“Up.”
Kellan’s voice didn’t even rise.
It didn’t need to.
Ren was still on his knees on the ring, his breathing ragged, sweat already clinging to the back of his neck and his forehead. His chest rose too quickly, unable to find a steady rhythm.
But his fingers dug into the ring’s surface.
He forced himself.
His arms trembled violently.
Then he pushed up.
Unsteady.
But standing.
Kellan watched him without a word.
His eyes hadn’t been mocking for a while now. Now they weighed. They measured.
“Guard.”
Ren raised his arms.
Too slowly.
Too high.
Too stiff.
Kellan’s sigh was brief.
“We’re fixing that.”
And he moved again.
This time, the tempo increased.
Not a wild barrage.
Worse.
A steady rhythm.
Relentless.
Each strike came with clinical precision, forcing Ren to move again and again.
Right.
Left.
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Feint.
Straight return.
Ren tried to follow.
Really.
His foot pivoted cleaner than before.
His torso reacted a little earlier.
But his body…
…was already starting to give.
The burn in his thighs intensified.
His shoulders grew heavy.
His breathing deteriorated.
[Muscle fatigue: high]
[Mental load: unstable]
The system window pulsed briefly.
Ren gritted his teeth.
I know…
The next strike came.
He moved.
Halfway.
Impact.
His arm absorbed the blow, but the force still pushed through his guard.
— Ngh—!
He stumbled back a messy step.
Kellan didn’t stop.
“Breathe properly.”
Ren tried.
But the air refused to come in cleanly.
His chest burned.
His rhythm was broken.
Another strike.
This time, he saw the trajectory.
Clearer than before.
The Echo was responding better.
His shoulder pivoted—
The dodge slipped through by inches.
A faint murmur rose from the edge of the room.
Kellan noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
“…Again.”
And he accelerated.
The pressure spiked brutally.
The combinations came without pause.
Ren held.
For a few seconds.
Then his timing slipped.
A strike broke through his guard.
Full impact to the side.
— KH—!
His body folded violently.
His vision blurred.
[Warning: critical physical threshold approaching]
His legs wavered.
Kellan… too fast…
But he forced himself again.
Because stopping now—
…meant going backward.
He moved again.
The Echo pulsed.
Stronger.
[Compatibility: 6.4%]
A fraction of clarity.
He read better.
Reacted better.
Barely dodged.
Kellan’s eyes widened slightly.
Then—
The next strike still landed.
Full chest.
Ren lost balance.
His knees slammed into the ring.
This time he stayed hunched forward, one hand braced on the mat, his breathing completely desynchronized.
A brief silence fell across the room.
Kellan didn’t move right away.
He observed.
For a long moment.
Then he spoke, quieter:
“Your brain’s starting to keep up.”
Ren’s heartbeat pounded in his temples.
“…But your body’s two seconds from giving out.”
True.
Too true.
Ren tried to stand.
His arms shook violently.
His vision began to swim.
His throat suddenly tightened.
A brutal wave of nausea rose.
“…gh—”
He turned his head just in time.
Nothing really came up.
But it was close.
Very close.
A few students at the edge of the ring exchanged looks.
The atmosphere had changed.
No one was laughing anymore.
Kellan exhaled slowly.
“Yeah… we’re there.”
He stepped back.
Not out of pity.
Out of assessment.
Ren stayed on his knees for a few seconds.
Then, slowly…
Very slowly…
He stood again.
His legs were shaking worse than ever.
But his eyes—
His eyes were still burning.
Kellan’s gaze locked onto them.
One second.
Then two.
And this time…
He gave the slightest nod.
“…Alright.”
A simple word.
But heavy.
Then he rolled his shoulders.
“That’s enough for today.”
The ring finally seemed to release its pressure.
[Intense training session recorded]
[Subject trajectory: validated]
In a quiet corner of the room…
A certain cold-eyed prodigy was still watching.
Motionless.
Silent.
And for the first time since Ren entered Astraeus…
…her gaze lingered on him a little longer than necessary.
