He lowered his sword, looking at each of them one by one. "You've all done well," he said. "You're learning fast, but you still rely too much on your power. You trust your strength, your bloodlines, your abilities—but not yourselves."
He stepped closer, his voice steady and clear. "What you saw today wasn't magic or secret techniques. It was just control—every movement guided, every breath in rhythm. Power without control is nothing. Control without understanding is empty."
Maxwell clenched his fists, frustrated but thoughtful. "So all that speed… that strength… was just skill?"
"Yes," Asher said. "Skill, rhythm, and awareness. When your mind and body move together, there's no delay. Every thought becomes action. That's when you stop reacting and start deciding every moment of the fight."
Amanda looked down at her whip, her voice quiet. "It felt like you already knew what we were going to do before we did it."
