After that hellish training, he washed up and went to eat dinner.
At the dinner table, Athelstan told him that he looked like shit.
Vladislav just ignored him and went to sleep after he finished eating.
He woke up the next day and continued his schedule as usual.
He started with his morning exercise: running 10km, followed by 100 squats, 100 push-ups, and 100 pull-ups.
Then came his training with the Jian. He was now able to coat his blade with lightning, though poorly. It increased the speed of his swings and slashes.
For the time being, he was focused first on his lightning element; he would touch on his other two affinities later. He could not afford to fall short in any of them.
Athelstan, too, was focused solely on his purple lightning.
They sparred against Jian and got beaten up again, but they lasted much longer.
Their control and sensitivity over their mana were improving after every single spar. It was not a fast rate of growth, but it was slow and steady.
After Jian's training, they left to eat lunch. They bickered on their way to the mansion as usual, but this time they took a different path to avoid Asa.
After lunch, Vladislav practiced his draws with his katana in the training grounds before his session with Mary.
When he was done, he started walking up the hill.
Just as he stepped onto the top—
SSHIIING!—
He felt shivers run down his spine. The hair on his skin stood on end—he felt pure fear. It was a sensation of death and pure dread, as if the Grim Reaper itself were coming for him.
By survival instinct alone, his hand flew toward his waist where his katana was hung.
But before his fingers could even touch the hilt—
A blade was already at his neck.
"Too slow," Mary said, holding the katana against his throat.
Vladislav gulped as he looked at the blade, just a few inches from his neck. Sweat ran down his skin and dripped onto the steel.
Shit, shit, I thought I was almost a goner there! Why did she just swing on me?
Mary pulled back the katana, drew a clean arc through the air, and sheathed it in one fluid motion.
WHIP!
CLICK.
He looked at Mary and asked, "W-what was that for, Grandma?"
"I'm sorry if I scared you, dear Vlad," she said sincerely. "I was testing your reaction speed. It wasn't that bad. Even though you were too slow to withdraw your katana, I liked that it was the first thing you reached for. Many, when faced with danger or a surprise attack, panic and doom themselves."
"So tell me, how did you feel?" she asked.
"Well, I didn't feel your presence or see you. All I felt was a sense of dread that told me if I didn't draw my weapon to block whatever was coming, my head would be rolling on the ground..." Vladislav replied, softly touching his neck.
Mary smiled at his explanation. "Good. It's good that you feel that way. Never forget that sense of danger; it will help you a lot when facing tricky opponents who strike with stealth or from your blind spot. The unknown is very dangerous, after all," she nodded.
"What was that feeling of dread, Grandma? And I was only able to see you when your blade was already on my neck. How did you do that?" Vladislav asked.
"That feeling of dread is called killingintent," she replied.
"What is that?" He furrowed his brows in confusion.
"Killing intent is a feeling—an aura someone gives off when they truly intend to kill, harm, or overwhelm another being. It is not always about physical action—it is more about the psychological pressure that radiates from someone's body language, energy, or mindset." She paused, letting him absorb the information, then continued.
"Killing intent can paralyze your opponent before a battle even begins, winning the fight before it's started. It is very effective against opponents who are weaker than you or who have a weak mindset or will. That's why you need to have a strong mind, dear."
'Freezing someone just by releasing your aura... that's terrifying,' he thought.
"Then why was I able to move? I'm weaker than you," he asked.
"One reason is that you already have a strong mind. For some reason, you have a strong will despite being a child. The other is that I barely released my killing intent. If I had wanted you to not move an inch, I would only need to release a bit more. But why would I do that to my dear grandson? Plus, you have achieved something many at your age can't do: you almost resisted a sovereign's killing intent." She smiled.
That makes much more sense. She's way stronger than me... I can't compete yet, Vladislav thought, holding his chin with his left hand.
"The stronger you are, the stronger your killing intent. For instance, the killing intent of someone who has killed before is stronger than someone who hasn't," she explained.
"Now, the reason you couldn't see me was simple: I just moved faster than you could perceive. Without mana. Just pure physical strength."
That is crazy. Moving that fast without mana... I thought someone that fast would have a muscular build. Just imagine how fast they could be with mana added... terrifying.
She put her hand on his shoulder. "You'll reach my level one day, and surpass me—including Athelstan," she said with a bright smile full of confidence.
"Thanks for believing in us, Grandma," he smiled warmly.
"Always," she said.
She clapped her hands. "Now, there will be an addition to your lesson. Every single day you come to this hill, you must try to block my attack. My speed will be slightly reduced compared to just now, and I will not use my killing intent."
It may take a long time, but I'll be sure to block it. "Okay,Grandma, I understand," he nodded.
"Now, start with your draws," she said as she moved under the tree. She sat down, picked up a book that was already open, and began to read. The cover showed a man and a woman holding hands—probably a romance novel.
She started giggling. She noticed Vladislav looking at her and waved her hand. "Don't mind me."
Vladislav just shook his head with a smile and nodded. He took a stance in the middle of the red lilies, his hand resting on the grip of the katana. He had now mastered the 'how to grip a katana' technique.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then—
SSHIIIING! CLICK!
"Perfect first draw of the day, dear," Mary said with a thumbs up, her eyes still focused on her book.
Vladislav nodded, still focused. He continued to draw and sheath. He messed up a couple of times and had to restart.
SSHIIING! CLICK!
Hours later.
"One thousand...!" he screamed as he performed the last draw and sheathing. He fell onto his butt. His arms trembled and his muscles ached. It was tiring and hurt like hell, but it was much better compared to yesterday. Although he had struggled hard to get to one thousand, it was faster than before. That was progress.
I can feel my draws improving, small step after small step. If I continue like this and don't slack off, I will get there.
The sky was already dark, and the moon was shining brightly in the night.
He looked back. Against the tree, Mary was still reading. Noticing he was done, she closed the book and stood up.
Then—
SWOOSH!
She disappeared from her spot and appeared beside him in an instant.
Vladislav was startled but kept his composure.
"You are doing great. Continue like that and you'll go very far," she said with a smile. "Oh, and I have noticed that you have been neglecting your esoteric affinities."
"I know you want to focus on one affinity at a time, but I recommend focusing on two instead."
He nodded. "Okay, Grandma."
"Start with darkness. Although we don't have someone in the family with an esoteric darkness affinity, you can try reading the books. There's not much information, but it can still help you."
Her eyes suddenly widened as if she had just realized something. "Is it because of my old age that I forgot?"
She didn't look old at all.
"There's someone who might help you—Lady Umbra. One of her elements is darkness. Try asking her for help when you can."
She has the darkness element? Interesting, he thought. "Okay,Grandma, I will do that," he nodded.
"As for your space affinity, the one who can help you is your grandfather."
"Grandfather has the space affinity?" he asked in disbelief.
She smiled. "Yes, he does. It is because he mastered that affinity that he is one of the strongest in the world currently."
"But since he's not here, you can try training on your own. There are books in the library on the space element and esoteric space, since he was the one who wrote them. However, since no one in the family had an esoteric space affinity—until now—the books have been gathering dust."
Damn. Imagine being so strong you write a book to guide others. I will check it out after the darkness affinity, hethought.
"The more I learn about Grandpa, the cooler he sounds," Vladislav said.
"He is very cool. You haven't seen him since you were four, after all. I am a bit mad at him for not returning to visit his grandsons, but alas... Let's walk down to eat dinner, shall we?"
"Yes, Grandma."
He stood up and stretched. His body hurt, especially his arms, but he endured it.
They walked down the hill while talking, and after a couple of minutes, they reached the mansion. Vladislav parted with Grandma and went to wash up before dinner.
After washing up, he went to the dining room. When he entered, he was surprised to see that only Mary, Athelstan, Asa, and Leon were present.
Usually, he found his mother, father, and Uncle Mikhail already seated, but today they were not. He asked Mary, and she told him that Mikhail had business to attend to outside the Schatten estate, while his parents were running late but on their way.
He greeted Leon, who replied with a nod. He sat down next to Athelstan and fist-bumped him. He then looked at Asa, who replied to his greeting by moving her finger and drawing a straight line over her neck.
"Good evening, you fu—"
"Manners at the table," Mary said without looking up from her food, cutting her off.
"Yes, Grandma, I'm sorry," Asa apologized while glaring at him.
Vladislav just smiled.
"You keep running away from me," she said.
"Indeed, I have."
"Be a man and face me."
"What do you mean? I'm just a boy," Vladislav said with an innocent face.
She clicked her tongue and continued eating her food. "Just... chew... yu weit," she mumbled, her mouth full.
"A young lady like you shouldn't speak with food in her mouth. Look at you, stuffed like a squirrel trying to carry as many nuts as it can," he said, laughing.
Asa's face turned red with embarrassment as she hurriedly chewed her food.
"Ahaha, she does indeed look like a squirrel," Athelstan laughed at her expression.
"Pft—" Even Leon laughed, clearly enjoying the scene.
Mary just shook her head and smiled warmly at their bickering. I hope you all keep this bond strong as you grow up, my dear grandchildren,shethought.
After a few minutes, Geneviève and Vladimir finally appeared. They greeted everyone.
"Aw, my babies, how are you doing?" Geneviève hugged both Athelstan and Vladislav, then Asa and Leon. She kissed Asa's forehead, making her blush.
"Good evening, Auntie..." Asa managed to say, her ears turning red.
Vladimir just ruffled their heads, and they all started eating.
"How is your training going, At and Vlad?" Vladimir asked.
"It is going well, Dad. I can now manage to control my lightning to some extent," Athelstan replied, opening his palm as purple lightning crackled across it.
"Same with me," Vladislav replied.
"Good. And how is your katana training going, Vladislav?"
"Good but hectic. My arms are sore from drawing the katana, but it's less tiring than yesterday."
"Good. Just don't neglect the sword."
"Yes, Father."
The Schatten family dining table was filled with warmth, laughter, and peace, as if nothing could ever break it.
*****
A/N: Please if you like the story please added it your library it will help a lot and I appreciate the few people who are still reading my story.Thank you!