As Liam crouched down, his gaze fixed on Mabel’s helpless form trapped within his shadow, a faint smirk tugged at his lips. There was a quiet sense of amusement in his eyes as he took in the scene before him.

"Well, I guess you do win," Mabel admitted, meeting his gaze with her usual calm composure. "Now kindly let me out of here. It’s more unsettling and uncomfortable than you think."

Liam studied her in silence for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"What if I don’t want to?" he said at last, his tone carrying a hint of amusement that was far more noticeable than his usual calm detachment. "I mean, if we’re being honest... you don’t look too bad right now."

Mabel’s eyes widened slightly at that.

She hadn’t expected that from him.

’Is he... actually trying to joke with me right now? ’she thought, a flicker of irritation rising beneath her otherwise controlled demeanor.

She kept her eyes on him, noticing the faint amused glint in his red irises—a look she had never seen from him before.

’If I react, he’ll use it against me,’ she noted internally, letting out a quiet breath. ’Fine... then I’ll just return the favor.’

"You know," she said after a brief pause, her expression shifting as she leaned into the same tone—if not pushing it even further, "you’re right."

A subtle smile touched her lips.

"This might as well be the best—and your only—chance to take advantage of me, no?"

Liam’s expression shifted, just slightly.

There was something close to disgust that flickered across his face.

"I mean," Mabel continued, her voice smooth, carrying a teasing edge now, "I know you want to—despite me being older. Guess you have a thing for older women."

Silence settled between them.

Mabel held his gaze with something that resembled a seductive challenge, her eyes steady and deliberate. Meanwhile, Liam’s expression lost its earlier amusement, slipping back into that familiar, detached calm.

Looks like that did it, Mabel thought, catching the change almost immediately.

But her small victory didn’t last.

A soft chuckle escaped Liam’s lips.

He rose to his feet, the faintest hint of that earlier amusement returning as he looked down at her.

"Looks like you really hate appearing fragile or weak in front of anyone," he muttered. "But to think you’d say all of that just to get me off you... that’s actually pretty funny."

Mabel’s eyes widened slightly.

"Honestly," Liam continued, "I’m glad I learned something new about you tonight."

He glanced at her briefly.

"You’re a good actor... and I kinda like it."

Mabel stared at him, realization settling in.

She hadn’t gotten under his skin the way she intended.

Not even close.

Liam looked at her for a moment longer before turning away slightly, creating a bit of distance. As he did, the shadow around Mabel loosened and released her, allowing her body to rise back onto solid ground.

He then lowered himself to sit on the floor, leaning back on his arms as he looked at her from where he rested.

Freed, Mabel remained still for a brief moment, adjusting to the sensation before pushing herself up fully. She walked over calmly, picked up her sword, and sheathed it behind her back in one smooth motion.

With a simple thought, she released Smoke from the prison she had confined him in earlier.

The massive creature immediately shrank down, his form compressing until he was no larger than a puppy. The moment he was free, he dashed toward her without hesitation.

Nyxie, too, reduced back to her usual feline size and rushed over.

Both creatures crowded around Mabel almost instantly, their movements frantic and apologetic as they jumped around her, nudging against her and licking at her face and the minor wounds she had sustained.

"Can you two calm down?" Mabel said, her tone softening as she gently tried to steady them. "I’m fine. And I’m not mad at you either."

That seemed to ease them, if only slightly.

Their movements slowed, though they remained close as Mabel reached down and petted them both, her touch gentle and reassuring.

Even as she did, however, her gaze drifted back toward Liam.

He was seated where he had been, leaning back on his arms, his head tilted slightly upward as his eyes remained closed—resting, or perhaps simply letting the aftermath of the fight settle.

Mabel watched him quietly, her expression unreadable as her hand continued to move absentmindedly over Nyxie and Smoke.

’Guess the last two months didn’t just help him improve his magic... he also developed a new approach to getting what he wants,’ Mabel thought, her gaze still fixed on him.

Over the past two months—after Liam and Sheila had their conversation and settled what needed to be settled—Liam had returned to training with the same quiet intensity that defined him.

That one week he had spent conditioning his body to properly adjust to his Ascended core had clearly paid off.

From that point onward, his growth had been rapid.

Almost unsettlingly so.

His control and usage of myst had deepened beyond what it already was. Techniques he had once executed with precision were now performed with an even sharper level of refinement—nearly three times more efficient, more stable, and more lethal. His dark magic, in particular, had reached a level where Mabel could only classify him as one thing.

A deadly force.

As his personal guard—and someone who had the rare privilege of witnessing his growth up close—Mabel knew that within the academy, there was no student who could truly rival him... not if Liam ever decided to stop holding back and reveal the full extent of what he was capable of.

His Umbra Stars had become significantly more destructive. Where they were already dangerous before, they now carried enough force to erase everything within a hundred-meter radius into nothingness—leaving behind no trace of matter.

His hybrid javelins had also evolved. Their raw output had nearly doubled, both in speed and in penetrative force. His use of Shadow Solidification had grown more fluid, more adaptive, allowing him to shape and manipulate darkness with far greater creativity in combat.

And then there were his other techniques.

Shadow Rend.

His miniature sun-like attacks.

Inferno Edge.

Void Passage.

Shadow Sight.

Each one had improved drastically, not just in power, but in how seamlessly he could transition between them.

But above all of that, the most significant change Mabel had observed was Liam’s connection with his shadow creatures.

While he had nearly a hundred entities extracted and bound within his shadow, there were only two he relied on consistently—Nyxie and Smoke.

And that bond had deepened.

Though it applied to all his summons, his connection with those two had evolved to a point where communication between them no longer required effort or focus. It was instinctive now. Immediate.

Even without speech, they understood him—and he understood them—with near-perfect clarity.

That was what had allowed the level of coordination she had experienced earlier during the fight.

It wasn’t just teamwork.

It was synchronization.

Beyond that, his shadows themselves had grown stronger. Denser. More responsive. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

And from that growth, he had developed a new ability.

Shadow Swap.

A technique that allowed him to instantly exchange positions with any of his shadow summons without the disorienting backlash that came with Void Passage—that unsettling sensation of moving through the abyss between spaces.

It was cleaner.

Faster.

More practical in combat.

And more dangerous.

Then there was something else.

Something less visible, but just as significant.

With everything that had just happened, Mabel couldn’t ignore the fact that Liam had also sharpened his psychological instincts. His time in Tactical Espionage—under Lady Seraphina Vale and Professor Kaine—had clearly left its mark.

His timing.

His patience.

The way he had waited—not for an opening, but for the exact moment she committed.

That wasn’t just combat instinct.

That was calculated.

And seeing all of that... no matter how many times she had witnessed his growth, Mabel found herself unable to dismiss it.

She was always... impressed.

To her, Liam was the living embodiment of relentless, unending growth.

Without realizing it, she had been staring at him for a while now, her hand moving absentmindedly as she continued to pet Nyxie and Smoke.

It was Liam’s voice that pulled her back.

"I just remembered something I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now," he said calmly, his eyes still closed as he spoke.

"And what is it?" Mabel asked, her composure returning almost instantly.

"Your sword," Liam said, lowering his head slightly as he rested his arms on his thighs. "And your style of fighting with it..."

Mabel’s eyes widened just a fraction at that.

"I’d appreciate it... if you could teach me."