The morning sun peeked through the trees, casting golden light across the student camp.
Kaito slowly opened his eyes, still groggy from last night's meditation. He instinctively turned to his side—but Haruto's bedroll was empty.
He sat up with a heavy sigh, rubbing his eyes. "Gone already…"
Pushing himself to his feet, Kaito stepped outside the camp tent and saw the others gathering with their gear. Everyone was preparing for the day's training—including Haruto, who stood at the edge of the group.
Kaito's eyes lingered on him for a moment, but Haruto didn't even glance his way. Yuna, too, said nothing. The tension from last night's argument still hung in the air like a fog.
Kaito shook his head and began walking, but just as he stepped forward, a voice called out:
"Kaito! Wait!"
He turned.
It was Renji, one of the quieter students, jogging up to him.
"Thanks for saving me yesterday," Renji said, bowing slightly.
Kaito nodded. "It's fine," he said. "Just… become stronger next time."
With that, he turned and walked toward the river, the silence returning as he washed his face, cold water dripping down his chin. A distant birdcall echoed from the mountains.
Meanwhile, the rest of the students arrived at the training grounds where Miss Eira awaited them. Her long silver hair fluttered slightly in the breeze.
"Good morning," she said. "You all performed well in yesterday's trial. But now it's time for something more focused—targeting practice."
With a wave of her hand, strange humanoid training dummies emerged from the ground in different areas. Each had a glowing circular mark on their chest.
"These targets are enchanted. You must strike the center of the mark. The more accurate your hit, the higher your score. After training, your individual results will be displayed for everyone to see."
Murmurs spread among the students.
"But," Miss Eira added, "we'll begin in the afternoon. For now, follow your regular morning routine."
The students began to disperse.
Haruto glanced around. "Did you see him?"
Yuna shook her head. "Wasn't Kaito here earlier?"
Haruto frowned. "No… I haven't seen him all morning."
Miss Eira turned toward them. "What are you two still doing here?"
Yuna replied, "Kaito isn't here yet."
Miss Eira gave a faint smile. "The boy's fine. Now go begin your training."
Elsewhere, after finishing at the river, Kaito walked quietly toward the nearby mountains. As he reached the base of a steep slope, a voice called out behind him.
"Yo, kid."
Kaito turned to see Master Arven standing behind him, arms folded, eyes calm.
"Come with me," Arven said.
They walked together along a narrow path on the right side of the mountain, venturing slightly deeper into the surrounding forest. After a few minutes, they emerged into a small clearing—a peaceful field, surrounded by trees.
"We're here," Arven said.
Kaito looked around silently.
"I'm glad you showed up for training today," Arven continued. "I won't ask what's going on. When you're ready to talk, I'll listen."
Kaito didn't respond.
"I heard about your argument with Haruto," Arven said. "You haven't spoken since, huh?"
"It's not my fault," Kaito muttered. "I didn't do anything wrong. So why should I say sorry?"
"Because they care," Arven replied calmly. "Haruto and Yuna—they don't want to lose you. That's why they're angry."
Kaito's expression shifted—his eyes widened slightly, then dropped to the ground. The walls he'd built around himself wavered.
"I… I understand," he whispered.
"Good," Arven said. "Now let's move to the real reason I brought you here."
He raised his hand, and with a flick of magic, formed a wooden sword.
"You've been relying on your fists. That's going to get you killed someday. It's time you learned the sword."
Kaito stared at the weapon.
In the center of the field stood a large tree. Without warning, Master Arven raised his blade and shook the tree with magic. Dozens of leaves began to fall.
In a flash, he slashed through them all—one by one—his strikes so precise, not a single leaf hit the ground whole.
Kaito stood stunned.
"That's the skill," Arven said, handing the sword to him. "Now it's your turn to master it."
"W-Wait… how am I supposed to do that?!" Kaito stammered.
Arven smiled. "You'll figure it out. I'm not going to help."
With that, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Back at the training ground, Arven reappeared beside Miss Eira.
"You could've at least given the boy a hint," she said with a small smile.
"No," Arven replied. "He has to figure it out on his own."
The wind blew gently through the trees as the camera would pan back to Kaito in the field—gripping the wooden sword, standing beneath the raining leaves.
End of Chapter 21