Another waterfall of sweat poured down my face. While punching and tormenting the poor tree closest to my quarters, I muttered aloud, “Am I ever going to become stronger? Or am I just breaking myself?”

A seemingly old elder who was passing by stopped and gazed straight into my eyes.
For a moment, I thought the entire world held its breath.

My body shivered uncontrollably, and I collapsed backward. It didn’t matter — my mind went blank.
The last thing I remember was a sensation like my soul being turned inside out, as if unseen hands were trying to peel something hidden within me.

When I came to, the geezer was standing there, staring intently at the distant stars.

Then, he looked back and smiled — briefly, faintly, as if remembering something long forgotten.

In that moment, all my fears scattered from my exhausted mind — but a new weight, a silent one, nestled deep in my chest.

“What the…” I muttered, mouth hanging open.

He spoke, his voice carrying both lightness and an echo of inevitability:

“You are not going to get much stronger. Not like this. Not while doubting yourself so much…
Someday, boy, you will have to decide: to shatter, or to break.”

His words fell over me like snow — cold, silent, unstoppable.

A fire swelled in my chest, but it was not the same as before.
It burned slower, deeper — a question that refused to be answered yet.

When I finally blinked, the geezer was gone.
Only the wind remained — and within it, if I listened carefully, a faint sound…
…like chains stirring somewhere beyond sight.