Chapter 23: A blushing mother
The world around him dissolved once again into bluish mist.
Aziz slowly opened his eyes in the dream space. The same dark stone clearing spread beneath his feet—silent and infinite, surrounded by a starless sky. The air there was dense, charged with purpose, as if the very atmosphere demanded complete focus.
He took a deep breath.
"System... resume the training of the ’Fundamental Essence of the Sword.’"
[Command accepted. Restarting practice environment.]
The system’s feminine voice sounded smooth, with a teasing musicality that he was beginning to recognize. It wasn’t a cold or indifferent presence. On the contrary—there was a lively curiosity in it, like someone watching a rare flower bloom.
The shadowy figure emerged once more from the mist.
Tall. Elegant. Impeccable.
Faceless, featureless, but with movements so precise they were hypnotic. The translucent sword in his hand shimmered with the same lightness as before, executing the sequence Aziz knew — but had not yet mastered.
Aziz watched in silence. Not with the eyes of a student trying to copy. But with the eyes of someone trying to understand.
The figure completed the sequence and dissipated like mist floating through the dark.