Chapter 50 – Threads of Fate
The training hall was nearly empty when I arrived.
Only the faint hum of mana-crystals embedded in the walls filled the silence, glowing faint blue to light the polished wooden floor. Outside, the sun was sinking past the horizon, casting streaks of orange through the high glass panes.
The Academy grounds were slowly falling into evening, but here the hall was a world of its own.
I drew my practice sword, letting the metal glint against the light. My muscles still carried the ache of today's mana classes and rune study, but my mind refused to rest. The Ball was tomorrow. And with it… the scenario.
I exhaled slowly, gripping the hilt tighter.
"Form One. Swift Step," I whispered.
The first stance of Siekie Ryoku Arts was about acceleration—compressing energy into your legs and exploding forward in a burst. My foot slid against the floor with a sharp snap, body flickering a meter ahead. The afterimage trailed faintly with aura, unstable but visible.