cloak was enchanted, founded by some Mage named Sion. It seemed the cloak worked as a suit of armour too, making it an illusionary item. The price was 8000 coins, but I bought it regardless. The cloak felt light and airy yet offered just as much protection as a suit of armour - truely a rare item. I also spent some coin on upgrading Stella, my horse's saddle and armour, considering her my alone companion during my travels to the dungeons.

Despite Rumith and Stella, I mostly spent my time alone. And the more time I spent alone, the stronger I felt myself become. The isolation had **** me to confront the things I've kept buried. The loss of my mother, the guilt with Ishi, the distrust of the Silver Edge. I wasn't healing but growing. It felt as if I was becoming someone new, someone different from the person I was back in Shorm.

My same dream still remained - to become a ruler in Averlon, rising to the top and grasping my goals with my own bare hands. It was just now, I'd do it in a different way. One that required a new mindset.

One that relied on complete, total control.