Cosmic Dominion: Rise Beyond Realms

Today was the first day of my training. I stood before one of the massive trees in the forest. Its metallic bark was shimmering faintly in the sunlight. Its size was intimidating, but I tried to push the fear aside for now…

"You're going to be my first opponent…." I said, looking up at the tree. "Let's see how tough you really are..."

I raised my fist and struck the bark with all my strength. Pain shot through my knuckles, and the impact from the punch reverberated up my arm. But the bark didn't even flinch.

"Damn it!" I hissed, shaking out my hand.

I looked down at my knuckles. It was already swelling and bleeding from just one strike.

But I couldn't stop….

Not until I get strong enough to survive in this hell.

"You're not going to stop me…" I growled as I drew my fist back again.

I punched the tree again and again. Each impact sent jolts of pain through my hands. Blood smeared across the metallic bark. My knuckles split open, and the skin peeled away and revealed the raw, bloody tissue beneath it.

When my fists could no longer take the punishment, I shifted to kicks. I planted my left foot firmly on the ground and swung my right leg to strike the tree trunk. The impact shook my entire body, and I nearly fell off my balance. But I gritted my teeth and kicked again.

"Again!!" I yelled at myself and kicked the bark of the tree continuously. "Don't stop!!!"

Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes. My legs trembled with each strike, but I kept striking again and again. The dull ache in my muscles grew sharper with every kick.

"You can heal!!" I told myself as I gasped for breath. "You'll be fine in two days. Just keep pushing!!!!"

When my legs gave out, I shifted to other exercises. I picked up a fallen branch of a tree, which was as thick as my leg. I held it above my head and started running laps around the forest. Each step was painful. The ground was uneven. I even fell a few times while running. After running for 3 hours, my breath came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding against my ribs.

"This is nothing!!!" I said through gritted teeth. "You've been through worse... Just keep going!!!!"

I jumped over rocks, climbed trees with my bare hands, and even hung from branches until my arms gave out. By the end of the day, I was a bloody, broken mess. My hands were ripped off skin and swollen. My legs were bruised and battered, and my muscles were screaming in pain with every movement.

I collapsed onto the ground, my chest heaving as I stared up at the glowing leaves above...

"This... this is just the beginning!!!" I panted, a faint smirk tugging at my lips despite the pain. "You'll heal. You'll come back stronger..."

I flexed my fingers, wincing as the torn skin stretched.

"Healing faster than normal isn't just an advantage…" I murmured. "It's my weapon. If I can survive being ripped apart, I can survive even this…."

After two days, I found out my injuries were already beginning to close. The bruises were fading, and the torn skin was knitting itself back together. My bones, which were broken under the strain of my training, were in one piece again.

"Two days…" I muttered while flexing my hands. "That's all it takes. Good. That means I can push even harder…."

I stood up, my body still aching, but it was functioning normally. Then I approached the same tree.

"You're not beating me today…" I said while clenching my fists. "Let's see how much you can take…"

The first few weeks of training were brutal. I pushed my body and mind to their absolute limits. Each day began and ended with blood, sweat, and agony. But as the weeks turned to months, the pain became a constant companion. At some point, I stopped fearing the pain and started accepting it as my daily companion.

My hands were the first to change. In the beginning, each punch left them swollen and bloodied. But with each passing day, they healed faster. The calluses thickened until the pain dulled to a faint throb.

"You can't break what's already broken…" I muttered one evening, staring at my hands as blood dripped onto the ground.

The entire forest became my training ground. Every tree, every rock, every natural obstacle became a target for my relentless assault. I struck the same metallic-barked three hundred times each day, and its surface bore the marks of my fists. At first, my strikes left nothing but faint scuffs. Over time, small dents began to appear, then cracks.

"You're not invincible…." I whispered to the tree, my voice cold and steady. "And neither am I. But I'll outlast you…."

After a year of training, I became immune to the pain of normal injuries. Each punch that once sent shocks of pain up my arms now became nothing more than a dull sensation.

One day, while training, I realised that I hadn't even noticed the blood dripping down my knuckles until it began pooling around my feet. I stared at the blood for a moment, my face expressionless.

I said aloud, clenching my fists. "Pain doesn't matter. It's just a reminder that you're still alive…" Then I struck the tree again, the sound of the impact echoing through the forest.

After a year and a half of training, I began punching and kicking trees until they toppled. My legs became hard as iron, capable of launching me high into the air with a single leap. My arms could now deliver punches that sent light shock waves through the air.

I created routines to keep myself focused. I struck the same tree 10,000 times daily and ran laps around the forest until my legs gave out or lifted massive boulders until my muscles screamed for mercy.

As my body grew stronger, my emotions grew colder. The emotions I used to feel as a human… hope, fear, anger, longing, love, sadness, pain… all of them started to fade away slowly.

I no longer cursed this planet for making me go through hell... I no longer questioned why I was here... Those thoughts were distractions, and distractions were a weakness I couldn't afford.

"You're not human anymore…" I told myself one evening while staring at the toppled trees around me. 

Two years have passed since I started my training. Now I was just a shadow of the man I was before. I was physically unstoppable, but emotionally almost hollow. I stood in the centre of the forest, surrounded by the remnants of my relentless training. Trees lay toppled in every direction, their metallic bark cracked and shattered. The ground was littered with craters, the result of countless punches and kicks I threw every day to get stronger.

My body was now a canvas of scars. Each scar told the story of the hellish training I had been through over the two years. Jagged lines crisscrossed my arms and torso. My knuckles, which were once soft and fragile, were now calloused. The skin was so thick that it now felt more like leather.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the raw strength coursing through them.

Then suddenly I caught my reflection in one of the metallic barks of the tree. The man who stared back at me was a stranger. Only shadows of humanity remained within those eyes. My body also got a lot leaner and more muscular. My face bore marks of scars that ran down my jaw and across my cheek.

"Is…. Is this what survival looks like?" I muttered while looking at my reflection.

"Pain doesn't mean anything anymore," I said, staring blankly at the sky. "Scars don't mean anything. They're just... marks. Marks that show I've lived through worse than this…"

My voice was colder than I remembered and carried no warmth, no emotion. It was as if I had forgotten how to feel anything.

"These marks…." I said aloud, clenching my fists. "They're proof. Proof of every time this planet tried to kill me. And every time I refused to die..."

The wind rustled through the glowing leaves, the only sound in the silent forest. I turned my gaze to the horizon and saw the faint outline of rocky mountains barely visible in the distance.

"You wanted me to survive…" I said as if the planet itself were listening. "Well, congratulations. You got your wish. I survived. But I'm not the same. And I never will be…. I hope you are prepared now…"

I drew back my fist and struck the ground beneath me. The earth trembled and formed a small crater instantly as the shockwave rippled outward.

I stepped into a clearing where the metallic trees still stood tall. I took a deep breath, raised my fist and struck the nearest one with all my strength. The tree shattered instantly, its metallic bark exploding outward like shrapnel. 

I stood there, breathing heavily, watching the destroyed tree I had caused…

"This is what I've become," I said, my voice devoid of pride or regret. "A weapon. Nothing more."

I turned away from the shattered landscape, my shadow stretching long behind me as I walked back into the dense forest. And with that, I continued my journey; my body was battered, but my heart hardened after two years of relentless struggle…

A few days later:

The forest was quiet as I picked a strange fruit from a nearby tree. Its glowing purple skin was smooth and cold to the touch. Without hesitation, I bit into it, the tangy sweetness filling my mouth. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remind me what food tasted like—a sensation I had nearly forgotten.

As I finished the fruit and wiped my mouth, I turned to leave the forest. My steps were steady, my body was ready, and my mind was focused.

But then, I felt it.

The ground trembled faintly, and the air grew thick. The trees around me rustled.

I stopped and turned slowly, my eyes narrowing as a familiar figure emerged from the dense forest.

It was the same creature. The same beast that feasted on me two years ago. Its monstrous form loomed tall, and its insect-like fangs glinted in the faint light of the forest. Its mottled, armoured body reflected the light that came from the nearby glowing trees, its claws leaving deep gouges in the ground with each step. Acidic saliva dripped from its gaping maw, sizzling as it hit the ground, releasing small plumes of smoke. Its glowing eyes locked onto me, and a low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat.

But I wasn't the same man it had devoured two years ago…

I felt nothing as I stared at it—not fear, anger, or even hatred. Just nothing…

The creature let out an ear-splitting roar that reverberated through the forest and shook the ground beneath my feet.

I didn't even flinch…

"You again…" I said, my voice calm and icy. "You're still alive. Impressive…."

The monster lunged forward slightly as if it was trying to test me….

"Your fucking acidic saliva… Skin which is as hard as titanium... Powerful jaws…" I said, taking a step closer. "I remember every detail about you. But you... You probably don't remember me, do you?"

The beast tilted its head, growling softly as it watched me.

I said, cracking my knuckles, "Let's settle the score once and for all..."

TO BE CONTINUED