The training hall was thick with anticipation.


    Raine stood in the center, sweat dampening his grip around his sword. The blade was a standard Weaving Society training weapon, but in his hands, it felt different. He wasn''t just wielding steel. He was wielding something more.


    Across from him, Alden was no longer smiling.


    This wasn’t like their last match.


    No playful banter. No restraint.


    Ezren’s voice cut through the tension. "No killing blows. Anything else is allowed." His gaze flickered between them. "Begin."


    Alden moved first.


    The stone beneath Raine’s feet shuddered.


    Cracks split outward, and a jagged wall of earth shot from the ground, aiming to throw him off balance.


    Raine felt it this time—not just the attack, but the structure of it. The way Alden had shaped the Essence, the way the stone obeyed his will.


    He twisted, vaulting backward before the rock could pin him in.


    Alden was already there.


    His blade cut through the air—wreathed in fire.


    Too fast.


    Raine barely managed to raise his own sword in time. Steel met steel, but heat surged along Alden’s blade, scorching the air between them.


    He pivoted away, rolling with the impact, but Alden didn’t stop moving.


    The next strike was lower. A sweeping kick. Raine barely dodged before the ground beneath him collapsed.


    Alden was controlling the battlefield.


    Raine clenched his jaw. He had gotten stronger. He had learned how to unravel, how to suspend.Stolen story; please report.


    But Alden was still better.


    The difference between them wasn’t power. It was refinement.


    Raine lashed out with his sword, forcing Alden to parry. Sparks flew as their blades clashed, but Alden barely reacted, his movements precise, measured.


    Then—a feint.


    Alden twisted suddenly, shifting his grip—and the air ignited.


    Flames surged from his free hand, twisting into a controlled arc.


    Raine reached out.


    He didn’t erase it. He held it.


    The fire flickered midair, trembling in his grip.


    For a moment, he thought he had it.


    Then Alden’s second spell hit.


    A shockwave of compressed stone slammed into Raine’s ribs, throwing him backward. He barely absorbed the impact, rolling across the ground. His grip on the fire wavered.


    The flames broke free, exploding outward—harmless, but uncontrolled.


    Alden was already moving.


    He hadn’t stopped attacking for even a second.


    Raine barely had time to raise his sword before Alden was on him again, driving him back with a flurry of relentless strikes.


    For the first time in the fight, panic crept in.


    This wasn’t an enemy he could simply break.


    This wasn’t something he could unmake with a thought.


    Alden’s footwork was impeccable. His swordsmanship, flawless. His elemental control, unshakable.


    Raine could unravel magic—but against a fighter like Alden, he needed more.


    He gritted his teeth.


    Then take more.


    Raine focused. Instead of trying to destroy Alden’s magic outright—he reached for its structure.


    Not to erase it. To bend it.


    Alden’s sword flared with another wave of fire, but this time, Raine didn’t stop it.


    He pulled.


    The fire twisted, its edges fraying—not fully unraveling, but splintering just enough to disrupt Alden’s control.


    For the first time, Alden hesitated.


    Raine took his chance.


    He lunged.


    Their blades met in a final, crushing impact—but neither pushed forward.


    A stalemate.


    Both of them locked in place.


    The training hall fell silent.


    Raine was breathing heavily. His arms burned from the effort. His body ached.


    Alden stared at him for a long moment, his blade still pressed against Raine’s.


    Then—he smirked.


    "Not bad," he muttered. "You finally made me stop."


    Ezren stepped forward, his tone firm. "Enough."


    Alden pulled back immediately, lowering his blade. His smirk hadn’t faded.


    Raine exhaled sharply, his heartbeat still pounding in his ears.


    Ezren’s gaze flickered between them, unreadable.


    "That was better," he said. "But not enough."


    Raine wiped the sweat from his brow. He already knew that.


    Alden sheathed his weapon, rolling out his shoulders. "He’s getting there."


    He turned back to Raine, his smirk fading slightly. "But you’re still holding back."


    Raine frowned. "What?"


    "You’re learning control," Alden said, tilting his head. "But when are you going to learn to use it?"


    The words settled over him like a challenge.


    The torches flickered. The air remained thick with tension.


    But somewhere, deep in the back of Raine’s mind—


    The Abyss stirred.