CHAPTER 135: MORE REFINEMENT

The sixth day of the week began grey and damp, with rain having fallen through the night, turning the academy courtyards into mud slides.

By the time Noah reached the private training hall, Noah already had enough of the weather.

It would be helpful to his plans for tomorrow, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy to be trudging through rain everyday. Especially when he thought about the cleaning he’d have to do when he gets back to his dorm. He couldn’t have his shoes tracking mud on his floors.

When he finally entered the hall, professor Cecilia was already there, arms folded, golden eyes alert as she waited by the center circle.

Arlo was near the far wall, stretching silently, while Damien Krell bounced lightly on his heels, ready for any lessons they had today.

"Noah," Cecilia said as he stepped through the doors, her voice crisp. "Today, we return to Flash Step. You’ve learned the basic ignition. You’ve practiced the flow. But you’re still too slow."

Noah gave a small nod. His shadows stirred faintly in the corners, but he kept them quiet.

Cecilia gestured to Damien. "You will spar with him. Damien may use the full breadth of his style. You may not attack. You may not defend. You may only dodge with Flash Step. Do you understand?"

Noah’s brow twitched, but his voice was even. "Understood."

"Good. The purpose is not victory. It is refinement. If you cannot ignite in less than a heartbeat, you’ll never reach the true execution of the style I’ve chosen for you."

Damien rolled his shoulders, the veins in his forearms tightening as he flexed his bandaged knuckles. "I’ll hold back enough not to break bones," he muttered. "But don’t expect me to make it easy."

Noah smirked faintly. "Wouldn’t want you to."

Cecilia raised a hand. "Begin."

Damien launched himself forward instantly, his foot stomping the sand of the circle. His fist came like a hammer, aimed straight for Noah’s sternum.

Noah inhaled, pushed mana into his legs, and vanished in a blur. He reappeared two strides away, cloak whipping.

Too slow. He’d felt the edge of Damien’s knuckles graze the air where his chest had been.

"Two seconds," Cecilia called. "Still too long. Again."

Damien didn’t hesitate. He pivoted, shoulders tight, throwing a wide hook. Noah ducked a few blows before triggering Flash Step again. The world stretched, blurred, and in a blink he was behind Damien.

The hook still caught his sleeve. Threads ripped.

"One and a half seconds," Cecilia called out. "Closer, but not enough."

Noah clenched his teeth. Sweat prickled his forehead. His body wasn’t the problem. The ignition was.

He could feel the delay each time he willed the mana into motion. It was like sparks refusing to catch flame.

Damien fought harder, his new domineering style unfolding with every attack.

He crowded Noah, never letting him rest. Low kicks, blunt elbows, short punches. Noah flitted across the circle again and again, the mana in his legs igniting like black powder.

The air cracked with each displacement. His cloak snapped like a whip.

"One point two," Cecilia called. "Better."

But Damien was relentless. He closed the gap with a soldier’s instincts, forcing Noah into tighter spaces, cutting off angles, trying to crush him against the walls of the circle.

Noah ducked under a hook, Flash Stepping to Damien’s back. He reappeared just as Damien twisted with a brutal backhand. The strike clipped his jaw, sending a shockwave of pain down his neck.

He spat copper, grinning through the sting.

"One second," Cecilia announced, her golden eyes unblinking. "You’re getting closer."

Damien exhaled hard, sweat darkening his collar. "You’re still leaving afterimages," he growled. "I can feel your direction. If you don’t cut that activation shorter, I’ll land clean every time."

Noah’s jaw tightened. He could feel the mana drain. Just like Cecilia had said, the move wasn’t cheap. But with his S-rank magic control, he could control it better. That meant he wasn’t losing as much mana as most.

He closed his eyes for half a breath, then opened them, shadows coiling at the edges of his sight as he stared at Damien "Then try."

Damien obliged. He surged forward, faster than before, throwing a feint that turned into a savage uppercut. Noah triggered Flash Step, pouring mana faster and harsher into his legs.

The floor beneath his boots cracked with the sudden ignition. He reappeared three strides away, chest heaving, cloak flaring in the mana’s backwash.

No touch this time.

Cecilia’s lips curved, just slightly. "That was clean. One second. Again."

The drill continued. Damien came from every angle, his fists falling like an avalanche. Noah dodged what he could and answered the rest with Flash Step after Flash Step, burning mana without formation, his body screaming at the raw output.

Seconds passed like hours. His calves quivered. His lungs burned. But each time he vanished, the ignition came quicker and smoother. The hesitation was falling away, hammered out of him by repetition and pain.

Finally, Damien lunged with a brutal shoulder charge, aiming to fold Noah in half.

Noah’s shadows whispered, hungry, but he shut them out. Mana surged down his legs. He exploded sideways, reappearing before Damien could even adjust.

The charge plowed through empty air. Damien stumbled, catching himself on the wall. He turned, panting, eyes wide.

"That..." he muttered, shaking sweat from his brow. "That was fast."

"One second," Cecilia confirmed, her voice carrying through the hall. "Good. Not perfect, but progress."

Noah exhaled hard, sweat dripping down his chin. His legs trembled, but his mouth curved in a cold grin. "Better than two."

"Better than dead," Cecilia corrected. She strode into the circle, her golden eyes blazing with conviction. "You are not done. Flash Step is not a trick. It is survival. Until you can ignite in less than a heartbeat, it is not truly yours."

Noah nodded once. "Then I’ll cut it again."

Cecilia’s lips pressed thin, but she inclined her head. "That’s why I chose this path for you."

Damien sank to the floor nearby, gulping water, sweat streaking down his arms. He muttered something under his breath about "crazy bastards," but Noah didn’t hear him. His focus was already turning inward, on the spark in his veins that he would one day turn into lightning.