The Next Step

The training grounds had grown quieter after the sparring match with Lee Anil. Most of the students had left or moved to other areas, leaving Ved with the solitude he desired. The morning chill still lingered in the air, though the sun had begun its slow ascent, casting golden light across the academy grounds.

Ved adjusted his grip on his sword, exhaling softly. He wasn't done.

Lee had been an unplanned distraction, but now it was time to return to his real focus.

Combining his affinities.

He had tried before. Many times. Before coming to the academy, he had spent the last hours—days—experimenting, trying to merge Ice and Time into something greater. But each attempt had ended the same way.

Failure.

His advanced Ice affinity came naturally. He could manipulate the element with ease, shaping it, controlling its form and temperature, freezing enemies in an instant.

His beginner-level Time affinity was far less cooperative. It was fickle, unstable. He could slow things down, briefly accelerate his own movements, create fleeting distortions in the flow of time, but nothing more. It was a frustrating limitation, a barrier that stood between him and its true potential.

Ved had no interest in always using them separately forever. He knew that if he wanted to truly dominate, to become the force he envisioned, he needed them to become one. A single, unified technique. A single, overwhelming power.

And yet, despite his tireless efforts, he still hadn't found the key. The secret to unlocking their combined potential remained elusive.

He took a steady breath.

Focus. It was the key to everything.

He stretched out his hand, allowing mana to gather at his fingertips, The first step was always the easiest. Ice bloomed from his palm, spreading outward in an intricate, fractal pattern of frost, delicate yet deadly. A cold mist, tinged with blue, formed around it, curling and swirling through the air like a living thing.

Now came the difficult part.

Ved activated Temporal Flick.

A faint distortion, almost imperceptible, shimmered around his palm, the very air seeming to ripple and bend. His mana shifted unnaturally, the sensation of time bending, of its very fabric warping, was subtle but undeniable.

The two forces, Ice and Time, hovered near each other, close yet stubbornly unwilling to mix. One, Ice, was solid and absolute, a force of unwavering cold. The other, Time, was fluid and ever-changing, a current that constantly flowed and shifted.

Ved clenched his jaw, his muscles tense.

Merge.

The mana in his hand pulsed. A surge of power attempting to bridge the gap between the two affinities. 

For a fleeting moment, the ice flickered, almost as if time itself wavered and distorted around it. A thin, almost imperceptible distortion spread through the intricate frost pattern, a hint of the power that could be.

But then—

Crack.

The energy collapsed. The ice shattered, and the unstable time distortion dissipated into nothing.

Ved narrowed his eyes, his breath slow and controlled.

Again. He would try again. And again. And again, if necessary.

He repeated the process. Ice. Time. Merge.

Failure.

Again.

Failure.

Again.

Failure.

The crackling sound of ice shattering echoed through the training grounds, an endless cycle of attempt and failure, attempt and failure.

He remained emotionless throughout it all, his face a mask of icy calm. No flicker of frustration, no hint of discouragement. Only cold analysis, a relentless pursuit of understanding.

He expected failure. He knew that progress came at a price, that breakthroughs were forged in the fires of repeated attempts.

This was simply part of the process, a necessary step on the path to mastery.

Ved closed his fist, dispersing the remnants of magic lingering in the air. His mana reserves were barely affected, he had been careful, measured. But there was no progress. No change.

The answer, the key to unlocking this power, remained elusive.

He stood still for a moment, his icy blue eyes scanning the horizon, taking in the vast expanse of the academy grounds. Somewhere in the distance, beyond the walls of the open training grounds, he could hear the faint sounds of students laughing, chatting, living their meaningless little lives.

Ved dismissed them from his thoughts. They weren't relevant. They held no interest for him.

He turned his attention inward, focusing on the problem that consumed him, reviewing every detail, every aspect of his training, everything he had learned so far.

His Ice affinity was strong—advanced-level, stable, powerful. It responded effortlessly, obeying his will.

His Time affinity was weaker—beginner-level, unreliable, inconsistent. It resisted control, slipping through his grasp like sand.

Perhaps that was the core of the problem. 

Perhaps Time, in its current state, was simply too weak, too unstable to merge with the power of his Ice affinity.

Ved didn't believe in rushing things. He had patience, unlike fools who burned through their potential too quickly. But he understood one thing with absolute certainty—

Power must be seized, not waited for. It was not a gift but a prize to be claimed.

If his Time affinity wasn't strong enough to merge with his Ice affinity, then he had two options to consider.

One: Keep training until it reached a high enough level, a point where it could be equal with his Ice affinity.

Two: Seek another method, a different approach, a way to force the fusion.

The first option was slow, but guaranteed. The second was risky but held potential.

Ved exhaled through his nose, considering the two paths before him. He would have to weigh the risks and rewards carefully, analyze the potential outcomes, and choose the path that offered the greatest chance of success.

But for now, he had exhausted what little ground he could cover.

His sword returned to its sheath with a quiet click, the sound echoing in the stillness of the training grounds.

Without another word, without a backward glance, he turned and left the open training grounds, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.

He would figure this out. He was certain of it.

It was only a matter of time.