The morning air felt colder than usual.
Or perhaps it was just Leo's body that hadn't fully recovered from the days before.
Every muscle in his body ached as he walked toward the training ground, his steps slower than usual but steady.
The bruises on his arms had darkened slightly, and his shoulders still felt heavy from yesterday's training.
Yet
he didn't stop.
When he reached the training ground, the usual sounds filled the air.
Wooden swords clashing.
Feet shifting against the dirt.
Short, controlled breaths.
Leo stood at the edge for a moment, watching.
He wasn't looking at everything this time.
Only a few.
The ones who moved with precision.
The ones who didn't waste movement.
His eyes followed their feet.
Their stance.
The way they reacted.
Then
"Come."
Kael's voice cut through the noise.
Leo turned immediately and walked toward him.
Kael stood in the same place as always, his posture relaxed, yet his presence dominating everything around him.
"Today, we continue," Kael said simply.
Leo nodded.
No unnecessary words.
Kael picked up a wooden sword and tossed one toward Leo.
Leo caught it—but barely.
His grip was still unstable.
Kael noticed.
"Fix your stance," he said.
Leo adjusted slightly.
"Not like that."
Leo paused, then shifted again, remembering what he had seen earlier.
His feet moved just a little wider.
His balance lowered.
Kael watched silently.
"…Better."
That single word felt heavier than anything Leo had heard before.
But he didn't react.
He simply tightened his grip.
"Again," Kael said.
Without warning, Kael stepped forward.
The wooden sword moved.
Fast.
Leo's eyes widened
—but this time
he moved.
It wasn't perfect.
It wasn't clean.
But he didn't freeze.
He shifted his body slightly to the side.
The strike still landed
but not fully.
The impact pushed him back, his feet dragging against the ground.
But
he didn't fall.
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
Not in shock.
But in realization.
Kael stopped.
Silence fell between them for a brief moment.
"…Again."
This time, Leo prepared.
His grip tightened.
His stance lowered.
Kael moved again.
The strike came from a different angle.
Leo tried to react
but this time, he was too slow.
The hit landed clean.
His body was thrown backward, and he hit the ground hard.
Pain shot through his back.
His breath left him for a moment.
But he didn't stay down long.
He stood up.
Not quickly.
But without hesitation.
Kael's eyes remained fixed on him.
"…Again."
The training continued.
Strike after strike.
Failure after failure.
Leo's body grew heavier with each passing moment.
His arms trembled.
His legs felt like they would give out at any second.
But something was different.
He wasn't reacting randomly anymore.
He was trying.
Trying to move the way he had observed.
Trying to adjust.
Trying to understand.
Another strike came.
Leo moved.
Too slow.
But not completely wrong.
The hit landed
but again
not fully.
He slid back.
But stayed standing.
A small change.
Almost invisible.
But real.
Kael noticed.
Of course he did.
But he said nothing.
The training didn't stop.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Time blurred.
Leo lost count of how many times he had been hit.
How many times he had fallen.
How many times he had stood back up.
At some point
his body stopped responding the way he wanted.
His movements slowed.
His reactions dulled.
Another strike came.
This time
he couldn't move.
The hit landed clean.
Leo fell.
And this time
he didn't get up immediately.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
His vision blurred slightly.
The sky above him looked distant.
"…Get up."
Kael's voice.
Leo closed his eyes for a brief moment.
His fingers tightened slightly against the ground.
Then
he pushed himself up.
Slowly.
Unsteadily.
But he stood.
Kael looked at him for a moment longer.
Then
"…That's enough."
The words felt unexpected.
Leo blinked slightly, trying to process them.
Kael turned away.
"Rest."
Leo didn't respond.
He simply lowered the wooden sword slightly and stood there, his breathing still heavy.
After a few moments, he moved.
Not toward the others.
Not toward the center.
But to the side.
The same place he usually stayed.
He sat down.
His body finally giving in to the exhaustion.
His arms rested against his knees.
His head lowered slightly.
For a while, he didn't think about anything.
No thoughts.
No questions.
Just breathing.
After some time, he slowly lifted his head.
The trainees were still practicing.
Their movements sharp.
Controlled.
Distant.
Leo watched them again.
But this time
his eyes were different.
Not empty.
Not lost.
Just… focused.
He looked down at his hands.
They were shaking slightly.
Bruised.
Weak.
But
they had moved.
Even if just a little.
Leo didn't smile.
He didn't feel proud.
But he didn't feel the same as before either.
He slowly tightened his fingers.
As if testing something.
Then
"…You're still standing."
A voice came from the side.
Leo turned slightly.
Ryan stood there, looking at him.
Not mocking.
Not smiling.
Just observing.
Leo didn't respond.
Ryan continued.
"…Yesterday, you couldn't even react."
A brief pause.
"…Today, you moved."
Leo looked at him quietly.
Ryan shrugged slightly.
"It's still bad," he added.
Then turned away.
"But not useless."
Leo watched him leave.
He didn't say anything.
But those words stayed.
Not because they were kind.
But because they were true.
Leo slowly looked back at his hands again.
Then toward Kael.
Kael stood at a distance, watching the trainees.
But for a brief moment
his gaze shifted.
Toward Leo.
Their eyes met.
Only for a second.
Then Kael looked away.
Nothing was said.
Nothing needed to be said.
Leo slowly stood up again.
His body protested.
But he ignored it.
He picked up the wooden sword once more.
Not because someone told him to.
Not because he had to.
But because
he wanted to.
He stepped forward slightly.
Alone.
He adjusted his stance.
The same way as before.
Unstable.
Imperfect.
But
intentional.
He moved.
Slowly.
Trying to recreate what he had seen.
Trying to understand.
He failed.
Again.
But he tried again.
And again.
And again.
No one told him to stop.
No one told him to continue.
Time passed quietly.
Then
from a distance
Kael watched.
Silently.
"…He didn't wait this time," Kael muttered under his breath.
A faint, almost unnoticeable expression crossed his face.
Not approval.
Not surprise.
Something else.
Something closer to interest.
And far away
inside the towering halls of the Valencrest estate
a pair of sharp eyes looked out from a high window.
Watching the training grounds below.
Watching the small figure that refused to stay down.
"…So this is the boy."
A low voice echoed softly.
Calm.
Cold.
Interested.
Leo didn't know.
He didn't feel it.
He didn't notice.
He simply stood there
trying again.
And for the first time
his failure didn't feel the same.