Sirius returned to the place where the mannequin stood, deep within the forest. For the first time, Aurelius wasn't with him. His grandfather had fulfilled his role, he had created Sirius's martial art. Now, it was up to Sirius to practice it alone.
He took the correct stance and attempted his technique for the first time.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, first movement – Falling Edge.
His saber swung down with all his strength, trying to slice the mannequin in two. Yet the dummy remained untouched, not even a scratch on it.
Sirius thought it was normal. After all, it was his first attempt, his first time using the technique, and the first time wielding the saber. He was still a novice, inexperienced with his own martial art. Of course he would fail the first time. With this mindset, Sirius pressed on.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, second movement – Cross Fang.
He slashed from the top right to the bottom left, then from the top left to the bottom right.
Again, the mannequin remained unscathed. But this time, Sirius had done a little better. His grip was firmer, his understanding of the saber, deeper.
And so, time passed.
On the first day, completely inexperienced with both his saber and his martial art, Sirius felt deeply unsatisfied. Every time he swung his blade, every time he struck the mannequin, he felt something missing, as if the most important part of the technique had yet to reveal itself.
On the second day, he had gained a little more experience. But he was still clumsy and unsure. He chained the techniques together as quickly as he could, trying to understand what was missing. But no answer came.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, first movements - Falling Edge.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, third movements - Line Break.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, sixth movements - Cleave Up.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, seventh movements - Chain Thrust.
He moved as fast as possible, with all the strength he could muster, and still, nothing.
A week passed.
Sirius now felt more comfortable with his Hendirun saber. He had practiced the Cycle-Ending Bloom technique so often that he believed he could use it even in his sleep. Yet the feeling of absence never faded. When he asked Aurelius about it, his grandfather simply said, "You must find it yourself."
Cycle-Ending Bloom, second movements - Cross Fang.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, forth movements - Spiral Lunge.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, seventh movements - Chain Thrust.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, eighth movements - Split Flow.
And so he continued, chasing strength. Chasing the power to save others. Hoping to become someone his grandfather would be proud of. He had to understand that feeling.
A month passed.
Sirius's mastery over the Hendirun saber was beginning to plateau. After all, he had trained with it for an entire month. He knew the exact range of his blade, its size, its edge, its shape. And yet… he didn't know how to push his mastery further.
As for Cycle-Ending Bloom, his martial art, it had become second nature. He knew when and how to use each movement, the timing of every strike, the reach of every technique. But still, the feeling evaded him.
His body, wrapped in a black and gold hanfu, was always drenched in sweat under the harsh sun. He began to stop feeling pain, or even fatigue. At thirteen years old, he had become little more than a machine, executing his martial art endlessly day or night, rain or shine, fever or not, feeling or not.
For this young man, discovering the meaning of that missing feeling had become his path. As important as life itself.
Aurelius, who had watched Sirius for more than a year, began to feel something stir within himself. A sense of duty, perhaps. He hadn't practiced martial arts for more than a decade. But now, seeing the boy, no, the young man train with such devotion, how could he remain idle?
He could no longer say, "I'll never reach the next Realm," and use it as an excuse. Not when the child he raised was doing everything he could.
So, in another part of the domain, surrounded by groves of bamboo, Aurelius resumed his training. At seventy-seven years old, he began the journey anew, as hard and as fierce as Sirius.
And so, time continued to flow.
Two months passed.
Three months.
Six months.
Sirius and Aurelius, each on their own path, trained without pause. Sirius, the novice, devoted himself to understanding both his saber and his technique, endlessly striking the mannequin.
Aurelius, in turn, regained his Peak Completion Realm. He trained using only himself, his sword, and the sword aura, the union of both. After all, no mannequin could withstand the power of a Peak Completion Realm martial artist.
They only saw each other during dinner, and even then, words were rare. Neither slept much. Sirius didn't know that Aurelius had resumed training, he simply ate, trained, and sometimes even slept in the same clearing.
But Aurelius knew everything. His vision, enhanced by his Realm, saw every inch of his domain. He watched Sirius struggle, pouring his whole heart into each strike, and each time, his resolve to break through to the next Realm grew stronger.
They were both chasing that elusive feeling, the insight that would allow them to ascend. Sirius could see the path, but not reach it. Aurelius, in contrast, could see nothing, but believed that if he continued, something would come.
And time kept flowing.
A year passed.
A year and one month.
A year and two months.
Sirius was filled with frustration. He was now fourteen, and still, the feeling eluded him. Each month brought him closer, but never close enough.
His mastery over both his Hendirun saber and Cycle-Ending Bloom had peaked. He knew it. He could go no further while remaining under the Self Vision Realm. As a novice, he had reached his limits.
And yet, he had no choice. He had to continue. To train, even knowing he might gain nothing , because he believed it would be worth it.
Aurelius… still felt nothing. No insight. No enlightenment. He trained even harder than Sirius, and yet it brought him no closer. But he had no choice either. Because he knew… his time was running out.
He had to grasp it, whatever it was, before death took him, before he left Sirius alone.
But Winter was coming.
And so… time continued to flow.