The next day, at the gymnasium.

"So, why did you call me here?"

I asked with a glare, still not over yesterday. My face probably made it obvious—I wasn't in the mood.

Julian stood in front of me, arms crossed, looking annoyingly relaxed. His white silver hair—same color as mine—caught the light as he tilted his head.

"I've been hearing rumors about you from the professors lately," he said.

"Rumors?" I frowned. "What rumors?"

"That you've been training nonstop. Pretty intensely, too."

…Lycan.

It had to be him running his mouth.

"And what about it?" I replied, scowling deeper.

The swelling on my cheek from when Julian hit me last time still hadn't gone down. Every time I felt the sting, I remembered the humiliating defeat.

Julian, of course, didn't seem bothered at all. If anything, he looked amused.

He flashed a bright smile—the kind that made me want to punch him.

"I was worried," he said lightly. "I thought our youngest might've gotten a bit full of himself after gaining some… insignificant little power."

"…What?"

I stared at him, utterly baffled.

Julian is worried about me?

What worry?

He probably just wants an excuse to pick a fight.

Remembering the Louis from the original memories—young, timid Louis who always got beaten up under the guise of "sparring"—my brows knit together. Julian never missed a chance back then.

"So what are you trying to say?" I asked flatly.

"Let's have a sparring match between brothers. It's been a while," Julian said, wearing that infuriatingly casual smile.

"We literally had one not long ago."

"So you're refusing?"

His tone sharpened, just slightly. A challenge wrapped in a mockery.

I clicked my tongue.

There was absolutely no reason for me to spar with him again.

Skill-wise, Julian and I were worlds apart—at least from an outside perspective.

But…

That expression on his face.

The tiny smirk.

The way his eyes dared me to back down.

He knew exactly how to provoke Louis.

And I wasn't about to let that stand.

"I have no reason not to," I replied calmly.

Julian let out a laugh. "Hahaha! You've become bold since awakening, haven't you?"

We walked toward the sparring platform.

The moment we stepped onto it, the atmosphere changed.

The air grew heavier—tensed—with students turning to watch.

This wasn't just a casual sparring match.

It never was with Julian.

We each picked up a blunt practice sword.

I wasn't planning to dodge him this time.

He wanted this fight.

Fine.

But I wasn't going in blindly.

I had a strategy.

Julian lifted his sword lazily, as if this were all too easy.

That smug confidence only strengthened my resolve.

The moment the referee signaled the start—

Swish!

I rushed at Julian without hesitation, lowering my center of gravity and closing the distance in an instant.

If he wanted to fight, then I'd show him.

The moment Julian swung his sword at me, I knew this was it.

Now's the time.

Woong—

A faint vibration hummed through my body as I activated my magnetic force.

The energy spread outward, latching onto Julian's blade.

"…!"

His sword jerked sharply to the side, dragged off course by the magnetic pull radiating from me.

Julian's eyes widened, immediately sensing the shift in its trajectory—but by then it was too late.

The blade, which had been aiming straight for my ribs, veered past me harmlessly.

Taking advantage of the brief opening created by the unexpected deflection, I stepped in without hesitation and drove my sword toward his chest.

Julian barely managed to throw himself backward, boots scraping against the floor as he dodged.

When he regained his footing, he stared at me with a strange look—half impressed, half wary.

"What was that? You told me to go all out," I reminded him.

"…You've gained a new trick in the meantime." His brows knitted. "That wasn't aura."

"This is also one of my abilities," I said, gripping my sword tighter. "Why not make full use of it?"

Julian opened his mouth as if to retort, but before he could, I surged forward again.

With each movement of my blade, I continued channeling magnetic force into his.

Julian's sword kept getting pulled—slipping out of alignment, twitching at odd angles, refusing to obey his control.

He clicked his tongue, visibly thrown off.

"You—this is cheating in a duel, you know that?"

"It is not!"

"Tch—!"

Julian had no choice but to dodge.

For the first time since the duel began, he was the one scrambling to react.

My attacks rained down one after another—clean, fluid, and backed by invisible force—while Julian twisted, pivoted, and backstepped in an attempt to regain his rhythm.

But every time he tried to counterattack, his sword was yanked just slightly off the mark.

Every swing interrupted.

Every stance broken.

Every attempt at retaliation disrupted before it even started.

Julian gritted his teeth, clearly frustrated by the unfamiliar situation.

Meanwhile, I felt a grin tug at my lips.

Because for once—

I was the one pushing Julian back.

This time, I swung my sword at Julian from an angle he couldn't possibly dodge.

His eyes widened a fraction, but he still reacted fast—bringing his sword up to block.

However—

Clang!

Julian's arm trembled violently as the magnetic force radiating from my body surged through the blades.

That momentary imbalance was all I needed.

I twisted my wrist and knocked his sword away with a sharp strike.

And then—

Thud!

"―"

My fist sank straight into Julian's unguarded face.

A jolt of pain shot through my knuckles, but I didn't care.

Watching Julian's head snap to the side—

A pure, electric sense of triumph ran through me.

I actually hit him.

I actually hit Julian.

But my victory lasted less than a heartbeat.

"You think you've won just because you landed one attack?"

"…Huh?"

Before the word even registered, my world flipped upside down.

Something slammed into me—hard.

The floor rushed up to meet me, and then—

Crash!

I found myself sprawled across the ground, staring up at the ceiling with blurry eyes.

Defeat.

The result was obvious and absolute.

But even so…

A grin tugged at the corner of my lips.

Normally, the gap between Julian and me is a canyon—wide, impossible, humiliatingly out of reach.

Someone at the brink of Sword Expert versus someone who only just touched aura.

Realistically, no matter how desperately I tried, I shouldn't even be able to graze the edge of his uniform.

An unbridgeable skill difference.

A wall that shouldn't be crossed.

And yet—

I hit him.

Even if just once.

Even if it was messy, reckless, and probably pissed him off.

I inflicted actual damage on Julian.

A thrill—sharp and addictive—ran through me, pushing aside the ache in my back.

Lying on the floor, staring up at the sky, I couldn't stop the triumphant smile spreading across my face.

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