Blooming Resolve
While Yujin and Kain were undergoing grueling solo training arcs of their own, far from the spotlight, two other cadets from Star Academy were quietly blossoming into formidable forces of their own: Sylvia Estelle and Mira Kisaragi. Both were determined to bridge the gap between them and the two strongest cadets in their year—Yujin and Kain. With the one-month break underway, it was their chance to push past their limits.
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Sylvia returned home to the Blossom Guild, a place nestled atop wind-kissed cliffs lined with fields of radiant flowers. Her older brother, Lysander Estelle, the current Guild Leader, welcomed her with a warm smile, though he immediately noticed the frustration in her eyes.
"Let me guess," he said with a soft chuckle, "Yujin beat you again."
Sylvia looked away, visibly annoyed. "I gave it everything in the practical. But the gap between us… it's still there. I want you to train me, Lys. Seriously. No holding back."
Lysander's expression turned serious. "Alright then. For the next thirty days, I won't go easy on you. You'll hate me by the end, but you'll be stronger than ever."
Their training started the next day at dawn. Sylvia was awakened by the roar of summoned wind beasts—trial guardians crafted from ancient Blossom Guild magic. Her task was simple in theory: defeat them using only her spear and wind manipulation.
Day after day, Sylvia battled elemental beasts while Lysander watched from above, occasionally stepping in to critique her form or increase the difficulty. Her mana control grew sharper, her movement smoother. She honed a new skill—Gale Bloom, a mid-range AOE wind slash that created spiraling petals of slicing air.
On the 14th day, Lysander pushed her harder. He summoned a field-wide hurricane and dropped her into the eye. "Control the wind, or be thrown by it," he said calmly from above.
Sylvia fought against the storm for hours, bleeding, exhausted, barely able to stand. But she learned to center herself, to make the storm her own. By the end of the day, her aura had shifted—calmer, focused. She had achieved partial mastery of her Wind Domain.
By day 25, Sylvia could create a sphere of floating petals around her, each one razor sharp and guided by her thoughts. Lysander named this ability Blossom Requiem.
"You've bloomed beautifully, little sister," he said with a rare proud smile.
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Meanwhile, Mira Kisaragi had returned to the Poison Guild's hidden fortress nestled within a poisonous forest. The guild's towering hall reeked of alchemical brews and enchanted toxins. At its center stood Reina Kisaragi, the Guild Leader, Mira's mother—a feared assassin known across the continent.
Mira bowed respectfully. "Mother, I request training. I wasn't strong enough."
Reina stared at her daughter coldly. "You want strength? Then let go of hesitation. The world doesn't wait for those who pause."
Training under Reina was like dancing on the edge of death. Mira was dropped into poison fogs, forced to dodge enchanted needles, and pushed to maintain illusions while under intense pressure. Reina broke down her movements, her reflexes, her mental resistance.
By the 10th day, Mira could extend illusions across an entire field, fooling even trained assassins in the guild. She combined her pressure-point martial arts with poison-infused strikes and developed a new technique: Phantom Wisteria, an illusion technique that created multiple clones that could mimic her real strikes.
On day 18, Reina pushed her into a trial room filled with high-level rogue beasts, immune to basic illusions. Mira had to adapt. She focused her senses and improved her mana perception. She discovered a new sensory trick—Poison Sense, an instinctual ability to detect and react to mana changes through scent and toxic traces.
By day 29, Reina tested her with a final assassination trial. Mira infiltrated the inner vault of the guild's poison archives—dodging traps, bypassing illusions, and defeating high-ranking guards without being detected. When she exited, she knelt before her mother, offering the poison gem she retrieved.
Reina finally smiled. "You're worthy of the Kisaragi name now. The world will fear the Blooming Phantom."
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On the final day of the break, both Sylvia and Mira stood at their respective guild entrances, ready to return to Star Academy.
Sylvia's long silver hair danced in the wind, her aura calm but fierce.
Mira's violet eyes glowed faintly with illusion mana, her footsteps completely silent.
They didn't say a word to each other, but they both understood—this next semester, they would not be standing behind Yujin and Kain.
They had bloomed.
And the world was about to witness it.