The next day did not begin with a beautiful sunrise but rather a dark, cold twilight.
The sun was yet to rise, people were yet to awake—but the training hall was already occupied.
Selena stood there, arms folded, silver hair catching the faint torchlight. Beside her, Kaito stood straight despite the exhaustion of the previous night. They had feasted, celebrated, laughed—but sleep never came. Not when today meant everything.
Her golden eyes locked onto him. The warmth he always knew faded, replaced by the sharp, merciless gaze of the War Goddess.
"Kaito," she said, her voice low, measured, final.
"You are now deemed worthy. You are a genius—just like me, just like Aria. But here lies the true question."
Her aura swelled. Shadows recoiled from her, and even the air trembled.
"Do you desire to walk the same path as us—to claim the ancient Absorption Method, whispered of in legends? Or do you choose the ordinary path, settling for one of the average methods?"
Her tone sharpened, as if cutting through his hesitation.
"Do not answer on a whim. This method might be called the strongest, but the price… is just as harsh. You might spend years clawing at its gates, only to fail. One mistake, one breath too shallow, one step too reckless—and your body will shatter. Your blood will burn. You will die."
She stepped closer, her aura pressing like a tidal wave.
"You could become stronger than anyone else if you master it. Stronger than kings. Stronger than gods. But risk is the toll."
Then her gaze softened, her hand brushing his cheek. In the same breath she shifted—cruel goddess gone, mother returned.
"But whatever you choose… I will not be angry. Mommy won't love you less."
Kaito swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I… I'm not sure whether I can master it. I'm not sure if I'll even survive. But—"
His trembling stopped. His voice steadied. His golden eyes sharpened.
"If hard work is all it takes, then I promise I won't fall behind. I don't want their scraps. I want yours, Mother. Even if it's the hardest—I'll master it. At any cost."
Silence. For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Then Selena's lips curved. She lifted him effortlessly, hugging him high in the air. Her laughter rang against the cold stone walls.
"Well said, my son. Well said."
Then her eyes gleamed with wicked amusement, her smile stretching sharp.
"Oh, and about what I said before?" She leaned close, voice a playful whisper that still made the torches flicker.
"I lied. If you had refused, I would've forced it upon you anyway. Tehe~"
The grin was loving. And cruel.
Exactly like her.
Kaito froze, blinking, utterly thrown.
"W-what!?"
Selena only laughed harder, holding him tighter.
Selena's tone sharpened, cold steel under velvet.
"Do you know how Aria trained ?"
"She trained her body twelve hours a day before she even touched her mana seriously. Only four hours of mana training. One hour to eat, seven to sleep. That's all. She manifested her core with that routine—and you'll do the same, starting today."
She did say she don't need to sleep for seven hours but she's a growing girl so it's minimum and same apply to you.
Her golden eyes glowed.
"There's no elegance. No shortcuts. Just brute training. Until you manifest your core, this will be your life. After that, I might allow you to cut physical training down to eight hours."
Kaito hesitated. "M-Mother, why physical training? I thought only those who walk the path of the sword—"
"Enough!" Selena's voice cracked like a whip.
"If your body is weak, your mind will crumble. That is what ordinary fools believe. But this method is not like theirs."
Her aura swelled, suffocating, divine.
"In this path, you will not guide mana to your heart. You will create another heart. A mana heart. Your veins will burst apart—shredded, destroyed—and you will forge new ones to carry mana in their place. The pain will be unimaginable. Even Aria nearly lost her mind during it."
Kaito froze, mouth hanging open.
Selena's expression softened just slightly, though her words did not.
"To keep you alive, you'll train your body for eight months before attempting manifestation. Hone your meditation. Sharpen your flesh and spirit. Or die."
She clapped once. Two masked figures stepped from her shadows, kneeling low. The infamous Shadow Regiment.
"Here is your first routine." Her grin widened, cruel and proud.
"Run one hundred laps. One thousand push-ups. One thousand sit-ups. One thousand pull-ups. One thousand squats. Ten thousand sword swings. No rest until it's done."
Kaito blinked. "M-Mother, that's—"
"If he slows," she cut in, pointing at the masked shadows, "you will strike him. One strike for every second he wastes. Heal him after each with potions."
Kaito's eyes widened in horror. "T-These are elites! One strike from them could—"
"Don't worry." Her smile was almost playful. "I've told them to hold back. Three strikes will be enough to kill you. That's fair, isn't it?"
She leaned in, golden eyes glinting, voice low.
"Well, Kaito… will you start? Or do you want the first strike from me?"
Kaito's expression crumbled. The mother I thought is an angle… is actually a devil in disguise.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He bolted into his sprint, the masked assassins gliding behind him like hungry wolves.
Selena crossed her arms, watching with an approving grin.
"Faster, son. Faster. No pain, no gain. "
"Remember this world does not waits for the weak. It devours them"
Kaito's small legs carried him forward, pounding against the cold stone floor. His breath tore at his lungs.
"Haah… haah… haah… I… I'm out of breath already…!"
His steps slowed, chest heaving. He hadn't even finished a single lap.
BAM!
A slap struck his backside like a hammer, launching him forward with a yelp. White-hot pain shot up his spine, tears springing unbidden to his eyes.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Before he could collapse, a vial was shoved against his lips. Cool liquid spilled down his throat, and in an instant, the ache faded, his lungs cleared, and strength flooded back into his limbs.
Selena's voice rang out, sharp and mocking, yet sweet in its own way.
"Kaito baby, how come you're so weak? I remember Aria finished two laps before she was out of breath. Don't tell me you're just a fake genius~"
Her words stung sharper than the slap.
"Ahhh… it's hard… it's painful…" Kaito panted, forcing his legs to move again. "But what's even more painful… is being weak while being called a genius!"
And with that, he pushed forward, stumbling, running, eyes burning with defiance.
Selena's lips curved into a wicked smile.
"Heh. At least my trash talk helped him recover his will a little."
She turned to the masked figures. "When he's about to fall, give him a potion and tell him to run while drinking. This way he'll keep moving and recover at the same time."
The shadows nodded silently, their masked faces unreadable.
One of them, though, thought quietly to himself:
Damnnn… each of these elixirs costs more than what a commoner makes in a month. And the Empress is using them like water. No wonder royals rise to heights we could never imagine. These potions don't just restore stamina—they increase it. One hundred laps for a seven-year-old is hellish… but with this training, and this talent… Young Master Kaito will be a monster in a few years.