(30 days before the fight, Leo's POV)
A month before the fight, Leo finally began to feel the weight of reality pressing down on him, as the ticking clock grew louder and louder with each passing day.
While he had made some marginal improvements on the combat front, thanks in part to Charles's persistent guidance that helped refine certain aspects of his combat technique and cleaned up certain areas of inefficiency, the real breakthrough he desperately sought in the realm of intent remained frustratingly out of reach.
Despite hours spent in the study of color red, Leo could not for the life of him push past the barrier that stood between him and the next stage of aura mastery.
"For the hundredth time, son, it will happen when it is meant to happen. These things don't follow a fixed path or schedule," Charles muttered, his tone laced with visible irritation as he rubbed the back of his neck, fighting the rising edge in his voice.
