Three years had passed
The sky looked wider than it used to be, as if it had expanded to keep up with what had changed on Earth.Three years had passed since that day.Three years of slow transformation, of prolonged silence, of repressed dreams finding their way through the thick walls of reality.
Spring had begun, but in the hearts of some, winter had yet to leave.
In the outer training yardThe sounds of magic rose; energies collided with the air, forming geometric circles and flashing lights.The children had become young men now. Some taller, stronger, more composed… and some, their gazes had changed forever.
NeilHe stood in the center of the yard, his blond hair slightly longer, his features beginning to sharpen.His gaze still held the same confident gleam, but behind it was something new:Something he had gained from battle, from solitude, from years of continuous training.He handled his magic as if it were an extension of his body.A power that didn't require showmanship, only focus.
KristaShe moved lightly from behind the trees, her new school dress draping over her shoulders, her eyes closely following Neil.She was no longer that shy girl, but she still carried something tender in her heart she hadn't let go of.Her training had advanced, her power had become visible—she was even among the top candidates for the Royal Academy.
Adam EthanHe sat on the stone wall of the school.His face still rigid, but more mature… or rather, darker.His body had changed, but he remained thin, as if energy only settled in him to flare up then fade.He had trained, yes, but in the shadows.Not like the others.And after all these years, nothing fundamental had changed:He still didn't smile.But he wasn't defeated either.
In the classroomKarla Brown stood in front of the board, her tone now more assertive:
"Three days from now, the first official entrance exams in the royal capital will begin, in which an elite from the provinces will qualify.This isn't just a dream… but the beginning of the future."
The students' eyes shone with ambition.Everyone wanted to prove themselves.But inside each of them, a story known only to themselves.
Neil gently clenched his fist.Krista looked at Adam, not knowing why.And Adam… had already made his decision:
"I'll make it… even if I have to destroy everything in my path."
Evening fellIn the vast training yard outside the village, where dust stretched like a thin veil over the cracked ground, Neil stood facing Adam and Krista.This fight wasn't like any previous encounter. This time, they were no longer just children feeling their way toward strength.
Neil looked at them with eyes sparking genuine interest:"Alright... I'll consider this the last time I go easy on you."
Adam didn't respond. His silence was more terrifying than any verbal threat, the flicker in his eyes revealing he had played out dozens of possible scenarios.Krista raised her hand, magical energy swirling around her in a pure vortex, her eye never leaving Neil's movements.
In a fleeting moment, the battle erupted.
Neil vanished, leaving behind only the echo of his steps.But Adam didn't wait to be surprised. He had anticipated that speed long ago.He closed his eyes halfway, monitoring the flow of energy at the edges of the yard.When Neil appeared behind him, Adam moved with stunning momentum, aiming a punch with his left fist.
Shock flashed briefly across Neil's face."Huh...? He got this fast?"But he dodged, spinning gracefully, and landed a strong kick on Adam's side.Adam slid two meters on the ground before planting his feet and exhaling sharply.
At the same time, Krista was gathering her magic to the max, merging drain energy with offensive force.Her hand glowed with deep blue cracks, her body trembling from the strain.
"This is our chance!" Krista shouted, then slammed her palms into the ground.An intertwined network of magical lines erupted, trying to immobilize Neil.
Neil leapt backward, but Adam seized the moment.He advanced in short, swift steps, pressing every vein channeling magic in his body.When he was just an inch away, he raised his hand to apply an attack he had learned from his mother's fight against the Masked Man:"Store… Release!"
The blow exploded with focused energy, shaking the air around them.This time, Neil had to move his arm forcefully to block the attack instead of just dodging.
For the first time in a while, he felt his body absorb real power."Good… very good."
Before they could catch their breath, Neil disappeared again.He reappeared above them, his face now devoid of a smile.He stomped the ground with his heel, sending a solid echo—gravity itself seemed to invert.Adam and Krista backed off, blood boiling in their veins.
Krista tried to strike again, but Neil grabbed her wrist midair."You've improved a lot, Krista."Then he shoved her aside with a measured force to avoid breaking a bone.
As for Adam, he turned coldly, eyes half-closed, as if he didn't care if he died right then.But Neil smiled at him sincerely for the first time:"And you… you might be more dangerous than you're willing to admit."
In the next moment, Adam clenched his fist, blade-like energy surrounding his arm."This isn't the end of the test."
Neil nodded slowly."Then… show me everything you've learned."
Krista planted her feet into the ground, her white hair swaying with the wind born of her power. Her eyes held a resolve her heart hadn't known three years ago.Neil stood before her without hesitation, a faint smile signaling his quiet confidence.
She said in a firm voice:"Today… you won't get away from this."
Neil raised an eyebrow slightly, as if provoking her on purpose."Try."
Without waiting, she raised her arm forward. A whirl of pure blue light gathered in her palm, flashing at lightning speed."Fracture Flash!"
The energy shot forth like a luminous arrow, slicing through the air at a speed no ordinary fighter could even perceive. But Neil wasn't ordinary.
At the moment the energy neared his chest, he vanished.It wasn't retreat or sidestepping… it was like his presence had faded from the entire world.
He appeared behind her and whispered:"Fast… but you assume I'd stay in one place."
Krista spun quickly, the dust hanging in the air like an invisible blade. She was about to release another flash—a sharp burst of Renei element—but before the spark of energy fully formed in her palm, she felt something.
A touch.
Simple… but like a slap from within the bones.
His fingers brushed her shoulder gently. His grip wasn't threatening, but rather a faint current… as if the world itself paused to listen.
In that brief moment, everything changed.
The air around her shimmered softly, the leaves at the cave entrance rustled despite the stillness, and the sunlight filtering through the branches seemed to dim… just for a moment, then returned. That moment was all Neil needed.
The energy seeped in.
Her nerves trembled from within, like a soft electric current flowing down her spine, branching through her ribs, then gathering in her chest without pain… but with a clear message:
If you continue, I'll bring you down.
Krista gasped silently, no sound escaped her, but her eyes widened.
The flash she had been gathering dissipated like dust of light, his hand that touched her had pulled something invisible… he wasn't using his power to attack, but to disable. She realized then that this technique wasn't from conventional training, but from a different philosophy.
"You're fast," he said in a low voice without raising his tone, as if commenting on the forest's weather, "but reaction speed isn't everything."
The sound of crows in the distance broke the silence. One landed on a crooked branch and let out a single cry before flying off. Krista took a step back—not out of fear, but out of respect.
The air had become heavier, not due to danger, but due to the unspoken.
This was a message…That I don't need to fight you to win.And you don't need to defeat me to understand.
Krista closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly. She smiled a small smile, not of mockery but of awe…"So this is how you handle energy?"
Just a touch?But it was everything.
Adam leapt from behind, his leg ablaze with offensive energy, aiming straight for Neil's head.But Neil raised his arm and blocked the kick without budging an inch.
The sound of impact reverberated through the training yard.Adam stepped back, his breath slow and eyes steady."You're getting more arrogant every day."
Neil twisted his wrist slightly and glanced at Krista:"Your flash… if you were faster by just five breaths, I would've had to use both hands."
Krista gasped in frustration and determination, raising her arms again, while Adam stood beside her, preparing for a dual attack.
Neil placed his hand in his pocket and closed his eyes for a moment:
And so, in a yard filled with tension and vigilance, the next round began.