Soren gritted his teeth and made his decision.
He tapped on the in-person instruction option.
While his comprehension was decent, it couldn't help him master a complex technique on his own. He wasn't some genius who could take one look and instantly understand everything. Real guidance would save him time and prevent bad habits from forming.
[Purchase Confirmed: Glacial Edge Spear Arts - In-Person Instruction (3 sessions)]
[First Session Scheduled: Today, 9:00 AM - Bureau Training Hall, Sector 4]
Soren checked the time. 6:30 AM. He had enough time to prepare breakfast and get Ethea ready before leaving.
───────
The morning routine went smoothly. Soren cooked a vegetable soup, fed Ethea, and made sure she was comfortable in the living room before Clara arrived at 8:00 AM.
"Good morning, Mr. Valmere," Clara greeted him warmly.
"Good morning, Lady Clara. I'll be heading out for a few hours."
"Of course. Take your time. We'll be fine here."
Soren grabbed his spear and left.
───────
Three hours later, Soren returned home, his mind buzzing with what he'd just witnessed.
He was disappointed, yes. Even after the full two-hour session, he hadn't grasped the technique yet. The movements were far more complex than the basic drills Marcus had taught him. The timing, the Mana flow, the integration of ice with each strike... it all required precision he didn't yet have.
But he was also exhilarated because he had seen it with his own eyes.
The instructor, a young woman in her late twenties with a decade of combat experience, had demonstrated the Glacial Edge Spear Arts in full. Every strike flowed seamlessly into the next, frost spreading from her spear tip like living crystal. Each thrust left trails of ice in the air, and each sweep created barriers capable of defending or trapping an opponent.
It was both beautiful and deadly.
Soren clenched his fists, determination burning in his chest.
'I will master this.'
'Definitely!'
───────
After a quick lunch with Ethea, Soren headed straight to the courtyard.
"I'm going to train," he said simply. "Call me if you need anything."
Ethea, seated in her wheelchair near the garden, gave a faint nod.
Soren picked up his spear and began.
He started with the first form, a simple thrust infused with ice Mana. But the execution was far from simple. The Mana had to flow in a specific pattern, condensing at the exact moment of impact.
He thrust forward.
The frost formed too late, dissipating before it could take shape.
He tried again.
This time, the frost formed too early, weakening the strike.
Again.
Again.
And again.
He failed repeatedly, but his expression never darkened. Instead, a small smile tugged at his lips each time he corrected a mistake and tried once more.
───────
Meanwhile, Ethea watched him from her wheelchair, her ice-blue eyes following his every movement.
She had seen him train over the past few days, practicing his spear drills, footwork, frostpalm, and other basic techniques in the courtyard. But this time was different. Before, it had felt like he was forcing himself through the motions out of necessity rather than enjoyment. Now...
Now he was smiling.
Even after failing again and again, even as sweat dripped down his face and his arms trembled from exhaustion, he kept going with that same determined smile.
'Why...?'
She did not understand what had changed. But as she watched him move, fail, adjust, and try again without hesitation, something stirred inside her. A faint smile appeared on her lips, one she did not even notice herself.
───────
Time passed.
The afternoon sun shifted lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the courtyard. At around 4:00 PM, Lady Clara arrived for her evening session. She stepped through the front door, calling out her usual greeting.
"Mr. Valmere? Mrs. Valmere?"
No response.
Frowning slightly, Clara walked through the house, checking the living room and kitchen. Empty.
Then she heard a faint sound from outside, the rhythmic swish of something cutting through the air.
Clara stepped out into the courtyard and froze.
At the center, Soren was swinging his spear with relentless focus. His clothes were drenched in sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. Frost clung to the spear's blade, spreading with each movement before dissipating into the air.
But what truly made Clara's breath catch wasn't Soren.
It was Ethea.
Sitting in her wheelchair near the garden, she was watching Soren train.
But it wasn't the watching that made Clara freeze.
It was her expression.
Ethea was smiling.
A real, genuine smile. Soft and unguarded, her lips curved gently as her ice-blue eyes followed Soren's movements. She seemed completely lost in thought, unaware of anything around her except the man swinging his spear in the courtyard.
Clara had worked with Ethea for days now. She had seen the woman's cold indifference, her quiet resignation, and the distant look that never quite left her eyes. But she had never seen this.
She had never seen her smile.
The afternoon light caught Ethea's black hair, making it gleam softly. It illuminated her delicate features, the peaceful expression on her face, the faint warmth in her gaze.
Clara had always known Mrs. Valmere was beautiful. Even in her current state, confined to a wheelchair and unable to move freely, her beauty was undeniable.
But this...
This was something else entirely.
This was a woman watching someone she cared for. A woman who, for just a moment, had forgotten her pain and allowed herself to simply exist in the presence of another.
Clara stood there, unable to move, her heart unexpectedly full.
She knew, somehow, that she would never forget this scene.