This training ground was different.
Open.
No walls.
Several circles marked across the field—each one dedicated to a different element.
Fire.
Wind.
Earth.
And—light.
Liebe stopped.
For the first time, he saw it this clearly.
To his left, a boy held flames in his palm—it moved like it was alive.
To the right, a girl shaped the wind into sharp currents, slicing through the air with precision.
This was different.
Not just training.
Control.
“Watch closely.”
Aurelion’s voice came from beside him.
Liebe turned.
His instructor stood still, observing.
“Light isn’t the only power here.”
A pause.
“And it’s not the most forgiving.”
At the center of the field, two students stepped forward.
A fire mage.
A light user.
“Training match,” Aurelion said.
The flames came first.
Fast.
Aggressive.
The light answered— a shield.
Stable.
But—
The fire broke through.
Impact.
The light user stepped back.
Liebe tensed.
“…Is he weaker?” he asked.
“No.”
Aurelion didn’t look away.
“He hesitated.”
A pause.
“And light doesn’t tolerate hesitation.”
The match ended quickly.
The fire mage won.
The light faded.
Too soon.
Liebe watched.
“…But light should be stronger.”
“It should,” Aurelion replied calmly.
A beat.
“If you know why you’re using it.”
Silence.
Liebe clenched his hand.
“…And if you don’t?”
Aurelion finally looked at him.
“Then you lose.”
Simple.
Cold.
But not everything.
He stepped forward.
“I’ve seen it before.”
Liebe froze.
“There was a time when light was stronger.”
A pause.
“And it still wasn’t enough.”
No emotion in his voice.
But the words… carried weight.
He looked back at the field.
“It’s the decision.”
Silence.
“And if you hesitate—”
his voice hardened—
“any fire will burn you.”
Liebe said nothing.
Watched the field.
The mages.
The light.
Now— he understood.
The problem wasn’t the power.
It was him.
“Tomorrow, you fight,” Aurelion said.
Liebe looked up sharply.
“Not with a sword.”
A pause.
“With light.”
Silence.
“And if you hesitate again—”
Aurelion stepped back—
“the result will be the same.”
He left.
As always.
No extra words.
Liebe stayed.
Surrounded by fire.
Wind.
And light.
And for the first time— he didn’t feel fear.
He felt pressure.
Real pressure.