Creation Of All Things-Chapter 282: The First Lesson

The courtyard was quieter than usual.

Eon sat with Mira, Kairn, Leo, and Lena near the fountain, none of them saying much. The fight from earlier still hung in the air even though no one wanted to admit it. Every so often, Eon's fingers glowed faintly, his energy trying to leak out before he forced it back down.

Kairn tossed a pebble into the water. "So… are we just not going to talk about the part where a stranger walked out of nowhere and tried to kidnap you?"

Eon didn't look up. "There's nothing to talk about. She's gone."

Mira frowned. "For now."

Leo crossed his arms. "Dad said she wasn't alone. He said she was just the start."

Lena looked at Eon. "You okay?"

He nodded, though he didn't sound convinced. "I'm fine."

Kairn smirked a little. "Sure. You look fine. You only almost got dragged into a portal by some creepy woman from another dimension. Totally fine."

Mira glared at him. "Kairn."

"What? I'm just saying."

Eon finally looked up, his expression calm. "You don't have to walk on eggshells. I know what happened."

Mira sighed. "You don't have to act like it doesn't bother you."

He shrugged. "It doesn't change anything."

Leo tilted his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means I still have to get stronger," Eon said simply. "Whoever they are, they're not done."

Kairn leaned back on his hands. "You sound like your dad."

"I don't want to," Eon muttered.

Lena smiled faintly. "That might be unavoidable."

Before anyone could answer, a shadow passed over the group. A voice followed, calm but firm. "Glad you're all aware of how serious this is."

They turned.

Jordan stood there, arms folded, eyes sharp. His expression was as unreadable as ever. He looked at them like someone who had seen too much already and expected the same from them eventually.

Mira blinked. "Uncle Jordan?"

Kairn groaned under his breath. "This can't be good."

Jordan stepped closer, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Stop talking."

The kids went silent instantly.

He looked at each of them, his gaze lingering on Eon. "We were supposed to start your training much later. But plans have changed."

Mira frowned. "Because of the portal thing?"

"Because of the Elder Gods," Jordan said. "And because they won't stop until they get what they want."

Eon looked up. "They're after me."

Jordan nodded once. "Which means they'll also come for anyone standing beside you. That includes all of you."

Kairn raised an eyebrow. "So… we're in danger because we're friends with him?"

"Yes," Jordan said simply.

Leo sighed. "That's comforting."

Jordan ignored the comment. "You all have power, but power without direction makes you a target. Right now, you're like civilians holding weapons you don't know how to use."

Mira frowned. "We're not civilians."

"Compared to what's coming, you are," Jordan said. "And that's why I'm here."

Eon blinked. "You're going to train us?"

"Yes," Jordan said. "From now on, I'm in charge of your combat, ability control, and survival training."

Lena looked uneasy. "I thought Uncle Alfred was supposed to train us later?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Jordan's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "He teaches control. I teach adaptation."

Kairn raised a hand slightly. "What does that mean exactly?"

"It means," Jordan said, "you learn to evolve while you fight. You learn to survive when you shouldn't. You learn how to face things that shouldn't exist—and win."

Mira exchanged a look with Eon. "That sounds… bad."

Jordan crossed his arms. "It will be. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You'll break before you improve. You'll hate me. You'll think about quitting every single day."

Kairn groaned. "You make it sound fun."

Jordan's gaze sharpened. "This isn't fun. It's necessary."

Eon straightened up slightly. "When do we start?"

Jordan studied him for a moment before answering. "Now."

Kairn blinked. "Now as in right now?"

Jordan turned away. "If you're not ready now, you'll never be. Follow me."

They exchanged looks before standing. Mira leaned toward Eon. "He's serious, isn't he?"

"Very," Eon said.

They followed Jordan out of the courtyard, down the marble path toward the training grounds that shimmered faintly in the distance.

The moment they stepped inside, Jordan stopped and faced them again. "Before we begin, you need to understand something. I don't care about how powerful you are. I don't care whose child you are. Out there, that doesn't matter. Survival does."

Leo nodded slowly. "Got it."

"Do you?" Jordan asked. "Because the last group I trained thought the same thing. Half of them couldn't finish."

Lena frowned. "What happened to them?"

Jordan's expression didn't change. "They adapted. Or they didn't."

Silence.

He clapped once, and the ground under them shifted. The entire space warped, expanding into a wide arena filled with multiple platforms floating at different heights. Energy pulsed in the air, faint but heavy.

Kairn looked around. "Is this safe?"

"No," Jordan said. "That's the point."

Mira whispered under her breath, "This is going to be awful."

Jordan motioned to the platforms. "You're going to move across all of them without touching the ground. If you fall, you start over."

Lena blinked. "That's it?"

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "That's it for now."

Kairn smirked. "Okay, that doesn't sound—"

The platform beneath him shifted suddenly, flipping him sideways. He barely caught the edge before falling.

Jordan didn't move. "Lesson one. Don't assume anything stays the same."

Kairn groaned, pulling himself up. "You could've warned me!"

"I just did," Jordan said calmly.

Mira jumped onto the next platform, light energy trailing behind her. "So we're supposed to just… improvise?"

"Exactly," Jordan said. "Adapt or fall."

Eon followed next, his movements steady. When he jumped, the space around him flickered faintly, bending to his will just enough to boost his momentum. He landed cleanly on the next platform.

Jordan watched closely. "Good. You're learning already."

Kairn muttered, "Show-off."

Mira grinned. "He's allowed."

As the exercise went on, Jordan changed the terrain constantly—raising, lowering, rotating the platforms, forcing them to think faster, move faster. Each time one of them fell, he said the same thing: "Again."

Hours passed.

When they finally stumbled back onto the main platform, breathing hard, Jordan stood with his arms crossed. "That was the easy part."

Kairn dropped onto the floor. "Easy? I almost died!"

"You didn't," Jordan said. "That's progress."

Mira wiped sweat from her forehead. "How long are we doing this?"

"Until you stop thinking and start reacting," Jordan said. "Until your instincts catch up with your potential."

Eon looked up, still steady despite the exhaustion. "And after that?"

Jordan's expression softened slightly. "Then you'll face something that actually wants to kill you."

They all froze.

Leo frowned. "You're kidding."

Jordan's tone didn't change. "I don't joke about survival."

Kairn stared at him. "You're actually going to make us fight something?"

"Yes."

Mira frowned. "Like what?"

Jordan turned away. "You'll see tomorrow."

The kids exchanged uneasy glances.

Jordan started walking toward the exit but stopped halfway. "Get some rest. The real training starts at sunrise."

Eon called after him. "Why are you doing this? You could've waited."

Jordan didn't turn around. "Because if I don't train you now, someone else will break you later."

Then he was gone.

The group sat in silence for a while.

Kairn was the first to speak. "He's terrifying."

Mira nodded. "Yeah. And I think he likes it."

Eon looked at his hands again, faint light flickering across them. "He's right, though. We can't stay like this."

Lena sighed. "You're already taking this too seriously."

Eon smiled faintly. "I have to."

Leo crossed his arms. "Tomorrow's going to be hell."

Mira looked at him. "You still coming?"

He smirked. "Wouldn't miss it."

They all laughed softly, even though none of it felt funny.

Eon leaned back against the fountain, looking up. The faint glow from his fingertips reflected in the water.

Mira noticed. "You're doing it again."

He blinked. "What?"

"Your hands."

He looked down. The glow faded. "Can't help it."

Kairn stood up, stretching. "Get used to it. He's gonna push us until we hate him."

Eon didn't argue. He just stared at the faint ripples in the water, his reflection shifting in the light.

For a second, the reflection wasn't his.

It was older. Colder. Watching.

He blinked, and it was gone.

Mira saw his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Eon said quietly.

He stood, brushing his hands against his sides. "We should get some sleep."