"Ohhh, what do you need then?" Asher asked; if it was something within his power, then he had no problem doing whatever Williams needed from him, his tone open and composed.

"You remember you sparred with Finch’s sister, right?" Williams asked.

Finch arched an eyebrow at the mention of his sister, wondering where this conversation was going, a faint suspicion already forming within his mind.

"Yeah, I do," Asher replied without hesitation, his expression unchanged.

"I need something like that, a spar between the both of us. I just need you to teach me a couple of things, holes in my attack or defence and all that, of course, if it is fine with you," Williams suggested, his tone calm, lacking any form of desperation as though he was simply making a reasonable request.

Asher stayed silent for a moment before he replied, "you do know we have Instructor Jane for that, right? Besides, she offers free extra lessons to all those who meet her at her office, which I’m sure you are aware of," his tone calm and somewhat inquisitive, as though testing Williams’ reasoning.

Williams didn’t hesitate before he replied, "I know all that, but I still need your own knowledge, Asher," there was no determination or pleading in his tone; he was simply calm, confident in what he was asking for, as though he already understood the value behind Asher’s experience.

"Well, I will gladly stay out of this," Finch spoke, as he didn’t want to be involved in any kind of spar against Asher, be it in the name of learning or not, as though the last spar he had with Asher still lingered vividly in his memory.

Williams turned his gaze to Finch as he spoke, "you do remember you just said you were told to train harder and become stronger for what was coming, right?" his words carrying a subtle nudge.

"Ehhh... Asher doesn’t use a chain or chained weapons, so I’m sure there isn’t any advice he could offer to me, right?" Finch stated as his eyes turned to Asher as though pleading for support, clearly trying to escape the situation.

"Well, your words are a bit true," Asher replied, as he wasn’t going to force Finch into something he didn’t want to do, his tone neutral.

Williams shook his head and said nothing more; he simply turned his gaze to Asher as he asked, "when will you be free?" his intent clear.

"We can begin right now if you want," Asher replied without missing a beat, his readiness immediate and unhesitating.

Williams nodded as he had no problem with it; he could still rest before his 3 pm class. "No problem, I’m guessing the spar will hold at your training chamber," he stated, already preparing himself mentally.

"Obviously," Finch replied as he rose to his feet, stretching slightly as though preparing to spectate.

Asher led the both of them to his personal training chamber that was built within his room; the moment they entered, their eyes widened in disbelief, the sheer scale immediately overwhelming their senses.

"Impossible... a whole kilometer of space," Finch stated as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, his voice laced with astonishment and disbelief.

Even Williams wasn’t spared. "How did they fit this huge space into a small room?" he asked, amazed, as the training chamber had seemed to be of normal size from the outside, making the contrast even more shocking.

"You mean it’s not the same in your rooms?" Asher asked, slightly puzzled by their reaction, as this had seemed normal to him.

"The same, my ass. I guess the Star Academy is favoring only the first ranker, or possibly the top three rankers alone," Finch replied, clicking his tongue lightly as he voiced his thoughts.

"The Astra energy here is more potent too," Williams added, his senses keenly picking up on the difference, his tone filled with subtle awe.

Asher wasn’t surprised that the size of space within the training chamber didn’t match the actual size of the training chamber from the outside. As a novel reader, he knew space could be manipulated like this; it was either the handiwork of the Vice Principal or Cindralis herself, both of whom were capable of such feats.

"I might be coming to you to train from now on," Finch added, clearly joking, though a small part of him seemed tempted by the idea.

After a few minutes of admiring everything, both the walls and the ground appearing as though they were made of materials Asher hadn’t bothered to identify, Asher and Williams finally decided to begin their spar, while Finch simply walked to the side, ensuring he was out of the way.

Asher stood a few meters away from Williams, his hands clasped behind his back as though he was a master about to train someone from a younger generation, his posture relaxed. Williams stood with his new sabre, which was pitch black, in his hand, his eyes fixed intently on Asher, his focus sharpened.

"You aren’t drawing your weapon?" Williams asked as he arched an eyebrow, clearly surprised by Asher’s stance.

"I’m simply here to show you a few of your flaws, not defeat you; hence, no weapon for me. You are attacking, and I’m dodging or blocking for now. When it’s my turn to attack, I will follow up immediately without telling you," Asher replied without missing a beat, his tone calm, almost instructional.

Hearing Asher’s words, Williams’ eyes narrowed in thought. ’Has the gap between us increased again by this much?’ he thought to himself, a hint of realization settling within him as he assessed the situation.

If another person had said such words, he would have called them arrogant, but this was Asher, and he understood the boy well enough to know boasting or posturing wasn’t his nature, unlike certain noble households who thrived on such displays.

Finch, who was standing at the side, hiding within Astra energy barrier just to prevent any "accidents," whistled as he heard Asher’s words, clearly impressed.

"Do you want me to give you corrections as you fight, or after the spar?" Asher asked calmly, offering flexibility in his approach.

Williams stayed silent for a moment, as though considering which would be best; after a moment, he spoke, "just do whichever you think is best," his voice calm, as he trusted Asher’s judgment without reservation.

Asher simply nodded and said nothing else, his focus already settling into the spar ahead.

There was no rule or timer given, but everyone understood that there would be no Astra energy used in this training lesson, and also, the spar would stop when one side decided to stop or could no longer continue, making it a test of pure skill and technique.

Finch, who was at the side, spoke, "Begin," taking it upon himself to officiate the spar, despite no one assigning him the role.

The moment Finch spoke, Williams vanished from where he stood, closing the distance in a flicker of motion as afterimages trailed behind him, his movements fast and precise. Although he wasn’t using Astra energy to boost himself, his speed was anything but slow.

____

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Bonus Chapters sponsored by Aura Nova, PrimordialParagon, ASG999.

As usual, this greedy author begs for your golden tickets and super gifts.