Night blanketed the sky above the Academy of Blades, but Aelric's window was still lit.
He sat cross-legged before the mirror, eyes closed, body steady, breathing deep. The System's silver-blue glow flickered across his face.
> [Blade Memory Fragment: "Falling Star Slash" – 1% Recovered]
[Origin: Ancient Vault | Compatibility: 34%]
[Unlock Requirements: Blade Seed Mid Stage + Sword Intent Threshold]
[Would you like to attempt Visualization?]
Aelric exhaled.
"Yes."
The world twisted.
He stood on a jagged cliff beneath a thunderstorm.
The sea below boiled with waves. Above, the sky split with lightning.
And standing ahead—on the edge of a stone pillar—was a figure cloaked in black flame, holding a blade as long as a spear.
He turned his head toward Aelric.
No words. No face. Just presence.
Then the figure moved.
One slash.
Just one.
The storm split.
The sea parted.
And the sky above opened like a wound.
A falling star—a meteor, really—crashed through the heavens and struck the ocean in the distance with a roar of divine fire.
And in that instant, Aelric saw it.
The movement. The stance. The intention.
> [Sword Intent +5]
[Visualization Imprinted – 3% Total Progress]
[Technique: Falling Star Slash – Incomplete | Rank: ??? | Current Status: Shadow Form]
Then the vision faded, and Aelric collapsed, gasping for breath. His hand shook. His heart thundered.
That wasn't a sword technique. That was…
He couldn't even finish the thought.
The next morning, the Academy buzzed with news of the duel. Whispers of "Vaelion" followed Aelric through every corridor, every hallway.
He'd expected envy. Rivalry.
He hadn't expected admiration.
Or fear.
Some bowed slightly when he passed. Some sneered behind his back. Some just watched.
But one person didn't wait.
Kael Ravaryn stepped into his path in the west corridor, arms crossed, golden hair falling across his shoulder.
"You beat a Rank 5," Kael said. "But don't get arrogant. That boy was all muscle. No finesse."
Aelric said nothing.
Kael smirked. "You're not bad. But you're not me."
> [System Thread: Rivalry – Active]
[Kael Ravaryn | 4th Grade | Silver Tier – Rank 1 | Known Skills: Wind Mantle, Crescent Breaker]
"Not yet," Aelric replied.
Kael's smile sharpened. "Good. You'll make a better enemy that way."
That evening, Aelric met with Lyria Caelwyn beneath the old training tower.
She'd left him a note: "You need to learn to deal with mages."
She stood on a wooden platform with her coat off, sleeves rolled. Her hands glowed with storm mana—sparks and arcs of electricity dancing between her fingers.
"I saw the replay," she said. "Your footwork's good. Sword's better. But if someone casts from twenty feet away, what's your plan?"
Aelric raised his blade. "Close the gap."
She grinned. "Try."
The duel that followed was short, brutal, and full of burns.
Lyria's lightning bolts kept him at bay, her agility matched his own. She danced like wind and struck like thunder.
But Aelric was learning.
Every dodge. Every spark. Every pain.
He watched. He adapted.
By the third round, he managed to touch her shoulder with his blade.
Lyria blinked, then grinned wider. "You're fast. I like that."
That night, bruised and exhausted, Aelric returned to his dorm and collapsed onto the bed.
The System waited for him.
> [System Points: 21]
[Available Upgrades: Phantom Step Efficiency | Blade Seed Resonance | Falling Star Slash Comprehension]
He selected: Falling Star Slash Comprehension – 10 Points
> [Confirmed]
[Comprehension Progress: 3% → 8%]
[New Fragment Recovered: "Stillness Before the Break"]
His Blade Seed pulsed once. A strange calmness washed over him.
Then—just before sleep took him—
> [Warning: Unknown Presence Detected in Inner Realm]
[Entity Signature: ??? | Status: Dormant | Threat Level: Unknown]
Aelric sat upright.
"…What?"
But the message vanished.
And only silence remained.