The capital of Aurelian had returned to its rhythm.
Steel rang against steel. Orders echoed across courtyards. The Royal Knights' training hall stood as it always had—unyielding, disciplined, untouched by the chaos beyond its walls. But not unchanged...
The five had returned.
Not as they were before.
Kael's blade carved through the air in heavy arcs, each swing carrying more weight than before—more force, more intent.
Lio stood at a distance, repeating precise forms, each motion measured to perfection.
Taren leaned against a post, rolling his shoulder with a quiet groan. "…I'm still sore."
Seris said nothing, her presence barely noticeable even among allies.
And Renn—
Stood apart.
At the far side of the hall, near the training logs, Renn closed his eyes. The noise dimmed, not because it faded—but because he chose to step away from it.
A slow breath.
Then another.
"…Start from the center."
His voice was low, steady—more instruction than thought. His awareness sank inward. Past muscle. Past bone. Deeper.
"…The Meridian…"
A faint glow stirred within his lower chest. A pulse. Slow. Deliberate.
"…Don't force it."
"…Let it move."
The Aether responded. Not violently. Not in bursts, but in flow.
"…From the Meridian… to the veins."
Golden threads began to travel—thin at first, almost fragile. Then steadier.
"…Through the blood… carry it outward."
His breathing aligned with the motion.
In.
Out.
Controlled.
"…To the muscle fibers…"
The glow deepened. His arms, his legs—every movement beneath his skin became visible in faint, flowing lines of gold.
"…Let it settle… don't push it…"
"…Guide it…"
Heat rose. But it did not burn. It spreads evenly.
"…To every inch…"
"…Every strand…"
"…Every layer of the body…"
The Aether reached outward— Not escaping. Not erupting.
"…Wrap it…"
"…Like a blanket…"
A thin aura formed around him. Calm and contained. Perfectly close to his body.
"…Don't release it."
"…Hold it."
"…Make it stay…"
Behind him, the others had slowed. Then stopped. Above them, a figure stood along the upper balcony of the training hall. Silent and observing.
Long blue hair shifted slightly with the air.
A Knight Captain.
His arms rested loosely against the railing, eyes fixed on Renn below.
"…Ohh…"
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"…not bad for a kid."
Below— Renn's eyes opened. His grip tightened around his dagger. The Aether moved. From his body, into the blade. Not violently. Not in excess. But completely.
"…Now…"
The aura condensed. A single swing. The blade passed cleanly through the training log. No resistance. No sound.
A breath later—
A sharp crack echoed. The pillar behind it split. Silence swallowed the hall.
Taren jolted upright.
"HEY—wait—!"
He looked up, panic rising.
"That pillar's part of the structure—if this place caves in, I'm dragging you out myself!"
Kael didn't react. He stepped forward, eyes locked on Renn.
"…Do that again."
Above., the Knight Captain's smirk widened slightly.
"…This could be an interesting one."
Kael stepped closer. "…How?" His tone was sharp now. Focused. "I've been pushing more Aether than anyone here—and it destabilizes every time."
A pause.
"…So what are you doing differently?"
Renn looked at his hand. "…I stopped trying to release it."
They stared.
"I kept it inside," he continued. "Moved it through everything first."
He glanced at them.
"…Then stabilized it."
Kael frowned.
"…That's it?"
Before Renn could answer—
"Allow me to explain."
The voice cut cleanly through the space. All five turned. The General Captain stood at the entrance. Unmoving. They straightened immediately. He stepped forward.
"Every living being possesses an Aether Meridian. A core within the body that stores and circulates Aether."
His gaze passed briefly over Renn.
"The size of your core determines how much Aether you can contain. Most fail not because they lack power, but because they lack refinement."
Kael's expression hardened slightly.
"Your core expands everytime you tried to release it forcefully. Consider a balloon, you gather air in one go then releases it. And everytime you performs Aether release, your core will eventually fill all the gaps in your body...."
Lio spoke quietly. "…And it collapses."
The General nodded. ".. explodes.. like a balloon that reaches its elastic limit."
Silence.
"In your current state," he said, looking at all five, "your Aether Meridians are underdeveloped."
"In simple terms—"
A pause.
"You lack control over your own capacity."
Taren muttered under his breath. "…That's one way to put it."
The General continued. "Your bodies cannot yet handle the amount of Aether you attempt to wield. That is why instability occurs."
He turned slightly.
"I have already made arrangements."
The five focused.
"There is an individual," he said, "who will train your Aether Meridians."
Kael smirked faintly.
"For the next six months," the General continued, "you will undergo specialized training."
The General turned slightly, his gaze lifting toward the upper level of the training hall.
"…Allow me to introduce."
A faint shift in the air.
"The First Captain of the Aurelian Royal Knights."
A figure stepped forward from the balcony above. Unhurried. Measured.
Long blue hair fell past his shoulders, catching the light in soft strands as he descended the steps. His presence was not loud, nor overwhelming— But it carried weight. The kind that didn't need to prove itself.
"Captain Arden Vol"
The name settled with quiet authority. Arden reached the base of the hall, boots stopping just short of the five. His gaze passed over each of them once—
Then returned to Renn.
"…So you're the one."
His tone was light. Almost amused.
Kael straightened instinctively. Even Taren stopped shifting. Arden tilted his head slightly, studying Renn with open curiosity.
"…The way you moved your Aether just now."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Not bad for a kid."
Renn said nothing. But he did not look away.
Arden exhaled softly, then turned his attention to all five.
"…Though I'll say this now—"
His voice shifted. Still calm, but sharper.
"What you just did?"
A pause.
"Barely qualifies as a beginner. Totally crap use of Aether. You are all wasted potential, W A S T E D... "
Taren was shocked. Kael's expression darkened.
"…Huh? Wanna pick a fight old man?"
Then the General exhaled through his nose. "…Here we go again.."
Arden's gaze flicked toward him briefly. "You're not even worth warming up for." Then an mocking laugh for his response.
Taren whispered under his breath. "…He's worse than Kael…"
Kael stepped forward again, anger rising.
"…What did you say?."
"…Nothing..."
"…Good."
Arden exhaled. Then he spoke. "I will not explain it in words. Allow me to demonstrate."
He tilted his head slightly.
"…Renn Valehart. Use that same attack from earlier."
Silence dropped instantly. Renn didn't move immediately. Then— He exhaled.
"…Understood."
Aether stirred. Calm. Controlled. Renn drew his dagger.
A simple strike.
The same clean motion from before. The blade moved. But Arden did not even shift his stance. He raised one hand.
Two fingers.
A thin layer of Aether formed around them.
Flick.
The attack was redirected. Not blocked. Not shattered. Simply… moved aside. As if its direction had been corrected by reality itself. The impact carved into the floor beside Arden instead of reaching him.
Silence.
Arden lowered his hand slightly. "…Do you get it now?"
Renn's eyes narrowed. Arden continued, voice calm but sharp. "Your attack…contains less Aether output than my reinforced fingers."
He lifted his hand again. A faint layer of Aether shimmered around it—thin, controlled, precise.
"Quantity is power."
His voice was flat, absolute.
"The more Aether you possess and circulate at once, the more raw power you can exert."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"That is the simplest truth of combat."
Taren frowned. "…So it's just whoever has more wins?"
Arden didn't even look at him.
"…Yes."
A beat. Then—
"No."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "…Which one is it?"
Arden finally turned slightly toward them.
His expression remained unchanged.
"It is not just possession. It is capacity and control of output density."
He tapped his own finger lightly.
"You all are using Aether like water poured onto the ground."
Another pause.
"…I am compressing it into steel."
Silence followed. Arden's eyes returned to Renn. "What you did earlier…" A faint scoff. "…is inefficient reinforcement."
He stepped forward slightly. "You coat your entire body. That means your Aether Meridian is forced to sustain constant full-body circulation."
He tilted his head slightly.
"And that is why you tire quickly."
Renn's eyes narrowed slightly. Arden continued.
"In true combat, you do not have the luxury of full distribution. You will need to allocate Aether only where impact is required."
He raised his hand. Only the fingertips glowed.
"This is efficiency."
A flick. Aether released in a controlled burst.
"Not this…wasteful blanket coverage."
His voice dropped slightly. More serious now.
"You increase your capacity first. That is why your training is necessary." His eyes scanned all five. "The Aether Meridian is not infinite." He tapped his chest once.
"It grows."
"But only if refined."
Silence.
"And most of you…are already close to your unstable limit."
Taren stiffened slightly. "…Wait—what does that mean?"
Arden exhaled. "It means your bodies are already struggling to contain what little Aether you have. If you force more without refinement…" He glanced at them. "…your Meridian breaks."
Silence returned. He stepped back slightly.
"That is why you will train for the next six months."
"To expand capacity."
"To stabilize circulation."
"To prevent collapse."
His gaze landed briefly on Renn. "And to stop wasting potential."
A faint pause. Then—
"…Especially you."
Renn did not respond immediately. Only tightened his grip slightly on his dagger.
Arden turned away slightly, as if the lesson had ended.
Then—
Renn suddenly moved. His aether surged. Sudden. Violent.
Kael reacted immediately.
"…Oi—!"
But before anyone could stop him— Renn's aura exploded outward. Golden light filled the space. Then— He compressed it. Not scattered. Not unstable. Contained.
"…He's stabilizing it again…" Lio muttered.
The aura condensed into his body. Controlled. Refined. Then flowed into his dagger. Golden light sharpened.
Arden raised a brow. "…Hoh."
A faint smirk.
"Hey… Are you serious?"
Renn vanished.
Aether Art: Flash Rend
A straight-line displacement. No warning. No transition. Just movement. Arden's eyes widened slightly.
CLANG—
The dagger struck. Arden caught it with his blade coated in Aether. But he slid back. Boots scraping the ground.
"…Tch."
His expression sharpened. "You're really a monster."
Renn pushed again. Aether surged along the blade. Arden adjusted instantly. His stance changed. His blade ignited with layered Aether defense.
The clash intensified.
CRACK—
Arden's defense held—but fractured slightly. A thin chip appeared in his Aether coating. His eyes narrowed.
"…Interesting."
Renn pressed forward.
Arden's smirk widened. "Come on, Valehart... Give me your best shot."
Arden pushed the blade aside completely. The force dissipated. Silence. Renn adjusted midstrike. He shifted his Aether from his dagger, to his wrist and feet to gain momentum.
Arden slid back half a step.
Silence.
"…You corrected it."
Renn didn't stop. A second strike— Faster. Blocked again, but tighter. Arden's defense pressed harder this time.
"…Now you're distributing…"
Renn pivoted. A third strike. The Aether shifted again.
Leg to core—
Core to arm—
Arm to blade—
Fluid. Continuous. Arden's stance adjusted. Not retreating, but stabilizing.
"…Good."
The word came out low. Almost reluctant. Renn stopped. He didn't overextend. Didn't surge. He stepped back.
The aura faded, he withdrawn.
Silence settled again. He steadied himself— Barely. The hall was still.
Taren exhaled slowly. "…That was intense…"
A sudden sound broke it.
A laugh.
All eyes turned. General Knight Vaelric stepped forward from the side, still chuckling to himself. He walked straight past the others, stopping beside Arden. Without hesitation, he gave Arden a firm pat on the shoulder.
"You had quite the serious face back there," Vaelric said, amused.
Arden didn't even look at him. "…I was not struggling."
Vaelric raised a brow, the grin still present. " Well, I guess it's not just you who is prideful in this room." Then he laughed again..
Arden straightened. Rolling his shoulder once. "…Now you understand."
Renn didn't speak. Arden looked at him. Not disgusted this time. Serious.
"Power without control… is self-destruction."
He turned away slightly.
"You want infinite Aether? Then build a body that can survive it first."
Silence filled the hall. Renn steadied his breathing. It was clear. The path forward had been drawn.
And Renn had taken his first real step on it.