Morning training at Aetherion Academy had already begun when Ethan Aldric Voss arrived at the training grounds.
The cool wind carried the sound of wooden swords striking each other across the fields. Students were already practicing in different sections, some repeating basic forms while others were engaged in controlled sparring matches.
The academy rarely allowed idle time.
Every day was meant to push students forward.
Ethan stepped into the Intermediate training field just as the rest of his group began gathering.
Marcus was already there, adjusting the straps of his training gloves.
When he saw Ethan, he raised a hand.
"Morning."
Ethan nodded.
"Morning."
Marcus stretched his shoulders and glanced toward the instructor's platform.
"I heard today's lesson is going to be different."
"How?"
"Apparently we're not sparring."
Ethan found that interesting.
Before he could ask further, Instructor Selene Varis arrived.
Her sharp gaze immediately settled over the students.
"Line up."
The group obeyed quickly.
Selene stood before them with her arms crossed.
"For the past few days, you have been training your bodies."
She paused briefly.
"But strength without understanding is limited."
Her eyes moved across the students.
"Today, we discuss the structure of power in this world."
Several students straightened.
Even Marcus looked more attentive.
Selene turned toward a large board placed beside the training field. Using a piece of chalk, she began writing several words across it.
Mana.
Aura.
Technique.
She tapped the first word.
"Mana is the foundation of nearly all supernatural abilities."
A few students nodded.
Even beginners had heard of mana.
Selene continued.
"Mana exists naturally in the world."
"In the air."
"In the land."
"And within living beings."
She drew a small circle beside the word.
"Some individuals are born with greater sensitivity to it."
"These individuals often become mages."
Marcus raised a hand slightly.
"What about knights?"
Selene pointed to the second word.
"Aura."
She wrote a small line beneath it.
"Aura is the internal energy produced when a warrior learns to control the flow of mana through their body."
Her gaze moved across the students.
"Unlike mages, knights rarely release mana outward."
"Instead, they reinforce their bodies."
"Speed."
"Strength."
"Reaction."
Ethan listened quietly.
Everything Selene was explaining matched the knowledge from his previous life.
But hearing it again reminded him of how early these foundations were introduced.
Selene tapped the third word.
"Technique."
"This is where skill matters."
She turned back toward the students.
"Aura without technique is wild and uncontrolled."
"Technique without aura lacks power."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"True strength comes from combining both."
Several students whispered quietly.
The explanation made sense.
Marcus scratched his chin.
"So basically…"
"You need everything."
Selene nodded.
"Correct."
Lucas suddenly appeared leaning over the nearby fence again.
"Sounds exhausting."
Selene didn't even turn her head.
"If you interrupt again, you will run ten laps."
Lucas immediately stood straight.
"Understood."
Several students laughed quietly.
Selene continued the lesson.
"Power within the academy is divided into ranks."
She wrote several more words on the board.
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Elite
"These ranks are not permanent."
"They change depending on your growth."
Her gaze moved slowly across the group.
"Some students rise quickly."
"Others remain stagnant."
She paused.
"And a few never progress at all."
Marcus swallowed slightly.
Ethan watched the board carefully.
Selene then drew a line beneath the ranks.
"But the academy ranks are not the highest measure of strength."
She wrote another set of words beneath them.
Knight
High Knight
Master Knight
Several students stared at the board in fascination.
Selene spoke calmly.
"These titles exist outside the academy."
"They represent warriors recognized across kingdoms."
Marcus whispered quietly.
"…That sounds far away."
Selene looked at him.
"For most of you, it is."
The students laughed nervously.
Then Selene erased part of the board and turned back to the group.
"Enough theory."
She pointed toward the training ring.
"You will now attempt something simple."
Students exchanged curious glances.
Selene picked up a wooden training sword.
"Focus on your breathing."
"Feel the movement of your body."
She placed the sword down again.
"Then attempt to guide your energy through your arms."
Marcus blinked.
"…That doesn't sound simple."
Selene ignored him.
"Try."
The students stepped into the ring.
Some closed their eyes briefly.
Others swung their swords experimentally.
Most of them looked confused.
Marcus lifted his sword and whispered to Ethan.
"Do you feel anything?"
Ethan raised his sword slowly.
"…A little."
Which was technically true.
Even though Ethan had already mastered aura control in his previous life.
He simply suppressed most of it now.
Marcus swung his sword again.
"Still nothing."
Across the field, Selene observed everyone carefully.
Her eyes occasionally stopped on certain students.
Evaluating them.
Watching for potential.
Ethan allowed a faint flow of energy through his arm.
Just enough to feel.
Not enough to show.
His sword moved slightly faster.
The air cut quietly.
Marcus looked over.
"…Wait."
"Did you just—"
Ethan stopped.
Marcus stared at him.
"You definitely felt something."
Ethan shrugged.
"Maybe."
Marcus sighed.
"You're suspicious."
At that moment, Selene's voice rose again.
"That is enough for today."
Students lowered their swords.
"Learning to control aura will take time."
She crossed her arms.
"Do not expect results immediately."
The group slowly relaxed.
Some students looked excited.
Others looked frustrated.
Marcus wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I felt absolutely nothing."
Lucas called from the fence.
"Maybe your brain is blocking it."
Marcus threw a glove at him.
Ethan looked toward the far side of the academy fields again.
The Advanced group was also training.
Among them—
Catherine Ravenscroft practiced sword strikes alone.
Each movement precise.
Controlled.
Even from a distance, Ethan could tell something.
She had already begun learning aura control.
Earlier than most students.
Just like the previous timeline.
Ethan watched quietly.
Because every piece of information mattered.
Every detail helped him understand how much the future had changed.
So far—
The story was still following the same path.
But the ripples were growing.
Slowly.
Almost invisibly.
And Ethan knew one thing for certain.
Once those ripples became waves—
The future he remembered would no longer exist.