章 74: Sword Art Training (Part 2)

The next morning, Kai stood in the backyard, his fingers tightly gripping the wooden sword in his hand. He looked down at it, the weight of the weapon unfamiliar but reassuring.

The cold, crisp air bit at his skin, but he barely noticed.

His focus was entirely on the sword, on the way his palm tingled where the wood pressed against it, and on the strange sense of anticipation building in his chest.

In front of him, Kiara stood poised, her figure sharp against the soft backdrop of falling snow.

She looked every bit the warrior she had been the day before, but now, there was something more —something different about her.

Her movements were fluid, her posture relaxed yet brimming with latent power. The strain from yesterday's fight were completely gone, her body healed and her energy fully restored.

"So," Kiara began, her voice cutting through the silence, "before I teach you a Sword Art, there's something important you need to understand."