After a month of training with Kael, I realized a few things.
One—Kael was training me in earnest.
We didn't stop.
Not once.
What started as sparring turned into something far more intense. After the second day, I began living with him in the woods. I still don't fully understand why he chose to stay here, but this place became our training ground.
Four weeks.
Four weeks of what could only be described as hell.
Every day broke me down and rebuilt me again.
And somewhere in between all of that—
I changed.
---
At night, I often left the forest and went to the House of Games.
I don't even know when it became routine.
Every time I played, I won.
Every. Single. Time.
I never stayed reckless with it though—I put everything into savings. Slowly, quietly, I became a regular customer without even trying.
And Kael…
He never asked.
Every time I came back late, he would already be there, either resting or sharpening his focus, but he never once questioned where I went.
That silence… started to bother me.
So today, I finally decided to ask.
---
"Hey."
Kael was about to leave after finishing training when I called out to him.
He paused and turned slightly.
"What?"
I hesitated for a second.
"…I was wondering. Why don't you ever ask where I go? Or why I come back so late?"
Kael stared at me for a moment.
Then he shrugged lightly.
"Because I know we're not that close."
I frowned.
"And?"
"And everyone has secrets," he continued. "I'm not going to ask something I already know you won't answer."
Silence.
Then I snapped.
"That makes no sense."
He tilted his head slightly. "What doesn't?"
"How can you trust me when you know nothing about me?"
Kael turned away and began walking again.
"Because I know you're not a bad person."
He stopped for a moment, then added—
"If you were, I wouldn't have associated with you in the first place. Trust yourself… just like I trust you."
And then he walked off.
Leaving me there.
Thinking.
---
That night, I couldn't sleep properly.
His words kept looping in my mind.
Trust yourself like I trust you.
After a long time, I made a decision.
Maybe… I would tell him.
Maybe about the sword.
The Invisible Blade.
---
The next morning, after breakfast, we returned to training.
"You've gotten a lot faster," Kael said casually as we stretched.
"Thanks," I replied, half-heartedly.
"Alright, let's be—"
"I have something to tell you."
Kael stopped.
Looked at me.
"Hmm?"
I took a breath.
"I have a sword."
"…congrats?" he replied blankly. "Did you buy it? Though it won't help much if you can't use it."
"I didn't buy it," I said.
Then I moved my hand.
As if gripping something invisible.
The air around my palm shifted.
And then—
I felt it.
The sword.
The Invisible Blade.
Unseen.
Unformed.
But undeniably there.
I raised it slowly and pointed it toward him.
"…this is it."
Kael stared at my empty hand.
"…this is what exactly?"
"…right. You can't see it."
I stepped back and adjusted my stance.
If someone were watching, it would look like a swordsman preparing a vertical strike.
But there was nothing in my hand.
And yet—
It felt completely real.
I inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
And brought my hand down.
---
The moment my motion completed—
The world split.
Everything within several meters was cleanly severed.
Trees collapsed in silence.
Grass parted like it had been erased.
A few small animals vanished mid-motion.
Even a glowing blue crystal nearby shattered instantly.
The air itself seemed to hesitate.
Then settle.
---
Kael stared.
"…wow."
For the first time, his voice actually carried surprise.
"This changes everything."
I blinked. "Huh?"
"How does someone with no form wield a sword—let alone something like that?"
He stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"Most people need a form just to stabilize a normal blade… but you're wielding an 'airless' weapon without one."
Then he suddenly raised a hand.
"Let me test something."
"What?"
"Let me try to grab your sword."
"…go ahead."
I lifted the Invisible Blade again.
Kael slowly reached forward.
Carefully.
Cautiously.
His hand passed through empty space.
"…huh?"
He tried again.
Nothing.
His hand went through it like it wasn't there at all.
He pulled back slowly.
"…there's nothing."
Silence.
Then his expression sharpened.
"Interesting."
---
From that day, everything changed.
Kael immediately adjusted my training.
Strength conditioning.
Speed refinement.
Sword control.
Even though no one else could see it, he treated the Invisible Blade as if it were the most dangerous weapon I possessed.
Eventually, I told him about the cave.
About the carvings.
About the figure dancing within them.
When I demonstrated what I remembered, Kael's expression shifted.
"…that's the Form Dance."
He explained it to me.
A sacred sequence.
Used to strengthen the connection between a user and their form.
For most people, it was mandatory during childhood—especially for those born into the top ten families.
It enhances manifestation.
Strengthens control.
Unlocks hidden potential.
And somehow…
I had seen a version of it carved into stone.
So Kael began helping me recreate it.
---
Weeks passed like that.
Training.
Fighting.
Rebuilding.
Only two weeks remained until the tournament.
And for the first time…
We stopped pushing ourselves every second.
We lazed around.
Rested.
Existed.
Something had changed between us after I confessed about the sword.
The wall between us had disappeared.
Kael became less distant.
More human.
More… tired, in a way.
But one thing didn't change.
He still never asked where I went at night.
---
In the Academy
The academy was in chaos.
Teachers were pushing themselves beyond limits, desperate to prepare their students.
The tournament was approaching.
For some, it was pride.
For others, survival.
For a few…
It was freedom from expulsion.
---
A student was walking home when he heard something.
A faint sound.
He frowned.
"…I'm just being paranoid."
But he followed it anyway.
The sound led him to the far edge of the academy.
The silent zone.
No students. No teachers. No life.
Just stillness.
He stopped.
"…there's nothing here."
He turned to leave.
But paused.
Something was behind him.
Something wrong.
Before he could react—
He was gone.
No scream.
No struggle.
Only a torn piece of cloth fell to the ground.
---
Elsewhere.
Two students.
Male and female.
Had just finished showering together.
Careless.
Laughing.
Now lying in bed.
Naked.
Relaxed.
Safe.
Then—
The bed moved.
Tentacles erupted from beneath it.
Wrapping around them instantly.
Crushing.
Suffocating.
Dragging them down.
A hand-like appendage emerged, forcing its way into their bodies.
They screamed.
But no one heard them.
The room had been chosen carefully.
Isolated.
Perfect.
They were consumed slowly.
Until only blood and bone remained.
---
Elsewhere again.
A bully from Nullen's past sat in the cafeteria.
He ate casually.
Drank water.
Smirked.
Then stood up.
Mid-walk—
He stopped.
His stomach twisted violently.
"…what—?"
He ran.
Bursting into his dorm room.
His roommate looked up.
"Hey—what's wrong?!"
The bully opened his mouth to speak—
And vomited.
Violently.
Again.
And again.
The roommate stepped back in disgust.
"Dude—what the hell—"
Then—
A rope-like tendril shot out from his mouth.
It latched onto the roommate's arm.
The roommate froze.
"…what the—"
Before he could react—
He was drained instantly.
Blood gone.
Body collapsing like an empty shell.
The bully fell to his knees.
Vomiting one last time.
And something small dropped onto the floor.
An ant.
Then—
He died.