The soul space had finally quieted.
Shattered earth, frozen spikes, scattered shadows, and lingering cursed energy—signs of a warzone remained etched into the training ground. Mana still shimmered faintly in the air, proof of the chaos that had unfolded. Noah stood in the middle of it all, chest rising and falling, his hair sticking to his forehead from the sweat.
One clone had a sword stabbed into the ground, leaning on it with a grin. The other lay on its back, completely exhausted. Both dissolved into strands of light a moment later.
Across the field, the girls were sprawled out like fallen warriors.
Lyra was sitting with her back against an ice pillar, one arm resting over her knee, exhaling frost with every breath. Her battle mode had worn off—icy-blue hair slowly shifting back to black.
Scarlett was sitting cross-legged, daggers on the ground beside her, her red hair a wild mess. She looked tired, but there was fire in her crimson eyes.
And Layla—Layla was lying on the ground with her arms spread wide, scythe stabbed into the ground nearby, grinning like a lunatic. "Hehehe… I'll admit… I might've gone a teensy bit overboard."
"You summoned cursed blades from another realm and tried to impale me with ten of them," Noah muttered.
She sat up and winked. "You dodged, didn't you? I call that love."
"I call that murder," Lyra said flatly.
Scarlett chuckled. "You almost froze Noah's legs solid. That wasn't love either."
"That was strategic." Lyra dusted frost off her sleeve. "Next time I'll aim higher."
Noah shook his head, smirking. "Alright girls, we still have five days before we're out of the soul space,"
He said, voice calm but firm. "So I suggest you all master your basics. Work on controlling your elements and pushing your limits."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Scarlett—you've gotten faster. But your Shadow Spear loses shape when you use it mid-air. Focus your mana better. Maybe add wind to reinforce it."
Scarlett gave a small nod. "Got it."
"Lyra—your Blizzard's Wrath is overwhelming, but your transitions between attacks have gaps. If you can make them seamless, you'll be untouchable."
"…Understood," Lyra said softly, but her eyes gleamed with motivation.
"And Layla," he looked at her, rubbing his shoulder where her cursed energy had nearly blown a hole through him, "you're terrifying. But your soul drain has too long a delay. If you can shorten that, it'll be lethal."
Layla grinned. "Aww, you noticed! I'll make sure next time you're the first to test it."
"…Great."
He exhaled slowly and looked up at the glowing sky of his soul space.
"Let's surprise Mom, alright?" he said, half-smiling. "She's not going to expect her son to be nearly murdered by three beautiful, bloodthirsty maniacs."
"You love us," Layla said sweetly.
"Debatable," Noah muttered.
As the girls got up one by one, renewed determination in their eyes, the soul space started to pulse with magic again. This time, calmer, more focused.
There was no need for words. They weren't fighting anymore. They were sharpening their blades—for what was coming.
-to be continued....