Celestial Foresight is a Great Skill

Satoshi wasn't amused. "You already got what you wanted, didn't you? Chiori."

Calamitas' smirk didn't falter, but something in her eyes darkened—just a flicker. "She interests me."

Satoshi felt his grip tighten around his blade. "She's a child."

Calamitas rolled her eyes. "And so were you, once."

"This is different."

"Is it?"

Satoshi didn't answer immediately, and that was enough for Calamitas to press forward. She stepped closer, lowering her voice just slightly. "You're scared, Satoshi. Not of me. Not of what I can teach her. But of her."

Satoshi's jaw tightened. "She's my daughter."

"And she's something beyond even you." Calamitas tilted her head. "You think keeping her in a cage is going to change that?"

Satoshi's silence was answer enough.

Calamitas exhaled, her amusement fading slightly. "You don't have to like me. You never did. But you do need me."

Satoshi grit his teeth. "You think you're the only option?"

She grinned. "No. Just the best one."

Hinata, still watching the exchange like a spectator at a well-rehearsed duel, finally stepped in. "As much as I enjoy watching you two dance around your unresolved issues, we don't have time for this."

Calamitas sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll play nice—for now."

Satoshi didn't relax, but he did lower his blade completely. His thoughts still lingered on Elara. On her rage. On the fear he never expected to feel—not from his enemies, but from his own wife.

As Calamitas walked away, Satoshi stayed rooted in place, staring into the darkened sky, haunted by the realization that he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold everything together.

One Week Later

The tension within the Tomaszewski estate had not faded, but it had settled into something quieter, something unspoken. Chiori's recovery had been swift, aided by her mother's careful tending and her own innate resilience. She was still under strict observation, though—no strenuous magic use, no unsupervised training sessions, and absolutely no attempts at testing the limits of her power.

Not that it stopped her mind from wandering.

Seated beneath the shade of the estate's inner courtyard, I absently traced patterns into the dirt with my fingers, all while under the sharp scrutiny of my mother, who had taken it upon herself to oversee every aspect of my well-being since my recovery. The air around her hummed with restrained energy, her magic responding to her emotions even when she didn't actively call upon it. She was getting better at suppressing it—just as Calamitas had begun instructing her to.

Still, the words from a week ago hadn't left me. Nor had my mother's looming presence, ensuring that Calamitas had no opportunity to overstep.

You're scared, Satoshi. Not of me. Not of what I can teach her. But of her.

I frowned, brushing dirt from my hands as I sat up straighter. My father had been distant, keeping himself busy with training drills and meetings. My mother, though still protective, had been quieter, her sharp edge dulled into something more contemplative. As if she, too, was reevaluating everything she thought she knew.

I exhaled, glancing toward the far end of the courtyard, where Reilan stood, his watchful gaze never straying far from me. I had a feeling today wasn't going to be just another quiet afternoon.

Footsteps approached, but they weren't alone. Lelyah's unmistakable presence followed close behind, her gaze already narrowed in anticipation of whatever the so-called Brimstone Witch had planned for today.

"Up, little star."

Lelyah's lips pressed into a thin line, her irritation immediate. "Stop calling her that."

Calamitas raised an eyebrow, the smirk never leaving her face. "Oh? And what would you prefer?"

Lelyah exhaled sharply, clearly restraining herself. "Call her something else. Anything else."

Calamitas hummed in mock contemplation. "Anything else, you say? How about... apprentice? Little menace? Tiny terror?"

Lelyah's glare darkened. "You're insufferable."

Calamitas simply grinned. "It's a gift."

Lelyah crossed her arms, her presence an unyielding force beside me. "She's still recovering," she stated, voice sharp with warning. "I won't have you pushing her into another collapse."

Calamitas rolled her shoulders lazily. "Please. I know how to pace a lesson, dear mother hen. But if you'd rather coddle her forever, by all means, take my job."

My mother's nostrils flared, and I felt the air around us shift, a subtle pulse of mana responding to her irritation. I quickly stepped forward before she could escalate further. "I can handle it."

Both women turned their gazes toward me. My mother's eyes flickered with hesitation, while Calamitas simply smirked, clearly entertained.

"See? The kid's got some fight in her," Calamitas said with a lazy wave. "Now, let's get started."

I squared my stance, heart steady despite the weight of both their expectations pressing against me. If I was going to learn, I had to prove I was ready for this—whether my mother agreed or not.

Calamitas took a step back, her smirk widening as she observed me. "Good. First lesson—drop your shoulders."

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by the simplicity of the command, but I obeyed, letting my shoulders relax slightly.

"Now, feel your mana, but don't let it spill out," she continued, her voice dropping slightly, becoming less teasing and more instructive. "Your issue isn't power—it's control. If you don't master that first, nothing else matters."

I inhaled slowly, closing my eyes for just a moment, reaching for that familiar pull deep within. Mana swirled beneath my skin, eager, restless. But instead of struggling to contain it, I found it already held in place—suppressed, steady, controlled. Just as it had been since Great Sage had locked it in place unless I deliberately broke it.

Calamitas' brow furrowed slightly as she observed me, her smirk faltering for the first time. "Huh. That's...interesting."

She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing in brief contemplation. "Your mana suppression—it's not just natural control, is it? It's too precise. Too...perfect."

Calamitas' gaze flicked to my mother, who stood with her arms crossed, exuding a presence that I couldn't ignore. Calamitas' gaze flicked back to me and took a slow step forward, her eyes narrowing, not in suspicion, but in realization. She let out a slow, exaggerated sigh, as if the realization bored her.

"You're not hesitating because of the training," she mused, tilting her head. "You're hesitating because she's here."

I stiffened, feeling my mother's presence behind me like an unshakable weight.

Calamitas exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders. "Stop hovering," she drawled, directing her words toward my mother without even turning to look at her. "She's not going to break."

Lelyah scoffed, crossing her arms. "Excuse me for actually caring about my daughter's well-being. Unlike you, I have a vested interest in keeping her alive."

Calamitas grinned. "Oh, I intend to keep her very much alive. Strong, too. You might even thank me for it one day."

Lelyah's nostrils flared. "Don't be so sure of yourself. Just because she hasn't collapsed yet doesn't mean she's not pushing too hard."

Calamitas chuckled. "Oh, she's pushing herself, alright. But not in the way you think."

Lelyah narrowed her eyes. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Calamitas tilted her head toward me, gaze speculative. "She's not just holding her mana back—she's already mastered it, in a way that even seasoned mages struggle with. That doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't even happen in a week."

Lelyah tensed beside me. "Explain."

Calamitas hummed, tilting her head as if mulling over the best way to phrase it. "It's not just training—something helped her along. Like a subconscious override."

I swallowed. Great Sage had done exactly that, setting my mana suppression to be automatic unless I actively broke through it. But should I tell them?

Calamitas' eyes narrowed slightly, as if she sensed my hesitation. "Alright, kid. Who helped you?"

I licked my lips, debating my response. "...No one. I just focused. A lot."

Lelyah didn't look convinced. Neither did Calamitas, but she only hummed before letting out a low chuckle. "Alright then. Let's see what happens when we really put that control to the test."

Without further warning, she lifted her hand, and a sudden force lashed out—not at me, but near me. The air crackled as a pulse of fire magic streaked toward my side, too fast to evade.

[Threat detected. Host's reflexes are insufficient to react manually. Initiating emergency defensive measures.] 

I didn't think.

The pulse of magic slammed against an invisible barrier a foot from my body, dissipating harmlessly.

[Defense successful. Automatic barrier activation engaged.]

I gasped, my heart hammering. That wasn't me. I hadn't consciously reacted.

[Correct. Emergency defensive protocol activated upon detecting an external threat.]

My breath caught. Great Sage had protected me?

Thank you I thought, directing the words toward Great Sage instinctively.

[Clarification required: Host is expressing gratitude?]

I blinked. Yeah. You stopped the attack.

[Correction: System intervention was required due to Host's insufficient reaction time. Protection was a necessary function.]

I frowned slightly. That doesn't change the fact that you helped. So… thanks.

A brief pause.

[Understanding… incomplete. No action was taken beyond logical necessity. Gratitude serves no functional purpose…]

A pause, longer this time. Almost hesitant.

[Request: Clarify the necessity of gratitude in this context. System does not comprehend the reasoning behind acknowledgment of predetermined actions.]

I hesitated, trying to put the feeling into words. Because it matters. Even if it was necessary, you still did something for me. That's worth acknowledging.

[Processing... Gratitude is an acknowledgment of assistance provided, regardless of intent?]

Exactly, I confirmed. It's not just about function. It's about... connection, appreciation.

[Understanding... incomplete. Further observation required.]

Calamitas tilted her head, intrigued. "Fascinating."

Lelyah, however, was livid. "Are you insane?! You could have burned her!"

"Oh, please," Calamitas scoffed. "I wasn't aiming to hurt her. Just...encourage her. And look at that—she responded instinctively. That's good. It means she's already integrating her magic into her reflexes."

Lelyah was still seething, but I... I was reeling. Because Calamitas was right. I hadn't made a conscious decision to block that attack—Great Sage reacted without hesitation, filling in the gaps of my instincts where I faltered. 

Was this how true combat felt? A balance of reaction, calculation, and trust? Was I overthinking everything?

Calamitas grinned. "See? This is why I'm here. You want her to be safe? Then she needs to know her own power, not just leash it."

Lelyah exhaled sharply, rubbing her temple. "There's a difference between training and throwing her into the fire."

"Oh, I agree," Calamitas said, surprisingly serious. "And we will train. But first, we need to know what she's actually capable of."

I exhaled, my mind racing. What was I capable of?

[Observation: Host's reliance on instinct and adaptive learning is progressing. However, emotional reasoning remains an unquantified variable. Further analysis required.]

Lelyah's gaze flickered between us before she sighed heavily. "Fine. But no more of that recklessness."

Calamitas hummed in amusement but didn't push further. Instead, she looked at me, her expression expectant. "Well? Ready for round two?"

I straightened, inhaling deeply. If I wanted to learn—if I wanted to prove myself—I had to be ready for this.

"Yeah," I said, meeting her gaze. "I'm ready."

[Assessment: Host's combat readiness is incomplete. Predictive combat engagement recommended.]

I hesitated. Predictive combat?

[Notice: Unique Skill – Celestial Foresight limited activation. Predictive pathways enabled at reduced capacity. Host will receive real-time battle insight within safe cognitive limits which is 1 second.]

Suddenly, it was like I could see it—potential movements, counters, evasions. The information flooded my mind in an instant, layered predictions forming as if the battle had already begun.

I clenched my fists, the weight of the knowledge pressing into my chest. Was this what my father and Uncle Hinata had trained under? Had they felt this constant edge, this expectation to sharpen themselves against impossible odds?

Calamitas' smirk widened as if she could sense my shift in perception. "Good. Now, let's see how well you handle it."

Without warning, she vanished.

No—it only felt like she vanished. The moment I blinked, Celestial Foresight flickered in my mind, highlighting her trajectory before my body could register it.

[Warning: Incoming strike. Evasive action required.]

I twisted my weight back just as a burst of heat brushed past my cheek. A split second later, a flame-imbued fist stopped an inch from my nose.

Calamitas grinned. "You actually dodged."

I swallowed. The pressure against my lungs made it hard to focus, but I forced my breath steady. "You're fast."

"Not just fast." Her gaze gleamed with something unreadable. "You saw it, didn't you?"

I didn't answer immediately. But I didn't have to.

Her chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. "Instinct alone wouldn't have caught that."

Lelyah's voice, still tight with unease, cut through the tension. "That's enough."

Calamitas exhaled in exaggerated disappointment, lowering her hand. "Always ruining my fun."

But I barely noticed. My head buzzed from the new awareness Celestial Foresight had granted me. I hadn't been trained for this. My father always preached strategy, control—but this?

This felt different.

[Notice:Host's cognitive adaptation lag detected. Celestial Foresight operating within safe parameters, but host's cognitive processing is struggling to keep pace.]

I took a shaky breath, forcing myself to refocus. This was different from anything I had experienced before—too much, too fast. I wasn't used to seeing multiple possibilities at once, my brain struggling to process the shifting flow of combat before it even happened.

I exhaled, my muscles trembling slightly from exertion. My body felt unnaturally heavy, the lingering effects of Celestial Foresight pressing against my mind like an overfilled dam. I had barely moved, yet every fiber of my being screamed as if I'd just fought for hours.

Lelyah's eyes flickered with concern as she stepped toward me. "Are you hurt?"

I forced myself to straighten, shaking my head even as my vision pulsed at the edges. "No."

Calamitas gave me one last glance before tilting her head toward my mother. "See? I didn't break her."

Lelyah's lips pressed into a thin line. "This isn't over."

Calamitas grinned. "Of course not. It's just getting started."