The training ground had been cleared.
Not out of necessity.
But out of caution.
Cracks still ran through parts of the reinforced floor from previous sessions. The air itself carried a faint hum residual Aether from constant use.
Today felt different.
Lucien stood at one end of the arena.
Kael stood at the other.
Between them
Distance.
Tension.
And something unspoken.
Lucien rolled his neck slowly.
"Don't hold back."
Kael adjusted his grip on his weapon.
The blade Serah had crafted was clean. White steel, smooth and reflective, built for durability rather than decoration.
At his side a black sheath.
Simple.
Efficient.
Perfect.
"I won't." Kael replied calmly.
Lucien smirked.
"Good."
Their Aether surged.
Lucien moved first, Faster than ever before.
His body blurred forward, lightning flickering across his skin like a living current.
Not wild.
Controlled.
His Electric Aura wrapped around him, enhancing every movement.
He's faster, Kael noted instantly.
Lucien closed the gap in a blink.
His blade coated in both Aether and electricity
cutting straight toward Kael's side.
Kael didn't move.
The barrier activated.
A ripple then impact.
Crack.
Lucien's strike broke through the outer layer.
Kael stepped back once.
He's Stronger too.
Lucien grinned.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
Kael drew his blade.
Smooth.
No wasted motion.
Aether flowed into it
Then something else.
Vibration.
The blade began to hum faintly.
Lucien's eyes sharpened.
"That doesn't look friendly."
Kael stepped forward.
Then vanished.
Not speed pure but propulsion.
A burst of force from his fragments launched him forward instantly.
Lucien barely reacted in time.
Their blades clashed.
And
Lucien's expression changed.
"What the?!"
The vibration transferred through the weapon.
His grip shook.
His arm went slightly numb.
Kael didn't stop.
He followed with a second strike.
Lucien barely blocked again but this time the vibration traveled deeper.
Into muscle.
Into bone.
He jumped back.
"That's annoying."
Kael spoke calmly.
"It's meant to be."
Lucien exhaled slowly.
Then
His body changed lightning surged harder, Brighter and faster.
His eyes sharpened unnaturally.
Kael noticed immediately.
Internal Nervous System Overclocking.
Lucien wasn't just faster physically
He was thinking faster.
Processing faster.
Reacting faster.
"Let's try this again," Lucien said.
Then he disappeared.
This time It was speed.
True speed.
He reappeared behind Kael.
He Struck.
Kael's barrier reacted instantly
But Lucien had already moved again.
From his side, to his Front.
Then Above.
Each strike landed faster than the last.
Cracks spread across Kael's defense.
Kael's mind worked rapidly.
His reaction speed has increased prediction becomes less reliable.
Lucien pushed harder.
A strike broke through.
His blade grazed Kael's side.
A shallow cut.
But a hit.
Lucien smirked.
"Got you."
Kael stepped back.
Blood stained his shirt slightly.
But his expression didn't change.
Instead his fragments shifted.
More faster and Sharper.
Kael raised his blade.
The vibration intensified.
The air around it distorted.
Lucien hesitated for a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Kael moved.
Propulsion launched him forward again
Faster than before.
Lucien blocked but this time
The impact exploded.
Not outward.
Inward.
The vibration forced its way past the defense.
Lucien's body jerked slightly.
His breath caught.
"what!"
Kael didn't follow immediately.
He watched.
Analyzed.
Internal disruption confirmed.
Lucien steadied himself.
"That hit deeper than it should've."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
Lucien grinned.
"Good."
He rushed in again.This time closer and tighter,
No wasted movement.
Their blades clashed repeatedly.
Fast.
Relentless.
Lucien's speed forced Kael on the defensive
But Kael's control held.
Every strike Lucien landed
Came with a cost.
Vibration.
Disruption.
Damage that didn't show immediately.
Lucien's movements slowed just slightly.
But enough.
Lucien stepped back, breathing heavier now.
Lightning still surged but less stable.
"You're annoying to fight."
Kael didn't respond.
His blade steadied.
Lucien smiled.
"Last one."
Kael nodded.
"Agreed."
They moved at the same time.
Lucien pushed everything into speed.
Lightning exploded around him
His fastest movement yet.
Kael didn't chase.
He waited.
Timed it.
Then moved.
A single step.
Perfect angle.
His blade met Lucien's—
And the vibration peaked.
A sharp, invisible shock traveled through Lucien's body.
His grip failed.
His blade dropped.
Kael's weapon stopped just short of his neck.
Silence.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
"Yeah. You win."
Kael lowered his blade.
"You've improved," he said.
Lucien smirked.
"I almost had you."
Kael didn't deny it.
Riven clapped slowly from the side.
"Not bad."
Serah crossed her arms.
"You're both monsters."
Nyx said nothing—but her eyes lingered on Kael's blade.
Elias stepped forward.
"That's enough."
They all turned toward him.
His presence shifted the atmosphere instantly.
Elias looked at them one by one.
"You've reached a level where training alone is no longer enough."
Silence went through the training grounds.
Lucien picked up his sword.
"So what now?"
Elias's gaze hardened slightly.
"Now,"
A pause.
"we stop hiding."
The air felt heavier.
"We start taking control," Elias continued. "Territories, Influence, Power."
Riven smirked.
"About time."
Kael remained silent, Listening.
Elias looked directly at Kael and Lucien.
"I have a mission."
Lucien grinned slightly.
"Of course you do."
Elias spoke clearly.
"There is a town to the east."
He paused.
"Its called Velmora."
Kael's eyes sharpened slightly.
Elias continued
"It is controlled by a Weaver who has built influence through fear and control of resources."
Lucien's smile faded.
"…So?"
Elias met his gaze.
"You're going to kill him."
Silence.
Then Lucien smirked again.
"Finally."
Kael said nothing.
But his mind was already moving.
Plans.
Approaches.
Outcomes.
Elias turned away slightly.
"Prepare."
His voice remained calm.
But final.
"This is where everything changes."