The morning air at the Montclair Estate was sharp and carried the scent of wet stone and oil. The central training yard was a massive rectangle of packed sand, surrounded by weapon racks that held everything from blunted practice greatswords to intricate halberds.
Magnus stood on the balcony above, arms crossed, watching like a gargoyle. But on the sands, the atmosphere was different. Marcus and Malric were already there, clad in light sparring leathers. Merek leaned against a wooden pillar, tossing a practice dagger into the air and catching it, a playful but expectant look in his eyes.
"Yesterday was talk," Marcus said, stepping into the center of the yard. He picked up a heavy wooden broadsword. "Today is proof. If you are to lead us into the Northern Reach, I need to know that your 'algorithms' can survive a chaotic battlefield. Logic is fine in a library, Jessica, but it’s harder to calculate when someone is trying to take your head off."
Jessica stepped onto the sand, her staff in hand. She didn't look intimidated. To her, Marcus wasn't just a legendary general; he was a high-difficulty boss encounter with predictable attack patterns based on his muscle mass and reach.
"Then don't hold back, Sir Marcus," Jessica said, her blue eyes narrowing. "I’ll show you the difference between 'fighting' and 'solving'."
"I'll be the variable," Malric added, stepping to the side. He held a pair of short wooden sticks. "Marcus is the force. I am the speed. Let’s see how your brain handles two inputs at once."
"Begin!" Magnus roared from above.
Marcus moved with a speed that defied his size. He swung the heavy practice sword in a horizontal arc—a "cleave" intended to force Jessica to retreat. Simultaneously, Malric blurred into motion, circling to her left to strike at her flank.
Jessica didn't retreat. In her mind, the world slowed into a grid.
Input A (Marcus): Vector 180, Velocity 12m/s.
Input B (Malric): Circular approach, Flank attack in 1.2 seconds.
"Marin! Shield-Left!" Jessica commanded.
Marin, who had been standing ready, slammed her shield into Malric’s path, stopping his momentum dead. Jessica, meanwhile, didn't use a blast of fire. She tapped her staff on the sand, sending a localized vibration pulse into the ground beneath Marcus’s lead foot.
The sand liquified for a fraction of a second. Marcus’s footing slipped, his massive swing missing Jessica by inches as he overextended.
"Physics," Jessica whispered.
She didn't stop. She pointed her hand at Malric, who was trying to bypass Marin. Instead of a lightning bolt, she fired a High-Frequency Sound Burst. It wasn't loud, but it hit the inner ear. Malric stumbled, his balance shattered by the sudden disruption of his equilibrium.
"Calculated interference," Jessica noted calmly.
Merek let out a jubilant whistle from the sidelines. "She’s tripping them up without even touching them! That’s my girl!"
Marcus roared, half-frustrated and half-impressed. He regained his footing and launched a flurry of strikes—a masterclass in swordsmanship. But Jessica moved like a ghost. She wasn't "dodging"; she was moving to the only "Zero-Probability Zones" where his sword couldn't reach.
"You’re fighting the air, Marcus!" Merek taunted. "Try hitting the math!"
After ten minutes of high-intensity sparring, Marcus lowered his sword, breathing hard. Malric was rubbing his ears, looking at Jessica with a look of pure academic fascination.
"Enough," Marcus panted. He looked at his wooden sword, then at Jessica. "You didn't use a single offensive spell. You just... redirected us."
"Attacking you would be inefficient," Jessica explained, her breath barely hitched. "You have high physical resistance. But your balance and your sensory processing are universal vulnerabilities. I just targeted the 'Operating System' instead of the 'Armor'."
Malric walked over, eyes wide. "The 'Operating System'... you mean the body's natural functions. You treated us like we were part of the environment."
Magnus descended the stairs from the balcony, his heavy boots crunching on the sand. He looked at his two eldest sons—the pride of the King’s army—who had been outplayed by a girl with a staff and a better grasp of geometry.
"She didn't just beat you," Magnus rumbled, a ghost of a proud smile on his face. "She mapped you. Marcus, Malric—you have your answer. She doesn't just have power. She has the vision to use it."
Merek walked up to Jessica, throwing an arm around her shoulder (and quickly pulling it back when Marin gave him a warning look). "So, we're ready? The genius, the wall, the reckless one, and the two 'Calculated Interferences'?"
Jessica looked at the four Montclair siblings. For the first time, she felt like the "System" was finally in her favor.
"We leave at dawn," Jessica said. "The Northern Reach won't know what hit it."
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMyriRWzPC
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwwWW799eq
and then Add to home screen.