Even in my dreams, I couldn't escape. My current workout was the doing of my dream demon. Currently, I am climbing a mountain after I ran  100 laps cross a stadium. I wasn't sure why the workout was this eccentric, but I wasn't too bothered. This was a dream. Unlike real life, where my stamina barely kept me going for 10 laps, here I could keep going for as long as I wished. Climbing the mountain was a cinch. However, as I neared the precipice, a sudden gust of wind shook me off the mountain.

Instinctively, I braced for impact. But before I went splat, my eyes opened and I woke up.

I still felt like I was being shaken off the mountain, so I turned my head to the side to see Joseph almost push me off the bed.

"What's going on, why the hell are you here?" I replied with a groggy voice.

"Well, it's 10 A.M. Rorik, way past the time for you to get up so we can start your morning workout."

I was surprised it was already 10 A.M. This was one of the few times I overslept, and it felt like I slept for only 5 hours despite sleeping for 10.

"Give me a few minutes to get ready."

"No problem, I'll be waiting outside."

After taking about thrice as long as I usually would get ready, I sadly left my room.

"Alright, now follow me to the training ground."

While I followed Joseph, I kept wondering at the back of my mind if picking Plan 1 was the right decision.  Unfortunately, it was too late to back out now.

Thus, my routine for the next few weeks began. I trained with Joseph morning and night. The schedule was brutal, and I felt like I was at death's door at the end of every day.  On the bright side, the workout was only in the morning and night, so I had the afternoons to indulge in all of my hobbies.

Well, just reading. I was too tired to walk around, and I really didn't have anything else to do. If you were getting points for rereading books more than 10 times, I would have at least 30 points right now.

The monotony of my routine wasn't broken until one day, I received a letter from Kasa. Upon seeing the letter, I took a moment to compose myself and regain control of my emotions.

I was happy that I was able to disrupt my boring life, anxious because I didn't know what would be in the letter, and curious as to how she was managing in school. I was about to open it, but quickly put it down. After repeating this a few times, I finally opened the letter and began reading it to myself.

"Hello Rorik,

Sorry for not sending you a letter sooner. It took me longer than I expected to get accustomed to the capital. It's a place even more incredible than I imagined. There's so much magic that I can still learn.

Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten about you.

Were you lonely? I bet you were since no one talks to you. I know how it feels since I lived like that before you came. But don't worry Rorik, I'll keep sending you letters to keep you entertained. You just have to keep looking forward to them.

I hope you don't fall back into bad habits Rorik. Especially visiting the prison and talking to other people. I don't want to have to reprimand you.

Remember, everyone lies to us and we can only trust each other. I should do all the talking since I can defend myself, while You can just trust me. For now, just read books. My professors said that I could definitely skip classes, so I will finish this roadblock in no time.

From,
Kasa"

After finishing, I silently held the letter in my hand for a few minutes. To make sure I wasn't hallucinating out of fatigue, I read the letter a few more times, then put it back in its envelope. After placing it on a table, I let out a breath in exasperation.

'Change takes time, it's only been a few weeks. Soon everything will work out.' I muttered to myself as I rubbed my temples. I opened a drawer
underneath the table and began quickly writing a short reply.

'Hello, Kasa,

Thank you for writing a letter. Truth be told, I am a little lonely without your presence, but I'll take your advice about not falling into old habits in mind.

Don't forget that a castle isn't built in a day. Take as much time as you need in magic school, I won't be going anywhere.

From,
Rorik'

As I finished writing the reply, I began thinking about some of my old habits. In particular, I realized it had been a while since I practiced soul techniques. Since I was making no progress, I initially wanted to take a small break. Unfortunately, the intensity of the workout made me forget about it for a few days.

'I guess I should get back into the habit. These will be my trump cards in the future after all.'

By the time I finished writing the letter, it was time for the afternoon training session. I let out a small groan before leaving and walking to Joseph. I took the letter with me so I could ask him how to get it mailed. Luckily, he was pretty happy to help me. After that brief delay, we trained till night.

After returning to my room, I practiced my soul techniques. Immediately I noticed something was off. While Tracking showed no differences, when I practiced Az, I felt something inexplicable happening.

It felt like my body was absorbing the soul essence directly. As if to prove this, I instantly felt rejuvenated.

Immediately, I jumped out of my bed, ran to my bookshelf, and began reading information about Az.

After a few minutes of dedicated reading, I came to a simple conclusion. I had absolutely no clue what was going on.

My hands were on my head and I leaned into my chair. I realized I might have gotten myself into another mess.