Theo's POV
Training ended later than expected.
No one complained.
Not this time.
They were tired—
But focused.
That mattered more.
"…Same time tomorrow," I said.
"Early?" Dax groaned.
"Yes."
"…I regret joining this," he muttered.
"You didn't join," Lyra said flatly. "You were dragged."
"…That's worse."
Kairo laughed.
"See you all tomorrow," he said, waving lazily.
Mira gave a small smile.
"…Good work today," she said softly.
Ronan nodded once.
Selene said nothing—
But her gaze lingered.
Bran walked off first.
Silent.
Thinking.
Good.
That meant he was changing.
Slowly.
I turned.
Leaving the training ground behind.
Because now—
I had something else to figure out.
…
My dorm was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that made thinking easier—
And harder.
I sat down.
Hands resting lightly on my knees.
Then—
Exhaled.
"…I need a movement skill," I muttered.
It was obvious now.
Power—
Control—
That wasn't enough.
Not anymore.
Speed—
Positioning—
That was the gap.
Kairo had it.
Naturally.
Lightning made it easy for him.
But me—
I had to build it.
From scratch.
I closed my eyes.
Thinking.
Water wasn't just shape.
Or temperature.
It was flow.
Pressure.
Movement.
Force.
"…Then use it that way," I said quietly.
My hand lifted slightly.
A small magic circle formed.
Then another.
And another.
Not stacked.
Placed.
Positioned.
Floating in front of me.
Thin.
Wide.
Like rings.
"…Not attacks," I muttered.
"…Pathways."
The circles rotated slowly.
Water flowing along their edges.
Stabilizing them.
Keeping them intact.
I stood up.
Stepping back.
Eyes focused.
"…If pressure can compress—"
"…it can also release."
I moved.
Slow at first.
Then—
Faster.
I jumped—
And struck the first circle with my foot.
Nothing happened.
I landed.
"…Wrong timing," I muttered.
Again.
This time—
I focused.
Mana shifted.
The circle tightened.
Pressure building within it.
Waiting.
I jumped again—
And—
Connected.
The moment my foot hit—
BOOM—
The pressure released.
Violent.
Controlled.
It launched me forward instantly.
Faster than expected.
I barely adjusted—
Landing hard.
Sliding back.
"…Too much output," I said.
But—
It worked.
I looked at the circles again.
Then forward.
"…Again."
This time—
Three circles.
Positioned mid-air.
Aligned.
I ran—
Jumped—
First impact—
BOOM—
Acceleration.
Second—
Faster.
Third—
Even faster.
My body struggled to keep up—
But I adjusted.
Landing—
Sliding back again.
But more controlled this time.
"…Better."
But not enough.
Something was missing.
I looked down at my feet.
"…Impact."
"…Stability."
"…Damage."
Water gathered again.
But this time—
Around my legs.
Condensing.
Shaping.
Forming—
Boots.
Not heavy.
Not bulky.
Light.
Compressed.
Reinforced with pressure.
"…Now."
I moved again.
Faster.
More confident.
Jump—
First circle—
BOOM—
Acceleration hit instantly.
But this time—
My body held.
Second—
Faster.
Third—
The world blurred.
Fourth—
Even faster.
Fifth—
Maximum output.
Then—
I landed.
Hard.
The boots shattered instantly.
Water dispersing.
Speed gone.
Like it was never there.
Silence filled the room.
My breathing slowed.
Controlled.
Steady.
"…That's it," I said quietly.
It wasn't constant speed.
It wasn't sustained movement.
It was—
Burst acceleration.
Explosive.
Controlled.
Perfect for positioning.
For closing distance.
For striking.
I looked at my hand.
Then forward.
"…Water:boost."
The name settled naturally.
Simple.
Clear.
Effective.
I stepped back again.
Ready to test it one more time—
Then—
It flickered.
[New Skill Detected]
[Water Attribute: Movement Type]
[Skill name: Water:Boost]
[Stability: High]
I didn't react.
But this time—
I didn't ignore it either.
Because now—
It was helping.
Tracking.
Observing.
"…Good," I said quietly.
Then looked forward again.
Because tomorrow—
This wouldn't be practice.
It would be applied.
And this time—
I wouldn't be behind.