Warrior Training System

"I honestly thought you were just some weirdo getting a kick out of cutting up these clones," Amina said, watching as Cassian presented his latest finding from the clone he'd just killed—a tall, burly boy who had put up quite a fight.

"Yeah, not that kind of weirdo," Cassian replied, placing a still-bloody but remarkably intact heart on the ground in front of her.

Larick grimaced, his face twisting in disgust as he eyed the organ. Meanwhile, Amina leaned in, her expression shifting to one of confusion as she examined it closely. "Okay... and what exactly am I supposed to be looking at here?" she asked, glancing back at Cassian with a raised brow.

Cassian gestured for them to look more closely at the heart. "Just... trust me for a second and really look at it," he said, his tone serious. Amina leaned in further, her curiosity piqued despite the unease in her expression. Larick hesitated but eventually stepped closer, his disgust giving way to cautious intrigue.

Cassian crouched down and carefully covered his hands in his domain, a faint glow shimmering around them. "Watch this," he murmured, reaching out to touch the heart. The moment his fingers made contact, the heart gave an unnatural pulse, almost like it was alive again.

A collective gasp escaped the group as small runes and symbols began to light up across the surface of the heart. They were intricate and faint at first, but as Cassian kept his hand steady, the glow intensified, spreading across the heart in a mesmerizing pattern.

"Holy shit's.. what is that?" Larick muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Cassian didn't answer immediately, his focus entirely on the heart. The runes grew brighter, their light almost blinding as it seemed to radiate from deep within. Then, as if responding to his domain, a thin sphere of blue light emerged, encasing the heart. It shimmered like a barrier, eerily similar to the domains of the Circle Warriors.

"It's... a domain," Amina whispered, her voice barely audible over the pulsing hum of the glowing heart. She glanced at Cassian, her eyes wide with astonishment. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Cassian admitted, his voice low but steady. "But this... this is how they're mimicking domains. and as far as I know about magic this is really advance like really really advance...."

The group couldn't hide their impressed expressions as they watched the glowing sphere around the heart. Cassian's explanation left them in awe, but Selene, her curiosity piqued, asked, "How do you even know so much about this kind of stuff?"

Cassian shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "My mother's a mage. I guess I picked up a few things here and there," he replied casually, turning back to the heart and continuing his examination with renewed focus.

Selene followed him, her interest unwavering as she observed his meticulous work. Meanwhile, Larick and Amina exchanged a glance, their expressions tinged with faint bitterness.

"They do realize," Amina muttered, her voice low as she watched the two, "that all this research only matters if we actually make it out of here, right?"

Larick sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Let's hope they've got a plan for that too," he said, his tone half-joking but edged with resignation.

Amina and Larick's skepticism wasn't misplaced. As much as Cassian's research on the clones was uncovering fascinating details, it wasn't doing much to ease their immediate struggle. The discoveries hadn't made it any easier to distinguish clones from real humans in the heat of battle, and certainly hadn't provided a clear method for defeating them more efficiently.

Without dissecting the clones—peering into their bones and hearts—it was impossible to tell them apart from the real people they mimicked. And even then, what good was that knowledge if it couldn't be used practically? The runes carved into the clones' bones and the strange domain-like energy surrounding their hearts remained mysteries. They were impressive feats of magic, but they didn't bring the group any closer to understanding how to counter them.

More importantly, they still had no clue how to escape the nightmare they were trapped in. The den seemed endless, its corridors winding into shadowy uncertainty. Every step forward felt like a gamble, each corner hiding potential death in the form of another ambush.

Cassian, for all his focus on unraveling the secrets of the clones, hadn't come up with any answers for the bigger problem. And while Amina and Larick didn't voice it aloud, the weight of that realization pressed down on everyone.

Selene stood silently by Cassian's side, her gaze drifting to the others. Their exhaustion was written all over their faces—tired eyes, slumped shoulders, and expressions that seemed to dim whatever faint glimmer of hope they still clung to. That hope, fragile as it was, felt like it was slipping away with every passing moment.

"It's getting harder and harder..." she murmured, her voice barely audible.

Cassian, oblivious to the heavy mood settling over the group, was entirely absorbed in his work. With focused precision, he dissected a part of the clone's head, his excitement evident in his tone as he replied, "Harder? Harder what?"

Selene sighed, her gaze still fixed on the others. "Harder to be hopeful," she said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of the group's collective weariness.

Cassian froze for a moment, the excitement draining from his face as her words registered. He finally looked up from the clone's dissected head and turned his attention to the group. Their tired faces told the story—sunken eyes, pale skin, and the kind of exhaustion that no amount of rest could fix.

But what could he do? Cassian was just like them—only a little stronger, nothing extraordinary. So what if he'd found a strange hobby in the middle of this madness? If dissecting these clones helped him focus, what was wrong with that? Sure, it made him oblivious to the group's mood sometimes, but they weren't his friends. He didn't owe them emotional support. All he could do was wish for their survival and help them here and there to keep them alive.

Hope? That wasn't his responsibility. They had to find that on their own. They were kids, yes, but they were also Circle Warriors. Hope for them wasn't just an emotion—it was power. Letting go of it was never an option, and they should know that.

With that thought, Cassian returned to his work, his blade moving deftly as he continued the dissection. "Well, what can we do?" he said, his tone flat, as though the answer were obvious.

Selene glanced down, her expression tinged with sympathy. She didn't know how to keep the group's morale up either. If only she could. If she had heard Cassian's inner thoughts, though, she might have disagreed—his blunt philosophy, as callous as it sounded, could have been the lecture they needed.

Cassian's blade moved methodically, his focus on the intricate details of the clone's anatomy. But as his hands worked, his mind wandered. For all the bleakness of their situation, he couldn't deny the progress he'd made since being trapped in this place. His sword technique, once plateaued and frustratingly stagnant, had advanced by leaps and bounds. Each battle forced him to refine his skills further, adapting to unpredictable foes and impossible odds.

And then there was his mana. Cassian had spent what felt like an eternity here, gauging time by his sleep cycles. By his estimation, it had been nearly a month. The relentless battles had left little time for rest, but he'd managed to carve out moments to focus on rotating his mana, letting it flow through his body in a controlled rhythm. That practice alone had strengthened him significantly, sharpening his reflexes and amplifying his physical power. He was stronger now—far stronger than when he first entered this nightmare.

Yet, as satisfying as that progress was, a pang of unease lingered in the back of his mind. What was happening outside? How were things being handled beyond this hellish maze? Cassian knew enough about the world to realize that his prolonged absence wouldn't go unnoticed.

His thoughts turned to Katherine. She wasn't the type to sit idly by. If she hadn't heard from him in this long, there was no way she'd let it slide. The fact that she hadn't already turned the world upside down to find him was a puzzle in itself. How were the people behind this keeping everyone outside in the dark?

His job was to figure out how to survive here and, hopefully, find a way to escape. Still, the uncertainty was like a weight pressing on his chest, making it harder to focus.

He glanced at Selene, who was still by his side, quietly observing his work. Larick and Amina were off to the side, speaking in hushed tones, their faces set with determination despite the exhaustion that clung to them like a shadow.

Cassian sighed and returned to the task at hand. Progress was progress, but it felt hollow when he didn't know if it would ever lead to freedom. As he carved deeper into the clone's secrets, he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, "One step at a time. That's all we can do."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Selene glanced at him, her brows furrowing slightly. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Cassian replied, shaking his head. "Just thinking out loud."