Deep Forest of the Arcadia Continent, Three months after the start of training

The morning dew did not merely bead on the leaves of the trees. It seemed to vibrate with its own energy, fueled by the density of the ambient mana. Three months had passed since Irene had dragged her son, Julian, to master his spiritual essence.

Julian stood motionless, eyes closed, shirtless despite the biting chill of the Arcadian dawn. He no longer tried to listen with his ears, but with his magic circuits.

"You are still too rigid, Julian," Irene’s voice rose, calm and merciless, behind him.

He sensed her approach even before hearing the rustling of her steps on the moss. Her aura was like a rising tide, cold and deep.

"I am not commanding the mana... I am trying to invite it as you said," he replied without opening his eyes.

"Trying is not enough. A spirit does not compromise with reality, it redefines it by its mere presence. Open your pores. Let the water mana of this forest become your own blood."

Julian took a deep breath, forcing his mana heart to slow its frantic rhythm. Instead of pumping energy like a human engine, he opened it like a sluice. Suddenly, the barrier between his skin and the humidity-saturated air vanished. The sensation was dizzying. He perceived every droplet of mist as an extension of his own nerves.

"Good," murmured Irene. "Now show me that these three months have not been a simple waste of my precious time. Attack me with the intention of freezing my heart."

Julian pivoted on his heels, his eyes opening with an unusual bluish glow. He did not immediately draw his sword. He simply raised his right hand, palm open.

< Art of the Frost Vines: First Movement - Frost Blade >

The mana did not burst from his body; it condensed instantly from the humidity in the air in front of him. A translucent ice blade formed and shot toward Irene at a speed that would have left any B-rank warrior stunned.

Irene did not move an inch. With a simple wave of her hand, she deflected the ice blade as if it were a toy. The projectile embedded itself in a massive tree trunk that froze instantly over a two-meter radius, the bark cracking under the pressure of the frost.

"The structure is solid," she conceded while straightening her blue dress that highlighted her generous curves, her gaze scrutinizing her son’s work.

Julian groaned in frustration. "The difference is subtle, mother."

"Subtlety is what separates a corpse from a survivor in this world, Julian. Watch closely."

She extended her arm. The air around her did not merely freeze; it seemed to transform into a living entity. Hundreds of frost threads, thin as angel hair but emitting crushing magical pressure, began to dance in the air. They did not follow a straight trajectory. They undulated, seeking mana currents to strengthen themselves.

"This is spirit manipulation," she explained while the ice threads encircled Julian without touching him, releasing a cold so intense that his own magic circuits began to protest. "You do not force the ice to exist. You convince the world that ice is the only reasonable form the air can take at this precise moment."

Julian remained open-mouthed in front of the complexity of the network she had woven in just a few seconds. It was a symphony of mana of which he only understood the first notes.

"Let’s go back to the basics of sensory fusion," she ordered, dissipating her spell with a simple blink of her eye. "Sit down."

He obeyed, sitting cross-legged on the damp ground. Irene positioned herself behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. The warmth of her skin passed through his tense muscles, but her mana was a cascade of ice that rushed into his circulatory system.

"Do you feel the telluric currents beneath us?" she asked, her voice close to his ear.

"I feel the earth, the wood... and a sort of dark pulse, very far to the north," murmured Julian, focused.

"That is the Tenebris rift resonating," explained Irene. "Your spirit side is sensitive to space-time distortions."

They spent the next three hours in absolute silence, broken only by the sounds of the jungle. Under Irene’s guidance, Julian learned to divide his consciousness. One part remained anchored in his body, while the other drifted with the surrounding mana, exploring the forest for kilometers. He saw tribes of beastmen hunting in the plains, felt the slow growth of giant mushrooms and the decomposition of organic matter.

After the meditation session, they shared a frugal meal of wild fruits and dried meat. Irene observed Julian with a satisfaction she now struggled to hide.

"You are progressing faster than I had hoped, Julian," she said.

"I must do my utmost if I want to be useful to you," replied Julian.

Irene let out a laugh. "I have failed many times in my mission as a mother but it still pleases me to hear you say that."

"How was Kaiser?" he asked abruptly.

Irene’s face tensed for a fraction of a second, a shadow of regret or nostalgia passing through her eyes before she regained her composure.

"Kaiser was... he was not so different. He was as normal as can be."

She stood up, signaling the end of the break. She picked up her runic ash staff and took a combat stance.

"Enough talking. The afternoon will be devoted to mobility. If you do not manage to become intangible by sunset, you will sleep in the swamps to the south."

Julian got up immediately, adrenaline chasing away his fatigue. He drew his sword. The metal vibrated in harmony with his mana.

"I do not plan on sleeping in the mud tonight."

"Prove it."

She lunged forward, her body becoming a bluish blur. Julian did not try to parry physically. He activated his new senses, suggesting to the water mana in his own body to disperse, to harmonize with the humidity of the air.

< Frostvine Art – Second Form: Misty Form >

For a second, he felt Irene’s attack pass through him without meeting solid resistance. He had become the mist, an extension of the morning fog. He reappeared three meters away, panting, his mana heart beating violently from the shock of the transition.

Irene stopped, a radiant smile lighting up her face. "Finally... you are starting to get the hang of it..."