The next week came quickly at Aegis Academy.  Yudo stepped into the classroom with Ryukai right behind him. He could see other classes already practicing outside.

Students sparred across distant training fields while instructors shouted corrections from the sidelines.

Yudo dropped into a chair near the back left of the room and stretched his arms.

Ryukai turned his chair to face Yudo. “Finally,” he muttered. “A room where no one is trying to punch me.”

Yudo smiled. “Give it some time,” he said. “Clarence or Kakeru will probably throw some punches at us.”

Across the room, Kakeru suddenly sneezed. “Someone must be talking about me.”

Students slowly filled the classroom. Tokiya and Charlotte entered together, continuing a quiet conversation from the hallway.

Renki took a seat in the back right corner by the window. He turned and waved. “You two missed out on the best spot.”

Ryukai smiled. “I don’t want to get distracted while in class.”

Virsen sat directly in front of him. Kageka slipped into the room almost silently and took a seat near the window. Yuki sat calmly toward the center of the classroom, her posture perfectly straight.

Lillie entered cheerfully. “Good morning everybody!”

Several students greeted her back. Elaina followed behind her quietly. The mood in the classroom was lighter than it had been the previous week.

The entrance exam was over. No one had to worry about Corrupted Beasts trying to kill them, at least for now. The students had developed their routines. 

Clarence walked inside. The room went quiet immediately. The sound of chairs shifting stopped. Conversations died instantly.

He stepped toward the front of the classroom and placed a small stack of papers on the desk.

“Sit down.”

Everyone quickly took their seats. Clarence turned to face them.

“Last week's sparring matches revealed several things.”

His eyes moved across the class.

“You all possess impressive Traits.” He paused. “But most of you lack experience.”

No one argued with that.

“Today’s lecture will be about what it means to be a Guardian.” 

He raised one finger. “A Guardian’s strength isn’t measured by power alone.” A second finger. “It is measured by discipline.” A third finger. “By awareness.” A fourth finger. “By the ability to protect innocent lives.” A fifth finger. “And by surviving while doing so.”

The classroom remained silent.

Clarence turned and pointed toward the windows overlooking the training grounds. “You have now seen two places where you will train.”

Several students nodded.

“There will be more as your training continues.” His gaze sharpened. “But those places are not where you become Guardians.”

Some students frowned slightly.

Clarence continued. “Aegis Academy trains Guardians to protect the world outside these walls.”

He turned back toward them.

“That world is far more dangerous than anything you’ve seen so far.”

Yudo nodded slightly.

He’s right.

The Corrupted Lands are far more dangerous than anything here.

Clarence crossed his arms. “Today’s lesson will be simple.”

The class waited.

“You will learn how to fight without relying on your Traits.”

The reaction was immediate.

“WHAT?”

Kakeru jumped to his feet. “Our Trait is how we fight!”

Several students nodded.

“Yeah!”

Clarence sighed. “That mindset is the problem.”

The classroom froze.

“What will you do if your Trait becomes unstable?”

No one answered.

“What if you run out of energy?”

 They stayed silent. 

"Every Guardian reaches their limit."

 His eyes swept across the room.

"You have to…”

His eyes swept across the students.

“Surpass it. Supera."

"Now let's begin."

The weight of his words settled over the room. Several students looked away. Others lowered their heads. Because none of them had an answer.

Clarence turned toward the door. “Let’s go.”

The students stood and followed him immediately.

Yudo leaned toward Ryukai as they walked. “There was your five minutes of peace.”

Ryukai sighed. “It was fun while it lasted.”

The class followed Clarence toward the training grounds. They approached a smaller training building near the edge of the grounds. Unlike the larger combat arena, this structure looked older. Scratches and impact marks covered sections of the stone walls.

Clarence stopped and turned toward them.

“This is where you will train today.” He pointed toward two changing rooms. “Go change and meet me in the arena.”

The boys went to the left room while the girls entered the one on the right.

Inside the boys’ room, wooden benches lined the walls. Training uniforms hung neatly from hooks nearby.

Ryukai leaned toward Yudo. “What do you think we’re doing?”

Yudo shrugged. “No idea,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Virsen finished changing quickly and stepped past them. “It’s swordsmanship.”

Everyone turned toward him.

“How do you know?” Ryukai asked.

Virsen tightened the strap on his glove. “How else would we learn to fight without our Traits?”

He walked out of the room.

Renki laughed. “Well, that answers that.” He picked up his training clothes. “Let’s give it our best.”

The rest of the group nodded.

Meanwhile, in the girls’ changing room, the conversation was different.

“Elaina,” Lillie asked, “have you ever fought with a blade before?”

Elaina turned toward them calmly.

“Only when I was younger,” she said, pausing slightly. “But I’ve never really needed to use one.”

The other girls blinked in surprise.

“Wait… really?”

Elaina finished adjusting her uniform. “My Trait handles most situations.”

The girls exchanged looks. “That’s Elaina for ya.”

Elaina paused for a moment, stunned by the reactions the girls were giving her. Back where she was raised, she had never experienced people speaking to her so casually.

This feeling…

It was strangely unfamiliar.

Lillie suddenly clapped her hands. “Alright! Let’s hurry up and kick those boys’ asses!”

The girls laughed.

“YEAH!”

Soon the class gathered in the center of the training arena. The arena was smaller than the combat facility from last week. Weapon racks lined the walls. Training dummies stood along the edges of the room.

Behind Clarence stood a rack filled with wooden training weapons. A giant rack held wooden swords, spears, hammers, and staffs.

Clarence gestured toward them. “Choose one.”

The students hesitated, then they slowly stepped forward and selected their weapons.

Yudo approached Clarence. “Is it alright if I fight with my hands?”

Clarence nodded. “As long as you don’t activate your Trait, you can fight however you want.”

Ryukai picked up a wooden staff. “I have absolutely no idea how to use this thing.”

Across the field, Tokiya selected a spear. Peter lifted a massive practice hammer as if it weighed nothing. Kageka chose two wooden daggers. Renki and Virsen each selected basic wooden swords.

Once everyone had armed themselves, Clarence waved them forward.

“Today we begin with the basics.”

“I will pair each of you up.”

He pointed toward two students.”

The class turned.

“Keisho,” Clarence said.

“You will spar Kishiyoshi.”

Virsen noticed that Yudo wasn’t holding a weapon.

“Understood.”

Yudo grinned slightly.

Clarence stepped backward.

Let’s see how the two successors of our greatest Guardians fare against each other.

Excitement spread across the class. The other students quickly moved aside, clearing the arena. Yudo and Virsen stepped forward. They stopped several meters apart. The arena grew quiet. Even the students whispering moments earlier stopped talking.

Wooden weapons lowered. Eyes focused. Everyone wanted to see this. Both took their stances.

Clarence raised his hand. “No Traits.” He lowered it. “Begin.”

The two launched forward across the training field.

Wood and fists were about to decide which prodigy truly deserved their reputation.