Chapter 55: Training Request.
After that day, Victoria spent most of her time hiding in her room. She didn't come out; she ate her food inside, didn't even come to the dining table, and completely stopped training with Victor.
Meanwhile, Aiden, who had a month left before the academy started, continued his daily routine. Every morning, before the sun had even fully risen, he was already in the training ground.
His movements were sharp and controlled, his eyes calm but cold. He trained for hours without rest, repeating every spell, movement, and stance again and again until it became perfect.
During this time, he also had duels with Mary and Victor. Both of them were surprised every time they faced him. There was nothing left they could teach him about his elements.
His tactics and strategies were beyond his age, his attacks were ruthless, and his eyes were filled with a cold determination that made even Victor silent. He never hesitated, even when he got injured. Instead, he attacked harder, pushing forward with every attack.
This showed Victor and Mary the strength of Aiden's will. He didn't want to lose to anyone. 10 days had passed since Aiden came to Victor's house.
Now, once again, Aiden stood alone in the middle of the training ground. His eyes were calm, his expression emotionless. He looked at the necklace hanging around his neck — the one left behind by his parents. Slowly, he injected mana into it.
The reason he did this was simple — he wanted to check how his spells had improved after reaching Stage 2 and what new spells he could now use. But he didn't want anyone to know about him being a stage 5 mana cultivator, so before doing anything, he cast an illusion over the entire area.
No one in the household, except Victor, was even a Stage 4 mana cultivator. They wouldn't notice a Stage 5 illusion artifact being activated; even if they walked right past him, they would not be able to tell if he was using Stage 2 mana spells.
After casting the illusion. Aiden closed his eyes and poured out his mana. His control over mana was even more precise and sharp. Flames suddenly appeared in his hand, forming into a long, glowing fire blade.
The blade was darker this time, almost crimson, and the heat around it made the air shimmer. Its attack power had increased nearly tenfold, and the sharpness of his control made every spark respond perfectly to his will.
He swung it through the air — waves of heat rolled out, distorting the air around him.
Next, he conjured a water whip. The stream of water twisted in the air like a living snake — faster, denser, and sharper than before. Then, he raised his hand and formed a fireball. It was larger and much more compact than before, dense with destructive energy.
He moved again, using Burst. His body blurred forward like a flash of fire. The speed was unbelievable — he could now travel a hundred meters in a single burst.
Every element had become stronger. His fire, water, and earth walls were now thicker and harder to break. His healing ability improved as well; wounds that once took minutes to heal now vanished in seconds.
His Reverse Heal was now stronger too — it could affect his opponents' healing even more, and his Self Heal restored mana and vitality more efficiently.
Aiden's puppet control also became sharper. His mana threads moved smoothly, faster, and stronger. His Parasites evolved — the Emotion Parasite could now alter or suppress feelings in a person almost instantly.
The Thought Parasite could completely disrupt or steal thoughts in the blink of an eye. And the Body Parasite was now strong enough to control entire limbs of his target.
Next came lightning. His Lightning Blast was now more condensed and moved faster. His Blitz became terrifyingly quick — he could vanish and appear a hundred meters away almost twice as fast as before. His Lightning Rain also grew thicker and deadlier, falling from the sky like a real storm.
Then came light magic. His Light Beam was sharper and faster, and his Purify spell could cleanse darkness much more effectively than before. His Light Bulb glowed brighter than ever, now resembling a small sun that lit up the entire field.
He turned to earth magic — his Earth Spikes shot out from the ground with more power, and his Earth Armor became sturdier. The weapons he shaped from rock and metal could now endure even his own fire and lightning attacks.
His Wind Cutter grew sharper and faster, slicing through the air like invisible blades. His Flying ability improved — he could now stay in the air longer with better balance. His Wind Storm was stronger, spinning faster with greater force, enough to tear small trees apart.
His Illusions were now far more realistic, capable of tricking opponents even at close range.
Then, Aiden opened the book his parents had left behind for him. He had already read it many times, but each time, he learned something new. Today, as his mana pulsed through him, he realized he could now perform new spells written in those pages.
He could now create limbs of fire, water, earth, or lightning, forming temporary arms and legs made of elemental energy. He could also create a mud pool by softening earth and mixing it with water, trapping anyone who stepped in.
He could now add emotions to his illusions, making them feel real. He also developed a new parasite spell — one that could steal an opponent's power for a short time, disabling them from using it.
He learned to create Earth Golems and control them using puppet threads. He could use wind to slow down attacks or even stop them completely.
He could now split his mind, controlling his puppets more easily while still fighting on his own. He could blend into the earth for a short period, becoming one with the ground. He could create water tides, large waves to sweep away enemies. He could even use fire far from his body, controlling it at a distance.
He could conjure a Light Sword, mix Lightning and Wind to form a Lightning Storm, and cover himself in lightning to damage enemies who dared to hit him.
After testing every spell, both old and new, Aiden began to train them together. He tested combinations, switching between elements fluidly — fire and water, earth and lightning, wind and light. He was fast, cold, and precise. Every movement was precise and controlled.
He planned carefully which spells should be used together and when he should use them. His focus never broke, not even once.
While he was training, he suddenly felt someone approaching him from the side. He stopped mid-motion and turned to his side.
He saw that Victoria was standing there.
She walked slowly toward him, her head lowered, her hands trembling. For the past few weeks, she had been watching him from the window of her room, every single day. She saw him train after breakfast until noon, as he rested only to eat, then train again until the night fell.
Now, seeing him up close again, she could barely keep her courage.
She stopped in front of him. Aiden stood still, looking at her with his usual cold gaze.
Victoria clenched her fists, her heart racing. She swallowed her pride and fear as she finally spoke.
"P-please… train me." Her voice was trembling.
Aiden looked at her, unmoved as he said coldly. "Why should I train you? And will you even be able to train with that stupid pride of yours?"
His words hit her like a knife. She bit her lip, her eyes tearing up as she said. "Please train me. I… I want to be like you. I'll listen to everything you say and won't object."
Aiden's eyes narrowed. "This is just an excuse. Your pride won't let you follow my words, and you can't handle the kind of training I went through."
For the first time, Victoria lifted her head. Tears ran down her cheeks as she cried while saying, "Please… please teach me! I'll do anything. I'll endure everything you put me through. Please! I just want to be stronger!"
Aiden looked into her eyes. There was something there that felt familiar. It was her determination. It reminded him of himself when he was younger on earth, working hard on the streets just to survive, dreaming of becoming rich and living a good life.
He looked away and turned his back to her.
Victoria's tears fell harder. She thought he was rejecting her again, that he would walk away without saying anything.
But then, Aiden's cold voice came from ahead.
"We will train from tomorrow. You'll have to listen to every word I say."
Victoria froze, staring at his back. Slowly, her tears stopped. For the first time, she felt that maybe the cold boy she feared so much wasn't as heartless as she thought.
She whispered softly, "Yes."
Meanwhile, on the balcony above, Mary stood quietly, watching the scene below. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she saw the two teenagers standing there — one cold and silent, the other trembling but determined.
"Finally," she whispered, "they both began to get along."
Author's Note: From this chapter onwards Victoria began to train with Aiden as she learned from him and improved.