The deep, undisturbed stillness of the early morning held the private mansion room in a state of absolute peace, with the soft, pale gray light of dawn just beginning to filter gently through the small gaps in the heavy window curtains. I lay completely motionless beneath the thick, warm layers of the blankets, resting comfortably as the gentle silence of the environment enveloped my mind in total tranquility. Everything around me was entirely calm and quiet, the rest of the world appearing to stand completely still in these early hours of the day. Slowly, my conscious mind began to pull away from the lingering depths of sleep, and my eyes regained full awareness as they fluttered open to greet the dim, soft illumination of the new morning. I woke up a bit early, my internal clock drawing me back to the waking world long before the rest of the grand estate had even begun to stir. I turned my head slowly across the soft surface of the pillow to check on my companions, observing that Salphy and Elphyete were still completely immersed in their deep, restful slumber. They lay perfectly still in the center of the massive bed, their steady, rhythmic breathing filling the room with a profound sense of safety and warmth. Taking extreme care to ensure that the fabric of the blankets did not rustle loudly and that I did not make a single sound that could disrupt their quiet rest, I slowly shifted my weight across the mattress. Moving with deliberate slowness and absolute precision, I slid my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up on the floor. I quietly walked across the expanse of the room toward the exit of our private quarters, my steps light, careful, and completely unhurried. I reached the heavy wooden door and extended my right hand, turning the handle with the absolute minimum amount of noise possible. I stepped over the threshold and I went out of our room into the long corridor, closing the door softly behind me to protect their peaceful sleep.
The long residential hallway of the grand mansion was completely empty and silent, with the soft morning shadows stretching elegantly across the wide carpets. I began walking down the passage, stretching my arms and rotating my shoulders to shake off the final remnants of sleep and prepare my body for the day. As I turned a quiet corner near the main staircase, I suddenly caught sight of a tall, dignified figure walking from the opposite direction. I bumped into King Nishighi right there in the middle of the corridor, our unexpected early morning paths crossing perfectly in the quiet hallway. He looked completely alert and stately, carrying himself with his usual royal poise even in these incredibly quiet hours of the day. Recognizing the perfect opportunity to find a suitable location to expend my morning energy and hone my physical skills, I stepped forward and asked him where I could train, keeping my voice low and respectful so as to not disturb the rest of the sleeping household. King Nishighi paused his stride, looking at me with a calm, approving expression that showed his appreciation for my dedication. And then King Nishighi said that they have an advanced training room that is made from advanced zenith tier magic. "We have an advanced training room that is made from advanced zenith tier magic," he stated clearly, his voice carrying a tone of absolute certainty and calm dignity as he offered the use of the specialized facility for my morning exercises. He did not offer any further explanation or detail regarding the nature of the magic, simply stating the fact with a brief, stately nod.
After delivering the brief statement, King Nishighi turned on his heel and motioned for me to follow him down the wide residential hallway. And then King Nishighi guided me into the basement, leading our way down past the main floors of the mansion, past the grand common areas, and down a hidden set of cold, heavy stone steps that descended deep into the subterranean foundations of the massive estate. The air grew steadily cooler and crisper as we traveled deeper into the lower levels, the elegant carpets of the upper floors giving way to solid, ancient stone blocks that echoed softly under our footsteps. We walked through several dark, quiet subterranean corridors lit only by occasional iron torches until we finally reached a completely isolated, dead-end chamber at the very back of the basement foundation. King Nishighi walked over to a specific spot on the solid stone floor, looking down at the heavy masonry beneath his boots. Without saying a single word or explaining the mechanics of the hidden structure, he pushed a rock on the floor and it opened smoothly, a hidden mechanism triggering a wide opening in the solid stone right before my feet. The heavy floor segments slid back with a low, grinding rumble, revealing a deep, unlit passageway that led down into a completely hidden chamber below.
I offered a brief nod of appreciation to the king, stepped forward without a single moment of hesitation, and I went in, moving carefully through the opening and descending into the pitch-black space below. The moment my boots cleared the threshold and the floor closed securely behind me, the dark room lights up instantly with a brilliant, blinding flash of pure white illumination that completely exposed every single corner of the massive, wide training arena. The sudden burst of light revealed a vast, circular room made of smooth, indestructible gray stone, but the most incredible sight was standing directly in the center of the floor. Suddenly 20 clones of me are standing perfectly upright in a rigid, flawless combat formation, every single one of them possessing my exact physical height, my identical clothing, my precise facial features, and my exact build. They stood completely motionless in the bright light, their focused eyes staring directly into mine with absolute concentration, creating an incredibly intense visual representation of my own physical form multiplied twenty times over. They held no expressions on their faces, remaining completely static like a gallery of identical statues waiting for the exact moment to strike.
The absolute silence of the illuminated chamber lasted for only a fraction of a second before the intense training session officially began. I held my sword tightly in my right hand, drawing the sharp blade from its sheath with a clear, metallic ring that echoed grandly off the smooth stone walls of the vast arena. The exact moment my fingers securely gripped the hilt, the twenty identical figures moved in perfect, absolute unison, and they attacked me all at once from every single direction, rushing forward across the stone floor with immense speed and agility. The space was instantly filled with the flashing movement of twenty identical opponents charging toward my position, their coordinated movements cutting off nearly every conventional path of retreat. I kept dodging and countering, shifting my weight rapidly from one foot to the other as I wove through the relentless flurry of incoming strikes, ducking beneath their blades and sliding across the smooth floor to avoid being completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of their synchronized assault. Every single time I spotted a clear opening and launched a swift, powerful counter-strike aimed at one of my replicas, they also dodged my attacks with the exact same fluid reflexes and speed that I possessed, twisting their torsos and leaping backward to leave my blade slicing through nothing but empty air. The high-speed choreography was completely relentless, with me constantly evading their weapons and throwing out quick, calculated strikes, only for my perfect copies to mirror my defensive movements and slip away completely untouched.
I pressed forward through the shifting maze of my own likeness, my sword flashing in wide, defensive arcs to parry the incoming blows while my feet constantly sought stable ground on the smooth stone. I ducked underneath a swift horizontal swipe from one clone, simultaneously bringing my blade upward in a sharp counter-attack aimed at its exposed midsection, but the figure vanished from the line of fire with a seamless pivot, leaving my strike to meet nothing but empty air. At the exact same instant, three more clones lunged from my blind spots, their movements perfectly synchronized as they forced me to drop low and execute a rapid sweep of my leg to reset the distance. I kept dodging and countering with every ounce of physical strength and mental focus I possessed, reading my own habitual movements and attempting to outmaneuver my own ingrained combat tendencies. Yet, no matter how creative or unpredictable I tried to make my offensive patterns, they also dodged my attacks with absolute perfection, demonstrating the exact same flawless reflexes and instincts that my body relied upon during high-speed engagements. The continuous clashing of blades, the sharp scraping of boots against stone, and the heavy sound of my own breathing filled the massive, illuminated chamber as the grueling exercise maintained its intense, unwavering pace.
This incredible, high-speed cycle of rapid defense and mirrored offense continued without a single moment of rest, pause, or hesitation from either myself or the twenty identical opponents surrounding me. I've trained for 2 hours, the massive expanse of time slipping away entirely as I dedicated my entire physical effort and mental concentration to surviving and responding to the relentless, unending simulation. As the minutes slowly ticked by, sweat began to pour down my face and my muscles began to ache from the continuous, non-stop exertion of leaping, parrying, and striking against an army of my own perfect replicas. Throughout the entire two-hour duration, the intensity of the clones never diminished for a single second, forcing me to maintain an absolute level of vigilance and precision to avoid being struck by the constant barrage of attacks. Every movement I made was instantly met with an equal and opposite reaction from the horde of copies, turning the entire training session into a profound test of my endurance, agility, and fundamental reflexes. By the time the final minutes of the session finally drew to a close, my breath was coming in heavy, ragged gasps and my body was completely covered in sweat, but my defensive form remained entirely unbroken and solid.
Finally, after the full two hours of non-stop, exhausting combat had completely run their course, the twenty clones suddenly stopped their movements simultaneously, stepping back into their original rigid formation before dissolving completely into the bright light of the room, leaving the vast stone arena entirely empty and silent once more. I stood alone in the center of the chamber, lowering my sword and sliding it back into its sheath with a tired, deeply satisfied sigh as the intense adrenaline slowly began to leave my system. I took a few deep breaths to steady my pounding heart, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand as I looked around the quiet, empty facility. Satisfied with the immense physical workout I had achieved, I turned toward the exit, stepped through the opening mechanism, and walked back up the cold stone steps of the basement. I navigated my way through the quiet lower corridors and ascended the grand staircases of the mansion, walking through the peaceful residential hallways until I finally arrived back at the familiar wooden door of our quarters. I turned the handle quietly, stepped over the threshold, before I head out back to our room, slipping silently inside to join Salphy and Elphyete as they continued their restful morning sleep.