Sighing softly, a young boy lay on a small bed, gazing silently at the ceiling above him. The lights from the late-night bars surrounding the hostel infiltrated his room, casting a dim glow. The blue-black trench coat draped over him seemed to catch and reflect the exterior light, creating an almost eerie radiance.

Zanetor couldn't shake off the lingering questions that gnawed at his thoughts.

Had he truly died?

Was this place real, or merely a dream? Did the Spirit Realm even exist?

There were many things he loathed during his time in the material realm, but if there was one trait he never begrudged himself, it was his relentless determination to find solutions to his problems. Now, trapped in a precarious situation with multiple threats lurking in the shadows, such contemplations were far from comforting.

Pushing himself off the bed, Zanetor walked over to the window on the opposite side of the room.

"Sometimes I wish I could escape this constant thinking," he mumbled to himself. "It's infuriating how these thoughts persist without my consent."

A faint chuckle escaped his lips, and he gripped the window frame tightly.

"Sleeping is impossible at the moment. Do all souls sleep?"

Curiosity sparked in his eyes as he observed the active pubs below. Laughter and cheers filled the air, and people revealed in carefree moments. It was reassuring to find a semblance of peace in the Spirit Realm, much like in the material realm.

"Considering how Edem and Leticia describe my existence here..." His gaze lowered slightly. "It's as if my very presence is cursed. Well, it's not exactly surprising. I felt the same way when I was alive, so what difference does death make?"

*Knock, knock*

The soft rap of knuckles against the door snapped Zanetor from his reverie. Alert now, he approached the door cautiously. As his hand neared the doorknob, a disquieting thought crossed his mind.

Wait, this could be an enemy. After all, I'm being pursued, right?

"I know you're in there," a familiar voice sounded from behind the door. "What, second-guessing yourself now?"

"Edem?" Zanetor whispered to himself, then slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

The door revealed a cloaked figure, unmistakably Edem. With a wave and an excited grin, Edem entered the room.

"I figured sleep wouldn't come easy for you," Edem remarked. "So, I've brought you a task."

Although Zanetor found himself wondering why Edem still wore his cloak indoors, he brushed the question aside, focusing instead on the heterochromatic eyes that were fixed on him.

For an instant, it felt as if he were ensnared by that gaze.

"A task?" Zanetor ventured, his uncertainty evident.

"Exactly, a task," Edem smirked, momentarily averting his eyes. "Training would be a better use of your time, wouldn't you agree? I'm guessing you'd prefer it over restless sleep."

Silence hung in the air for a beat. Zanetor was eager to pick up where they left off, to resume his training. Yet, doubts gnawed at him.

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"Don't let doubts obscure the path you've set for yourself," Edem interjected.

"R-Right," Zanetor stammered, his resolve returning.

"Excellent!" Edem applauded, snapping his fingers. "No time like the present, shall we?"

With his words, a radiant golden circle materialized beneath Edem's feet, expanding to encompass both him and Zanetor.

Both souls vanished from their previous location, reappearing a few miles away from the town in the blink of an eye. An awkward, dry wind swept over the area as Zanetor and Edem positioned themselves a short distance apart.

"Let's begin," Edem declared, raising his index finger. "Every spell has its limits."

"Limits, huh?" Zanetor mused. "Well, that's obvious. Nothing can be a hundred percent efficient."

"Exactly!" Edem enthusiastically agreed, his tone suddenly darkening. "Exactly... but that only holds true for those bound by universal rules."

"Huh? What do you—" Confusion flashed across Zanetor's face, his words trailing off.

"Anyway, for now, let's focus on understanding the drawbacks of the Serene Swift," Edem quickly shifted the mood.

A touch of intensity appeared on the Shadow soul's face. "The Serene Swift's limitations?"

Edem nodded. "You may have already observed it, both when you first used the spell and during your encounter with that spirit warrior."

Zanetor took a moment to recall those moments. His teacher was onto something. He hadn't paid much attention during his initial use of the Serene Swift, but the more he employed it against Kekeli, the more he sensed something amiss.

Especially when he had been cornered—right when he summoned the torrent blazer— and had activated the movement spell again. It felt like he had passed through Kekeli, as if he had skipped his usual movement steps.

"The Serene Swift lets you move incredibly fast, almost like a blur," Edem explained. "However, your movement is restricted to straight lines at that speed. Navigating curves reduces your speed somewhat, and sharp turns are practically impossible."

Recognition and realisation dawned on Zanetor's face. Every time he had attempted to change direction while in motion, he had felt considerable resistance.

"I don't understand," Zanetor admitted. "Is there a fundamental reason behind this drawback?"

"Nope. It's simply the nature of the spell," Edem smirked.

The shadow soul rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I see. So, when I summoned the torrent blazer, I didn't pass through the spirit warrior. Instead, I moved quickly around him?"

"Hmm?" Edem arched an eyebrow. "That was likely the Serene Swift's illusion effect."

"Illusion effect?"

"Exactly. The spell induces an illusion that makes it appear as if the user passes through objects. It's a trick that can work in your favour," Edem chuckled. "I might have forgotten to mention that before."

"Hmph."

"Now, this time, I'll help you overcome the spell's limitations, maximising its efficiency."

Golden circles materialised across the desolate field, emitting eerie, low-pitched melodies as they rotated. Another circle expanded beneath Edem's feet, encompassing a significant portion of the area.

"I've confined your spirit energy release within this circle. This way, you won't attract unwanted attention like last time," Edem explained as he stepped back.

"..."

"Now, let's get started!"

The smaller circles within the boundary glowed in response to Edem's enthusiasm.

Zanetor stood alert as particles of light condensed around the centre of the circles. Suddenly, beams of light surged toward him at remarkable speed—or so it seemed. Unbeknownst to Zanetor, tiny vibrations emanated close to his ears, as small hidden circles were activated.

A mischievous smile played on Edem's lips.

"He wants me to use the Serene Swift immediately," Zanetor thought to himself, feeling a familiar surge of energy within his chest.

As if time had slowed, Zanetor's vision transformed into a monochrome world, adorned with glistening water droplets. These droplets converged at his feet, and in less than a second, his body blurred, evading his teacher's attack effortlessly.

"I managed to evade," the shadow soul kept his eyes fixed on Edem as he sped. "What will he do ne—"

A golden circle suddenly materialised before him out of thin air.

'Shit! I need to move out of the way,' Zanetor strained every muscle to pull back, but his efforts seemed in vain.

A formidable force prevented him from an immediate evasion, and before he could react, his body froze as he neared the circle.

In the blink of an eye, another circle materialised to his left, steadily amassing spirit energy.

"What will you do now, Zanetor?" Edem's voice dripped with mockery.

"Tch!" Zanetor's brows knitted for a moment. "Wait—"

The circle at his left brimmed with gathered energy, swiftly releasing it in his direction. A blinding flash of light engulfed the surroundings momentarily. Yet, beyond the boundary set by Edem, the field remained eerily quiet and deserted.

The smirk on Edem's face faded. "Ho? How interesting."

As the luminance gradually ebbed, the shadow soul emerged, unscathed. Zanetor watched his opponent intently, his mind churning with ideas to overcome the vexing limitations that plagued his use of the Serene Swift.

'He realised only one circle could be operational at a time. Smart observation, but how did he escape that light burst?' The cloaked man contemplated his student's current state.

Edem's eyes widened, spotting an object in his right hand. "The torrent blazer?" he muttered.

"Don't overthink it, teacher," Zanetor chimed in. "I experimented with altering certain properties of the water surrounding the torrent blazer's bullets. Since I could only adjust its volume in that instance, I manipulated it to refract the light."

"Hm," Edem chuckled. "How were you so certain that would work?"

"You weren't the only thing I was observing while in Serene Swift. Whenever I used that spell, I could see water droplets everywhere, and they seemed to interact with the beams of light you shot at me earlier."

The cloaked man fell silent, pondering Zanetor's words. "This kid."

"Those supposed light beams didn't carry the energy I expected," Zanetor continued. "Could you be tampering with my senses or something?"

…

A prolonged silence enveloped them as Zanetor awaited a response.

"Ha- HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Edem's hand covered his face as hearty laughter erupted. "Zanetor..."

His laughter died down, and he snapped his fingers, causing the minuscule circles within Zanetor's ears to vanish from sight.

Zanetor lightly touched his left ear, experiencing a wave of relief.

"Yes, I planted my golden circles within your ears when I entered your room earlier. I thought you might need them to believe I was going all out," Edem explained calmly. "Yet, it seems I was wrong."

A cold shiver trickled down the shadow soul's spine, and his mouth turned dry.

"Let's finally begin our training," the cloaked man murmured with a dark edge, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming. "Shall we?"