The training hall smelled faintly of old wood, steel, and morning dew.
Sunlight filtered through the high windows in pale shafts, dust motes drifting lazily through the air. Julien stood at the center of the polished floor, the deck of black-and-gold cards resting in his hands.
They were heavier than they looked.
Not in weight.
In presence.
Ever since the synchronization, he could feel them—like a second pulse layered over his own heartbeat.
Steady.
Patient.
Waiting.
He exhaled slowly.
'Don't rush. Grandfather said artifacts hate impatience.'
The hall doors opened behind him.
Soft footsteps.
"Good morning, little brother."
Julien turned, startled, and then relaxed when he saw Alicia walking in, rapier sheathed at her waist, training uniform replacing her usual formal attire.
"Alicia? Aren't you supposed to be at the academy already?"
She shrugged lightly. "I delayed my departure by a day. After what happened, Father thought it would be good if I observed your training myself."
Her eyes moved to the cards in his hands.
"And… I was curious."
Julien gave an awkward laugh. "Everyone seems to be."
She stepped closer, examining the deck. The black surface absorbed light unnaturally, while the golden symbols faintly shimmered, shifting like living runes.
"So these are the famous cards that shocked grandfather yesterday," she said.
"They're not scary," Julien muttered. "They're just… strange."
Alicia smiled. "Everything important is strange at first."
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then, casually, as if discussing the weather, she asked, "By the way… why aren't you enrolling in the academy this year?"
Julien stiffened.
He had expected the question.
Still, it struck deeper than he wanted.
"I'm not ready," he said after a pause.
"Physically or mentally?"
"Both and it compulsory to attend the Academy at 17."
Alicia studied his face carefully. "You saved a child from a vampire. Most first-years can't even face a beast properly."
"That was luck," Julien replied quickly. "And panic."
"And instinct," she added softly.
He looked away.
'If I go now… I'll only become a burden.'
Before he could answer, Helior's voice echoed from the side of the hall.
"Talking is useful. But cards do not reveal themselves through conversation."
The old man stepped forward, staff tapping once against the floor.
"Julien. Today is not about power. It is about understanding."
He gestured to the center of the hall.
"Awaken them fully."
Julien swallowed and nodded.
He held the deck in both hands.
Closed his eyes.
And reached.
Not with mana.
With intent.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
A faint vibration.
The golden symbols brightened.
One card slid out of the deck on its own.
Then another.
Then another.
They hovered in the air before him, slowly rotating, forming a loose circle.
Alicia's eyes widened slightly.
"Telekinesis…"
"Not quite," Helior said calmly. "This is adaptation. The cards are not moving because of force. They are responding to his will directly."
Julien opened his eyes.
The sight stole his breath.
Twelve cards floated around him, each one emitting a faint, controlled hum... and rest are in the deck.
When he lifted a finger, one card drifted closer.
When he turned his wrist, the circle rotated.
It felt… natural.
Too natural.
'Like they were waiting for this.'
He tried something simple.
"Spread."
The cards shot outward, spacing themselves evenly in a wide ring.
Alicia clapped lightly. "You look like a stage magician."
He gave a nervous grin. "I feel like I'm about to drop them all."
"Now," Helior said, "try channeling mana."
Julien hesitated.
He drew in a slow breath and let his wind affinity flow.
The air around his body stirred.
The cards reacted instantly.
Thin currents of wind wrapped around their edges, sharpening their presence.
Their movement became smoother.
Faster.
More precise.
Julien's eyes widened.
'They're not resisting… they're accepting it.'
He moved his hand.
The cards shot forward, stopping an inch from a training dummy's chest.
Not striking.
Just… waiting.
Control.
Perfect control.
Alicia whistled softly. "That's terrifying."
Julien lowered his hand, the cards returning to hover near him.
His heart was pounding.
Not from fear.
From curiosity.
And then—
A thought surfaced.
Uninvited.
Clear.
'Swordsmen coat their blades with mana.'
'Spearmen coat their tips.'
'Even healers infuse their staves with affinity…'
His gaze fixed on the floating cards.
'Then what happens… if I do the same?'
He glanced at Helior.
"Grandfather… can I try something dangerous?"
Helior narrowed his eyes. "Define dangerous."
Julien hesitated.
"I want to fuse my affinity… directly into the cards. Not just guide them. Change them."
Alicia stiffened. "Julien, artifacts aren't weapons you experiment with casually."
"They're adaptive," Julien said quietly. "You said so yourself. They change based on the user."
Helior studied him for a long moment.
Then slowly nodded.
"Very carefully. One card. Minimal output."
Julien selected a single card.
Let the others drift back.
He focused on his water affinity this time.
Drew moisture from the air.
And pushed it into the card.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
The golden symbols shifted.
Blue veins traced along the black surface.
A thin layer of condensed water formed around the card, hardening into a translucent edge.
The air temperature dropped slightly.
Alicia's breath caught.
Helior's eyes sharpened.
Julien moved his hand.
The card shot forward.
It didn't pierce the dummy.
It froze it.
A thin layer of ice spread across the wooden surface, cracking softly.
Julien froze in shock.
"I didn't mean to—"
"Stop," Helior said, voice tight.
He stepped forward, examining the frozen impact point.
"Again. This time with wind."
Julien obeyed.
Another card.
This time, he infused wind.
The card vibrated.
Its edges blurred.
When he released it—
It didn't hit.
It cut.
A clean line appeared across the dummy's torso.
Silent.
Precise.
Deadly.
The hall went quiet.
Alicia finally spoke.
"…You're not coating them."
Julien swallowed. "Then what am I doing?"
Helior answered slowly.
"You are rewriting their function."
He turned to Julien.
"Most weapons accept affinity as reinforcement. Your cards accept it as identity."
Julien looked at the deck in his hands.
Not a tool.
Not yet.
A framework.
Something that could become almost anything.
'This isn't just telekinesis.'
'This is… creation.'
His hands trembled slightly.
Alicia placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey. Don't look like that. You did great."
"I did something I don't understand," Julien replied.
She smiled faintly. "That's how every genius starts."
Helior's voice grew serious.
"From today onward, your training changes."
He pointed at the deck.
"These are not weapons."
"These are not artifacts."
"These are a system of possibilities."
Julien nodded slowly.
For the first time since the banquet, he felt something other than fear.
Anticipation.
Because he finally understood one thing clearly.
The cards did not choose him for what he was.
They chose him for what he could become.