Saturday afternoon came faster than Vex had expected.The white marble tower awaited him once more, imposing and silent like an ancient temple.
This time, he wasn't nervous.He was… determined.
He climbed the inner stairs, passed through doors that opened with the aura of his bracelet, and found Aric waiting for him at the center of the main hall.
Alone.No students.No audience.
— "Punctual," Aric said without turning. "I like that."
Vex nodded. He carried the practice sword strapped to his back with an improvised belt.
— "Are we alone?"
— "This session is just for you," Aric replied, turning around."Not because you're special—But because you need to catch up."
Vex swallowed hard.
Aric raised a finger, and a section of the floor lit up in a perfect square. The space transformed.Columns folded back, revealing a combat area outlined by glowing runes.The air grew dense.
Not hot—heavy.
— "We're not here to learn," Aric said."We're here to break."
— "Break what?"
— "Everything that ever made you think you were weak."
Aric stepped to the center and stopped barely two meters from him.He extended his hand.
— "Draw your sword."
Vex unsheathed it.The weight was perfect.The white rune on his palm activated upon contact.A soft but steady glow climbed up his arm.
— "Good. We'll start with the basics."
— "Stances?"
— "No. With breathing."
Aric placed a hand at the center of Vex's chest, applying no pressure.
— "A sword is not wielded with muscle.It's wielded from your center.If the body doesn't breathe—the blade trembles."
For the next minutes, Vex was corrected relentlessly.Aric never raised his voice.But every instruction hit like a strike.
— "Don't look at your feet."— "Don't anticipate the turn."— "If you're thinking about attacking, you've already lost."— "If your heart beats with fear, the blade will go numb."
Every time Vex failed, Aric made him repeat.Once.Three times.Seven.
Until the movement flowed without thought.
Sweat soaked through his shirt.The wooden sword slipped in his grip.But his rune stayed lit.
— "And what if I mess up in a real fight?" Vex panted.
— "Then die with style," Aric replied."But if your sword becomes a reflection—then it will defend you even when you hesitate."
Vex collapsed to his knees.
— "I… I can't anymore."
— "Yes, you can," Aric said with no pity."You just don't know who you are when there's nothing left in the tank."
Then, Vex gripped the sword with both hands.It was light. Simple.
But the moment he closed his hands around the hilt… something shifted.
The rune on his palm flared—Not like before.
This time, it pulsed as if it had been waiting for this contact all along.
A fractured white light climbed to his wrist, marking his skin with a firm, steady rhythm.It wasn't a spark.
It was contained fire.
The sweat that had blurred his vision disappeared.His body no longer ached.Everything felt aligned. Precise.
And then—a memory.Fleeting. Almost lost.
A broomstick in his hands, years ago.Jeremy shouting from the fence:
"Looks like you're fighting a fish, not an enemy!"
The laughter. The dry dirt. The frustration of never feeling good at anything.
His mother's voice:
"Vex… quit that and help me with the carrots."
Now… all of that felt as far away as another world.
His arms didn't shake.His center was firm.His breathing… perfect.
"How can something change so much… just by holding the right thing?"
But he knew the answer.It wasn't simple.
It was right.
Vex lifted his gaze.
Aric stood on the other side of the room, silent.His eyes fixed on Vex.
And for just a second—just one—he lowered his head slightly.
As if acknowledging something…something he'd been waiting for far too long.
Vex didn't understand what that feeling was.But he knew one thing:
For the first time, he had something that couldn't be taken away from him:the certainty that he could break through his limit.
Silence fell.
Then… Aric removed his upper tunic.
Underneath, his torso was crossed with old scars…and glowing runes.
Vex felt the air catch in his chest.
"How… how can someone carry marks like that and still stand?""What kind of wars did he fight…? What monsters did he face to be scarred like this… and still speak with such calm?"
They weren't just wounds.They were untold stories.
Each cut seemed to hold an echo, a memory etched in fire.
And yet… Aric didn't hide them.He wore them like medals no one else had the right to judge.
One on the neck.One across the chest.And a third… pulsing like it had a heartbeat of its own at his side.
— "I'm not strong because I trained harder.I'm strong because I carried more scars without letting them define me."
Vex watched in silence, body trembling, but never looking away.
— "You've got a good color, Vex.Fractured white.It's the color of steel before it's forged.The hardest to shape—but also the one that withstands the most fire without breaking."
Vex closed his eyes.And stood up.
— "I'm ready."
Aric smiled.
— "Good."
And that afternoon… there were no witnesses.No fanfare.Only the echo of a sword striking stone,the sweat of someone finally finding their path,and the birth of the first step toward something that still had no form…
…but already had direction.