The room felt different.
Not physically—
Nothing had changed.
The same walls.
The same quiet.
The same faint light filtering in through the window.
And yet—
Something had shifted.
Evan sat cross-legged once more, his posture straighter than before, his breathing slower, more deliberate. His hands rested naturally on his knees this time—not forced, not stiff.
He didn't fidget.
Didn't complain.
Didn't ask how long it would take.
Because now—
He knew what he was trying to reach.
Lyra stood a short distance away, watching him in silence.
Not intervening.
Not guiding.
Just observing.
"…You are not going to help this time?" Evan asked after a while, his eyes still closed, his voice calm but curious rather than impatient.
Lyra didn't answer immediately.
She studied him for a moment, as if measuring something invisible.
Then she spoke.
"If I guide you every time, you will learn to follow—but not to understand."
Evan let that sink in.
"…So this is the part where I struggle."
"Yes."
"…You're very honest about it."
"There is no benefit in hiding difficulty from you."
Evan let out a small breath, something between a sigh and a quiet laugh.
"…Fair enough. I guess I asked for this."
"You did."
Lyra had a faint smile on her face.
Silence returned.
But it wasn't empty.
It was focused.
Evan took a slow breath in.
Then out.
Again.
And again.
"…Alright," he murmured softly. "Let's try this properly."
He closed his eyes fully.
Not halfway.
Not distracted.
Fully.
His awareness turned inward.
To his breathing.
To the faint rhythm of his body.
To the memory.
That warmth.
That movement Lyra had shown him.
"…Back… then up… then down…"
He tried to recall the path.
Not perfectly—
But enough.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A flicker.
Faint.
Unstable.
But there.
Evan's breathing hitched slightly.
"…I think I feel something…"
He resisted the urge to open his eyes.
Resisted the urge to speak louder.
Instead—
He focused.
Carefully.
Trying to hold onto it.
Trying not to lose it like before.
The faint warmth stirred again.
Weak.
Barely noticeable.
But moving.
"…Okay… okay…"
He followed it.
Slowly.
But the moment he focused too hard—
It slipped.
Gone.
Just like that.
Evan's eyes opened immediately.
"…Seriously?"
He let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair.
"That didn't even last a second."
Lyra stepped closer this time, though she still didn't touch him.
"That is expected."
Evan looked up at her.
"…Expected? That felt like failure."
"It is failure," she said calmly. "But it is also progress."
Evan frowned slightly.
"…That sounds like something people say to make failure feel better."
Lyra shook her head.
"No. I say it because you felt it."
Evan paused.
"…That matters?"
"It matters more than success at this stage."
She moved slightly, positioning herself in front of him now.
"Most fail before they ever feel Qi even once. You have already crossed that threshold."
Evan leaned back slightly, considering that.
"…So what I just did… that wasn't nothing."
"It was your first independent attempt."
"…And I lost it almost immediately."
"Yes."
Evan stared at her for a moment.
"…You really don't sugarcoat anything."
"It would only slow your understanding."
He sighed again, but this time it wasn't frustration.
More like… acceptance.
"…Alright. Then tell me properly—what am I doing wrong?"
Lyra's gaze sharpened slightly.
Not harsh.
Focused.
"You are trying to control something you do not yet understand."
Evan blinked.
"…Isn't that the whole point?"
"No."
She crouched slightly so she was at his level.
"The point is not to control it immediately. The point is to recognize it."
Evan's brows furrowed.
"…That sounds like a small difference."
"It is not."
She continued, her voice steady but more explanatory now.
"When you felt it just now, your instinct was to hold it in place—to force it to stay."
Evan nodded slowly.
"…Yeah… that's exactly what I did."
"And that is why it disappeared."
Evan blinked.
"…Wait, so I'm not supposed to hold it?"
"You are supposed to follow it."
A pause.
Letting that settle.
Evan leaned forward slightly.
"…What's the difference?"
Lyra didn't rush her answer.
"Control implies resistance. Following implies understanding."
Evan stayed quiet.
Thinking.
"…So instead of trying to stop it from disappearing… I should move with it?"
"Yes."
"…That sounds harder."
"It is."
Evan let out a quiet breath.
"…Great."
Lyra stood again, returning to her usual composed posture.
"Try again."
Evan stared at her.
"…That's it? No long explanation this time?"
"You already understand what you need to do."
He held her gaze for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
He adjusted his posture again.
Closed his eyes.
This time—
He didn't rush.
Didn't chase the feeling.
He simply waited.
Breathing.
Listening.
Feeling.
Time passed.
Not long—
But enough.
Then—
There it was again.
Faint.
Subtle.
Evan didn't react this time.
Didn't try to grab it.
He just…
Noticed it.
"…There…"
His breathing remained steady.
The warmth moved.
Slightly.
Uncertain.
And this time—
He followed.
Not forcing.
Not controlling.
Just tracing.
"…Up…"
His focus remained soft.
Careful.
"…Don't lose it…"
It wavered.
Almost vanished.
But didn't.
"…Stay with it…"
It moved again.
A little clearer.
A little stronger.
Evan's fingers twitched slightly—
But he didn't break focus.
Not this time.
From the side—
Lyra watched silently.
Her eyes sharp.
Observing every change.
Every fluctuation.
Every small success.
The warmth completed a partial cycle.
Not perfect.
Not stable.
But real.
And then—
It faded.
Naturally.
Not abruptly.
Not broken.
Just… gone.
Evan opened his eyes slowly.
This time—
He didn't look frustrated.
"…That felt different."
Lyra nodded once.
"It was."
Evan looked down at his hands.
"…I didn't try to hold it."
"And?"
"…It stayed longer."
A small pause.
Then—
A quiet realization.
"…I didn't lose it."
Lyra's gaze softened—just slightly.
"No. You did not."
Evan leaned back, letting out a slow breath.
"…That's actually… kind of satisfying."
"It should. Instead controlling you should learn to understand it, It will help you when you actually controlling it."
He looked at her again.
"…So this is how it starts."
"Yes."
"…Slow. Annoying. And confusing."
Lyra almost smiled.
"I am not the one who made this process, I cannot do anything about it My Prince."
Evan laughed quietly.
Then leaned back onto the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"…This is going to take a while, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"…Months?"
"Possibly."
"…Years?"
"If you are careless."
Evan turned his head toward her.
"…That was not reassuring."
"Cultivating without hurting yourself is hard what you expect my prince?"
He stared at her for a second—
Then shook his head, smiling faintly.
"…You really don't change, do you?"
"No."
"…Good."
Lyra paused.
"…Why?"
Evan closed his eyes again.
"…Because if you did, I'd probably be in trouble."
Silence settled.
But it was lighter now.
Easier.
The tension from before—
Gone.
Replaced with something steadier.
Something growing.
And for the first time—
Evan didn't feel like he was chasing something unreachable.
He felt like he had taken a step.
A small one.
But real.
And this time—
He didn't need to say anything.
Because he already knew—
He was getting closer. To the first step of his dreams.