Chapter 13: Foundations of the Sword

Adrian sat on the remains of a shattered pillar, his breathing steady but deep. The battle with the Sentinel had left its mark—not just on his body, but on his mind.

The clash had been unlike any other fight in this forsaken realm. The wraiths, husks, and beasts had been terrifying, but they lacked something fundamental. They fought with instinct, with madness, with hunger.

But the Sentinel?

It had fought with purpose.

Every move had been deliberate, every strike honed from an eternity of combat. There had been no wasted motion, no hesitation. And Adrian had barely been able to keep up.

He looked down at his hands, at the calloused grip that still remembered the weight of his blade. He had won, but not through brute strength alone.

Something had awakened.

Skybound Edict.

The first true technique of the Heavenly Sword Scripture had surfaced in the heat of battle, not through careful study or conscious effort, but through necessity.

It had felt natural. As if the blade had moved on its own. As if the sword itself had momentarily guided him.

He exhaled, drawing the Eclipse Blade once more.

The System had already registered the skill, but that didn't mean he understood it fully. A technique wasn't just about using it once—it had to be refined, mastered, integrated into his very being.

His father's words echoed in his mind.

"The sword does not follow you. You follow the sword."

"The sword is not just a weapon, Adrian. It is an extension of your will. A force that cuts through hesitation. You do not swing your sword—you let it move where it must."

Adrian shifted his stance, recalling the exact moment Skybound Edict had activated.

It was more than a simple slash. It was an execution of intent—cutting through hesitation, moving with absolute clarity.

He moved.

The first attempt was clumsy. The motion lacked fluidity.

Again.

The second attempt was better, but too rigid.

Again.

The third flowed more naturally, but the strike lacked the effortless momentum he had felt in battle.

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

Something was missing.

The Sentinel had forced him into that state—pushed him to react at the precise moment when his body, mind, and instincts aligned. That was the key.

A battle-forged state of clarity.

He sheathed his blade and stepped away from the ruins, moving toward a more open space.

If he wanted to understand Skybound Edict, he couldn't just swing his sword blindly. He had to push himself into that same state of focus.

A deep breath.

He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes.

He wasn't just standing in an empty clearing.

He was back in the fight.

The Sentinel's blade descended.

Adrian moved, his body remembering the pace, the weight, the flow of battle. His sword rose in perfect response, parrying the invisible strike, shifting seamlessly into a counterattack.

His blade cut through the phantom of his memory.

This time, the technique wasn't forced. It came naturally, as if it had always been part of him.

A gust of wind followed the strike, the force of the movement disturbing the dust and debris around him.

Adrian opened his eyes.

Skybound Edict wasn't just a sword move.

It was a way of thinking.

A technique that demanded absolute clarity, absolute decisiveness.

He sheathed his blade, satisfaction settling into his chest.

The Nightmare Realm had not broken him.

It had forged him.

But this was just the beginning.

More battles awaited. More techniques to uncover. More truths to grasp.

For now, he let himself breathe.

Tomorrow, the journey would continue.