Kazuo hit the ground. Again.
Dust rose in a thin cloud. His ribs ached; his pride, worse.
He coughed, rolled onto his back, and squinted up at the pale sun. Was some god up there laughing? It felt like it.
A shadow cut across the light.
Setsuna stood over him, arms folded. "You're getting slower."
"Or you're getting meaner," Kazuo muttered.
"You want to go again?"
Kazuo let his head fall back into the dirt. "I'd rather be unconscious."
Tetsu scribbled something in his notepad. "Holding up better than I expected."
Sora, perched on a crate with a popsicle, flicked an ear. "Ten out of ten landing, bonus points for the groan."
Kazuo sat up, brushing gravel off his arm. The past few days had been nothing but drills, bruises, and banter. But what stuck with him most wasn't the hits — it was what Setsuna had said on day one: I noticed something.
Now seemed the time to ask.
"You going to tell me what you noticed, or was that just a bluff?"
Setsuna paused mid-step, then turned. "I was making sure first."
He stepped into the ring, knelt, and drew the tip of his sword through the dirt in a slow arc. "You've been holding back. You're avoiding something deliberately."
Kazuo frowned. "Avoiding what?"
"Arcane Magic," Setsuna said flatly. "You know it, don't you?"
Sora froze mid-bite. "You can use Arcane-level magic? This whole time?"
Even Tetsu looked up from his notes.
Kazuo hesitated, eyes dropping to the ground. "I've got… one spell. Arcane of Water: Vortex. I begged Gramps to teach me something powerful — something that would make me stronger. He finally agreed. But the first time I used it…" His hands curled slightly. "…I lost control. The force of it knocked him off his feet. He was hurt — badly. I've never forgotten the look on his face."
He shook his head. "I swore to him I'd never use it again. And I meant it."
Setsuna studied him for a moment, then lifted one hand. "Fear of your own magic will kill you faster than any opponent. Listen — there are five pillars of magic. You've only been using two."
Kazuo frowned. "Five?"
"You'll see," Setsuna said, stepping into the ring. "First pillar — instinctual magic. Raw element control, no names, no forms. Just touch your element and move it."
A patch of frost bloomed beneath his boots, spiderwebbing outward in delicate patterns. The air turned crisp, his breath faintly misting. "This—" he spread his hand, letting the frost swirl upward like mist "—is instinctual magic. Every mage starts here."
Sora tilted her head. "So… magic without a name."
"Exactly," Setsuna said. "Second pillar — standard spells, also called combat magic. Named attacks with controlled output. Your Water Wall, Shuriken, and Torrent fall into this category."
He swept his sword in a quick arc. "Ice Magic: Ice Splitter!" A jagged wall of ice burst from the ground beside him, clean-edged and precise.
Kazuo eyed the cut in the dirt. "That's the same level as mine?"
"Correct." Setsuna's tone hardened. "Third pillar — Arcane spells. Devastating magic. Only a handful of mages can wield them without burning themselves out. Your Vortex is one of them. I can't demonstrate it here — it would destroy this courtyard. We have separate grounds built to contain that level of destruction."
Tetsu muttered, "Would be nice to have a dome for observation… purely for research purposes."
Setsuna ignored him. "Fourth pillar — terrain enforcement."
He raised his blade overhead. "Terrain Enforcement: Chilling Reign."
In an instant, frost raced across the entire training ground. The dirt froze solid, a pale layer of rime coating every surface. The air grew sharp and thin, biting at exposed skin. Kazuo's footing slipped slightly.
"Now," Setsuna said, voice calm despite the temperature drop, "the battlefield is mine. Your lungs fight the cold. Your footing is compromised. Every movement drains you faster. Mastering terrain enforcement takes months — sometimes years — but it can turn a battle in an instant."
Kazuo turned, taking in how the entire space had shifted. It felt like another world — made in seconds.
"That's insane," he breathed.
The frost was already fading, but the chill in his chest remained. He had seen nobles flaunt their magic, seen mages with terrifying control — but this was different. Setsuna hadn't just changed the ground; he had claimed it. Every breath, every step Kazuo took during those few seconds had been on Setsuna's terms.
When Cedric had called him the strongest in the capital, Kazuo thought it was a title, a boast. Now, standing in the shadow of that power, he understood it was a fact.
And if this was the strength of the man training him, then the gap between where he stood and where he needed to be… felt like an ocean.
"Last pillar — Esoteric Art."
Kazuo repeated the words slowly. "Esoteric… Art?"
"It's your trump card," Setsuna said. "Not just high-tier magic — it drains more than energy. It drains spirit."
Kazuo frowned. "Like… the spirits in the Hollow Veins? Firefly lights?"
"Those are fragments," Setsuna said. "What I mean is your spirit — the core that says: I won't fall. That's what fuels an Esoteric Art. When it awakens, your body and spirit act as one. Every part of you — instinct, will, memory — sharpens into a single truth before it's released. It might be a spell, a transformation, or something else entirely… but it's never just raw power. It's who you are, made manifest."
Kazuo leaned in. "So… can you train me to unlock it?"
"No." Setsuna's voice was firm but not unkind. "You can't train it. You can't force it. If it happens, it happens — and it changes you. But it's dangerous. Pour your soul into one act, and it can burn you out completely. Some don't survive it. That's why we call it the trump card. The last resort."
Kazuo blinked. "Even if I awaken it… I could die?"
"Exactly," Setsuna said. "Nothing in magic is free. Every spell takes something from you. But the price of an Esoteric Art can be your life. It's not meant for applause in a tournament — it's meant for the moment you decide, If I fall here, at least they'll know who I was."
Kazuo exhaled slowly, a faint shiver running through him. He'd expected danger — but this was something else entirely.
Tetsu adjusted his glasses, murmuring, "Fascinating… and terrifying."
Sora crunched the last bite of her popsicle. "Yeah. Let's not test that theory anytime soon."
Setsuna let that linger for a breath before continuing. "I can't teach you terrain enforcement before the tournament and I can't teach you Esoteric Art at all. But Arcane magic? You've already touched it. I can help you control it."
Kazuo hesitated. "And if I lose control?"
Setsuna smirked. "I'm the strongest in the capital. If you go wild, I'll stop you."
Setsuna extended a hand. "Now get up. You're not here to win with brute force — you're here to survive. Fight smart."
Kazuo clasped his hand and pulled himself to his feet, the sting in his muscles a sharp reminder of how far he still had to go.
Training resumed — steel ringing, frost forming, the air thick with effort and focus.
"Meanwhile, far beneath the palace, in the shadowed chamber of the High Council, a single name dominated the air: Kazuo."