The te afternoon sun filtered through the tall trees surrounding the secluded training gde behind Whimwood Preacademy. A peaceful breeze rustled the leaves, a sharp contrast to the recent chaos from the infiltration. For once, the day felt calm—perfect for focused training.

  Kagami stood at the base of a rge tree, barefoot and arms crossed, watching his friends with keen eyes.

  “Again,” he instructed, his tone calm but firm. “Feel your mana flow down through the soles of your feet. Steady and constant—not too much, not too little. Bance is everything.”

  Minna panted and tried again, her boot skidding halfway up the trunk before she slid back down. “How do you even stay up there?!”

  Leo groaned, nding in a crouch. “This is ridiculous. It looks easy when you do it.”

  Iren managed three cautious steps up before losing grip and bouncing down onto the moss below. “Ugh... So close.”

  Seated under the nearby shade, Elias chuckled, arms folded. “This is more fun than my lectures.”

  Kagami smirked, kneeling beside Iren to help her up. “This training's called Tree Climbing Practice. Back in my old pce, it was used to train body control and mana precision.”

  Leo squinted. “Your old pce had stuff like this?”

  Kagami’s gaze briefly flicked to the distance. “Something like that.”

  He stood and stepped calmly onto the tree trunk, walking vertically as though it were ft ground. “If you master this, your control will sharpen faster than any spellwork lesson.”

  Minna sighed. “You’re lucky you're insane.”

  “Fttery won’t help you stick to the tree.”

  ---

  Water Walking Practice

  By evening, they reached the glimmering river that ran along the academy’s training field.

  “Next up: Water Surface Walking Practice,” Kagami announced. “This one’s harder. You need constant mana flow beneath your feet to repel water and stay afloat.”

  He took several confident steps before turning. “I tried to adapt this from something I learned in my old pce. Took me a while, but once you catch the rhythm—it clicks.”

  Leo frowned. “You’re seriously walking on water…”

  Minna narrowed her eyes. “I’m starting to think you enjoy torturing us.”

  Kagami grinned. “That’s part of the fun.”

  Elias watched silently, then stepped forward. “I’ll try this one as well.”

  “Feeling competitive?” Kagami teased.

  Elias stepped lightly onto the water—and sank a foot in with a spsh. He winced as he stumbled back.

  “Not… quite what I expected,” Elias muttered.

  Kagami chuckled. “Even masters can learn something new.”

  ---

  Something Lurking

  What none of them saw, cloaked in the growing shadows of the forest, were two intruders carefully observing them from behind magical concealment.

  One was a Dwarf, thick-bodied, carrying a bckened war-hammer etched with runes that pulsed in the twilight. His mana signature hummed with earth-based might—deep and grounded.

  Beside him stood a tall, crystalline figure—an Alvardein, A cn that can transform their entire body into diamond, shimmering like a polished gem. His limbs bore patches of reflective diamond armor, a natural defense and weapon of his unique bloodline.

  “That boy,” the Dwarf muttered. “He’s the one.”

  The Alvardein narrowed his sharp eyes. “And those techniques… they're not of this nd.”

  “He’s hiding something,” the Dwarf said. “But even if he is… look at his friends. Training like soldiers. Even the red-haired one has potential.”

  “Our liege will demand a report,” the crystal-skinned figure murmured. “But let’s test them first. Let’s see how they handle pressure.”

  They summoned two faint familiars—wispy forest wraiths—to slip toward the training group like nothing more than distant mana pulses.

  ---

  Back by the water, Kagami’s expression hardened subtly. His senses had shifted.

  Elias stood slowly. “You noticed it too?”

  Kagami nodded once, barely moving. “We’re being watched.”

  Elias looked toward the treeline. “Should we alert the Headmaster?”

  “No,” Kagami said softly. “Not yet. I want to know what they’re after.”

  He turned back to his friends, who were giggling as Leo slipped into the river with a spsh.

  “Alright,” Kagami said, smiling again. “Anyone who makes it across the river without falling gets dessert tonight. I’m buying.”

  Cheers erupted, and training resumed. But as the sun dipped below the trees, Kagami kept one eye on the woods, a flicker of crimson glinting faintly in his eyes for just a moment.

  ---