[7 Years Ago]
The air was cold and thin, high above the clouds where the mountain peaks pierced the sky like jagged stone blades. The hidden cave, nestled between ridges no man could climb, stood as a sanctuary, and a crucible. It's been three months since he started his training.
Outside the cave, Leo moved like a force reborn. No longer the scrawny boy with hollow cheeks and narrow shoulders. His once fragile body was now forged with definition. His chest was full, his pecs sharp, his abs visible and tight, marked by sweat and carved muscle. His biceps flexed with each lift of the weighted logs he carried on his shoulders, and his back curved like a bow with every pull-up against the stone arches of the cavern mouth.
He wore nothing but a pair of torn, loose black pants, still the ones he died in. They were now frayed at the hem and stained with earth and effort. His dark hair had grown long, tied back into a rough ponytail that swayed as he moved.
