The training grounds had become unusually quiet.

Even the knights who had been laughing moments ago were paying attention now.

The old book rested in my hands.

Its pages were worn and brittle with age.

Whatever had been written within had survived for centuries.

And according to Ren, it was the only record she had managed to find regarding Soul Art.

I carefully opened it.

Most of the pages had been damaged by time.

Entire sections were missing.

Only fragments remained.

Fragments left behind by someone long forgotten.

Ren crossed her arms.

“This part is the most important.”

She pointed toward a faded passage.

I began reading aloud.

“My power allows me to understand souls.”

The training ground fell silent.

“It can interfere with them.”

“It can sever them.”

“It can attach them.”

A strange chill ran through me.

The words felt dangerous.

Ancient.

I continued.

“The intensity depends upon the strength of the target’s soul.”

The next line was partially destroyed.

Only a handful of words remained.

“…even my power is considered inferior before his…”

Then nothing.

The rest of the sentence had been lost to time.

I lowered the book.

“That’s it?”

Ren nodded.

“That’s it.”

She sounded annoyed.

“The remaining pages are either missing or unreadable.”

I frowned.

“So we still don’t know what Soul Art actually is.”

“We know enough.”

Ren pointed directly at me.

“When you fought Valen.”

My expression became serious.

“The final attack left no physical injuries.”

I remembered the duel.

The threads.

The violet blade.

The overwhelming sensation of cutting something beyond flesh.

Ren continued.

“Yet Valen collapsed.”

“There were no wounds.”

“No broken bones.”

“No visible injuries.”

She tapped the book.

“The only thing that matches what happened is Soul Art.”

The training ground fell silent.

No one argued.

Because no one had an explanation.

“So what do we do now?”

A grin slowly appeared on Ren’s face.

“We train.”

Of course.

Everything somehow became training with her.

“And how exactly are we supposed to train a power nobody understands?”

“Through meditation.”

I blinked.

“…Meditation?”

That was not the answer I expected.

Ren nodded.

“Princess Luna does it every day.”

Luna straightened proudly.

“I do.”

“It’s necessary for controlling mana.”

Ren pointed toward her.

“If mages don’t control their mana properly, it can become unstable.”

Then she pointed toward herself.

“The same applies to swordmasters.”

I frowned.

“Swordmasters meditate?”

“Obviously.”

Ren rolled her eyes.

“How do you think we control sword aura?”

She tapped her chest.

“The stronger the power becomes, the more discipline it requires.”

Her expression grew serious once more.

“The problem is that Soul Art isn’t mana.”

She pointed toward me.

“It isn’t aura either.”

I nodded.

That much was obvious.

“We don’t know where it comes from.”

“We don’t know how it functions.”

“We don’t even know what category it belongs to.”

Ren crossed her arms.

“But we do know one thing.”

I waited.

“You saw threads.”

My body stiffened.

The memory returned instantly.

Countless glowing violet threads.

Stretching endlessly through the darkness.

Connecting everything.

Ren nodded.

“That’s our starting point.”

She raised a finger.

“Our goal is simple.”

“We find those threads again.”

The training ground became quiet.

Even Luna looked intrigued.

Then Ren’s grin returned.

“After your physical training.”

My shoulders slumped.

Of course.

“There will be meditation.”

I sighed.

“How long?”

Ren smiled.

The kind of smile that usually led to suffering.

“Until you find them.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Luna looked away.

The knights looked away.

Even they pitied me.

Unfortunately, Ren wasn’t finished.

She placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, kid.”

For some reason, those words only made me more nervous.

“If you can’t find them…”

Her grin widened.

“We’ll just double the training.”

I immediately stood up.

“No.”

“Come on, kid.”

“No.”

My protests changed absolutely nothing.

Days became weeks.

Weeks became a month.

Every morning was training.

Every afternoon was meditation.

Every evening ended in failure.

Not once did I see the threads again.

One month later.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The sun was beginning to set.

Orange light covered the training grounds.

Ren sat nearby.

“Still nothing, kid?”

I shook my head.

“No, Ren.”

At some point during the past year, I had stopped using honorifics around her.

She never seemed to mind.

In fact, she preferred it.

Ren frowned.

“Hmm.”

For the first time in a while, she looked genuinely troubled.

Then suddenly, her eyes brightened.

“I’ve got an idea.”

That sentence never led to anything good.

Before I could escape, Ren moved behind me.

“Sit still.”

“What are you planning?”

“An experiment.”

That answer worried me even more.

Ren knelt behind me and placed a hand on my back.

I immediately felt warmth spread through my body.

“Kid.”

Her voice became serious.

“I’m going to channel some of my aura into you.”

I blinked.

“That’s safe, right?”

“…Probably.”

“Probably?!”

Before I could complain further, Luna moved beside me.

Ren pointed toward her.

“Princess.”

“Yes?”

“Support me with mana.”

Luna nodded.

Without hesitation, she placed a hand against my shoulder.

“Understood.”

The next moment—

A strange sensation spread through my body.

Warm.

Gentle.

Luna’s mana felt like a calm breeze.

Ren’s aura was completely different.

Powerful.

Sharp.

Like a drawn blade.

The two energies flowed into me simultaneously.

My body suddenly grew hot.

The sensation intensified.

Hotter.

Hotter.

Then—

Something appeared.

A single violet thread floating within the darkness.

My eyes widened.

“I see it…”

The thread trembled.

For the first time in over a year…

I saw it again.

Excitement surged through me.

I reached toward it.

Just a little more.

A little closer.

Then—

Zap.

The thread vanished.

The darkness returned.

I immediately opened my eyes.

My heart was racing.

Ren leaned forward.

“Kid?”

I looked directly at her.

My voice trembled with excitement.

“Ren…”

A grin slowly spread across my face.

“I saw it.”

The training ground fell silent.

Then Ren’s eyes widened.

And Luna nearly jumped to her feet.

“You did?!”

For the first time since we started this training…

We had finally made progress.

For the next week, the training continued.

Every day, Ren would channel aura into my body.

Every day, Luna would support me with her mana.

And every day, I searched for the thread.

Sometimes I saw it.

Sometimes I didn’t.

But unlike before, progress was finally being made.

The thread appeared more frequently.

Each time I managed to get a little closer.

Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fully grasp it.

It always slipped away.

Like it was waiting.

Watching.

Testing me.

One week later.

I sat beneath the large tree alone.

For the first time since beginning this training, Ren and Luna were occupied elsewhere.

Which meant I was meditating by myself.

The training grounds were unusually quiet.

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves overhead.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Then I sank into the darkness once more.

The familiar empty world appeared around me.

Silent.

Endless.

Dark.

I searched.

For the thread.

For the connection I had seen during the duel.

For the power sleeping somewhere inside me.

Then—

A voice echoed through the darkness.

Soft.

Gentle.

Like the voice of a young girl.

“Dear…”

My eyes widened.

The voice felt strangely familiar.

As though I had heard it long ago.

Yet I couldn’t remember where.

“What will you use this power for?”

The darkness remained silent.

Waiting.

Watching.

For some reason, I knew this question mattered.

More than anything else.

I thought of Father.

Of Luna.

Of King Valerius.

Of everyone who had stood beside me.

The answer came naturally.

“To protect the people I cherish.”

Silence followed.

Then, for the first time, warmth entered the girl’s voice.

“Good.”

The darkness trembled.

The violet thread appeared before me once more.

Brighter than ever before.

Without hesitation—

I grabbed it.

BOOM!

Pain exploded throughout my body.

My eyes snapped open.

“Agh!”

It felt as though my entire soul had ignited.

Violet flames erupted around me.

The air trembled.

The surrounding mana began to stir violently.

The sudden pressure spread throughout the training grounds.

At that exact moment—

Ren and Luna came running into the area.

“AZ!”

“Kid!”

The moment they saw the violet flames surrounding me, both rushed forward.

Without hesitation, Ren placed a hand on my back.

Luna grabbed my arm.

They immediately began channeling their power into me.

Aura.

Mana.

Both flowed into my body.

Trying to stabilize whatever was happening.

Ren braced herself.

Expecting pain.

Expecting burns.

Yet neither of them felt any.

Instead—

Warmth.

A gentle warmth spread through their bodies.

The same warmth they always felt whenever they were around me.

The violet flames weren’t destructive.

They weren’t violent.

They felt comforting.

Protective.

Almost welcoming.

Luna’s eyes widened.

“Ren…”

The Vice Commander stared at the flames.

For once, she looked completely serious.

“I know.”

The violet fire continued to dance around me.

Yet not a single blade of grass burned.

Not a single leaf turned to ash.

The fire carried no destruction.

Only warmth.

Only protection.

As though it existed for a single purpose.

To shield.

To preserve.

To protect.

And somewhere within that endless darkness—

A young girl smiled.

Patiently.

Quietly.

Watching his first step.