A few hours passed.
And Arthur's confidence had taken more damage than any sparring match so far.
He lay on his back for a second, staring at the sky, breathing heavily.
Then sat up slowly.
"…This is impossible."
Across from him, Alex didn't even look tired.
Just watching.
"…It's not impossible," Alex said calmly. "You're just trying to force it."
Arthur pointed at himself.
"I am literally running, absorbing aether, reinforcing my body, and trying not to fall over."
Alex nodded.
"…Yes."
Arthur stared.
"…That sounds like you agree with me."
Alex ignored that.
Sunny, standing nearby, glanced over but didn't interrupt.
Kierran and Lucas were training further away, occasionally looking over like they were watching someone fail a physics experiment in real time.
Rivien was taking notes.
Nobody asked why.
Arthur stood again.
Tried.
He ran forward.
Focus.
Absorb.
Circulate.
Fire in one arm.
Ice stabilizing his legs.
Aether flowing—
then slipping—
his balance broke again.
He stumbled forward—
caught himself—
just barely.
One second.
Clean flow.
For a brief moment—
everything aligned.
His movement didn't stop his absorption.
His reinforcement didn't interrupt his ability output.
It all flowed together.
Arthur's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
Then—
he lost it again.
He skidded, almost falling.
Alex stepped forward.
"…That one."
Arthur looked up.
"…What?"
Alex pointed at him.
"That one was close."
Arthur frowned.
"…That was accidental."
Alex shook his head.
"No."
He walked closer.
"…That was your body adapting."
Arthur wiped sweat from his face.
"…My body is trying to kill me."
Alex corrected him.
"…No. Your mind is getting in the way."
Arthur paused.
Alex continued.
"You're treating each action like a separate command."
He pointed at Arthur's chest.
"You're not letting it become one process."
Arthur frowned.
"…One process?"
Alex nodded.
"You don't think 'absorb aether' then 'move' then 'attack.'"
He stepped closer.
"You think combat."
Arthur blinked.
"…That sounds less helpful."
Alex ignored him again.
Then said calmly—
"You got one clean flow earlier."
Arthur straightened slightly.
Alex continued.
"Your body already knows how to do it."
Pause.
"You just interrupted it."
Arthur looked down at his hands.
"…So I'm the problem."
Alex shrugged.
"For now."
Arthur exhaled slowly.
Then stood again.
"…Fine."
He rolled his shoulders.
Took a breath.
And started running again.
But this time—
he didn't think in steps.
He just moved.
And for a moment—
just a moment—
he felt it again.
Flow.
Not perfect.
Not stable.
But real.
Aether didn't feel like separate actions anymore.
It felt like one continuous system trying to exist inside him.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
"…I've got it."
Then—
he slipped again.
Face-first into the ground.
Silence.
Kierran called out:
"…He definitely didn't get it."
Lucas nodded:
"…Yeah."
Alex sighed.
"…Close again."
Arthur groaned into the dirt.
"…I hate this training."
The sun had already dipped low by the time Alex finally raised a hand.
"Enough."
Arthur was mid-run when he heard it and almost tripped again on pure frustration.
"…What do you mean 'enough'?" he called out, breathing hard.
Alex didn't even look at him.
"You've been training since morning."
Tom glanced sideways, arms folded.
"…No breaks," he added calmly. "No food. No proper recovery."
Rivien immediately pointed at the sky.
"It is currently 18:39."
Everyone turned toward him.
Sunny's makeshift clock—carefully constructed from condensed aether plates and rotating markers—hovered near the training area like a floating timepiece.
Rivien nodded proudly.
"Courtesy of Sunny's invention."
Sunny didn't look up from adjusting one of the new structures.
"…It's accurate."
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"…We really trained the whole day."
Kierran dropped onto the ground.
"…I feel like I got deleted."
Arthur wiped sweat off his face.
"…I still didn't finish the flow."
Alex looked at him.
"…You're not finishing anything today."
Arthur opened his mouth—
then closed it.
Because his stomach answered for him.
Loudly.
Layla, who had been preparing something near the house, immediately looked over.
"Food's ready."
That alone changed the atmosphere instantly.
Even Tom moved slightly faster.
Alexi had already set up a long table outside the main house Sunny had expanded.
Warm food.
Stew.
Grilled meat.
Simple, but dense—carefully prepared to restore stamina, physical strength, and even stabilize personal aether reserves after heavy exertion.
Arthur blinked.
"…She cooked all this?"
Alexi crossed her arms.
"Obviously."
Rivien leaned in.
"I contributed emotional support."
Alexi immediately replied:
"You ate samples."
Rivien nodded proudly.
"Quality control."
Nobody argued further.
The group slowly migrated toward the table like they had just survived a war instead of a training session.
Arthur stretched once, groaned, then pointed toward the house.
"I'm showering first."
Lucas nodded.
"Good idea."
Kierran muttered:
"If I sit down now I'm not getting back up."
Tom simply walked toward the food.
"…I'm not moving until I eat."
Alex watched them for a second.
Then quietly exhaled.
"…Finally."
---
Meanwhile—
Sunny stood slightly away from the group.
The new structures were already forming behind him.
Not one house.
Multiple.
Carefully designed.
One for the women.
One for Sunny himself.
One shared space for Tom and Alex.
And another for Arthur, Kierran, and Lucas.
Each built with reinforced aether insulation, recovery circulation, and internal stabilization layers for post-training recovery.
Layla walked past and looked at it.
"…You did all this today?"
Sunny nodded.
"…It was efficient."
Rivien leaned over.
"Bro casually built real estate."
Sunny ignored him.
Arthur passed by, heading inside.
He paused briefly.
"…You built all this while we were suffering?"
Sunny replied calmly.
"Yes."
Arthur stared.
Then shook his head.
"…I don't know whether to be impressed or scared."
Sunny didn't respond.
Arthur walked inside.
---
A few minutes later—
the sound of running water echoed faintly from the house.
Outside, the group finally sat together at the table.
Food steaming.
Fatigue settling.
For the first time all day—
no one was training.
No one was fighting.
Just eating.
Recovering.
Preparing.
Because tomorrow—
they would start again. Arthur stepped out of the shower feeling slightly more human again.
The training exhaustion was still there—deep in his muscles, in the ache of his bones—but at least the heat and water had washed the tension down.
He reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist quickly, rubbing his hair dry with one hand as he stepped out into the hallway.
Steam drifted behind him.
He exhaled.
"…Better."
He turned the corner—
and immediately stopped.
Layla.
She had just stepped out from the opposite side of the corridor, likely heading back from the kitchen or the training area.
She stopped at the exact same time.
Silence.
A beat.
Another.
Arthur blinked.
Layla blinked.
Then—
both of them registered the situation fully.
Arthur standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping slightly from his hair and shoulders, faint scars visible across parts of his upper body from earlier battles and training.
Layla's eyes widened instantly.
Arthur's face went blank.
"…Oh."
Layla immediately turned her head away so fast it was almost violent.
"I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING."
Arthur stared.
"…You definitely saw something."
Layla pointed aggressively at the wall.
"I saw NOTHING."
Silence again.
Arthur sighed.
"…This house layout is terrible."
Layla still wasn't looking at him.
"…Sunny built it."
Arthur paused.
"…Of course he did."
Another awkward silence.
Arthur shifted slightly.
"…I was just going to my room."
Layla nodded very fast.
"Yes. Good. Do that. Continue that action."
Arthur walked past her slowly.
Then paused.
"…Are you okay?"
Layla didn't turn.
"Yes."
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…You're red again."
Layla immediately replied:
"I'M NOT."
Arthur didn't argue.
He just continued walking.
As he passed, Layla finally glanced for half a second—
and immediately looked away again.
Because she did notice.
Not in the way Rivien would exaggerate.
But enough to register it.
The scars.
The exhaustion.
The way Arthur looked after training like he'd pushed himself too far again.
And for a moment—
she forgot to be embarrassed.
Then Arthur called back casually from the hallway:
"…Next time, knock before you appear in hallways."
Layla immediately snapped:
"THIS IS MY HOUSE TOO."
Arthur waved a hand without turning around.
"Not my fault Sunny builds mazes."
From somewhere in the distance, Sunny calmly replied:
"…It's efficient structure."
Layla muttered:
"…I hate all of you."
But she was still slightly flustered as she walked away.
Arthur, meanwhile, continued toward his room—
still half-awake—
completely unaware that the next day's training would feel even worse.The hallway quieted down after the awkward encounter.
Arthur didn't rush this time.
He got back to his room, shut the door, and finally let out a long breath.
"…Yeah. I need to stop walking around like that."
A pause.
"…That's how you get killed emotionally."
He moved over to the small wardrobe Sunny had somehow already built into the room and opened it.
Inside were a few basic sets of clothes—practical, plain, nothing flashy.
Arthur reached for one immediately.
A simple all-black tracksuit.
Lightweight jacket. Matching pants. Clean lines. No extra designs.
He held it up for a second.
"…At least this one won't betray me."
He changed quickly.
Zipped the jacket halfway up.
Adjusted the sleeves.
Rolled his shoulders once.
The fabric fit comfortably—tight enough to move in, loose enough to breathe during training.
Arthur glanced at himself in a small mirror nearby.
Black tracksuit.
Emerald eyes still sharp even after exhaustion.
Faint marks of training still visible in his posture.
"…Better."
He exhaled.
For a moment, he just stood there.
No voices.
No training.
No chaos.
Just silence.
Then he muttered:
"…If Rivien sees me like this, I'm leaving the planet."
A beat.
"…Actually, I'd prefer that."
He turned toward the door.
Paused.
Then added quietly:
"…Training again tomorrow."
And for once—
that thought didn't feel like pressure.
It felt like progress.
Morning came earlier than anyone wanted.
Not because of sunlight.
Because Rivien decided waking people up by yelling "RISE, FUTURE INTERNATIONAL LOSERS" was acceptable behavior.
It was not.
Arthur woke up, stared at the ceiling for ten seconds, and seriously considered learning wind manipulation just to launch Rivien into another country.
Eventually—
everyone gathered outside.
The air felt cooler.
Cleaner.
Training day two.
This time nobody needed convincing.
No tournament reminder.
No speeches.
Everyone already knew.
Eighty-something days.
That was enough.
Tom stood near the front again while Alex stretched quietly nearby.
Tom looked around.
"…Before we start."
Everyone looked over.
Tom pointed.
"Groups."
Lucas nodded.
Kierran stretched.
Sunny stood quietly.
Arthur rolled his shoulders.
Then—
Layla stepped forward.
Everyone looked at her.
She folded her arms.
"…I made a decision."
Arthur looked over.
"…You're training too?"
Layla nodded.
Then looked at Alex and Tom.
"…I want to train with both of you."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
Tom looked mildly surprised.
Layla continued calmly.
"I'll rotate."
She pointed toward Lucas and Kierran.
"Like them."
Silence.
Tom looked at Alex.
Alex looked at Tom.
Tom nodded.
"…Good."
Alex nodded too.
"…Fine."
Kierran blinked.
"…Wait she volunteered?"
Layla shrugged.
"…I'm not getting left behind."
Sunny glanced at her once.
Then nodded slightly.
No comment.
Arthur looked at her for a second.
Then smiled faintly.
"…Good."
Layla looked away.
"…Don't make it weird."
Arthur blinked.
"…I said one word."
Rivien immediately raised his hand.
"She's nervous."
Layla pointed.
"Go train."
Rivien obeyed immediately.
Nobody questioned that.
—
Training started.
This time—
Arthur didn't waste time.
He walked directly toward Alex.
Alex looked at him.
"…Recovered?"
Arthur nodded.
"…Enough."
Alex looked him over.
Then pointed.
"Good."
Arthur stretched.
Today—
same goal.
Move.
Absorb.
Circulate.
Reinforce.
Multi-task.
No shortcuts.
Arthur took position.
Breathed.
Started moving.
His steps felt slightly cleaner today.
Not good.
Just—
less terrible.
Alex watched.
Arthur moved.
Absorb.
Move.
Absorb.
Reinforce—
lost it.
Again.
He clicked his tongue.
Reset.
Again.
Move—
lost it.
Again.
Ten attempts.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Sweat started building.
His chest got heavier.
Arthur stopped.
Hands on knees.
Breathing.
Alex walked over.
"…Thinking too much again."
Arthur sighed.
"…I know."
Alex looked at him.
"…Then stop."
Arthur stared.
"…Helpful."
He stood again.
Tried again.
Failed.
Again.
He stopped.
Exhaled sharply.
His shoulders dropped slightly.
Then—
a voice called out.
Not in his head.
Real.
His mother stood nearby.
She smiled and waved.
She'd been watching quietly.
Arthur blinked.
"…Mom?"
She smiled.
"…You're doing well."
Arthur looked confused.
"…I keep failing."
She shook her head.
"…You keep trying."
Arthur stayed quiet.
She smiled softly.
"…You've always looked like that."
Arthur blinked.
She continued—
"When you were little…"
She laughed quietly.
"…You'd fall learning something and immediately get angry at the floor."
Arthur looked offended.
"…That's fake."
She smiled.
"You'd stand back up anyway."
Arthur looked away.
She continued—
"You don't have to get everything immediately."
She pointed at him.
"…You already came farther than I ever imagined."
Arthur froze slightly.
His mother smiled.
"…So keep going."
Simple.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing legendary.
But—
for some reason—
it landed.
Arthur looked at her.
Then smiled slightly.
"…Okay."
She pointed dramatically.
"Again!"
Arthur stared.
"…That was aggressive."
She smiled.
"…GO!"
Arthur laughed quietly.
Turned.
Walked back.
Alex looked at him.
"…Ready?"
Arthur rolled his shoulders.
Then nodded.
"…Yeah."
Alex looked at him.
"…What changed?"
Arthur looked ahead.
Then smiled slightly.
"…Nothing."
Pause.
"…I just remembered I'm allowed to fail."
Alex stared for a second.
Then nodded once.
"…Good."
Arthur stepped forward.
Breathed.
Moved.
Absorbed.
And this time—
for just over two seconds—
the flow stayed.
Not perfect.
But longer.
Alex noticed.
Arthur noticed.
His mother definitely noticed.
And immediately started cheering way too loudly.
Arthur covered his face.
"…Okay maybe less motivation."
A few hours later—
the training grounds looked completely different from the morning.
Nobody had as much energy anymore.
The movements were slower.
Breathing heavier.
Even Rivien had stopped pretending to train and was now lying dramatically on the grass talking about "energy conservation."
Tom and Alex had been keeping everyone from repeating yesterday.
No training until collapse.
No starving yourself.
No spending ten hours trying to brute-force progress.
Unfortunately—
Arthur had not fully accepted this philosophy.
Because he was still trying.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His black tracksuit was damp with sweat.
His breathing had become uneven.
His movements weren't bad anymore—
they were inconsistent.
Sometimes clean.
Sometimes terrible.
His aether reserves felt thin.
Like he was scraping the bottom of something.
And he was hungry.
Very hungry.
Nearby—
Kierran dropped onto the grass.
"…I'm done."
Lucas sat beside him.
"…You said that forty minutes ago."
Layla had finished her training rotation with Alex and Tom and sat drinking water.
Sunny quietly continued training.
Not because he was showing off.
Nobody knew why he still had energy.
Tom looked at Alex.
"…Call it soon."
Alex nodded.
Meanwhile—
inside the house—
Arthur's mother had already gone to prepare food.
She learned from yesterday.
Everyone trained too long.
Recovery mattered.
Food mattered.
Especially because for awakened—
good recovery and food could help replenish personal aether reserves over time.
She worked quietly in the kitchen.
Preparing enough for everyone.
Every now and then—
she glanced outside through the window.
And every time—
Arthur was still moving.
She smiled slightly.
"…Still going."
---
Outside—
Arthur stood still.
Hands on knees.
Breathing.
His stomach hurt.
His body hurt.
His aether felt low.
Alex walked over.
Looked at him.
"…Last attempt."
Arthur looked up.
"…Last?"
Alex nodded.
"…Then eat."
Arthur stared ahead.
Then nodded.
"…Okay."
He stood.
Took position.
Closed his eyes.
No thinking.
No trying to force everything.
He remembered what Alex said.
Not separate actions.
One process.
He took a breath.
Then—
moved.
Step.
Absorb.
Another.
Circulate.
Move.
Reinforce.
No forcing.
No overthinking.
His body started moving naturally.
His breathing settled.
The world slowly became quieter.
His hunger stayed.
His exhaustion stayed.
But—
they stopped distracting him.
Arthur moved.
Aether entered.
Flowed.
Stayed.
His body reinforced.
His movement didn't stop.
No interruption.
Ten seconds.
Alex noticed.
Twenty.
Tom looked over.
Thirty.
Layla lowered her water bottle.
Sunny stopped moving.
Forty.
Arthur kept going.
No explosion.
No huge aura.
Just—
clean movement.
Fifty.
His fire flickered briefly around one hand—
without breaking.
His reinforcement held.
One minute.
One whole minute.
Then—
Arthur stopped.
His eyes opened.
The flow disappeared.
His legs weakened.
Alex stepped forward and caught him.
Arthur blinked.
Breathing heavily.
"…What happened?"
Silence.
Alex looked at him.
Then nodded once.
"…You held it."
Arthur blinked.
"…What?"
Alex folded his arms.
"…One minute."
Arthur froze.
Kierran sat up.
Lucas looked surprised.
Layla blinked.
Sunny quietly looked away.
Tom smiled faintly.
Inside—
Arthur's mother looked through the window.
She saw him standing there.
Sweating.
Exhausted.
Still trying.
She smiled softly.
Then quietly said—
"…Good job."
Arthur looked confused.
"…Wait."
Alex looked at him.
Then said calmly—
"…Looks like I owe you something."
Arthur stared.
Alex nodded once.
"…You unlocked the first condition."
Arthur blinked.
Then smiled.
Tired.
Hungry.
But smiling.
Then immediately said—
"…Okay cool."
Pause.
"…Can I eat now?"
Tom answered immediately—
"…Yes."
Arthur left instantly.
Training forgotten.
Food became the strongest force in existence.