"I don’t remember any of that," Edwin said quietly. "I just remember the light... and then, it felt like something alive was trying to enter me. Like a voice... a force."
He placed a hand on his chest.
Something had definitely changed.
He could feel a warm, steady pulse deep inside him—almost like a second heartbeat, but one made of energy.
The Spirit Rune was no longer in his hand.
It had been absorbed.
Whatever it had given him... it was now part of him.
"Are you okay now?" Elysia asked after a moment.
Edwin looked up at her, his breath finally starting to calm.
"...I think so," he said. "I don’t fully understand it yet. But I survived."
Jin gave a small grin. "You’re lucky. That thing almost killed you."
"No," Elysia said, her tone serious. "He’s not just lucky. His body withstood something that would’ve killed an ordinary person."
"Did you crack a rune or a powerful talisman?"Jin asked.
"I activated a spirit rune", he replied.
She looked Edwin in the eye. "That wasn’t normal, Edwin. That was...something very powerful."
"Even Jin would be blown a few metres away if he absorbed that".
"Hey hey hey... I am not that weak, I can absorb too", he replied.
He still felt like he was dreaming, but the reality was clear: he had awakened something.
And now, the question was—what had awakened inside him?
To the Training Ground!
Sounds of clashing swords, bursts of magic, and sharp shouts filled the air.
Everyone was busy—pushing their limits, practicing combat forms, honing their spells, and refining their mana control.
Kael was among them, moving through sword drills and dodging sparring attacks.
Sweat dripped down from his face. His arms ached. His breathing grew heavier with each passing minute.
Eventually, the exhaustion caught up with him.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kael stepped away from the training ground and made his way toward the academy’s front garden—one of the few quiet spots where a water fountain stood beneath a large willow tree.
He sat down on the bench nearby and took a long drink from his flask, letting the cool water soothe his dry throat.
Just then, soft footsteps approached from behind.
She looked slightly hesitant as she walked up to him. Kael noticed the way she fidgeted with her fingers before speaking.
"Are you free this evening?" she asked, slightly nervous.
Kael blinked, caught off guard. "Umm... why?"
Cecilia glanced away for a moment, then looked back at him with a small smile.
"Would you walk with me? Just until the junction near my home."
Kael gave a small nod. "Okay."
Cecilia’s smile widened, and for a moment, neither of them said anything.
Most students had already returned to their dorms and some went home, but one girl lingered at the exit gate—standing with her arms crossed and a very suspiciously forced look of casual calm.
Cecilia glanced left, then right.
She waited patiently.
A little while ago, Cecilia had to come up with clever and tricky excuses to leave her friends without making them suspicious.
"Oh, I can’t come with you guys," she’d said sweetly to Elysia, Edwin, and Jin. "I have to... um... speak to Professor about... the healing mana! Yes. Very important. Might take a while."
Jin blinked and nodded.
Edwin, already halfway out the door, hadn’t even noticed.
But Elysia had narrowed her eyes. "Healing mana? You don’t even concentrate in class."
Cecilia laughed awkwardly. "Oh, well, I’m... auditing it? For fun! Education never ends, right?"
Elysia didn’t look convinced, but thankfully Edwin had shouted something about the guilds, a strong hero of the state, at the city of Elaris, and that was enough of a distraction.
Now, Cecilia was waiting—her nerves rising by the second.
They had left and a few minutes had passed!
At last, footsteps echoed down the stone path.
Kael appeared, casually adjusting the strap of his bag. He stopped when he saw her.
"You’re actually here," he said, blinking.
Cecilia crossed her arms. "Of course I’m here. You almost weren’t."
"I had to run back and change," Kael said. "Didn’t want to walk around in a shirt soaked in sweat. You’d faint from the scent alone."
Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "Oh please. I trained next to Jin for a month. I’ve already smelled worse."
Kael snorted. "Fair enough." (gave a fake smile).
They started walking.
For a moment, it was quiet.
Then Kael glanced at her. "So... why exactly are we walking to your place? Do you have something urgent to say?"
Cecilia smirked. "I just wanted to talk... ."
"I told Elysia I had to see a professor," Cecilia said casually.
"Because if she saw me walking with you, I’d be subjected to a three-hour lecture titled ’Cecilia, Protecting Your Reputation From Questionable Men.’"
Kael chuckled. "So I’m your bad secret now?"
She gasped dramatically. "Excuse me! I never said that."
"You heavily implied it."
She was joking and teasing him, "Can you really blame me for thinking you’re silly? You literally fell over your own sword again and again!"
"That happened last time," Kael grumbled. "And the sword was cursed. Probably."
Kael was embarrassed. He says it only happened when he trains and blames it on a cursed sword, though it was not to blame on the sword.
"Mhm, totally cursed," she teased.
Cecilia made fun of Kael for falling during training.
Kael got embarrassed and tried to make an excuse.
Cecilia kept teasing him, and Kael giggled with a face blush.
"Because watching you is fun.", Cecelia said.
They strolled a bit farther, passing down below the city. Then, as they rounded a corner, Cecilia suddenly laughed to herself.
"What?" Kael asked, eyeing her warily.
"I just remembered something," she said between giggles. "Last winter, at home, I mixed up one of Grandfather’s spiritual cleansing pills with the handmade soap bars Mother keeps in the bath."