His footsteps were soft against the floor as he made his way toward the exit of the training area. The light from the artificial star continued bathing the space with the same steady intensity, constant and unmoved.

The rest of the academy carried on.

And so did he.

The rest day ended without ceremony. The previous afternoon dissolved between simple routines, brief conversations and accumulated sleep hours.

No one made plans or sought complications; body demanded pause and mind accepted the deal without resistance. When night fell, academy recovered its usual rhythm, and hallway silence imposed itself little by little. By the time artificial star reduced its intensity and night cycle was established, most were already sleeping.

The next day arrived with clean clarity. Light descended from above with warm and uniform tone, illuminating academy structures without abrupt changes. Air on training field was fresher than in interior hallways.

Ground, wide and perfectly leveled, showed marks of constant use: drag lines, barely visible footprints, zones where surface had been repaired so many times it presented slightly different finish.

Natasha was already there.

Standing in field’ s center, arms crossed and firm posture. Her tight suit followed her body’ s line without limiting movement. High ponytail kept hair collected, leaving face completely clear. No hurry in her expression. No relaxation either.

Students arrived in small groups. Some still dragged sleep on shoulders, others tried stretching while walking, as if that were enough to prepare body. Gerald appeared among last, uniform somewhat disheveled and glasses slightly crooked. He repositioned them as soon as he stepped on field and released long sigh, looking at open space with evident reluctance.

"Great, first hour, physical combat, just what I wanted."

Bīng Xuě, beside him, seemed completely awake. He walked with light energy, observing field with curiosity, as if seeing it for first time.

"I like it," he said, rotating shoulders with loose movement. "Better than staying seated."

Gerald looked at him sideways.

"Sure... because you don’ t end up dead in five minutes."

Aku arrived without making noise. His pace was constant, without rhythm changes. He positioned himself among group without calling attention, observing field, instructor’s position, students’ distribution.

Natasha waited for everyone to be present.

Didn’t speak immediately.

First let silence settle.

Then uncrossed arms.

Pressure appeared without warning.

Invisible layer descended on field, increasing air weight, tensing muscles immediately. Wasn’ t pain. Was demand. Body responded by instinct, adjusting to load not there second before.

"Warm up," she said with dry tone. "Fifty push ups. No pause."

Didn’t need repeating.

Group reacted almost simultaneously. Some lowered to ground quickly, others took second more to adapt to pressure change. Hands touched firm surface, bodies aligned, and movement began.

Up.

Down.

Rhythm wasn’ t free. Pressure forced maintaining constant cadence. Each repetition demanded more than previous. Muscles tensed before completing path. Breathing became heavier in few seconds.

Gerald held first ones without problem, but from tenth his movement began losing precision. Arms trembled slightly when extending, and descent became less controlled.

"This shouldn’ t be legal" he murmured through teeth, without stopping movement.

Beside him, Bīng Xuě maintained stable rhythm. Body lowered and rose without deviations, with measured breathing, without visible tension in face.

Aku neither stood out nor failed. Execution was clean, direct, without energy waste. Alexander’s body responded well under load, and he limited himself to maintaining movement within efficient margin.

Fifty repetitions completed.

Some took longer than others, but no one stopped before finishing.

Natasha observed in silence.

"On your feet."

Group stood with different difficulty levels. Gerald needed supporting on knees before standing completely. He brought hand to chest, trying to recover breathing rhythm.

"Okay that’ s it right?"

Natasha didn’ t respond to complaint.

She walked few steps, sweeping group with gaze.

"Now, in pairs."

Gave no more instructions.

Students began moving. Some already clear who to pair with. Others looked around, seeking quick option.

Bīng Xuě turned head toward Aku.

"Feel like it?"

Aku looked at him second.

Nodded.

They separated from group and occupied free field zone. Space between them remained clean, without obstacles, with enough distance to move without external interferences.

Both stopped face to face.

Environment became secondary.

Bīng Xuě placed left foot slightly forward. Weight distributed in balanced form, with slight inclination toward body’ s front part. Knees flexed just enough to maintain mobility without losing stability.

Hands rose, open, fingers relaxed but ready to close. Wasn’ t rigid guard. Was adaptable. Shoulders remained loose, without unnecessary tension. Gaze fixed on Aku’ s body center, not eyes, seeking to read movement before it occurred.

Breathing was constant.

Measured.

Each inhalation and exhalation fit with posture’ s balance.

Aku adopted different position.

Right foot remained slightly back. Left marked front line, pointing toward Bīng Xuě clearly. Weight rested more on rear leg, allowing rapid displacement backward or sideways. Torso turned enough to reduce exposed frontal area, but without completely closing attack line.

Raised hands.

Closed fists.

Guard was compact, close to face, elbows protecting torso. Wasn’ t perfect academic posture, but had coherence. Alexander’ s body preserved habits. Simple boxing style, direct, focused on strike efficiency and basic protection.

Shoulders rose slightly, covering jaw. Chin descended, aligning with chest.

Gaze fixed on Bīng Xuě.

Not on hands.

On center.

Both remained still for instant.

Not from doubt.

From reading.

Air between them seemed denser, not from Natasha’ s pressure, but from concentration both projected. Neither showed hurry to start. Posture already said enough.

Bīng Xuě barely adjusted front foot angle. Minimal change, but enough to modify entry line.

Aku shifted weight half centimeter backward.

Equally subtle reaction.

Space defined.

Distance between them established precisely.

No unnecessary tension in bodies. Each muscle had purpose. Each adjustment responded to previous reading.

Around, other combats began.

Sounds of steps, impacts, accelerated breathing.

None of that interfered.

At that specific field point, only they two existed. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Prepared.

Ready.

One instant from moving.

***

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