CHAPTER 19

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The days after my sparring match with Alric passed in a blur of frustration and introspection. I had replayed our fight over and over in my mind, dissecting every move, every mistake. No matter how much progress I made, there was always something holding me back—something I couldn’t quite shake.

Alric had been right about everything, of course. My emotions were still a problem, clouding my judgment when I needed to be clearheaded. I was getting stronger, mastering the Flow, but strength alone wasn’t enough. Control was the key. And I didn’t have it yet.

Not fully.

We had been training for nearly a year now, and I was no closer to confronting the demon than I had been when I first ran into the forest. The thought gnawed at me daily, wearing away at my patience. I needed to do more—push harder, train longer—but Alric kept pulling me back, telling me to be patient.

Patience. It was a word that grated on me every time he said it.

It was early morning when I woke to the sound of rustling outside the tent we had set up in the clearing. The forest was still dark, the sky a deep shade of blue as the sun began its slow climb toward the horizon. I pushed myself up, groaning slightly at the stiffness in my limbs from the previous day’s training.

Alric was already up, as usual, tending to the fire. He hadn’t spoken much since our last fight, though I could tell he was watching me closely, waiting for something. For what, I wasn’t sure.

I sat down across from him, the warmth of the fire slowly easing the tension in my muscles.

“We’re going to change things today,” Alric said after a long silence.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Change how?”

He looked at me, his expression calm but serious. “We’ve spent months focusing on your control. You’ve made progress, but you’re still too reliant on your abilities. Your instincts are sharp, but you rely too much on Auto-Dodge, Slip, and Analyze to guide you through a fight. You need to learn to fight without them.”

I frowned, confused. “Why would I need to fight without my abilities? They’re what give me an edge.”

Alric nodded. “They are. But what happens if you face someone who can neutralize them? Someone who can block the Flow? You can’t afford to rely on them completely. You need to be able to fight without them, to understand your own limitations and strengths as they are.”

The idea seemed strange at first. Why would I fight without using my abilities when they were my greatest asset? But as always, Alric’s words made sense. He wasn’t just teaching me to be strong—he was teaching me to be adaptable.

“Alright,” I said, standing up and stretching my arms. “What’s the plan?”

Alric stood as well, his posture as relaxed as ever. “Today, we fight without the Flow. No magic. No Analyze. Just your raw skills.”

I felt a surge of excitement and dread at the same time. I hadn’t fought without the Flow since I first started training with Alric. The idea of relying solely on my physical abilities was both thrilling and unnerving.

“Okay,” I said, pulling the mask from my belt and sliding it over my face. The familiar weight settled over me, grounding me. I was ready.

We moved to the center of the clearing, the air still cool and crisp in the early morning. Alric faced me, his stance calm but ready. I took a deep breath, focusing on the moment, on the fight ahead. There would be no magic to rely on this time—no instant Analyze to guide me, no Slip to manipulate the ground beneath us. Just pure instinct and skill.

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Alric nodded, signaling the start of the match.

He moved first, faster than I anticipated, closing the distance between us with fluid precision. I reacted on instinct, dodging his strike by the narrowest margin. Without Auto-Dodge, the movement felt different—more deliberate, more calculated.

Alric didn’t give me time to think. He pressed the attack, his movements sharp and controlled, forcing me to stay on the defensive. Every strike was measured, every step calculated. He wasn’t overwhelming me with power—he was testing my reaction, my ability to read his movements without the aid of Analyze.

I ducked under his next strike, aiming a kick at his side, but he was already moving, spinning away with effortless grace. His counterattack was fast, a sharp jab aimed at my chest. I barely managed to deflect it, the force of the blow sending a jolt through my arm.

“Focus,” Alric said, his voice calm even in the midst of the fight. “You’re relying too much on what you know. Trust your instincts.”

I gritted my teeth, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. Without Analyze, I couldn’t predict his movements as easily. Every strike felt like a gamble, a split-second decision that could either succeed or fail. I wasn’t used to this kind of uncertainty.

But then I realized—that was the point.

I took a step back, my mind shifting gears. This wasn’t about winning the fight. It was about learning to adapt, to move without relying on the Flow. Alric was forcing me to find my own rhythm, to trust my body, my instincts.

He came at me again, his movements faster this time. I sidestepped his first strike, deflecting the second with a quick flick of my wrist. My footwork was sloppy at first, but I quickly adjusted, focusing on my breathing, on the way my body moved through the space around me.

The next exchange was more fluid. I blocked, dodged, and countered with more precision, feeling the tension in my muscles as I pushed myself to keep up with Alric’s relentless attacks. Every strike he threw at me was like a puzzle—one I had to solve in the moment, without the safety net of my abilities.

We danced around the clearing for what felt like hours, neither of us gaining the upper hand. I could feel my stamina waning, but I pushed through the exhaustion, relying on the muscle memory I had built over the months of training.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Alric stepped back, his breathing steady. “Enough.”

I lowered my arms, my body aching, my breath coming in heavy gasps. Sweat dripped from my brow, and my muscles screamed in protest. But beneath the exhaustion, I felt something else—clarity. I had fought without relying on the Flow, without my abilities, and I had held my own.

Alric walked over to me, a faint smile on his face. “You’re learning.”

I nodded, still catching my breath. “It was… different.”

“That’s the point,” he said. “You can’t rely on your abilities alone. They’re powerful, yes, but they’re not infallible. There will come a time when you’ll need to fight without them, when the Flow will be disrupted, or your enemy will find a way to counter it. You need to be prepared for that.”

I thought about his words, letting them sink in. He was right. The Flow was powerful, but it wasn’t everything. I needed to be able to stand on my own, to trust my instincts, my skills. If I couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t be ready for what was coming.

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The rest of the day was spent in quiet reflection. I sat by the fire, my mind replaying the fight over and over, analyzing every move I had made, every decision. It had been a long time since I had felt this vulnerable in a fight—since I had been forced to rely solely on myself.

But that vulnerability had taught me something important. I had been leaning on my abilities too much, relying on the safety net of Analyze, Slip, and Auto-Dodge to guide me. Without them, I was forced to truly think, to adapt in the moment. And in doing so, I had discovered something deeper—something more primal.

My strength wasn’t just in my abilities. It was in me.

Later that evening, as the fire crackled softly and the sky darkened, Alric spoke again.

“You’re 17 now, Niv,” he said quietly. “You’ve learned a lot in the past year, but your journey is far from over. There will be challenges ahead—ones that will test you in ways you can’t imagine. You need to be ready.”

I looked at him, nodding slowly. “I will be.”

Alric’s gaze softened, and for the first time in a long while, I saw something in his eyes—pride. “You’ve come a long way. But remember, strength is more than just physical power. It’s the ability to adapt, to learn, to grow.”

I stared into the fire, Alric’s words settling over me like a heavy blanket. There was still so much to learn, so much to prepare for. But for the first time, I felt like I was on the right path.

The path to control. The path to balance.