The ride into the city was smooth, and Morena allowed herself to enjoy the scenery as the carriage passed through the bustling streets. The world outside was different from the one she previously knew of.
While her memories were somewhat hazy, she could remember the tall buildings made out of metal and glass that stretched into the skies, the floating pods above water, and even the stations embedded into rocks.
This world was much simpler, much more refreshing to see; she knew that she would grow to enjoy it very much.
Eventually, the carriage slowed as it approached the training grounds. The training ground was well-kept, it was a sizable place that served both as a warrior training area and the local guard's primary base. It was large, with proper security in place, though no one stopped her from entering once they saw the symbol on the carriage—the crest of the Earl.
Morena stepped out, allowing the driver to pull away as she took in the layout of the area. Rather than making a grand entrance, she opted to walk the rest of the way to the training fields on foot, keeping herself from drawing too much attention.
Along the way, she passed several individuals—commoners who were here to train, most likely aiming to join the city's guard force. Unlike warriors who trained with elemental cores, these men and women relied purely on physical training and discipline.
In truth, the majority of the city's guard forces were made up of regular people. Being born with a core was still rather rare, and in a small city such as this, the amount born per year was very small.
The number of people with a core born per year could be counted on one hand, and more often than not, these were people from prominent families.
As such, only a handful of special people were granted access to the warrior training methods held by the city, and even fewer were chosen for special positions in the guards. The only other way to become a proper warrior in the city was to be born into a noble or prominent family, but even then, that was rare.
She finally arrived at the training field, positioning herself at a distance where she could observe without being noticed, a small hill with a tree where she would be unbothered.
Her gaze swept over the trainees as they went through their drills, her mind automatically comparing their techniques to her own.
"AI."
[Listening.]
"Record everything—stance, footwork, energy flow, absorption rates. Gather as much data as possible."
[Understood. Scanning in progress.]
Even without the AI, she could tell that there were clear differences in talent among the trainees. They were all absorbing energy, but at vastly different paces.
It was difficult for her to sense it herself, but with the AI's assistance, she could pick up on the finer details.
Some of them had high elemental affinity—drawing in energy at a natural, almost effortless pace—while others struggled, their absorption slow and inefficient.
Some of them had so little energy that she couldn't even sense it herself at all. But even then, all of these people had better natural talent than herself. After all, she wasn't even there training.
She wasn't permitted to be.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued her observation.
And then, among the trainees, she spotted a familiar figure. A girl with long red hair, tied into a short ponytail that allowed her to train unbothered.
She swung a large sword in her hand, her short frame contrasted by the size of the weapon of choice, but her muscles allowed her to carry it without a problem.
Her younger sister. Or rather, half-sister.
Morena studied her closely, analyzing every movement, every motion. Her sister's stance was solid, her technique refined for her level, but what truly stood out was her absorption rate—it was significantly higher than the others.
It wasn't the best amongst all the people there, but it could be said to be in the top five. She was talented, that much was obvious.
More so than Morena herself.
A flicker of frustration ran through her, but she quickly suppressed it because there was no point in dwelling on things she could not change.
She turned her focus elsewhere, her mind shifting toward her next goal once the AI had finished collecting enough data. She needed proper information; while seeing it in practice was great, without the theory behind it, the AI would have to work it backwards.
If she was lucky, she might be able to find books or records about older warrior techniques within the main training hall, maybe even some hints as to how cores work.
Just as she was about to move toward the main building, a voice suddenly called out to her.
A male voice.
One she recognized from Morena's past memories.
Someone the old Morena had once gotten along with, to a certain extent. However, she had very different thoughts based on those memories.
She turned, her expression carefully neutral as she faced the approaching figure.