Oswald had no idea how much time had actually passed. The concept of minutes, hours, or even days had slipped away, lost in the endless rhythm of their sparring. He had no way of knowing whether they'd been at it for hours or weeks, only that his body kept moving constantly.

  Selene had beaten him more times than he could count. Every strike she landed, every disarm, every sharp word of correction had drilled lessons into him, shaping his stance, refining his movements day by day.

  At first, Oswald's movements had been clumsy, a mess of bad habits and half-learned instincts. But slowly, her lessons carved their way into him.

  He remembered the corrections and took them to heart. Each time she disarmed him, he adjusted. Each time she broke through his guard, he learned. And though she remained leagues ahead of him, though she struck him down again and again without even breaking a sweat, something had changed. He was keeping up now.

  Not winning. Not even close. But moving with her, reacting in time, striking back in ways he wouldn't have even considered before. Oswald had no idea how long it had taken to reach this point. Hours? Days? Weeks? The absence of exhaustion in Selene’s domain made it impossible to tell.

  Fog rolled around them in thick, shifting walls, swallowing everything outside the small battlefield where steel clashed against steel. Rain pounded down in heavy sheets, slicking the ground beneath Oswald’s boots and sending water dripping from his soaked clothes.

  Selene moved like a shadow through the mist. Oswald met her blade with his own, the ringing clash reverberating through his arms. They barely spoke as they fought, their only conversation the rhythmic exchange of blows, the shift of their footwork, and the unspoken understanding in their eyes.

  Oswald pivoted, cutting through the air with his sword. Selene deflected it with ease, knocking his blade aside and stepping into his guard before he could react. A flick of her wrist sent his weapon flying from his grasp, the sound of steel hitting the wet ground barely audible over the rain.

  Naturally, Oswald moved to retrieve his sword, but Selene held up a hand. “Wait.”

  He stopped, blinking at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Today is the last day of our training in my domain.”

  “You sure? Feels like we could keep goin’ forever.”

  “You have made remarkable improvements. Your footwork, strikes, and reactions have become far sharper than they were when you first stepped onto this field. However… you have yet to achieve instinctive mana control.”

  Oswald clenched his jaw. He’d known that was the hardest part. So far, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his mana core to activate the way Selene wanted. He still needed to prepare himself and channel his mana core normally.

  His fingers twitched at his side before he exhaled. “So… now’s probably a good time for me to use my Animus then? Maybe that could help?"

  Selene studied him for a moment, then gave a slight nod. “I suppose it is about time. But if you use your Animus, I will not hold back as I have been all this time."

  A grin pulled at Oswald’s lips despite the tension in the air. “I’m ready for that.”

  He reached down, retrieving his sword before shifting into a stance. Then, with a breath, he lifted his free hand and removed his eyepatch.

  Oswald's vision sharpened instantly. The fog no longer obscured his sight, he saw through it, as if it were nothing more than a thin veil. His ears picked up the faintest shifts in Selene’s stance, the subtle tension in her muscles before she moved.

  And she did move. Selene vanished from where she stood with blistering speed, but Oswald could see her this time.

  His body reacted before his mind fully caught up. He twisted, raising his blade just in time to intercept her strike. The impact sent a jarring tremor through his arms, but he held firm. Sparks flickered where their swords met, rain cascading off the steel in shimmering arcs.

  Selene’s eyes glowed with silent approval as she pressed forward, her movements blindingly fast, yet no longer beyond his sight. Oswald adjusted, countering where he could, dodging where he couldn’t. For the first time, he truly felt like he was fighting her and not just surviving.

  But then, she pushed harder. Her strikes came faster, sharper, relentless.

  Oswald barely had time to react before she slipped past his guard, the edge of her blade grazing his side. Pain flared, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push through.

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  Then Selene made another cut across his shoulder. And then another, his thigh this time.

  Oswald forced himself to block, to parry, to evade. But Selene moved too fast. His breaths came faster, his muscles screaming despite the lack of exhaustion. The pain of each cut stacked, and his movements grew sluggish under the sheer force of her assault.

  Then, in a blur of motion, Selene shifted low and surged forward. Oswald saw it, the angle of her blade aimed directly for his stomach.

  His perception of time slowed. Oswald saw the silver edge glint in the dim light, droplets of rain sliding off its surface. I gotta move.

  His mind screamed at him, every fiber of his being urging his body to intercept the attack. MOVE!

  Oswald’s breath hitched as he watched the tip of Selene’s blade inch closer. The world around him slowed to a crawl, every raindrop appearing as if frozen mid-fall. Move, dammit!

  His body screamed at him to do something, but he felt as if he were trapped in place. His limbs felt impossible to move, and part of Oswald thought that Selene might actually be trying to kill him.

  Then, he felt it. A heat surged from deep within his core.

  It pulsed outward in a flood of warmth, spreading through his veins, filling every fiber of his being. His skin tingled as the energy coiled around his muscles The rain against his skin no longer felt cold but charged, like it carried something more than just water. Even the sword in his grip thrummed with a strange vitality, as if responding to this sudden rush of power.

  Then, as if something deep inside had snapped into place, Oswald moved. At the last possible second, he twisted his torso, forcing Selene’s blade away from his stomach. The steel bit into his side instead, slicing through flesh but missing anything vital. He felt a lot of pain though, enough to snap his senses back to normal.

  The world snapped back into motion. The rain fell, fast and heavy.

  [A Previous Skill has Evolved! “Mana Control” has evolved into “Instinctive Mana Control”]

  Oswald barely registered the words before his knees buckled beneath him. The sudden weight of exhaustion crashed down, heavier than anything he had ever felt. He gasped as he hit the wet ground, his sword slipping from his grasp.

  Selene’s boots splashed against the soaked earth as she stepped closer, lowering her weapon. She looked down at him with a faint glint of approval in her eyes. “Excellent work, you have finally achieved instinctive mana control.”

  Oswald barely had the strength to lift his head. He forced himself to speak between heavy breaths. “Why… do I feel so weak all of a sudden?”

  Selene crouched beside him. “Because your time in my domain is running out. Your mind is returning to reality, and with it, the exhaustion and pain you have yet to experience will hit you all at once.”

  Oswald swallowed, his throat dry despite the rain. His limbs felt heavier by the second, the energy that had once filled him slipping away like sand through his fingers. His vision darkened at the edges, and a dull ringing filled his ears.

  “Do not worry, Oswald. I will take care of you.”

  He tried to nod, tried to say something, but the words never formed. The world blurred, Selene’s figure distorting into a shifting silhouette. He was sure she said something more, something important, but he couldn’t hear it anymore.

  ***

  Oswald’s consciousness drifted back slowly. His body ached everywhere, muscles, bones, and even his thoughts felt sluggish. A dull throbbing pulsed through his side where Selene's blade had cut him, the sting lingering beneath the bandages that wrapped around his torso.

  He could hear the faint crackle of burning embers from a small hearth as he woke up. He stirred, against the coarse texture of a blanket draped over him.

  At the very least, his eyepatch was back in its rightful place over his right eye. Oswald exhaled heavily, before tilting his head to the side. Vivi was curled up on the wooden floor, sleeping.

  Meanwhile, Selene sat in a chair nearby. Though she wore her usual unreadable expression, there was an ease to her presence as she regarded him. "Are you feeling better now?"

  Oswald exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "I think I’m fine. But I ain't exactly in a hurry to do that kind of training again anytime soon."

  Selene chuckled softly. "Understandable, but, to your credit, my methods did work in the end. That said… perhaps I pushed you just a little too much."

  A weak, breathy laugh escaped Oswald, more air than sound, as he shook his head. A little?

  Shifting slightly, he sucked in a sharp breath as pain lanced through his side, his body immediately reminding him of its limits. “Next time, maybe try not to kill me while you’re at it.”

  Selene chuckled again, unbothered. "Duly noted."

  "How long was I out, anyway?"

  "Eight days, give or take."

  Eight days? His stomach twisted as an immediate sense of dread crashed down on him. Oswald's hands trembled as he pulled up his system, looking over the text that materialized before him.

  Souls: 0

  Resonance: 1

  Invocations: ???

  Days until Tribute: 1

  Oswald's gaze locked onto the timer. Fuck, I only got a day left.

  "Selene, I think I'm screwed."

  "Are you now?"

  "I got one day until my tribute’s due, and I got zero souls. How am I supposed to get that many souls in just a day?"

  Selene chuckled, causing Oswald to whip his head toward her. "This ain't funny."

  "Calm yourself, did I not tell you that I would help?"

  "Right… I believe you. So, what’s the plan?"

  "Simple, you will accompany me, and we shall go hunting."