"I'm going to release it now. When the formation is lifted, the sword intent will resume its attack." Robert waved his hand around him. The small daggers that encircled him and Oscar shot out of the ground and into his hands.

With their retraction, a small transparent film that covered the area dispersed. It wasn't noticeable earlier, but Oscar felt a slight pressure encompass him like a sword at his throat.

It was the natural air of True Sword Peak that Oscar had not felt in a month.

He stopped focusing on the change and used the Prinstyct. The sword intent should be on the attack soon. He focused his vision on the sword image that was forming.

He never had a clear look at it because of its speed and obscurity, but it revealed itself under the effects of Prinstyct. The sword was made of stone from the blade to the grip. Its edges were dull and cracked all over.

It was just an image, but Oscar could see its fine details. What kind of sword was this?

An echo!

Oscar snapped himself out of his curiosity. He saw an echo of the sword moving, sending ripples through the distorted world, and moved his buckler to intercept. The sword intent followed through its echo Oscar had foreseen and was easily deflected.

But it was not the end. The sword intent quickly maneuvered for more strikes.

It swung swiftly, but he was keeping up with it.

It wasn't just the Prinstyct that made it possible. His many spars with Robert had honed his mastery of buckler. His movements were more agile and deliberate than his usual wild swings.

Oscar suspected if not for this, then even with the Prinstyct, he still would have lost against the sword intent. Robert's warnings were wellfounded. He needed strength to utilize the Prinstyct properly.

"!"

The sword intent seemed to have disappeared, but Oscar caught its echoes and turned around. His buckler scraped past the sword intent.

After its failed surprise attack, the sword intent truly dispersed into nothingness. Oscar heaved a heavy sigh. He had almost lost his calm at the last moment and nearly broke his Prinstyct.

"Congratulations. You have finally overcome the sword intent." Robert was watching the entire time with a hint of pride. In a month, this boy had grown tremendously.

Oscar bowed deeply to Robert in gratitude. Thinking back on the past month, he really troubled this old uncle for a long time. He thought about how he was at the start and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Can I ask you something?" Oscar asked to which Robert nodded. "How did you handle being compared to everyone around you as a Grade Three?"

This question was unexpected, and Robert was taken aback. He didn't like talking about himself. However, Oscar was in Grade Four, which made him rethink. In the end, he relented and answered.

"I was jealous and mad at first. There's always the thought, why couldn't it be me? As a member of the proud Raeven Family, why was I singled out of all the others?"

Robert snorted as if mocking his past self.

"That was all useless thought. I fought and struggled against it for so long, but it only made me a bitter person. I only realized after a while that it didn't matter. So what? I'll do it if it takes me twice as long to become stronger. If my Anima is inherently weaker, I'll master it further than others."

"Lower grades don't mean you are useless. We are still Exalts. If I can stand above in the end, that is my victory, no matter how long it takes." Robert said resolutely.

Oscar listened intently to each of Robert's words. But a question lingered. "What if I do not have that time? What if I have no choice but to jump in without any preparation." He thought about Frederick, Gilbert, and the mysterious actions of the Pavilion and the Empire.

"If there is no time and you must go, focus on surviving. If survival is not an option, then fight until your body breaks, and your Ein is spent. You fight with all your heart and soul to the bitter end. Perhaps an opportunity will be born from such efforts." Robert grasped Oscar's shoulders, reminding him of his father, Henry, who often did it. "But it is best to survive, so you have a future to get stronger."

It was similar to when his father told him to survive and come back alive.

"Yes, sir." Oscar nodded. He could tell Robert was slightly worried but didn't like to show it. "Can I write to you when I return to the Pavilion?" He asked, albeit nervous.

Robert's eyebrow raised upward. Letters? Was he some random pen pal? After some grumbling, he nodded and went away.

Oscar quickly followed along with a cheeky smile.

…….

Oscar stepped onto the black airship. Alongside him were Celestina, Emily, Phillip, and George. The presence and dignity they carried were unlike the brash, immature selves a month ago.

Their training had honed them as warriors. Their eyes were sharp as swords and glinted with confident light.

"Have a safe trip back to the Pavilion." Abraham bowed to Celestina.

"Hehe. Little Em, visit me on the northern shores; I'll have some good ale." Elizabeth Raeven said teasingly. Her red lips curled up seductively as her eyes curled like crescents.

"I'll make sure to visit." Emily had blue veins popping over her head. She mouthed each word out with great hate. Her staff anima was slowly flickering into existence.

"It's a shame to see you go, but you did really well, George." Suen nodded in approval toward George, who responded back with a deep, respectful bow.

"Phillip, make sure to take care of yourself in the Pavilion. You must maintain some level-headedness." Lena Raeven said in a low, caring voice like a whisper.

"I will." Phillip hugged his aunt and went on the airship.

Oscar turned to Robert, who gave him a thumbs-up. Oscar smiled and put up his own thumb.

"We're departing. Thank you for housing us all this time, my lord." The captain bowed to Abraham and guided the students on. The bells rang as the airship made its ascend to the skies. In a short moment, it flew into the distance.

"I'm going to miss bullying that girl." Lena stretched her back, accenting her slightly curvaceous body. "But I miss the seas more. I'll be heading out. Goodbye, everyone."

She quickly went off into the skies in another direction.

The others also departed to their own destinations, except for Abraham and Robert.

It was silent for a while as the winds blew. Abraham sighed and broke the silence.

"I was surprised you agreed to teach him. Was it because he's a grade four."

"Who cares?" Robert floated in the sky. "What matters is that he finished the training." He flew away, leaving Abraham alone.

"He's as reclusive as ever." Abraham stared in the direction of the black airship. "The coming years are most important. This empire's future may as well be in the hands of your generation."

The doors of the Raeven Estate closed shut as Abraham stepped inside.

…….

The journey back was uneventful. Oscar and the others enjoyed the free, stressless time to catch up more about their respective training.

"The Prinstyct? That's incredible." Emly exclaimed.

"It's hard to focus at times and see when using it." Oscar rubbed his forehead. "I also went through a lot of pain."

"To be able to achieve it now is worthy of praise." Celestina was sipping some tea. "I'm an Elite Exalt, so I have it. However, you will have an advantage over other Apprentice Exalts. Also, you'll have more time to master it."

George was particularly interested in it and asked Oscar many questions. Oscar could not answer all of them but did his best.

During this ride back, Oscar shared the copies of the Raeven Family's books he procured with Robert's permission. Celestina was grateful for this, and they resumed their reading sessions on the airship.

This silent session of reading and talking about books was what Oscar had missed for the past month. It was fun as Oscar's worries seemed to have washed away. All but one, Frederick.

He would still think about what to do for his best friend at night. Robert's lessons were deeply engraved in him as he thought about the best route within his capabilities. If he approached this improperly, then he might make an irreparable mistake.

'I can't be too sure, but it's not unreasonable to think I can overpower Frederick. But is beating him down the right answer? How can I convince him?'

There was one event coming up where he knew Frederick had to show up, the next Grand Gathering. Everyone had to participate unless they were Elite Exalts in the Outer Hall. But there was no way Frederick had already reached that realm.

The days passed as Oscar relaxed during the day and thought about Frederick's problem at night.

Finally, the airship arrived at the large walls of gold and sapphire. It landed on the landing pad and docked.

"Thank you for riding with us. May your futures be bright." The captain waved his hat to them.

Oscar said farewell and got off the ship. He finally made it back safely.