Chapter 20: The Test

Adrian's POV

The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant pine. Adrian followed his father in silence, their footsteps the only sound between them.

Cedric hadn't spoken since breakfast, and Adrian hadn't asked why. He already knew.

This wasn't a casual walk.

It was a test.

They passed the training grounds, where knights sparred in rhythmic motions, blades clashing in well-practiced exchanges. Normally, Adrian wouldn't have paid them much attention. But now?

His eyes lingered. Not out of curiosity, but out of habit.

Their movements were efficient—but predictable. Footwork steady, but rigid. Their strikes had weight, but lacked fluidity.

There are too many wasted movements.

That thought came unbidden, instinctual. And that was when Adrian realized it.

He was assessing them. Automatically. As if something in him now understood combat on a different level.

The realization sent a strange chill through him.

This isn't normal.

Cedric kept walking, leading him past the estate walls and into the quiet embrace of the forest. The deeper they went, the more isolated the path became, until they reached a secluded clearing where the ground was untouched by daily drills.

A blank space. A proving ground.

Only then did Cedric stop.

Turning slowly, his father's gaze was unreadable, but his intent was clear.

"Show me your stance," he ordered.

It wasn't a request.

Adrian hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward.

His feet positioned themselves automatically—steady, grounded, but looser than the rigid forms he had been taught in training. His hands remained relaxed at his sides, ready to move.

A stance that was both unfamiliar and instinctive.

Cedric's sharp eyes missed nothing.

Then, without warning—he moved.

Adrian reacted before he could think.

His foot slid back, shifting his weight seamlessly. His torso twisted just enough for the strike to graze past, missing him by a hair's breadth.

Effortless.

It had been so easy.

Silence stretched between them.

Adrian straightened, his breath steady, his pulse calm. But his mind was anything but.

That shouldn't have been possible.

He had sparred with his father before. Cedric was a seasoned warrior, his attacks controlled but lightning-fast. Normally, it took everything Adrian had to keep up.

But now?

He had moved as if it were second nature.

And he hadn't even realized it.

Cedric lowered his hand, but his expression didn't change. He studied Adrian carefully, gaze sharp as ever.

"You hesitated," Cedric finally said.

Adrian frowned. "Did I?"

"You reacted before you thought," his father continued. "Instinct. And yet, the moment after—you were uncertain. Why?"

Adrian didn't answer immediately. Because he wasn't sure.

Because his body moved like a seasoned fighter.

Because he had spent days—weeks? Months?—fighting in the Nightmare Realm.

Because only moments had passed here.

And because, deep down, some part of him wondered—was this really still his body?

Or something more?

"...I wasn't expecting it," he finally answered.

A lie. A half-truth.

But Cedric didn't push.

Instead, his father watched him for a long, unreadable moment—then, to Adrian's surprise, he smirked.

"Good," Cedric said simply.

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

No further questions. No explanations.

But Adrian knew.

His father had found the answer he was looking for.

And something told him—this was only the beginning.

---

Cedric's POV

Cedric had known the moment Adrian returned.

Something had changed.

At first, it was subtle. The way his son moved—slightly more fluid, more controlled. The way he sat at the breakfast table—too still, too aware.

And then, there were the small things.

How Adrian's gaze lingered on the knights sparring in the courtyard. Not with the awe or curiosity of a noble son, but with something else. Something colder.

He wasn't just watching. He was analyzing.

Measuring.

Assessing weaknesses.

Cedric had trained men for years. He knew how to read a soldier, a warrior, a killer.

Adrian was none of those things.

And yet.

The moment his son stepped into the clearing, Cedric confirmed what he already suspected.

His stance.

It wasn't one of a trained knight. It wasn't even the stance Cedric had drilled into him.

It was looser. Lighter. Like someone who understood combat beyond just drills and forms.

A stance of efficiency.

Cedric's thoughts remained unreadable as he moved.

Fast. Sharp. Testing.

He wasn't aiming to strike Adrian. Just to see if he would react. If his instincts would betray what he had become.

And they did.

Before Cedric could blink, Adrian had already moved.

Seamlessly.

No wasted motion. No unnecessary effort.

He had evaded as if it were natural. As if it were a reflex, honed from battle. Real battle.

It was not the reaction of a noble boy who had only ever sparred in training sessions.

It was the reaction of a warrior.

Cedric did not let his expression change, but inwardly, he knew.

Adrian had fought before.

Not here. Not in this world.

But somewhere.

And it hadn't just been training.

It had been life or death.

"You hesitated," Cedric said, testing him.

A slight furrow of Adrian's brows. A flicker of uncertainty.

"You reacted before you thought," Cedric continued. "Instinct. And yet, the moment after—you were uncertain. Why?"

Adrian hesitated.

And in that moment, Cedric knew he was right.

This wasn't something Adrian had been taught.

It was something he had lived.

Adrian finally answered, "...I wasn't expecting it."

A lie.

Not a complete one, but a lie nonetheless.

Cedric studied him carefully.

His son didn't fully understand it himself.

But Cedric did.

And so, instead of pressing further, he smirked.

"Good."

Then, he turned and walked away.

No need for more words. No need to push.

He had found his answer.

His son had returned stronger. But it wasn't just strength. It wasn't just skill.

It was something more.

Something… dangerous.

And Cedric was going to find out exactly what it was.