Jake's surprise twisted into shock. His voice came out unsteady. “What do you mean we’re being hunted?” The last sliver of sun slipped below the horizon, drowning the forest in darkness. Gareth was in a trance, his gaze locked where the sun had vanished, as if he hoped he could call back the light. His grim expression aged him. As the last light bled from the sky, his face turned to chiseled stone, cold, empty, dead. His croaky voice broke the spell with a whisper, “Shadows. We’re being hunted by shadows.” A slow chill crawled over Jake’s skin, sinking deep into his bones. The night pressed in, swallowing the last warmth, as Gareth’s words took root.

  Hungry, dark oily tendrils of smoke, creeping ever closer. No escape.

  Gareth cracked his knuckles; the sound weakened the embrace of the vision. That was no nightmare, they’re coming for me.

  "We still have tomorrow to prepare you. Go to sleep. You'll need your strength." His mentor's voice cracked the icy prison Jake’s mind was trapped in. He was about to ask more, but when he saw his mentor's face, he knew pushing further was no use.

  Reluctantly, he walked to his mattress, shaking his head. "You sure have a knack for bedtime stories," he muttered. Gareth, lost in thought, didn’t hear him. He whispered in the darkness, "Shadows made flesh." Jake froze mid-step. He slowly looked back at his mentor in disbelief. I was NOT trying to encourage you! The silence that followed felt suffocating, as if Gareth's cryptic warning had pressed a weight onto his very soul. I'm thrown into a war, and I don't even know what sides exist.

  Jake lay down, his eyes open. Life was never easy, but everything was so much simpler just a few days ago. Shadows shifted among the trees and slithered on the ground. Jake silently prayed that none would invade his dreams. His last thought before sleep was for his old refuge, the ruins and the altar. He knew it was stupid, but he whispered anyway. “Please protect me…”

  As the last remnants of shapeless dreams dissolved, Jake became aware of the light. Is it late already? He blinked, pushing away the lingering fog of sleep, and glanced around. Gareth was gone.

  A flicker of panic passed through him, but then he caught the faint, rhythmic sound of fists striking wood. He grabbed a piece of bread, tore off a bite, and followed the noise.

  Gareth stood bare-chested in a clearing, moving fluidly around a tree, his fists landing in steady, measured strikes. He wasn’t using his full strength, yet the bark had been stripped away, exposing raw wood. Fine cracks had begun forming along the trunk. Jake hesitated, watching from a distance. Gareth didn’t stop until he noticed him. Exhaling sharply, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Good. You’re awake." Then, as if answering Jake’s silent question, he added, "I told you I needed you well-rested. Today is not about quantity." Something shifted in his expression as he reached for his shirt, his movements slower, more deliberate. After pulling it on, he glanced at Jake, his voice carrying an unusual weight. "Today," he said, "I’ll try to teach you something I can’t do myself."

  Gareth walked toward a towering boulder nearby. He said with a large hand gesture, “Your father could phase through that.” He then looked at Jake expectantly. Jake's eyes slowly widened as he understood his mentor's suggestion. “Gareth, that’s solid stone! Are you crazy?” Gareth shrugged, “Maybe a little…” He stopped to ponder as if it were a real question. After a while, he locked eyes with Jake and grinned, “Alright, phase into the mist and go through the obstacle.” Jake was frowning and didn’t seem like he would follow orders without discussion this time. Gareth clicked his tongue. “You want explanations? Your father told me he could go above and beyond the mist. At some points, the physical world completely disappears… or something like that.” His mentor waved him forward, a mix of encouragement and impatience. Jake sighed, rubbing his temples. You’re going to kill me this time. He took several deep breaths, trying to focus. Gareth encouraged him by making big eyes and rolling a hand to signal him to speed up. Thanks, that helps so much. With a grim face, Jake phased.

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  He stepped into the swirling pink mist. Instantly, the world swallowed all sound. Gareth’s voice was gone. The forest fell silent. Even the rustling wind vanished. Jake felt a mix of peace and longing in the ethereal place. He exhaled slowly, moving his arms. The mist hugged him, curling around his fingers, as if welcoming him back home. Now I remember why I work alone. Approaching the boulder, its outline blurred at the edges, Jake pressed his hand against the rock. Solid… as a rock. He knocked it in different places, as if it were a safe he was trying to open. What am I even trying to do?

  Frustration and determination warred inside him. My father could do it… He closed his eyes, trying to phase further, but nothing happened. His head felt dizzy from the effort. Gareth, I think you take things too far. That’s impossible, I’m not my father. But maybe his father had help? Jake took the jewel out of his pocket on an impulse and looked at the slowly blinking stone. Do you know how to go above and beyond? Can you help me? The stone didn’t answer. Yeah, I thought so. Jake sighed, drumming a finger absently on the jewel. The stone reacted, pulsing with warmth, tingling against his palm. The sensation deepened, like invisible hands pulling him somewhere else, but without moving him at all. The pink mist changed, taking on a more vivid color. Jake felt his whole body vibrate in resonance with this enhanced world. He tried to touch the boulder again and gaped as his hand passed through. The boulder’s outline blurred, its colors draining. The mist bled into it, staining it pale pink. He pushed harder, and his arm passed through. It felt like tiny needles were prodding him, not really painful, but not comfortable either. Jake gulped. If I phase back when I’m in the middle of that, I’m done for. Fear, curiosity, and ambition struggled for a while. If I’m hunted, I’ll need all the power I can get. He took a few deep breaths. Well, I guess I’m crazy too.

  Jake stepped through the stone. Instantly, it felt like he was deep underwater, the pressure on his ears almost unbearable. His vision was limited, and as he rushed to the other side of the boulder, his legs grew weak. The apprentice clenched the jewel as he felt his body starting to phase back too early. He felt the stone become more solid, tearing his clothes and scraping his skin, like claws trying to keep him in the rocky prison. Pushing through the pain, he finally reached the other side. When Jake phased back to the real world. His clothes were in shreds, and he had shallow cuts all over his body. Violent shivers took over, he bent over, and puked the little he had eaten as breakfast.

  Anger flared in him at his display of fragility. You’re hunting me? I’ll tear you apart for that. Jake forced himself upright, his body screaming in protest. The fear and exhaustion twisted into something darker, something sharp-edged and dangerous. His snarl deepened, eyes burning with something feral. If the shadows wanted a fight, they had one. He spat the bitter taste in his mouth. Then he forced the thought aside, masking his exhaustion with a wry smile. Walking around the stone to return to Gareth, he said, “Well, that was easy, what next?” Gareth looked at the state he was in and chuckled. “Well, I guess no more of that for today. Now you know you can do it. It’s just a matter of training.” His mentor handed him a waterskin.

  When his student was ready, Gareth gently put a hand over his shoulders to bring him back to the camp and made him sit on a log. Then the warrior cleaned and bandaged his apprentice’s cuts. He thought aloud, “Mmmh… what next? There are a few abilities we could try…”

  Suddenly, Gareth froze; Jake could hear it too. A low, humming sound, vibrating in his skull. He looked at his mentor, whose face had gone pale, the remnants of his smile shattered. Gareth stared at Jake wide-eyed and said, “I thought we had more time. They found us. We have to move, boy.” Jake's hair stood on end as he saw an expression of fear he had never seen before on Gareth's face.

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