Martial Demons Ascension

When Rhyka realized he couldn't leave his house without drawing suspicion he did the next best thing

He left a note

It was plain written in sharp almost lazy handwriting and pinned to the door with a knife

> I'm ill Don't wait Spar with each other I'll watch

No one believed the excuse not really But Rinnte and Loretta accepted it without question They came every day knocking once then heading off to spar wherever they could find space in courtyards in the woods in the half empty training yard

And somehow no matter where they went Rhyka saw it

He wasn't there physically but through his newly awakened Martial Vision he caught everything

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At first it was disorienting

His vision bled golden threads over the world whether his eyes were open or closed Intent and movement left afterimages of light each clash between Rinnte and Loretta mapped out before him like diagrams Strikes weren't just strikes they were arcs of possibility each one glowing and fading as it collapsed into reality

The more he watched the more natural it became Soon he wasn't just seeing their bodies move he was reading them Understanding why Rinnte shifted his weight half an inch why Loretta's water whip curved instead of snapped

And then something stranger still happened

For the first time he saw mana after awakening

At first it looked like mist clinging to their bodies Then he noticed the streams thin rivers of energy winding through their veins pulsing in rhythm with their breath The glow brightened whenever they cast dimmed whenever they strained He could see how it pooled how it flowed how it wasted

And instinctively he understood

Mana wasn't separate from movement It was linked bound to intent to rhythm to control Where a spell succeeded or failed wasn't just about the formula but about the body carrying it

Rhyka grinned to himself So that's how it is

His lessons became notes

Short sharp tucked under the door for them to find after training

> Rinnte you hesitate after every third strike Stop wasting breath Flow don't pause

Loretta your mana leaks when you spin Anchor your stance before release Use less achieve more

Both fight until you collapse Rest is for later Balance comes from breaking first

The notes were brutal Blunt But accurate Every correction hit the mark

They started following them And their growth accelerated

Rinnte was the first to reach a visible threshold His control tightened until his mana use was razor thin no waste no excess His enhancements grew so precise that he could drive mana into a single muscle without spilling a drop When Emmet tested the class months later he nearly froze at the reading Rinnte was at the peak of Rank 1

Loretta wasn't far behind Her water dance grew sharper under Rhyka's merciless scrutiny She no longer stumbled when she flowed between strikes her body and magic moved as one her water moving with frightening responsiveness She had reached Rank 1 Mid stage already climbing faster than anyone else her age outside Eto

The rest of the class noticed

Even without Rhyka showing his face his influence was obvious Every month that passed Loretta and Rinnte widened the gap between themselves and the others Their movements were tighter their sparring more advanced their mana sharper

"Why are they so much stronger"

"They're training with him aren't they"

"Even when he's sick That's insane"

The whispers spread Resentment mixed with awe

But Rhyka didn't care

He sat in his house sipping tea skin still shedding faintly in patches golden light blazing in his eyes when he let his focus sharpen His body was still refining still detoxing But his mind had never been clearer

He was lax in posture lazy in appearance but his insight was sharper than ever Watching writing dissecting

Through Martial Vision the world had opened to him Mana movement intent it was all threads in one tapestry And he was learning to weave it

:another 6 months passed

It was midday The sun was bright the dirt roads filled with villagers trading goods carrying baskets or heading toward the square Nobody expected him So when he stepped out there was a pause in the street People stopped walking Conversations cut short Even a passing dog halted sniffing the air before trotting away

It was Rhyka But not the Rhyka they remembered

The first thing people noticed was his skin

It wasn't just clear It looked polished smooth uniform almost unnatural in its toughness The dull patches and bruises from his old life were gone When the sun struck him the light didn't bounce off like it did on normal flesh it clung giving him an almost metallic sheen not reflective but dense Every inch of him looked hardened tempered like his very skin was another layer of armor

His hair which he'd never cared about before had grown long during isolation Instead of leaving it a tangled mess he had tied it into a loose ponytail at the back of his head The strands were thick heavy healthy in a way that made him look older than his years less like a boy of thirteen more like a youth on the cusp of manhood

Then his eyes

Golden Not a trick of the light Not faint threads like before His irises had completely shifted into molten gold gleaming even when he stood in the shade of his own doorway They weren't warm They weren't gentle They were sharp cutting unblinking carrying the same intensity as a blade drawn and waiting

Even his presence was different

He didn't walk with swagger He didn't exaggerate movements He moved calmly But every step was balanced deliberate the kind of movement that made it impossible not to notice His breathing was steady his posture effortless He didn't radiate mana he had none but he carried a weight an aura that pressed faintly on the air like the quiet before a storm

And strangely he smelled clean

Not just like soap or herbs but fresh as if the toxins he had purged for months had left nothing behind A faint scent of flowers followed him

That was the Rhyka Eto Rinnte and Loretta saw when they came to visit

The three of them had argued about it for weeks Loretta wanted to push him to take her training further frustrated that despite her rapid growth she still felt one step behind him Rinnte wanted to simply see him again to measure with his own eyes how much he had changed after vanishing so long And Eto Eto wanted answers Guilt still clung to her from the incident in class and watching Loretta and Rinnte surge ahead had left her conflicted She wanted to bridge the gap to ask Rhyka if he would consider training her as well

They had knocked on his door countless times with no reply This time though the door opened before they could even knock

And Rhyka stepped out

Loretta froze in place her practiced composure shattering at the sight Her eyes darted over every detail the hardened skin the new hair the golden eyes Her lips parted but no words came

Rinnte's calm expression faltered for the first time in months He narrowed his eyes but not in disdain in calculation His mind immediately began cataloguing the way Rhyka's shoulders sat differently the steadiness in his breathing the faint golden flicker behind his pupils

Eto felt her chest tighten The boy she remembered the reckless smug mocking outcast was gone This Rhyka looked unshakable Not untouchable not divine but solid in a way that made her mouth dry

"…You finally came out" Rinnte said quietly breaking the silence

Rhyka glanced at them his expression unreadable for a moment Then he smirked faintly the only piece of the old him that still shone through

"Of course I did" he said casually His voice was deeper steadier though still carrying his usual sharpness "Didn't think I'd rot in there forever did you"

Loretta swallowed hard "…You… changed"

"Yeah" Rhyka said simply stretching his arms above his head His joints cracked audibly but his movements were smooth precise "I had work to do Now it's done Simple as that"

Eto found her voice though it came out softer than she intended "Rhyka will you" She hesitated then forced herself to continue "will you consider taking me as a student too"

The words hung in the air

Rinnte and Loretta both turned toward her one surprised the other visibly annoyed

Rhyka's golden eyes lingered on Eto for a long moment

Before he smirked and began rubbing his fingers together he wanted money