Chapter 6: The Art of Suffering Gracefully

A week had passed since training began.

Seven days of sweat, bruises, and the cruel betrayal of his own muscles.

At first, Audrey thought he'd adjust quickly. He had *limitless potential*, after all—one of his three carefully chosen wishes. His body should be adapting at an absurd rate, right?

And to be fair, it *was*.

But that didn't mean he was *enjoying* it.

Right now, for example, he was lying flat on his back in the grass, arms spread wide like he'd been smote by a vengeful god. His entire body ached in ways he hadn't thought possible.

"This is fine," he told himself. "This is just the necessary suffering before greatness."

A shadow loomed over him. Then, the inevitable voice followed.

"You dying, or just pretending?"

Audrey cracked open one eye—purely for dramatic effect. Ellessia stood over him, hands on her hips, exuding the energy of someone who had *not* just endured an hour of relentless drills.

Audrey groaned. "I'm taking a tactical break."

Elijah's voice came from a few steps away, calm as ever. "You mean lying there like a corpse?"

"Tactically," Audrey corrected, dragging in a deep breath. "It's called muscle recovery. Look it up."

Ellessia sat down beside him, entirely too energetic for someone who had done just as many drills. Audrey still wasn't sure if she was just *one of those people*—the kind who *enjoyed* training.

A week ago, he might have felt bitter about it. But after a few days of watching her and Elijah move, he realized something.

Elijah wasn't here to become a swordsman.

Audrey had spent hours listening—how Elijah moved, how he positioned himself, the way he always adjusted to keep Ellessia in his peripheral. It wasn't obvious, but it was *consistent*.

He wasn't training for himself.

He was training to *protect her*.

The realization left a strange taste in Audrey's mouth. It made sense. In stories, noble houses *always* had some overpowered bodyguard dedicated to keeping the heir alive. Elijah wasn't trying to be the best swordsman—he was making sure no one could kill his sister.

"Why are you staring at me?" Elijah asked.

Audrey smirked. "I was just thinking."

Elijah hummed, unconvinced.

Ellessia poked Audrey's arm. "Are you done recovering yet? Or should I call Darek over to help?"

Audrey bolted upright. "I'm good, I'm good."

From across the training grounds, Darek's gravelly voice barked orders at another group of trainees. Audrey could *feel* his presence like an impending storm.

"Good," Ellessia chirped. "Then let's test something."

Audrey frowned. "Test what?"

"Elijah's Divine Gift."

Audrey tilted his head. "Oh?"

He'd heard about Divine Gifts before. Unique abilities granted to *special* people. The kind of thing that usually marked someone as an MC or an absurdly strong side character.

He was *very* interested.

Elijah, however, hesitated. "I don't think that's necessary."

Audrey grinned. "Come on, you're not curious?"

Elijah sighed but didn't protest further.

Audrey pushed himself to his feet and squared his shoulders. "Alright, hit me."

Ellessia blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Not *literally*," Audrey said. "Just use magic or whatever. I want to see if I can sense it."

Elijah didn't move immediately. Audrey could almost *hear* him debating whether this was a bad idea. But after a moment, the air *shifted*.

It was subtle. A faint hum, like pressure changing before a storm. The hairs on Audrey's arms stood up, and the space around them felt… *different*.

But that was it.

He couldn't *see* it. Couldn't grasp what was happening.

He just *felt* something change.

"That's… annoying," he muttered.

Ellessia tilted her head. "Did you sense anything?"

Audrey frowned. "Sort of? I *know* something happened, but I can't tell what."

Elijah let the magic dissipate. "That makes sense. You don't have mana."

Audrey exhaled through his nose. "Fine, fine. I'll bite. What does your Divine Gift do?"

Elijah hesitated. Then, after a moment, he answered, "It's called *Final Hour*."

Audrey crossed his arms. "Dramatic. I like it. What's it do?"

Ellessia smirked. "It's *really* unfair."

Elijah ignored her. "I can choose whether my attacks deal immediate damage… or store the effect for later."

Audrey's eyebrows shot up. "Wait—hold on. You're telling me you can *hit* someone, and they just… don't notice until you say so?"

"Essentially."

Audrey stared at him. "That is *ridiculous*."

Ellessia grinned. "Told you."

Audrey ran a hand through his hair, laughing under his breath. "*Final Hour*, huh?"

Elijah just shrugged.

"Alright," Audrey said, rubbing his chin. "Hypothetically speaking… if you *did* hit me, and then activated it later, would I just *die* on the spot?"

Elijah hesitated. "If I wanted to."

Audrey took a step back. "Noted. Staying on your good side forever."

Ellessia snorted.

Audrey, however, was genuinely impressed. That was an *insanely* good ability. A perfect tool for someone whose job was to protect another.

He felt a little envious.

Not that it mattered.

He had to work with what he had.

Later that day, after another round of training that left Audrey questioning his life choices, Darek finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"You're keeping up," he said gruffly.

Audrey wiped sweat from his brow, still catching his breath. "Was that a compliment, Instructor?"

Darek scoffed. "Don't push your luck."

Audrey smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Darek eyed him for a long moment. "You're improving fast. But don't get cocky. Keeping up is impressive enough."

Audrey frowned. "Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?"

Darek nodded toward Ellessia and Elijah. "Because there is."

Audrey followed the gesture, not that it helped much.

"They're not normal," Darek continued. "Ellessia has a rare family constitution. Elijah has a Divine Gift. You? You have none of that."

Audrey blinked. "Ellessia has a what now?"

Darek's tone remained steady. "The fact that you're managing to match them at all is ridiculous. But don't let it go to your head. You've got a long road ahead."

Audrey wiped the sweat from his face and smirked. "Good thing I like a challenge."

Darek muttered something about "stubborn little brats" and walked off.

Ellessia clapped her hands. "So, what now?"

Audrey stretched, his muscles still aching. "Now?" He grinned. "We go again."

Elijah sighed. "Of course we do."

Ellessia cheered.

And with that, Audrey stepped forward, pushing past the pain, past the exhaustion—because if he was going to be the *blind swordsman prodigy*, he had no time to waste.

The road ahead was long.

But he'd walk it.

One step at a time.