The first thought that emerged at the forefront of his mind as he entered the dome shaped building was that he was in another world.

It was massive, with the entire region divided into four subsections. In the north lay a rocky terrain, eerily similar to hills and mountains.

In the east, sand mounds covered the entire area - A replica of a desert. To the west were dry wstelands with cracked lands dyed in the colours of charcoal black. It was as if watching the after results of a war wrought with fire and destruction.

And in the southern side of the building, that was where every claw members stood with fascinated faces, was a proper grassland. The grasses weren't too small with overgrowths and bushes covering the land at strategic areas.

David just like the rest of the others stood baffled as he looked on in astonishment, rippling sounds of flowing water reaching his ears.

As he focussed, he saw a river separating the grasslands from the other terrains. The water in the rivers traced a specific path as after reaching the end of the borders, it fell deep inside the ground through underground pipes and canals.

'Where the hell am I at?'

As if answering his thoughts, Bernard stepped forward and threw his arms behind him.

"Welcome, everyone to the pride of the Southern Isikolo - it's training hall, the one and only prototype you shall find on this world."

The three Masters with their respective claws spread out in three different areas in the grasslands.

David turned to look at the wall surrounding the structure but was astonished as he saw no wall. Rather, whatever was happening outside could be viewed from inside the building; it was as if the building didn't even exist.

After double checking and realising that he wasn't hallucinating, David looked at the others, only to see most of them were in the same state of confusion.

Only the boy who had claimed his father was an ex-Sihapi, had a different expression. He didn't look surprised but rather fascinated as if whatever he had been expecting fell far less to what he was seeing.

Master Zamian asked in an amused tone. "Do you find the training hall to your preference?"

Unsurprisingly for him, he didn't get any proper reply other than the nodding of a few heads.

At that, Zamian clapped his hands once calling for everyone's attention. Then in a explanatory note, he said.

"Before we get down with what we shall be doing today, let's get to know where exactly we are and what makes this actually unique.

As Bernard said, it's indeed our primary training field for the rest of our session. This entire structure has four different terrains - mountains, deserts, grasslands and wastelands.

In other words, you people are to be trained in all these terrains so that you could adopt yourself to fight in any condition. Is that understood?"

In response, a hand was raised up in the air. The boy with the receding hairline.

"Master, how does it make this ground any unique than the other Isikolos then? Are they not trained to fight in every given conditions?"

Zamian shook his head gently. "We have an unspoken rule among ourselves, almost like we have divided our responsibilities and keep on training our next generations with that said role.

For example, the Northern Sihapis are always tasked to fight and push our territory into the treacherous mountain slopes. The Eastern and Western Sihapis make sure all our borders are intact. And as for us, we maintain inland peace and remove every threat from the insides of our kingdoms.

In a way, we are an all-rounder force that needs combat knowledge in different terrains." Gesturing behind him, he added. "And thus, you see why our training field is made like this."

"As for the see-through walls....oh yes, the walls aren't your illusions. They do exist, but they are enchanted with defence and vision spells, making it like this.

From the outside, you shall see the black domed building. From in here, you can see whatever is happening outside."

After a moment of pause as he gave everyone the time to take in his words, he began.

"Alright, everyone. Although you all know me, it's only proper I introduce myself to you all. I am Zamian Thorne, ranked Master in the Windsor Army and an ex-Legion.

For my achievements, one could say I had won the Royal Tournament once when I was in the last years of my academy. Aside from that, as a Master, I have led two claws under me to the quarter finals and have participated in a long series of battles in the frontline during an emergency last year."

His composure paled a bit, as if recalling some traumatic memory. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again, albeit softly.

"And this year I return back to the Isikolo in search of a new claw, to train them under me, to make them strong enough to hold their grounds and so that....they don't die. I don't care about winning Royal tournaments anymore, they are useless when the very claw I have command over dies in front of me and I can't help them."

Zamian's eyes burned with a passionate fire, as he locked eyes with everyone of his claw.

"...This time, I promise to make you so strong that one day, you shall surpass me. And...that day, I shall take a breath of relief for then I would not longer have to worry about you in the battlefield."

Every face had a confused look and Zamian, as if not getting the reaction he had predicted, coughed awkwardly.

"Anyways, who are of which tier? Tier 0, raise your hands."

At first, not a single soul responded to the call until Zamian's eyes fell directly on a boy, who was visibly nervous.

Realising he was being stared at by everyone, he hesitantingly raised his hand. Zamian smiled as he said, "Good...you don't need to be ashamed of your tier. In fact, cheer up because you had not only fought but also won against Tier I individuals in your matchups.

Of course, use of mana was strictly prohibited but higher tier individuals have higher raw strength. So stand proud, boy. You have done an incredible job and I know you shall continue to do so."

The boy relaxed at that as a crooked smile threatened to split his lips. Slowly, two more hands rose up into the air, as their gazes alternated between the boy and Master Zamian.

"See? It wasn't that hard to be honest. Now, Tier I individuals... let's see how many of you are in that level."

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