CHAPTER 305: TRAINING (1)

She gestured, and the ground beneath them shifted, the neat tiles rippling like water before reforming into an arena of cracked stone and rising spires. The light dimmed as illusion magic enveloped them, the sky now a heavy gray.

"This is your first evaluation as a unit," Morgana said. "You will face three adaptive constructs. They mirror not only your strength, but your intent."

Nathan frowned. "Our... intent?"

"Meaning," she continued, "if you hesitate, it will not. If you doubt, it will strike. If you break formation—"

"—we lose," Merlin finished quietly.

Morgana nodded once. "Precisely."

She stepped back, folding her arms. "Begin."

The air snapped.

From the shifting dust ahead, three silhouettes formed, human in shape but sculpted from light and shadow. Each moved like a reflection of their opponent.

One stepped toward Merlin, its eyes flaring gold.

Another faced Elara, its spear materializing from fractured mana.

The third leveled a dagger toward Nathan, lightning sparking across its edge.

Nathan grinned. "Guess we get the deluxe treatment."

"Focus," Merlin warned, already channeling.

Lightning gathered at his fingertips, spiraling into a current that danced across his arm. Wind coiled around him next, forming a faint cyclone at his feet.

He launched forward, faster than sight, wind propelling him past the first strike. His lightning-charged palm met the construct’s chest, discharging with a crack that split the air.

It staggered, then countered instantly, adapting to his speed, its own form vibrating with matching energy.

’So it copies rhythm too,’ he realized.

Merlin twisted aside, shifting mana mid-motion, calling on water to solidify a barrier, the impact shattered it instantly.

The force alone sent him skidding back across the cracked ground.

Nathan’s fight was chaos, dark mist coiling around one hand, blinding light surging from the other. The clash painted the arena in flashes of black and white, each impact shaking the field.

"Oi, Merlin!" he shouted mid-swing. "You didn’t mention they learned from us!"

"Didn’t think she’d be this cruel," Merlin muttered, ducking under a spear thrust.

Elara’s battle was more controlled, precise. She moved with that practiced grace elves were known for, each strike measured, deliberate. Earth rippled under her steps, throwing her construct off balance, only for it to counter with a burst of the same energy seconds later.

Morgana’s voice echoed faintly through the illusion. "Observe. Your enemies adapt faster than your coordination allows. Solve the problem."

Merlin gritted his teeth. The problem wasn’t strength, it was timing.

He shifted, calling out, "Elara, left flank in two seconds. Nathan, suppressive burst!"

They reacted instantly.

Nathan flared his lightning outward, a radiant flash that disoriented the constructs for half a heartbeat. Elara swept in from the left, spear tip glowing emerald with earth mana. Merlin surged forward from the right, channeling wind and lightning both.

Their combined strike hit center.

For a moment, light consumed everything.

Then, silence.

The constructs staggered. Cracks split across their forms, light leaking from within like fire behind glass. One after another, they shattered into fragments that faded into mist.

Merlin exhaled sharply, lowering his hand. Sweat beaded along his temple, but he was steady.

Nathan grinned, flicking his wrist as the last of his lightning died away. "We might be getting good at this."

Elara wiped a trace of dust from her cheek, expression calm but her breathing quickened. "You think she’s satisfied?"

As if on cue, Morgana’s voice came again. "Round two."

Their heads snapped up, too late.

The ground erupted, and six new figures emerged from the haze, this time, heavier, darker, faster.

Merlin’s expression tightened. "She’s testing endurance now."

"Of course she is," Nathan said, summoning his daggers again.

Elara’s spear hummed, mana threads vibrating like heartbeats.

They moved together. No hesitation.

Merlin launched forward, wind streaking behind him, lightning splitting from his fingertips like spears. Nathan darted low, his movements a blur of shifting light and darkness. Elara’s strikes landed clean, carving arcs of compressed earth that shattered the ground beneath the constructs.

But the enemies didn’t fall. They adjusted mid-battle, their movements sharpening, copying teamwork.

Morgana’s voice drifted through the smoke, soft and unreadable. "Adaptation is never one-sided. Remember that."

Merlin’s pulse quickened. His wind faltered for half a breath, and in that breath, one of the constructs moved, its blade cutting across his shoulder.

He hissed, sliding back. The wound burned but wasn’t deep. Still, blood ran down his sleeve.

Nathan swore. "Merlin!"

"I’m fine." His tone was sharp, immediate.

Elara’s jaw tightened. Mana flared brighter around her, the ground trembling under her feet. She swept her spear in a wide arc, buying them space. "Then stop holding back."

He blinked once, then smirked.

Lightning exploded from his core.

The entire field flashed white, the air roaring as raw mana surged outward. The constructs faltered, their forms distorting. Merlin’s figure blurred through them like a storm incarnate, every strike leaving trails of electric wind.

One fell. Two. Then four more.

Silence again.

The smoke thinned. Only Merlin stood at the center, chest rising and falling, hair tousled by residual current.

Nathan lowered his daggers, eyebrows raised. "...Remind me not to spar you again."

Elara simply exhaled, steadying her weapon. "Overkill, but effective."

Merlin brushed the blood from his shoulder, turning toward Morgana. "That enough?"

She regarded him for a long, quiet moment. Then she nodded once. "For today."

The arena dissolved. The gray sky peeled back, returning to soft morning light.

As the illusion faded, Merlin felt the ache settle into his muscles, the exhaustion from mana expenditure, the faint sting of the wound. But there was something else, too.

Progress.

Morgana approached, her boots echoing lightly on the stone. "You’re learning faster than projected," she said. "Good. You’ll need it."

Elara tilted her head. "For what exactly?"

Morgana’s expression didn’t change. "You’ll see soon enough."

She turned and left without another word.

Nathan groaned, flopping backward onto the ground. "She always says that. Why can’t it ever mean something good?"

Elara smirked faintly. "Because it doesn’t."

Merlin just stood there, eyes drifting toward the spot where Morgana had disappeared. The faint pulse of his badge at his chest matched the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Something was coming.

He could feel it, a ripple beneath the surface, subtle but building.

And for the first time in weeks, he didn’t feel unprepared.