Chapter 121: Brief Normalcy (I)

Saturday morning began with intense training. Seraphina had William running through combat forms for two hours straight, pushing his stamina and technique integration to their limits.

"Again," she commanded after he finished a particularly complex sequence. "Your footwork on the third transition is sloppy. You’re telegraphing the direction change."

William reset and ran through the form again, this time maintaining better control through the transition. Sweat dripped down his face despite the cool morning air.

"Better. Once more, then we’ll move to partner drills."

They trained until midday, at which point Seraphina finally called a halt.

"You’ve improved significantly," she said while they both caught their breath. "Your mother’s training combined with your natural adaptation rate is producing excellent results. At this pace, you’ll be ready for whatever the competition throws at you."

"Assuming I survive the assassination attempts first."

"Always so optimistic." Seraphina tossed him a water flask. "Speaking of which, this town outing Lyanna organized—are you actually going?"

"I said I would."

"That’s not what I asked. Are you going to show up, or are you going to find an excuse to train instead?" Her crimson eyes were knowing. "Because you have a pattern of avoiding social activities."

"I’ll be there."

"Good. You need normal experiences, not just constant combat preparation." Seraphina stretched, her movements graceful despite obvious fatigue. "Besides, Lyanna put real effort into organizing this. She’d be disappointed if you didn’t show."

William noticed the way Seraphina said that—not jealous exactly, but aware. "You could come too."

"I wasn’t invited. And even if I was, watching you interact with Lyanna while she obviously tries to get closer to you sounds like torture." Seraphina’s tone was light but honest. "I have my own plans anyway. Training with some second-years who asked for technique guidance."

They parted ways after cleaning up, Seraphina heading to her own obligations while William returned to his room to change into the casual clothes Lyanna had specified.

Kai was absent—probably at the library or one of his mysterious personal training sessions. William changed into simple traveling clothes that didn’t scream "noble family" and made his way to the academy’s main gates where they’d agreed to meet.

Lyanna was already there, wearing a light blue dress that complemented her violet hair. She brightened when she saw him.

"You actually came! I was half-convinced you’d send a message about training conflicts."

"I said I would be here."

"You say a lot of things, William Cross." But she smiled, clearly pleased. "Liam and Marcus should be here any minute. Oh, and I invited Sara too—I hope that’s alright? She mentioned wanting to explore the town and I thought the more the merrier."

"That’s fine."

Liam appeared moments later, practically bouncing with energy. "Town day! Actual freedom from academy grounds! This is going to be great."

Marcus followed with Sara, both looking more relaxed than their usual academy personas. Sara wore her dark hair down for once instead of the practical braid she used during training.

"Everyone’s here," Lyanna declared. "Excellent. I’ve planned a route—we’ll hit the new tea shop first, then the market square, maybe the bookstore if anyone’s interested, and there’s a street performer area near the fountain that’s supposed to be entertaining."

"You really did plan this thoroughly," Marcus observed.

"Of course I did. When I organize something, I organize it properly." Lyanna gestured toward town. "Shall we?"

They walked together through academy gates and down the road toward town. It was a beautiful afternoon, warm with occasional clouds providing shade. The group naturally formed into pairs—Lyanna walked beside William, while Liam and Marcus argued about something theoretical behind them, and Sara brought up the rear, seemingly content to observe.

"So," Lyanna said conversationally. "Your family visit. You’ve been vague about it with everyone. Was it really that terrible?"

"It was complicated."

"Everything with you is complicated." She echoed Seraphina’s words from the previous night. "Was it at least productive? You seem different somehow."

"My mother provided additional training. It was intensive."

"The famous Duchess Arabella Cross personally training you. That must have been intense." Lyanna glanced at him. "My family’s not nearly as formal. When I go home, my parents mostly just want to know I’m happy and doing well academically. Very different from major noble house expectations."

"That sounds nice actually."

"It is. Less pressure, more actual family interaction." She was quiet for a moment. "Do you get along with your parents? Or is that too personal a question?"

William considered how to answer. "My mother and I have a functional relationship based on mutual respect and strategic alignment. My father considers me a disappointment he occasionally acknowledges."

Lyanna looked shocked. "That’s... harsh. Your father actually thinks you’re a disappointment?"

"He’s made it very clear."

"But you made the Inter-Academy team! You’ve improved dramatically since starting at the academy! How is that disappointing?"

"By his standards, my older brothers are significantly more accomplished. One commands a battalion, the other leads an elite cavalry unit. I’m just a second-year student who barely qualified for a competition team."

"That’s ridiculous. You’re eighteen and already demonstrating abilities that most cultivators don’t achieve until their twenties." Lyanna’s indignation was genuine. "Your father has unrealistic standards."

"That’s nobility for you. Expectations are everything, accomplishments are never quite enough."

They reached the town and Lyanna led them to the new tea shop she’d mentioned—a cozy establishment with outdoor seating and the promised excellent pastries. They claimed a large table and ordered various teas and sweets.

"This is wonderful," Sara said after trying her lemon tart. "We should do this more often. All we ever do is train and study and stress about cultivation advancement."

"That’s academy life," Marcus said. "Constant pressure to improve or fall behind."

"Doesn’t mean we can’t take breaks occasionally." Liam gestured at their surroundings. "Look at us—sitting at a tea shop like normal people, not worrying about essence techniques or combat forms. It’s refreshing."

"Until someone mentions the competition and we all start stressing again," Sara pointed out.

"Then we won’t mention the competition." Lyanna raised her teacup. "Today is about relaxation and actually enjoying ourselves. Competition talk is banned."

"Agreed," Liam said immediately. "So what do we talk about instead?"

"Normal things. Hobbies, interests, embarrassing childhood stories." Lyanna looked around the table. "I’ll start. When I was ten, I accidentally set my family’s garden on fire while practicing fire essence techniques. Destroyed my mother’s prize-winning roses. I was grounded for a month."

Marcus laughed. "When I was twelve, I tried to impress a girl by showing off my earth manipulation and instead collapsed the practice yard’s wall. The wall fell on the instructor’s carriage. Also grounded for a month."

"I think all of us have essence-training-gone-wrong stories," Sara said. "I froze my entire bedroom solid during winter while practicing ice techniques. Everything in the room was encased in ice for three days until they could safely thaw it without destroying my belongings."

They all looked at William expectantly.

"I don’t have embarrassing training stories."

"Everyone has embarrassing training stories," Liam protested.

"The previous William Cross was terrible at training but in pathetic ways, not entertaining ones. And I’ve only been seriously training for a few months." William thought for a moment. "Though I did accidentally destroy a practice dummy so thoroughly during essence control exercises that the instructor thought someone had used explosive techniques."

"How did you destroy it that badly with control exercises?" Marcus asked.

"Channeled too much essence while concentrating on precision. The dummy essentially disintegrated from essence overload."

Lyanna laughed. "That’s impressively destructive for someone supposedly learning control."

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HBD TO MEEEEEEEEEEE