Leo followed the instructor through a quiet part of the academy. The buildings became fewer, the paths emptier. Soon, they reached a closed training area surrounded by high barriers.
"This is where advanced students train," the instructor said.
Leo looked around. The air itself felt different. Denser. More controlled.
"…Stronger mana flow," he noted.
The instructor glanced at him. "Good. You can feel it."
They stepped inside.
At the center was a large circular field, covered in complex magic patterns.
"Your ability to analyze and change magic is rare," the instructor said. "But right now, it's incomplete."
Leo stayed silent.
"You see flaws," the instructor continued. "But you don't fully understand the system behind them."
Leo nodded slightly. "…That's true."
The instructor raised his hand. A spell formed instantly. Clean, powerful, and far more complex than anything Leo had seen so far.
"This is a higher structure spell," he said. "Try to analyze it."
Leo's eyes focused.
Lines. Layers. Flow. Connections.
It was fast.
Too fast.
"…Complicated," Leo muttered.
The instructor released the spell.
"You couldn't follow it completely," he said.
Leo didn't deny it.
"…Not yet."
The instructor stepped forward. "Then we fix that."
He pointed at the ground. "Recreate it."
Leo paused. "…I don't know the full structure."
"Exactly."
Silence.
Leo raised his hand slowly. Mana gathered.
He began forming the spell.
Piece by piece.
Not perfect.
Not complete.
But—
Close.
The shape appeared.
Unstable.
Shaking.
Then—
It broke.
Leo lowered his hand.
"…I missed parts."
The instructor nodded. "And that's your weakness."
Leo looked at him.
"You rely on what you see," the instructor said. "But real combat won't give you time to see everything."
A short pause.
"…Then I need to think faster," Leo said.
The instructor shook his head. "No."
He stepped closer.
"…You need to understand deeper."
Silence.
Leo's expression changed slightly.
"Again," the instructor said.
Leo raised his hand once more.
This time—
He didn't rush.
He closed his eyes.
Focused.
Not just on the shape—
But on the logic behind it.
Why it existed.
How it flowed.
Mana gathered again.
Slower.
More controlled.
The spell formed.
Still incomplete.
But—
More stable.
The instructor watched carefully.
"…Better."
Leo opened his eyes.
"…I see it now."
Not fully.
But clearer than before.
The instructor nodded.
"Good. Then we continue."
Far away, inside the main building, Rin stood in the training room alone.
A small light hovered in her hand.
Perfect.
Stable.
Controlled.
Then—
She changed it.
Reduced the flow.
Adjusted the structure.
Just like Leo showed her.
The light flickered.
Shook—
Then stabilized again.
"…Not enough," she said quietly.
She raised her other hand.
Another spell formed.
Faster.
Sharper.
She repeated it.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Her control improved with each attempt.
Her breathing steady.
Her focus unbroken.
"…I won't fall behind," she whispered.
Back in the special training field—
Leo's spell finally stabilized.
Not perfect.
But complete.
The instructor looked at it.
Then at Leo.
"…Now you're learning."
Leo lowered his hand slowly.
"…This is just the start."
The instructor gave a slight nod.
"…Exactly."