The fight between mother and son was just beginning.

  Abell's bde shoensely; his once sharp bde resembled an intense fme blown by the wind, out of trol and uable.

  “Woah, what’s that?! I’ve never seen Abell’s sword do this!” Astrid screamed.

  Keeko’s eyes fshed in disbelief as she attempted to hold her ground. The intense power flooded the yard.

  “I thought I uood his Lux... What is this? Is this why Hugo wao recruit him.” She thought.

  She gred at Hugo, her look showing she was desperate for answers.

  Hugo purposely ignored her gaze.

  Torin watched ihe sheer force radiating from Abell was enough to make him nervous.

  “Hey, Mr. Hugo?” Torin asked.

  Hugo faced him with a smile. “What?”

  “Is Abell going to be okay... he looks like he’s in pain.” He asked.

  Hugo g Abell’s current state.

  “Holy, I don’t know, but ohing for sure, he’s reached a new level in this state,” he said with a crazed smile.

  “It’s not funny, you stupid luminary. He’s in pain.” Astrid screamed.

  Keeko readied herself for a ferocious attabsp;

  “It’s clear he doesn’t have full trol, and it seems like the bde is ing itself around his body. As if he’s oh it.” she thought.

  “This new power means nothing.” She taunted. “e, try to prove me wrong.”

  No response.

  Abell charged. Fast.

  To him, the world was beginning to blur. Everything outside of his sword and Keeko was ent. His body felt engulfed in fmes, but his mind had bee oh his bde.

  Therubsp;

  Boom!

  A shockwave rippled through the training yard as he nded a hit on Keeko’s hardened forearm. The blow sent Abell backward due to sheer forbsp;

  Keeko gritted her teeth as the residual shockwaves traveled up her arm. She had barely blocked time but kept a strong fabsp;

  “That blow... could’ve injured me badly.”

  She stepped back while Abell regained his posure, pting her options.

  “Is this from the sword itself?” She sighed. “I o end this soon... my body won’t st if this keeps up.”

  Abell was relentless.

  His attack came before she could think. A rapid side strike came at her fast, f her to pivot and narrowly avoid the tip of his bde. However, from the edge of the bde, a projectile-like ssh emerged.

  Keeko had no choice but to block this head-on. The impact was small, but it was enough to distract her so that Abell could temporarily move in.

  He lunged again; his stance was raw, ineffit, ahal. Keeko ducked, sidestepping his blow, but she could feel it. The weight of his attacks was increasing, as was her own body.

  “My veil is fading... I o hurry.”

  Astrid looked in disbelief; she couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. While Torin was engrossed in the stant a

  “Her veil is fading,” he said.

  “Yes, I wonder what’s going to happen now,” Hugo said.

  Abell’s breaths became erratibsp;as he tightened his grip on his on. His body was burning from the i, and he felt like his luminous orb inning rapidly.

  “Must… keep attag… gotta win… it’s important.”

  He could barely hear himself think, but his will to win was more important to him than his body.

  Each strike drained so much out of his body, but his sword shone brightly with energy.

  While his movements were powerful, he had lost all discipline. He was swinging with everything he had, his body screaming from the effort, but he had no trol.

  Keeko thought. “If this tinues, he’ll burn himself out—or worse.”

  She inhaled deeply, then made her decision.

  Keeko decided to go on the offensive. Her form shifted from a defensive oo an offensive one.

  “Sorry, Abell.”

  Her strikes became ruthless; her sed blow broke his guard, causing his arms to fil and dropping his bde. Then, the rest of her strikes aimed at his ots—his bance, breathing, and trol.

  Abell felt every one of them.

  His body trembled from the sheer force, but he refused to lose.

  “No, not yet!” He shouted.

  He reached for his bde; however, Keeko grabbed his arm and drove a ko his ribs.

  Crabsp;

  “Abell, no.” Astrid cried out

  He gasped for air as he staggered backward, barely managing to stay on his feet.

  Keeko rushed him again.

  Another punch—this time right to his stomabsp;

  He rolled over, coughing violently, but his body still felt as if it were on fire. Keeko walked over to him, about to deliver the final blow.

  Abell refused to stay down.

  His breath was ragged, but He forced himself to his feet, unsteady but determined.

  Then—a glimmer

  A faint glow emerged from his arm, the same energy that once beloo his sword.

  Torin took a step forward. “His arm is glowing…”

  Hugo’s smirk twitched, his gaze sharpening.

  Keeko’s lips tightened. She knew this was his st push.

  “Abell… just stop.” Astrid barely whispered.

  But he didn’t.

  Abell gritted his teeth, his fist g tight. His body was failing, but his will was still screaming.

  “One more.”

  “I just need one more hit.”

  His feet dug into the dirt as He pushed forward, drawing everything he had left into a final punbsp;

  Keeko exhaled.

  “Stubborn idiot.”

  She didn’t dodge at first—she let him believe for a fra of a sed that he could nd it.

  Then—she sidestepped.

  Before Abell could recover, her fist crashed into his chest.

  BOOM.

  The impact sent a sharp crabsp;through the air.

  Abell’s body lifted off the ground. The the dirt, rolling to a stop.

  His arm twitched ohe glow flickered—then died out.

  His sword was gone.

  His strength was gone.

  Keeko stood over him, exhaling as she rolled out her shoulders. It was over.

  Keeko’s veil dissipated, causio fall to the ground momentarily.

  Abell pyed motionless, heavily breathing. His fiwisted as if he were calling for his on, but nothing came.

  “No...”

  His body gave out before his mind.

  Keeko walked over to him, kneeling beside him. She didn’t speak, but she pced a hand on his fabsp;

  “You’ve done well, Abell.”

  He attempted to move away from her, wanting to tihe battle. But could only wiggle around.

  Keeko exhaled, shaking her head.

  “You’ve passed Abell. You’re ready to leave and start your journey.”

  Abell looked at her, barely able to process her words, his emotions raw.

  Then, uedly, Keeko leaned down, ing her arms around him in a firm, reassuring hug.

  “You did great, Abell.”

  For the first time sihe fight started, Abell didn’t resist.

  His mind drifted into unsciousness, but a sihought lingered in his heart:

  “I o be stronger.”