Sera and Cassandra stood facing each other, weapons pointed at the ground and their breaths heavy. Sera wiped the sweat off her forehead. “That was a good spar, Cassandra,” and buckled the spear onto her back. Cassandra smiled, and they both turned and left for their rooms.

  The night continued on; some apprentices slept, and Maximus still sat in Lysa’s cabin staring at the egg. He then let out a deep sigh. “I’ll look into this later.” He grabbed the egg and left her cabin. The cool night breeze followed by the chirping of crickets and light murmurs of the apprentices filled the silent academy grounds. The moon shed its light across, filtering through the leaves. Maximus exited through the rear gates, descending toward the Acacia Guesthouse.

  Soon, the sky brightened, turning crimson over the rising sun. The apprentices woke up, getting ready for their day; all of them except Ray. The bells rang, and all the apprentices hurried out of the dorms, while Ray still slept. Iuna and Brant stood on the stage and ordered the apprentices to gather around. Sera, Cassandra and Elaira stood at the front. Maximus strode through the garden path. Soon, he arrived on the stage. Iuna and Brant greeted him.

  After a few moments, all the apprentices had gathered, including Mei Zhi. But Ray was nowhere to be seen. Brant clapped, and silence followed. Maximus cleared his throat. “Most of you don’t know what harmony is. Still.” His eyes hovered over them. “Starting today, you’ll learn.” He pointed at the crowd. “Cassandra, tell me, what do you know about harmony?” She looked to her side, then back at Maximus. “It’s a method to train both your body and senses.”

  Maximus took a moment before answering. “Close. It’s a method to become one with your body and senses.” He walked forward, his eyes still on them. “You all must be familiar with external harmony. It is to train your body to the absolute limit to unlock its full potential. Like…” He jumped high up, did a roll and landed back on his feet. “This.”

  He rested his hands behind him. “You are already at your limit as fifteen-year-olds. As you age, your limits will rise as well. So don’t worry if you cannot jump as high as me.” He walked through them as they stood still. “Now, in terms of senses, it’s similar. It is called internal harmony; training your senses to their limit. I’ll show you.” He leaned in and whispered something in one of the apprentices’ ears, then turned to Brant and asked, “Tell us.”

  “You told him you liked beef stew.”

  “See, heightened hearing. Internal harmony comprises the five senses. Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.” He placed his hand on his chest. “I have mastered sight and hearing.”

  He walked back onto the stage and turned toward them. “To master sight and hearing, blind and deafen yourself. For smell, hold your breath during training and other tasks.” After a long moment of silence, he raised his finger. “Taste and touch are dangerous, so you won’t be training in that now.”

  He then asked Brant and Iuna to train their apprentices and told his to follow him. Iuna handed her apprentices blindfolds. “Try your hardest to dodge my attacks, okay?” she said with a smile on her face.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Brant and his apprentices sat under the trees near the garden roads. “Close your eyes and find one sound you can focus on. Try to listen only to that one sound.”

  Maximus took away his apprentices’ weapons and also handed them blindfolds. “Attack each other.” They glanced at each other. Sera, Elaira and Cassandra were the first to comply and put on the blindfolds. Following them, Jon, Aidan, Victor and the remaining apprentices also put them on. They stumbled around under Maximus’ watchful gaze, failing to hit anyone. He turned to Mei Zhi. “What will you do? Since you’ve already mastered all the senses.”

  She pointed at the flailing apprentices. “I can disrupt their training and hit a few of them. If they think someone is progressing faster than them, they’ll get motivated.”

  A smirk appeared on Maximus’ face, and he nodded, allowing her to interfere. She strode into the chaos, dodging punches and kicks. She started counterattacking, causing even more chaos. They shouted, grunted and swore at each other, not knowing none of them could land a hit; fueling their drive, they became more aggressive. Jon launched a punch and hit someone. He cheered only to be interrupted by Mei Zhi kicking his gut. It’s not much different from back home. The only notable difference is training each sense individually. She thought and continued disrupting them.

  Their training continued under Maximus, Brant and Iuna. Back inside the dorm, Ray sat still, yawning. He looked around, his ears focusing on the shouts and grunts from the training ground. “What the hell is happening?” He took his time getting ready and exiting the dorm, only to be greeted by Brant and his apprentices meditating. Brant raised his finger to his lips, urging him to be quiet. Ray nodded and walked away, his footsteps making no sound. As he continued, he saw Iuna attacking her blindfolded apprentices as they scattered around screaming.

  “I see. Training their senses.” He shook his head and walked toward Jon and the others’ voices. He halted in his tracks, his gaze hovering over the chaos happening in front of him.

  Around the academy, the guards watched training, perhaps chatting about their own. The second-year students shivered as they remembered what they had gone through a year ago. The sun strode through the sky, over the curtains of clouds passing below. Shouts, grunts, screams and Iuna’s low menacing laugh filled the surroundings. Ray stared into the chaos, watching as the apprentices swung around, missing all their attacks. Maximus called him over and said, “Join them.”

  “No, thanks. My arm still hurts.”

  He took a deep breath and held it, still staring into the chaos. Maximus glanced at him. “I see you’re training as well. Good luck.”

  Ray simply nodded and walked away, still holding his breath. I’ll try running today. Back in the chaos of the flailing group, Aidan, Victor and some nobles had an easier time, having already known the concept and trained in it. They still couldn’t locate anyone and just swung their arms and legs.

  The day passed, and all the apprentices under Maximus and Iuna lay on the ground, covered in sweat and bruises. Their breaths heavy, arms splayed wide. Maximus walked through the gaps between them. “It will not be easy. Train every day.” He started walking away. “If you have questions, feel free to ask me.” The apprentices nodded, groaning.

  Mei Zhi stood over Jon, staring at him. “Get up.” After hearing her voice, Jon shot to his feet. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear and smiled. “Remember that.” And then she walked away.

  At the back gate of the academy, Lysa stood, one arm resting on her hilt, the other carrying a black bag. The crimson sky reflected in her eyes as she stared at it. Ray walked up to her, letting out the breath he had been holding. “Are you leaving?”

  “I am. How long can you hold your breath now?” She asked, turning to face him. “About two minutes.” He crossed his arms. “When will you return?” She smacked his back. “Don't slack off. I’ll be back in about a year.” And she walked away into the distance. He waved her off and took a deep breath and held it, walking back inside.