Chapter 56: Final Day with them.
After that day, Aiden and Victoria trained together every single day. Aiden didn't hold back in any of his training. He trained her the same way Rayan had once trained him — with no mercy at all.
During their duels, Aiden pushed her to the edge. He often beat her so badly that she would lie on the ground, groaning in pain for minutes. Sometimes, he pushed her so far that she even fainted during duels.
After every duel, Emily would rush over and heal Victoria while glaring at Aiden with anger in her eyes. She hated seeing her young lady hurt like that. But Aiden always ignored her coldly, as if her glares didn't even exist.
Aiden knew very well that he was now a Stage 2 All-Elemental Mana Cultivator. He believed that if he could master all his new spells and improve his mana control, he might even be able to face a Stage 3 Cultivator head-on — even if he couldn't win against them, he would not lose to them either.
A week had passed, and once again, Victoria was lying on the ground, breathing heavily, with injuries all over her body, while Aiden stood in front of her, as he looked down at her and said in his cold tone, "It's enough for today."
Victoria slowly nodded through her pain. Aiden turned and left the training ground, walking toward the house without saying another word.
Emily appeared beside Victoria, her hands glowing with light as she began to heal her. As she worked, she looked at Aiden leaving and muttered angrily, "My lady, why do you train with someone like him? He doesn't even hold back against a lady. He's a complete barbarian! Just look at his face — he looks like a dead person!"
Victoria looked up weakly and said softly, "He's not as bad as he looks. He's just cold toward people. And I don't think he's a barbarian. He trains me to my limits for my own sake, and when I train with him, I feel like I'm really getting stronger. My parents and others can't help me grow the same way he can."
She stopped for a moment, then continued, "Have you ever wondered why he trains so hard every single day, without rest? Why does he push himself to the edge? I heard that his parents died in an accident and he's the only one left in his family. So, he must have a goal — something important he wants to achieve. That's why he trains so much, and if I train with him, I'll also become stronger — maybe even strong enough to be on the same level as him one day."
Emily stared at Victoria in surprise. The proud, arrogant young lady she once served had changed completely in just one week of training with Aiden. She used to act without thinking, but now she was calm, thoughtful, and serious about growing stronger.
Emily smiled faintly and said, "Yes, my lady."
Days passed by quietly. Every morning, Aiden and Victoria trained until lunch. After lunch, Victoria went to her etiquette classes while Aiden stayed behind to train his Stage 2 mana spells late into the night.
Two weeks had gone by like this. There was now only one day left before the academy started.
That morning, Aiden stood in front of Victoria on the training ground. His voice was cold as ever as he said, "Today will be the last time I'll teach you and have a duel with you. After the duel, you and I have nothing to do with each other."
Victoria heard this as she froze. Her expression changed instantly — sadness filled her eyes. Over the past month, she had started to truly respect Aiden. She had even grown fond of him.
She wanted to be his friend, but he never gave her the chance. Every day after training, he left without a word, ate dinner quietly, and went straight to his room.
She had tried to talk to him many times, but he always ignored her. Now, hearing his words, she felt completely rejected.
Mary and Victor were standing nearby, ready to watch their final duel. They both sighed when they heard Aiden's cold words. They knew he had gone through a tragedy and found it hard to open his heart to anyone.
Victoria looked at him and asked quietly, "Why are you so cold toward me?"
Aiden didn't answer. He just stared at her with those same emotionless eyes and expression.
Victoria saw this as she knew he was not going to reply. She looked down and then spoke again, "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. But please answer just one question."
Aiden didn't reply but kept his eyes on her, showing that he was listening.
Victoria saw this as she knew that he was listening attentively. "Why do you train so hard?" she asked. "Why do you push yourself so much? Why do you want to become so strong? Is it because of your parents?"
That last line hit Aiden like a spark. His cold eyes suddenly filled with anger as he said in a sharp, warning tone, "Don't ever try to pry into my life. Or it will be worse for you."
Victoria heard this as she froze, realizing that she had asked something she should not have asked. She lowered her head and said softly, "I'm sorry. I won't talk about it again."
Aiden's anger faded after a few seconds as he looked at her small figure. He knew that he had overreacted. She was only thirteen years old, while he had lived twenty-nine years if his past life was included.
He took a deep breath and said coldly, "Let's begin."
In the next instant, he used Burst and vanished, appearing behind her with a Fire Blade in his hand. He swung it straight at her back.
Victoria reacted quickly — an Earth Wall formed between them, blocking the attack completely. But Aiden didn't stop. He disappeared again and reappeared at a distance, a Fire Ball already forming in his hand. He launched it toward her.
Victoria countered by firing a Wind Cutter, which collided with the fireball. The wind attack broke apart, but the fireball only weakened and kept coming. Victoria quickly launched another Wind Cutter, slicing through the fireball completely as it rushed toward Aiden.
Aiden vanished again and appeared above her in the sky. He waved his hand, and a Fire Prison formed around Victoria, trapping her inside completely. He added another layer, strengthening it.
Inside the prison, Victoria attacked desperately, trying to break free. Aiden vanished again and arrived at the back of the prison.
Water began to form around his fist, and it began to condense until it glowed blue. Then he punched the prison wall — his fist broke through the prison while being protected by the water. His water-covered hand hit Victoria's back hard.
She gasped in shock as she was sent flying into the flames. She tried to protect herself with an Earth Armor, but she was a moment too late. Her clothes began to burn, and her skin was marked with burns, but she didn't give up.
She quickly used Earth Spikes and suddenly attacked the damaged wall of the prison where Aiden had created a hole.
The spikes pierced through the wall and tore it apart, freeing her. Just as her vision cleared, a sudden kick landed on her back, slamming her to the ground. She groaned in pain but forced herself up, only to see Aiden standing in the place where she had stood moments ago.
Victoria raised her hand and summoned a Wind Storm around him. Aiden responded instantly as flames burst from his body, wrapping around the storm. His control over mana and fire was far superior to hers. He covered the windstorm in fire, creating a firestorm.
He had learned to combine spells when he trained his stage 2 mana spells, and with his superior control of elements, he took control of the storm and hurled it towards Victoria
Victoria saw this as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. He had never done this before, even when they dueled. She tried to defend herself, summoning every Earth Spell she could, but the Fire Storm swallowed her whole.
When the flames finally disappeared, Victoria stood there — her clothes torn, her body covered in burns, her legs trembling from exhaustion.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. She turned and froze. Aiden stood there, holding a Fire Blade to her neck. His voice was calm and cold as he said ."This is the twenty-third and last time you've died in a duel."
Victoria smiled weakly. She was used to his heartless words. He always reminded her how many times she would have died if it were a real battle. She looked at him and said weakly, " I lost to you again".
Aiden nodded. The blade vanished, and he turned away, walking toward the house.
Victoria watched him go as she bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for everything you've done for me."
Aiden didn't reply, as he just kept walking.
Emily appeared beside Victoria again, healing her quietly this time. She didn't scold Aiden anymore — she had seen how much Victoria had grown under his cold training.
Mary and Victor also began to walk as they came closer. Mary looked proud, while Victor looked completely shocked. He couldn't believe how much his daughter had grown in just three weeks as he muttered in disbelief.
"How can she grow so strong in just three weeks?"
Mary heard this as she laughed lightly and said. "You weren't here to see how hard she had trained over the past three weeks."
Then she stopped for a second and said, " Aiden's training is harsh, but it's really effective. Even though he acts cold, he never trained her half-heartedly. He's a good child."
They reached Victoria as she looked at them. She smiled weakly and said, "Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Dad. I couldn't defeat him. He's just too strong."
Victor heard this as he was completely stunned. His once-proud daughter, who never admitted weakness, was now humble. He stood there in a daze.
Mary smiled warmly as she said. "Why are you sorry, dear? We're proud of you. You've grown so much stronger in just three weeks. How could we be disappointed?"
Victor snapped out of his daze as he nodded quickly and said. "Yes! You really surprised me today. I couldn't believe that it was my daughter fighting like that!"
He then stopped for a moment and then continued, " And don't feel bad about losing to Aiden. He's a once-in-a-lifetime genius. I even dueled him once using only Stage 1 spells, and he didn't lose, even though my control was superior. He truly is a genius."
Victoria nodded and said firmly, " Yes, he really is a true genius, and my goal is to defeat him one day — and I won't stop until I do."
Mary and Victor smiled proudly. Mary then saw that she was completely healed and said, "Let's go eat dinner. It'll be our last dinner with Aiden before he leaves for the academy. We should celebrate it."
Everyone nodded and walked back to the house together.
Author's Note: This chapter marks the beginning of Aiden and Victoria's academy life. While Victoria sets Aiden as her goal. Aiden steadily walks towards his revenge. Stay tuned for more chapters.