Chapter 174: Take Off Your Armor
Then she waved her hand slightly.
"Enough talk."
Arthur grinned.
"I was hoping you’d say that."
Lyra pointed toward him.
"Spread your mana outward."
Arthur immediately focused.
Mana flowed from his body, spreading around him like a soft wave.
"Now pull it back inward."
Arthur did so, guiding the energy back toward his core.
"Again," she said.
Arthur repeated the motion.
Outward.
Inward.
Outward again.
The movement felt familiar.
Lyra watched quietly.
Arthur noticed it too and chuckled.
"I practiced something similar last night."
Lyra raised a brow. "Of course you did."
Arthur continued.
He spread his mana slowly this time, paying attention to how it moved through the air. The faint ambient mana around him reacted as well.
Arthur focused harder.
His own mana brushed against the ambient flow and slowly guided it toward him.
Lyra noticed the moment it happened.
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
Already?
Arthur exhaled slowly as he directed the combined mana closer to his body.
He wasn’t forming the technique yet.
He was just feeling the flow.
Learning how it behaved.
Lyra remained silent.
She only spoke when necessary.
"Too much," she said once.
Arthur adjusted immediately.
"Too loose."
He corrected that too.
The practice continued.
Arthur repeated the process again and again.
Spread.
Pull back.
Guide the flow.
After several tries the movement became smoother.
Arthur began tracking two things at once.
His own mana.
And the ambient mana around him.
He guided them together carefully until they formed a thin flow across his skin.
Not a barrier yet.
Just a stream.
Arthur opened one eye.
"That’s the idea?"
Lyra crossed her arms.
"You’re getting close."
Arthur repeated the motion again.
This time the flow stayed longer.
His mana moved along his arms and shoulders like a faint current.
Lyra watched quietly.
She expected mistakes.
Instead Arthur adjusted faster with each attempt.
Minutes passed.
Arthur finally exhaled and let the mana fade.
He rolled his shoulders.
"Okay... I think I understand the first step."
Lyra nodded.
"You do."
Arthur looked slightly surprised.
"That was quick."
"You already practiced mana awareness before," she said. "That helped."
Arthur scratched his cheek.
"Guess my curiosity paid off."
Lyra studied him for another moment.
Then she smiled slightly.
"Good."
Arthur straightened.
"That means we move to the next part, right?"
Lyra nodded.
"Yes."
Her expression changed slightly.
More focused now.
"This next stage is the real challenge."
Arthur folded his arms.
"Sounds serious."
Lyra walked a few steps while speaking.
"You must keep the mana thin... and dense."
Arthur nodded.
"And make it flow constantly," he added.
"Yes."
She turned back to him.
"If the flow stops, the layer breaks."
Arthur took a deep breath.
"Alright."
Lyra added one more thing.
"This stage takes most people a long time to learn."
Arthur smiled slightly.
"How long did it take you?"
Lyra paused.
"That doesn’t count."
Arthur blinked.
"Why?"
"Because I created the technique."
Arthur laughed.
"Fair point."
Lyra gestured toward him again.
"Try it."
Arthur didn’t waste time.
He spread his mana outward again, guiding it around his body.
Then he tried to compress it.
Thin.
Dense.
Flowing.
The moment he pushed it too far, the mana collapsed.
Arthur sighed.
"Okay... that’s harder."
He tried again.
This time he kept the layer thinner.
But now it wasn’t dense enough.
Lyra watched quietly.
Arthur tried again.
And again.
Sometimes the mana became too thin and broke apart.
Sometimes it thickened too much and lost the smooth flow.
Arthur frowned slightly.
"Why does this feel like balancing on a wire?"
Lyra gave a calm answer.
"Because it is."
Arthur rubbed his face.
"Great."
But he kept practicing.
Mana spread.
Compressed.
Flowed.
Collapsed.
Reset.
The process repeated over and over.
Arthur’s focus deepened.
His breathing slowed.
But the technique still slipped away every time he tried to stabilize it.
A thin layer formed once around his arm.
For a moment it worked.
Then it broke again.
Arthur exhaled in frustration.
"...So close."
Lyra watched carefully.
She noticed something Arthur didn’t.
Each attempt was better.
His control improved every time.
The layer lasted longer.
The flow became smoother.
But Arthur was too focused on success to notice the progress.
He failed again.
This time he ran a hand through his hair.
"Alright... this is annoying."
Lyra smiled slightly.
"Now you understand."
Arthur looked at her.
"How long did you say this part takes people?"
"A long time."
Arthur sighed.
"Fantastic."
But he didn’t stop.
He tried again.
And again.
His mana control sharpened with each attempt.
Even the mistakes became smaller.
Lyra felt impressed watching him.
Most people would have given up after a few failures.
Arthur only became more stubborn.
Still, she could see the frustration growing.
Arthur finally let the mana fade and looked at his hands.
"Why does it feel like I’m close but not quite there?"
Lyra stepped closer.
"Because you are close."
Arthur raised his eyebrows tiredly.
"...Really?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"Your control is improving with every attempt."
Arthur scratched his cheek.
"Doesn’t feel like it."
Lyra looked at him seriously.
"For someone with your mana capacity, you’ve done very well."
Arthur tilted his head.
"That sounded less of a compliment."
"It was."
Arthur smiled.
"Okay."
Lyra watched him quietly for another moment.
Then she seemed to think of something.
A small idea forming.
"I might have a way to help you."
Arthur looked interested.
"Really?"
Lyra nodded once.
Then she pointed at him.
"Take off your armor."
Arthur blinked.
"...Wait, what?"
Commander Lyra didn’t look like she was joking.
"Remove your armor," she repeated calmly.
Arthur scratched the back of his head.
"Well... alright."
He started unclasping the pieces slowly. The metal plates came off one by one and he placed them neatly on a nearby crate. The quiet clinks echoed through the empty training hall.
Lyra watched patiently.
Arthur still wasn’t sure what she had in mind.
But he trusted her enough not to question it yet.
Soon the last piece of armor came off and he stretched his shoulders.
"Okay... armor’s off."
Lyra nodded.
Then she continued speaking as it made him freeze.
"Now remove your top."
Arthur stared at her.
"...My what?"