ALGEA: Divine and Chaos

Chapter 3: Training?

As the days dragged on, my expectations of training dwindled into a monotonous cycle of chores. I had come to learn magic, but instead, I found myself trapped in a never-ending list of tasks.

"Fael, the dishes won't wash themselves!" Nibolus's voice echoed from the other room.

With a groan, I plunged my hands into the warm, soapy water, scrubbing the plates with more force than necessary. "Can't we start real training already?" I muttered under my breath, my frustration boiling over.

"Not yet, my boy!" came his lighthearted reply.

"Not yet? What does that even mean?" I snapped, irritation bubbling up. "I didn't come here to be a maid!"

But my complaints fell on deaf ears. Day after day, I found myself hunting for food, washing clothes, and hauling water from the bottom of the mountain. Each chore felt more like punishment than preparation, and I began to feel like a servant in my own story.

"Why can't we do something else?" I gasped, panting after a particularly grueling trip up the mountain. "I'm ready to learn!"

"Patience, Fael!" he would say, laughter lingering in his voice. "You're gaining strength."

Strength? I felt weak and defeated. My muscles ached, and I could barely keep my eyes open after a long day. The weight of the water buckets seemed to grow heavier with each trip, and the endless chores felt like they were sapping my will to fight.

Three months had passed, and I started to resent Nibolus. I was stuck in this cabin, doing menial tasks while my dreams of mastering magic slipped further away.

One day, after gathering herbs for what felt like the hundredth time, I plopped down on a rock, my body heavy with fatigue. "Is this really all I'm going to do?" I shouted into the forest, my voice echoing back at me. "Is this all there is?"

The silence was deafening, and for a moment, I felt utterly alone. I kicked a stone in frustration, watching it skitter across the ground. I wanted to believe Nibolus had a plan, but my patience was wearing thin.

"Fael!" Nibolus called, his voice cutting through my thoughts. "Get back to work!"

Grumbling, I pushed myself up, the weariness weighing down my limbs. "What's the point of all this?" I asked, bitterness lacing my tone. "I'm not learning anything!"

As I trudged back to the cabin, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life had been reduced to a series of chores. I clenched my fists, my anger boiling over. "I feel like a discarded tool, left behind when I'm not needed anymore!"

Nibolus's voice rang out again, a mixture of irritation and humor. "If I hadn't summoned you, you would have been dead. Be grateful!"

Grateful? I bit back my retort, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration. What was I supposed to be grateful for? I was stuck in this strange world, doing all the hard work while he sat back and watched.

"Then at least teach me something useful!" I shouted, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

"Every task has its purpose," he replied, but I didn't want to hear it. All I wanted was to be trained, to become powerful. Instead, I felt like I was losing myself in the endless cycle of chores.

Days turned into weeks, and the ache in my muscles became a constant reminder of my struggles. I pushed through the tasks, hoping against hope that there was something more waiting for me. But the only thing I found was my own growing resentment.

Each day felt like an uphill battle, and I struggled to maintain my spirit. I longed for the magic I had imagined, but all I had were these mundane tasks that felt never-ending.