Kei’s feet pounded against the earth, the wind rushing through his hair as he dashed forward. The path before him was a treacherous one. It had always been difficult, but now it was a race against time. The ground beneath his feet had become unstable, crumbling away with each step.


    He looked ahead, spotting a series of trees that stretched high into the sky. It was his only chance. If he wanted to avoid falling into the chasm below, he would have to take to the air, using his resonance to launch himself from tree to tree like he’d seen in the old videos of ninja legends.


    “Here goes nothing,” Kei muttered under his breath.


    He jumped, using his resonance to amplify his strength, propelling himself into the air. His feet hit the first tree with a jolt, and he quickly pushed off again, launching himself toward the next one.


    This isn’t just like running, Kei thought as he adjusted his stance midair. I need to feel the frequency of the branches...


    His feet landed again with a thud, but the vibrations sent through the wood told him how stable the tree was. He quickly jumped again, feeling the hum of resonance guide his movements. His body moved like a fluid extension of the wind, more graceful than he had ever felt before.


    The trees stretched high, and the landscape below was a blur. He had no time to think—only to react.


    I’ve never jumped like this before. But I’m getting it… Kei thought, his excitement rising. His mind was racing, but his body was in sync with every leap.


    As he soared from one tree to the next, he couldn’t help but reflect on the lessons Mia had taught him.


    She always pushed me, Kei thought with a grin. Even when I wanted to just lay on the beach listening to music, she forced me to learn...Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    He could almost hear her voice in his head: "Don’t you want to be more than just some lazy kid who dreams of doing nothing?"


    Kei laughed softly to himself as he jumped to another branch, the wind howling in his ears. Despite her gentle nature, Mia had been persistent. Her body was fragile, but her resolve was steel. She never stopped trying to get him to improve, even if he’d never really appreciated it at the time.


    Her body is weak, but her mind? It’s sharp. Really sharp.


    He remembered the lessons she’d given him—using music as a tool to understand rhythm, vibration, and even complex theories about the world. Mia had always found creative ways to teach him, even when he didn’t want to learn. And now, it was paying off.


    A small chuckle escaped him as he recalled the one time she’d raised her voice at him. Despite everything she taught him, he had never been afraid of her… until the day she’d actually threatened to punish him if he didn’t focus.


    “Guess I should be happy her condition keeps her from doing that,” Kei muttered under his breath.


    Even though she couldn’t physically overpower him, her intellectual prowess was something that had always pushed him to be better. Kei had never truly seen it until now, in the midst of this trial.


    As he continued his leaps from tree to tree, he realized something. His time on the beach, his carefree days, had given him a perspective others wouldn’t understand. He’d spent hours just listening to the world, to the song of existence. And now, it was that same resonance, that same understanding of vibrations, that allowed him to soar through the air.


    He didn’t need to be the strongest or the fastest. He just needed to be in tune with the world around him, to understand it on a deeper level. And in that moment, Kei understood that everything—the trees, the air, the very ground beneath him—was alive with sound, with vibration, with resonance.


    His mind raced with possibilities, and for the first time since the trials began, Kei felt something more than just the weight of survival.


    He felt alive.


    With one final leap, Kei reached solid ground, landing with precision. He looked back at the unstable terrain he’d crossed and let out a slow breath. His heart pounded, but his excitement overshadowed his exhaustion. The trial was relentless, but so was he.


    And deep within the fabric of existence, unseen forces continued to observe, their interest in Kei growing with every step he took.