Day after day, fall after fall, strike after strike, the routine between Valerian and Kyle continued.
Throughout this time, Kyle gave him advice to improve his use of the dagger. He was not just a qualified trainer،he was exceptionally skilled with these weapons, making him the perfect teacher. However, he could offer much more than that, but his time had not yet come.
As for Valerian, his emotions were a mix of anger, sorrow, and jealousy. He didn't know how to describe himself, but he knew one thing… he had improved.
He had improved a lot and at a very fast pace, but even so, his skills had not surpassed an average level by much.
Valerian launched forward with speed, his feet striking the ground with force, and the reflection of light on his blade made the dagger look like a meteor heading toward its target. His first strike was low, aiming for the thigh, but Kyle simply turned his body slightly, making the blade pass by him without touching.
Without losing momentum, Valerian spun around, raised his dagger, and attempted to stab his side. This time, Kyle didn't just evade the attack،he raised his hand and grabbed Valerian's wrist before the blade could reach its target.
Valerian clenched his teeth, trying to pull his hand back, but Kyle didn't let go. Instead, he looked at him calmly and said:
"Faster, but you're still telling me your intentions before you move."
Kyle was trying to help him improve, though he never truly believed that a mere weak talent could turn Valerian into someone strong.
"And you're still treating me like a child!"
Valerian knew this well… He knew that in Kyle's eyes, he was just an insect that could be crushed easily, and he himself had realized that.
In the blink of an eye, Kyle twisted his body, and without warning, pulled Valerian toward him before pushing him away with force. He lost his balance but rolled on the ground and quickly stood up, his eyes burning with hatred and jealousy.
"Why aren't you using a weapon? Is it because you don't see me as worthy?!"
Throughout their fight, Valerian had realized it… Kyle wasn't using any weapon, as if the battle wasn't worth his seriousness.
Kyle sighed, as if he was tired of this question.
"The dagger is in your hand, but it hasn't become a part of you yet. You're still relying on it as a crutch, not as an extension of your body."
Valerian stared at him, his anger not fading but growing more intense. He gripped his dagger so tightly that his fingers turned pale.
"You don't understand…"
His voice was filled with an internal fury, his sense of helplessness growing stronger and stronger.
Valerian moved again, but this time, he was different. He wasn't attacking out of anger alone،he was beginning to apply what he had learned. He didn't charge straight in but played with his movements. His right foot hinted that he would attack from the right, but the blade suddenly shot out from the left, targeting Kyle's neck.
For the first time, Kyle used slightly more of his strength.
He raised his hand and stopped the blade effortlessly with the tips of his fingers. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had seen something interesting.
"Finally, your mind is moving ahead of your body."
Valerian felt a shiver run down his spine. This was not a smile of praise،it was a smile warning him that he was about to experience something even harsher.
Then, before he could catch his breath, Kyle was already in front of him, his hand rising like lightning, and in a second, Valerian found himself on the ground, his dagger far from him.
"But… you're still too slow."
Kyle was standing behind him, though he hadn't been there a second ago.
Valerian tried to get up, but his body screamed in pain. It was clear،there was still a vast gap between them.
Yet, despite everything, there was no surrender in his eyes… only stronger determination.
"Our time is up."
Kyle stopped him before he could launch another attack.
All this time, Kyle had noticed something, but he found nothing in Valerian worth admiring. Unlike his siblings, he possessed nothing special in his eyes. If this were a fight to the death, he would never survive.
That was what Kyle thought about Valerian.
He did not know about Valerian's ability.
He did not know that he could grow stronger…
But that was still far away.
Finally, Valerian stood up to accompany his servant, Carlos, to his room. As always, once the battle was over, Valerian and Kyle parted ways without exchanging a single word.
"Let's go, my lord."
Carlos requested in his usual tone, which never changed.
"Yes, let's go."
Valerian finally left the training arena.
He looked at the place he would soon leave behind, where the ground breathed beneath the footsteps, and the time-worn rocks preserved the echoes of falling and rising.
At its edges, where shadows stretched under the midday sun, heavy fabrics moved with a calm fluidity, and a soft rustle of silk against skin rose as the edges of embroidered garments, woven with golden threads, touched the air, as if refusing to be soiled by the solid earth.
He saw that arena once more...
The arena that had carried breaths laden with the scent of sweat and sun-scorched leather.
Silent swords and shields leaned against the stone walls, witnesses to countless rounds of perseverance and defeat.
And despite their silence, the stones bore their scars… Cracks and marks left by running feet and strikes that never missed their target.
Not far away, men stood in armor،some gripping spears firmly, others tightening their hold on sword hilts،but only their eyes moved, observing, analyzing, and attempting to read the unspoken thoughts.
A mixture of anticipation and subtle respect enveloped them, for those who walked slowly across the arena were not mere visitors... but the masters of this place.
Valerian finally sighed as the storm within him subsided, like waves calming after a wild tide, leaving his chest expansive like a clear sky after a rainy night, the earth breathing easily once more, as if the embers glowing beneath his skin had turned into cool ash.
At last, he thought to himself:
"I must remember who I am... Perhaps I haven't changed anything in myself now, but only time will define my actions."
Then he looked at his servant.
"And I am not alone."
At last, his lips curled into a smile as his thoughts became clear.
"How many have been in my place, and how many have overcome it...?"
"Tomorrow is the awaited day."
Time passed like a breeze brushing against the sea, letting thoughts fade away.
He closed his eyes on the last thread of anticipation, and when he opened them again, morning had arrived, filling the horizon with light. With it came the awaited day.
"You will go to the academy today, and your sister will be there, so you must work hard."
Edgar ordered his son to leave.
Those standing there awaited his departure, but his brother, Alexis, showed no interest in the matter.
He merely watched Valerian's steps as they faded into the distance, without any desire to call them back.
But…
"You won't leave without a test."
Edgar's words came firmly. He would never allow someone who hadn't proven themselves to leave.
This time, Valerian did not feel anxious or afraid...
All he felt was a deep calm within his heart.
His steps halted, yet he maintained his smile.
"As you wish, Father."
The winds carried him toward the arena that had witnessed his countless falls and relentless struggles.
But this time, his opponent was not Kyle...
It was a knight of a respectable level of strength, capable of fighting multiple opponents at once.
The knight stood in the arena, gripping his sword firmly, but within him, there was no trace of the usual enthusiasm.
His opponent stood before him،the son of Edgar…pale, as if thrown into a battle he was never meant for.
There was no glint of a fighter in his eyes, only the shadow of someone who had paths opened for him without ever walking them himself.
The knight felt as if he were raising his blade against a shadow, against something that did not truly resist،just a ritual that needed to be performed.
But…
He soon realized he was wrong.
Valerian moved with blinding speed, delivering precise and deceptive attacks, as if his form shifted in every direction, effortlessly evading the knight's strikes, as though he had faced much fiercer opponents before.
"How...?"
The question echoed in the knight's mind as he stepped back, trying to regain his balance.
He had been told Valerian was weak… Yet now, he moved as if the wind carried his steps, and his daggers flickered like tongues of flame in the air, searching for an opening to consume him.
And finally, when the knight felt that deep sensation of weakness…
[ A low-tier talent has been successfully stolen. ]
[ The user and the talent are of the same rank, so the user's level has increased slightly. ]
[ Determining penalty… ]
[ Penalty: Temporary deafness. ]
The sounds around him faded, as if he had submerged underwater. Only a heavy ringing filled his skull, as if the world was screaming in silence.
"It seems I'll be like this for a while…"
But despite that, the victor was clear.
Valerian had landed most of the strikes.
He was the one who won.
"Finally…"
He murmured quietly as everyone stared at this unexpected victory…except for Edgar and Kyle, who had foreseen the outcome from the beginning.
"Go…"
It was not a dismissal, but an acknowledgment of success.
And at last, Valerian departed toward his future, leaving behind the shadows of the past.
Carlos stood there, surrounded by heavy silence, watching Valerian fade into the horizon. The air around him was still, yet he felt it constricting his chest, as if the world had suddenly decided to become smaller. There was no noise, only the sound of hooves growing distant, carrying his master away from the place he was used to seeing him every day.
With each passing moment, Valerian's steps faded, and with them, something else،something Carlos couldn't name،left a cold void slowly expanding within him.
He lifted his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the departing caravan, as if trying to imprint Valerian's final image in his memory, preserving it as it was, untouched by time or distance.
He tried to smile, to appear as one should when bidding farewell to someone heading toward something greater, but his lips betrayed him. It wasn't a simple goodbye،it was something deeper, a strange sensation striking his chest like gentle yet persistent waves.
Carlos finally sighed and, with slow movement, bowed respectfully،not because he was merely a servant, but because he felt this person deserved it. There was no one else he would bow to, yet he offered this gesture because he knew…
"Until we meet again, my lord."
He whispered these words before straightening once more, looking at the horizon where Valerian had vanished, leaving behind a different kind of silence.a silence not empty, but filled with an unspoken promise... A promise of another meeting, one day.