Selene remained leaning against him for a few seconds more, her head resting lightly on his shoulder while the garden breathed around them in warm, steady air. The frost-flower glinted inside its cube of ice, untouched by the climate that surrounded it.
"What now?" she asked, lifting her head slightly to look at him.
Noel’s gaze drifted across the horizon beyond the estate walls before returning to the flowers in front of them. He considered the question carefully, not because he lacked an answer, but because he had already walked through several possibilities in his mind.
"I thought about speaking with Deyrion Neral," he said, folding his hands loosely in his lap.
Selene’s eyes narrowed faintly at the na.
"The demon king?" she asked.
"Yes."
He tilted his head slightly, weighing it again even as he spoke. "But I don’t think it’s necessary."
She watched him without interrupting.
"The demon continent has always remained apart," Noel continued. "They exist within their own sphere. Their politics, their conflicts, their interests rarely intersect with ours unless sothing directly threatens them. Roberto’s actions have destabilized the human continent and Elarith’s, but the demons haven’t moved. That tells they either don’t care... or don’t see it as their war."
"And you think they won’t intervene?" Selene asked, studying him closely.
"I think they’ll protect their borders and observe," he replied.
A light breeze moved through her hair, strands brushing faintly against his sleeve.
"So if not them," she said, "then what?"
Noel’s gaze shifted northward, though the mountains themselves were far beyond sight from Valon.
"I’m going to the mountain range that divides the three continents."
Selene straightened imdiately.
Her fingers tightened slightly where they rested against the bench.
"You can’t be serious," she said, her voice firm.
He t her eyes without flinching.
"I am."
Those mountains were not simply high terrain on a map. They were a scar that cut across the world. Jagged peaks rising into cloud cover that rarely parted. Regions where no nation held authority.
Creatures were rumored to live there that did not belong to any known taxonomy. Beasts twisted by mana pressure and ancient environnts. Storm systems that carried raw magical interference, capable of distorting spells mid-cast. Whole valleys where gravity behaved inconsistently.
Selene knew all of it.
"Those mountains aren’t training grounds," she said, tension visible in the set of her shoulders. "They’re death zones."
"I know."
"There’s no mapped territory beyond the lower ridges. The central peaks are unstable. Even archmages avoid that region."
"I know," he repeated, steady.
Her jaw tightened.
"You’ve already secured alliances. You’ve already aligned the major powers. Why would you risk yourself there now?"
Noel leaned forward slightly, forearms resting against his thighs, fingers loosely interlocked as he looked out across the garden.
"Because I’m not finished," he said.
She watched him carefully.
"I’m stronger than I was," he continued. "Much stronger. But raw strength isn’t mastery."
He flexed his fingers once, as if testing sothing invisible between them.
"There’s no teacher left who can guide at this level. The academy can’t offer anything more. Combat drills won’t push further. Structured sparring won’t either."
He turned toward her again.
"I’m beyond academy-level training, Selene."
There was no arrogance in the statent. Just assessnt.
"And if Roberto truly stands where I think he does, then refinent won’t co from lectures or controlled arenas. It’ll co from environnts that try to kill ."
He continued, voice even.
"The mountain range isn’t controlled by any nation. There’s no safety net. No observers. No interference. The mana density alone will force adaptation. The creatures there won’t fight predictably. I won’t be able to rely on repetition."
She stared at him, searching for hesitation.
"And if sothing goes wrong?"
"It won’t," he answered.
"That’s not a strategy," she replied sharply.
Selene stood from the bench and took a few steps forward, turning away from him as she folded her arms loosely over her chest. The movent wasn’t dramatic, but it carried the weight of real concern.
"You don’t have to prove anything," she said.
"This isn’t about proving."
"Then what is it?"
He rose and walked toward her slowly, stopping at a comfortable distance.
"It’s about control," he said. "My current output exceeds what I’ve fully stabilized. In open combat, that margin matters. If I can’t regulate everything instinctively under pressure, then it becos a liability."
The frost-flower behind them caught the sunlight again, its surface refracting pale blue light across the stone.
"I can’t afford liabilities," Noel added.
Selene’s hands slowly loosened at her arms.
"There’s no higher authority left to train you," she said quietly, understanding creeping in despite her resistance.
"No."
"No master waiting in seclusion."
"No."
"No hidden ntor."
He shook his head once.
"It’s just ."
The wind moved gently across the garden.
She turned back toward him, eyes steady but unsettled.
"We’ll talk to the others first; you can’t go alone. It’s sothing we all have to decide together; you’re putting yourself at great risk." she said.
The air between them remained steady, warm, the scent of flowers drifting softly through the late afternoon light. Selene stood facing him, her posture straight but no longer defensive. What remained in her expression was not anger.
"If you go there," she said, voice firm, "the distance alone will drain you. Those peaks are nowhere near Valon."
"I know."
"And the mana density in that region is unstable. You won’t just be fighting creatures. You’ll be fighting the environnt."
He nodded once.
"And if you overextend yourself," she continued, stepping closer now, "there’s no one nearby to intervene, no backup."
Her eyes searched his face carefully.
"You’ll be alone."
Noel reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers, grounding the mont.
"I won’t leave permanently," he said. "I can return every night."
She frowned slightly. "That kind of travel repeatedly will consu enormous mana."
"Not if I manage it correctly."
Selene tilted her head slightly, studying him with narrowed eyes.
"You’re planning sothing."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Noel’s mouth.
"Maybe."
She waited.
"I’m thinking of crafting sothing," he said.
Selene blinked once.
"Crafting?" she repeated, and then a soft laugh escaped her before she could stop it. "You?"
Noel raised an eyebrow. "What’s that supposed to an?"
She turned fully toward him now, amusent clear in her eyes.
"You barely tolerated theory classes," she said. "You survived them. That’s different."
"I did more than survive," he replied.
"You morized just enough to pass and then went straight back to blowing things up."
He exhaled through his nose, accepting that there was so truth there.
"That’s why I need your help."
Selene’s laughter faded, replaced by curiosity.
"My help?"
"Yes."
Selene crossed her arms loosely, still studying him.
"You want to craft sothing," she said slowly, "and you’re not telling what it is yet."
"Not until I’m sure it’s viable."
"And you expect to agree blindly?"
"No," he said. "I expect you to look at it and tell whether it’s stupid."
A faint smile returned to her lips.
"That narrows it down," she murmured.
The tension in her posture eased slightly, though the concern had not disappeared.
"You’re not leaving imdiately," she said.
"No."
"And you’ll test whatever this is before you disappear into those mountains."
"Yes."
Selene held his gaze for a few seconds longer before finally nodding.
"Fine," she said. "We’ll review it tonight."
There was still worry in her eyes.
But beneath it—
Trust.
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