The training days had begun to form a clear routine.
Every morning we walked to Aurelius' mansion. The iron gate always opened even before we touched it, as if the property itself recognized our presence. Then we crossed the silent garden to the training field.
The place no longer seemed strange.
The ancient trees surrounding the field swayed slowly with the hill's wind. The light stone ground reflected the morning sun. The arcane circles engraved in the soil glimmered faintly as mana passed through them.
Aurelius was always waiting.
Sometimes observing the sky.
Other times analyzing some ancient artifact.
But when training began, all his attention turned to us.
That morning he seemed especially attentive.
He walked to the center of the field and rested his staff on the ground.
"Today's training will be different."
Lyannis tilted her head.
"Different how?"
The archmage answered calmly.
"You can already feel mana."
He looked at each of us.
"And you can also gather it."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"More or less."
Elara remained calm.
"But we still can't maintain control for long."
Aurelius nodded.
"Exactly."
He turned his gaze to me.
"Takumi."
I nodded.
"Yes."
The archmage pointed to my sword.
"Today we'll take the next step."
I gripped the blade more firmly.
"What step?"
The answer came simply.
"To fix mana in the sword."
Lyannis smiled slightly.
"Finally we're reaching the interesting part."
Rai'kanna also seemed excited.
"That means using real energy."
Aurelius walked a few steps across the field.
"Most weapons are just metal."
He continued.
"But some have special properties."
Liriel watched attentively.
"Takumi's sword is one of them."
The archmage nodded.
"The Cyclops Stone reacts to mana."
Elara added.
"Amplifying the user's energy."
Aurelius looked at me again.
"But for this to happen, the mana must remain in the blade."
I took a deep breath.
"So I need to keep it stable."
"Exactly."
He gestured with his hand.
"Begin."
I lifted the sword.
The sunlight reflected off the steel.
I breathed slowly.
I focused my mind.
The vibration of mana appeared again inside my body.
This time clearer.
More present.
I imagined the flow traveling down my arm.
The energy moved through my shoulder.
Then my forearm.
Finally reaching my hand.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
I kept focused.
Then I felt something different.
The vibration didn't stop in my hand.
It continued.
Entered the sword.
A faint light ran along the blade.
Lyannis noticed immediately.
"I saw it."
Rai'kanna tilted her head.
"The blade glowed."
But the energy disappeared quickly.
The sword returned to normal.
I lowered my arm.
"I still can't maintain it."
Aurelius didn't seem concerned.
"You managed to transfer mana."
He continued.
"That is already progress."
Elara seemed interested.
"That means the connection is working."
Liriel nodded.
"The blade clearly reacted."
Lyannis crossed her arms.
"Now it just needs to not disappear."
I took a deep breath again.
I lifted the sword once more.
Concentration.
Flow.
Mana.
The vibration returned.
This time I imagined the energy entering the sword and staying there.
The blade responded.
A soft glow ran across the metal.
Stronger than before.
This time it lasted a few seconds.
Rai'kanna opened a small smile.
"Now we're talking."
Lyannis stepped a little closer.
"It's more stable."
I kept focused.
But soon the energy disappeared again.
I lowered the sword.
My arm was a little tired.
Aurelius walked over to me.
"You're trying to control with too much force."
I looked at him.
"So what should I do?"
The archmage answered calmly.
"Control doesn't mean force."
He pointed to the ground.
"It means balance."
I took a deep breath again.
I lifted the sword for the third time.
This time I tried something different.
Instead of forcing the energy, I simply let the flow happen.
The vibration appeared.
Traveled down my arm.
Entered the sword.
The blade glowed again.
The light ran along the metal smoothly.
This time it didn't disappear immediately.
It stayed there.
Faint.
But stable.
Lyannis widened her eyes slightly.
"Now he did it."
Rai'kanna watched attentively.
"It's holding."
Elara also seemed impressed.
"The mana is fixed in the blade."
Liriel smiled.
"First control."
I held the sword raised for several seconds.
The light remained there.
It wasn't strong.
It wasn't the golden armor that had appeared in the battle against the general.
But it was real.
Aurelius observed in silence.
After a few moments he nodded.
"Good."
I slowly lowered the sword.
The light disappeared as the concentration ended.
My arm was tired.
But there was something different.
Something that hadn't existed before.
Control.
I looked at the sword again.
For the first time, I managed to keep the mana in the blade by my own will.
It was still a small power.
Still far from the true awakening.
But it was the first real step toward mastering the legendary sword.