The sound of wood striking stone echoed through the training yard.
Thud.
Akari staggered back, barely keeping her balance as the wooden sword slipped in her grip.
"…Again," Elen said calmly.
Akari straightened, breathing hard. Sweat clung to her brow, arms trembling.
"Yes."
She reset her stance.
Left foot forward. Knees bent. Spine straight.
Elen circled her like a hawk, eyes sharp.
"Lady Lyra fights by instinct," Elen said. "She is overwhelming. Direct. Powerful."
Akari swallowed.
"But that is not how you will fight," Elen continued. "Not yet."
Elen stopped in front of her.
"You will survive first."
She raised her own wooden blade.
"Begin."
Their swords met with a sharp crack.
Akari braced instinctively, but the impact rattled her arms.
"Too stiff," Elen said, twisting her wrist and knocking Akari's blade aside. "You're fighting the weapon instead of guiding it."
Akari stumbled, then nodded quickly.
"I'm sorry."
"No apologies," Elen corrected. "Adjust."
They clashed again.
This time, Akari focused not on strength, but on movement. She loosened her shoulders, let the sword flow rather than force it.
The impact still hurts, but not as much.
Elen nodded once.
"Better."
Akari blinked in surprise.
After an hour, Akari's arms burned.
Elen lowered her blade. "Enough. Now we move to mana reinforcement."
Akari blinked. "Mana… reinforcement?"
"Yes." Elen sheathed her sword. "You have been letting your power leak outward. That is why it reacts to danger."
She placed a hand against Akari's chest, firm.
"Instead of releasing it, pull it inward."
Akari closed her eyes.
"Breathe in," Elen instructed. "Slowly. Imagine your mana wrapping around your bones. Your muscles. Like a second skin."
Akari inhaled.
The warmth inside her responded immediately, too quickly.
Her body tensed.
"Easy," Elen warned. "Do not command it. Invite it."
Akari exhaled shakily and tried again.
This time, the mana moved more gently.
A soft pressure spread through her arms and legs, not burning, not explosive.
Stable.
Akari's eyes snapped open.
"…I feel stronger."
Elen nodded. "That is reinforcement. It increases defense, balance, and reaction speed. Use it correctly, and you will survive blows that would otherwise kill you."
She suddenly stepped forward and tapped Akari's shoulder with two fingers.
Akari barely felt it.
Her eyes widened. "I didn't even flinch!"
"Good," Elen said. "Now do it again. And again. Until it becomes natural."
The hours passed in repetition.
Step. Block. Breathe. Reinforce.
Each movement stripped away Akari's fear and replaced it with focus.
At one point, frustration bubbled up.
"I'm still too slow," Akari muttered after missing a block.
Elen stopped her blade inches from Akari's face.
"Then stop thinking about speed."
Akari froze.
"Speed comes after control," Elen said quietly. "If you rush, your power will answer your emotions, and that is how disasters happen."
Akari swallowed.
"…Like the demon in the capital."
Elen lowered her sword.
"Yes."
Akari nodded slowly.
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
Elen's gaze softened.
"Then you are already on the right path."
By sunset, Akari could barely lift her arms.
But when Elen attacked one last time.
Akari blocked.
Cleanly.
Her stance held. Her mana flowed inward. Her feet didn't slip.
Elen stopped.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then,
"…Very good."
Akari's knees nearly gave out.
"R-really?"
"Yes." Elen allowed herself a small smile. "You are beginning to fight properly."
Akari laughed breathlessly, relief flooding her chest.
As she looked at her hands, faint lines of warm light traced her fingers, contained. Calm.
This is different…
Not overwhelming.
Not frightening.
This feels like mine.