The morning of the assessment dawned clear and crisp. Klein arrived at the training grounds precisely at the appointed hour, dressed in simple training attire. The Duke had not summoned him with fanfare, yet the atmosphere felt charged. Several figures already waited near the central sparring circle: Duke Vivian, Lady Elenora, Adrian, the head mage tutor Master Harlan, and one additional person Klein had not seen before.
She stood slightly apart from the others, a tall girl of about seventeen with sharp green eyes and dark auburn hair tied back in a practical braid. A well-worn training sword rested at her hip, its hilt wrapped in worn leather. Her posture was balanced and ready, the stance of someone who lived by the blade. She wore the gray-and-silver tunic of a junior knight retainer, though the insignia on her shoulder marked her as a recent addition to the Crownoval guard.
"This is Lirael Voss," the Duke said without preamble, his voice carrying its usual measured weight. "She has served as a sword instructor for the younger knights for the past month. Her family holds a minor barony on the western border. She will observe today's evaluation."
Lirael inclined her head politely toward Klein, her gaze direct and appraising. There was no mockery in it, only the quiet calculation of a fighter sizing up an opponent.
"Second Young Master," she said, her voice steady and clear. "I have heard of your recent progress. I look forward to seeing how theory meets practice."
Klein nodded once in acknowledgment. He noted the faint mana signature around her - disciplined, honed through constant physical repetition rather than abstract study. It flowed smoothly along her arms and core, synchronized with her breathing and stance. Traditional. Efficient for combat. Different from his own mapped circuits.
Master Harlan, an older man with a neatly trimmed beard and formal mage robes, stepped forward. He carried a small crystal measuring orb similar to the one Klein had reactivated.
"Begin with basic manifestation and control," Harlan instructed. "Then proceed to directed application. We will record density, stability, and output. No deviations from standard forms."
Klein did not argue. He moved to the center of the circle and closed his eyes. The assessment had begun.
He located the ley line beneath the grounds first, drawing a measured thread of ambient mana into his core. Then he formed the familiar loop - smooth, rounded pathways through both arms. A thin blue thread of light traced his fingers, steady and controlled. He held it for a full minute without fluctuation.
Harlan's orb glowed softly as it recorded the data. The Duke watched in silence.
"Extend and compress," Harlan ordered next.
Klein guided the flow outward in a narrow strand, adding subtle compression at the release point. The thread struck a nearby wooden target post with a solid thud, leaving a clean indentation two inches deep.
Adrian let out a low whistle. Elenora's hand tightened slightly on her sleeve.
Lirael's eyes narrowed with interest. She stepped closer, studying the impact point.
"That was not raw power," she observed aloud. "It was precision. Most beginners waste half the energy on wild flares. Yours stayed focused."
Klein opened his eyes and met her gaze directly.
"Force creates turbulence. Guidance follows the natural frequency of the flow. The difference is measurable."
Lirael drew her sword in a single smooth motion. The blade caught the morning light, and Klein immediately noticed how her mana resonated with the steel - a tight, rhythmic pulse that ran along the edge like a vibrating string.
"Show me," she said, raising the sword into a ready stance. "If you can match frequency, try reading mine while I demonstrate a basic form."
The Duke gave a slight nod of approval. This was no longer a simple test; it had become comparative observation.
Klein closed his eyes again and extended his awareness outward, as he had practiced with Adrian days earlier. He tuned his perception to Lirael's flow, treating it like an external signal. Her mana moved in sharp, controlled bursts timed with each footwork shift and sword swing. It was not a continuous loop but a series of precise pulses - efficient for delivering force through the blade.
She began a standard knight drill: three cuts, a parry, a thrust. Each motion carried visible mana along the sword edge, sharpening the strikes with a faint blue shimmer.
Klein mapped it mentally.
"Her pathways favor short, high-amplitude bursts synchronized with muscle contraction. Resonance with the weapon amplifies kinetic output by an estimated thirty percent. No waste on unnecessary loops."
He opened his eyes as she finished the form.
"Your method integrates physical movement as a natural conductor," he said. "Mine separates flow from body mechanics for finer control. Both valid, but yours is optimized for immediate combat. Mine scales better with sustained or complex applications."
Lirael lowered her sword, a faint smile touching her lips for the first time.
"You speak like a scholar dissecting a duel instead of fighting one. Yet the results are real. I have trained since I was eight. It took me two years to achieve clean mana infusion on steel. You appear to have managed similar control in weeks."
Master Harlan cleared his throat, clearly unsettled by the casual exchange.
"Second Young Master's recorded pathways were classified as below average. This level of refinement should not be possible without external aid or forbidden techniques."
The Duke raised a hand, silencing him.
"Continue, Klein. Show us the resonance you mentioned to your mother last night."
Klein turned toward the same wooden target post. He visualized the dormant frequency he had used on the old artifact, then layered it onto the post itself. Instead of striking with a thread, he formed a closed loop that circled the wood, aligning with its grain and natural density.
A soft hum rose. The post glowed faintly along its length, then the surface hardened visibly - the wood fibers tightening as if reinforced by an invisible lattice.
Lirael stepped forward and tested the post with the flat of her blade. The sword rebounded with a metallic ring, as though striking iron rather than timber.
"Structural reinforcement through resonance," Klein explained. "Mana aligns with the material's natural frequency and increases density temporarily. The effect lasts approximately ten minutes before gradual dissipation."
Elenora's eyes widened with quiet wonder. Adrian grinned openly now. Even the Duke's expression shifted from evaluation to something closer to calculated interest.
Lirael sheathed her sword and crossed her arms, studying Klein with renewed respect.
"I have faced border skirmishes where mana-hardened armor turned blades. But creating that effect on common wood in open air... without chants or elixirs... that is new. Most mages require hours of ritual preparation for temporary enchantments."
Klein met her gaze evenly.
"Rituals are inefficient substitutes for direct frequency matching. Once the pattern is understood, the process simplifies."
Master Harlan looked visibly uncomfortable, muttering about "unorthodox methods" under his breath.
The Duke spoke at last.
"Lirael, spar with him. Light contact only. Test how his approach holds against practical swordwork."
Lirael did not hesitate. She drew her blade again and took a relaxed guard position.
Klein did not reach for a weapon. Instead, he formed a thin resonant shield around his right forearm - a simple loop reinforced by ambient ley energy. It shimmered faintly, flexible yet solid.
Their exchange was brief but illuminating. Lirael's strikes came fast and precise, each one carrying her pulsed mana. Klein did not dodge wildly; he guided his shield to meet the blade at optimal angles, letting the resonant frequency absorb and redirect part of the impact. The clangs echoed across the grounds, but no one was injured.
After six exchanges, Lirael stepped back, breathing evenly.
"You turned my own force against me twice," she said, lowering her sword. "Not by strength, but by timing the resonance to match my swing frequency. That should not work on a first try."
Klein released the shield, the glow fading from his arm.
"It is the same principle as the artifact and the post. Everything has a frequency. Matching it allows efficient interaction."
The assessment ended shortly after. Master Harlan recorded final measurements in stunned silence. The Duke dismissed the group with a single nod, but his gaze lingered on Klein a moment longer than usual.
As the others departed, Lirael lingered. She wiped her blade with a cloth and spoke quietly enough that only Klein could hear.
"I came here expecting to instruct weaklings in basic forms. Instead I find a second son who treats mana like a machine he can tune. If you ever want a real spar - one where we both push limits - find me on the eastern grounds after dusk. I train alone most evenings."
Klein considered her offer. A swordswoman with practical combat experience could provide live data on mana application under pressure.
"I will," he replied.
Lirael gave a short, respectful nod and walked away, her stride confident and unhurried.
Adrian appeared at Klein's side once she was out of earshot.
"She is one of the best with a blade in the junior ranks," he said. "Border-born and tough. You impressed her - which is rare."
Klein glanced toward the reinforced wooden post, still faintly glowing.
"Impressing others is secondary. The data from today is valuable. Her pulsed flow, the weapon resonance, the way physical forms act as natural amplifiers... it fills gaps in my model."
He looked out across the training grounds, where knights continued their drills under the rising sun. The world of Melros was revealing its layers faster now. Mana flowed through land, blood, steel, and intent. Nobles like Lirael had honed one path - combat efficiency through repetition. He was forging another - understanding through measurement and refinement.
The upcoming Royal Academy term suddenly felt less like a closed door and more like an untested variable.
And with observers like Lirael now paying attention, the ripples of his experiments would only spread further.
Klein felt no unease. Only the quiet satisfaction of another set of rules coming into focus.
To be continued...