Chapter 31 More training – Cassis

Cassis sat near the fire pit, the flickering flames casting shifting shadows over the clearing. His body was still, but his mind was anything but.

In his meditation, he focused on his advanced warrior fire mana pattern, struggling to integrate it into his body.

His mana stream had always been straightforward—a fire spreading along a fuel line, following a single set path.

But the new pattern showed him something completely different.

It was a vast, roaring fire, but at its heart, there were embers—steadily pulsing, emitting waves of flame in a measured rhythm.

That rhythm shaped the fire’s ebb and flow.

The flames flared up, consuming their fuel—only to die down before igniting again in a heartbeat-like pulse.

It was an intricate dance of consumption and renewal, of power and restraint, but it was fast. A lot faster than his way natural way of contributing his fire mana.

No wonder they say something spreads like fire.

Cassis inhaled deeply, steadying his focus.

He needed to replicate that dance within his own body.

He reached out, drawing in the red fire mana lingering in the air, attracted by the small campfire. It was slow work—had had never been good at it.

But eventually, he had enough.

He directed it to his arm, trying to create the flickering pulse he had seen in the pattern.

The mana responded—sort of.

It flickered, licked further up his arm like a flame, but then sputtered out before it could fully take hold.

Not enough.

Gritting his teeth, Cassis started over.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, the fire faltered, refusing to ignite properly.

His hands clenched into fists. He remembered now why he hadn’t bothered with this in his first life. This was frustrating as hell.

Physical combat had always come easily to him—the rhythm of battle, the instinctive flow of movement. He had relied on his body, not on something as intangible as mana circuits. Still, he kept at it. Failure or not, he refused to stop.

He was just about to give up and open his eyes for a break when Arianna’s face flashed in his mind. She hadn’t enjoyed physical training. It hadn’t come easily to her. Yet, she had pushed through. With enough training, she’d become a decent fighter with her mace—but she would never be a true master.

And yet, she had never given up. Now, it was his turn to push. But damn, he wished someone could at least guide him through it. Someone who could tell him what he was doing wrong—what he needed to do right.

That’s when he felt it. A light touch on his shoulder. Then, a whisper.

"Don’t open your eyes. Sorry for interrupting, but I can’t watch it any longer. Let me help you."

Arianna. He let out a slow breath, relaxing just a bit. She guided him through the first step again—gathering mana. With her instructions, it became easier.

He hadn’t been doing anything wrong, per se. But he hadn’t thought to manipulate his existing mana stream to help assimilate ambient mana faster. It took time, but he got it.

When exhaustion finally weighed on his body, he decided to stop—he’d had a small success, and that was enough for now.

Cassis opened his eyes.

Arianna was sitting beside him on the ground, the firelight flickering over her face, making her look almost ethereal in the dim glow.

He blinked. It was already dark? He hadn’t meant to spend so long on this—but he had gotten lost in the feeling of finally, finally being able to control his mana properly.

Arianna smiled at him.

"Hey. Welcome back."

He smiled back without thinking.

"Thanks," he said immediately, grateful for her help. Then, curiosity got the better of him.

"How did you know I was struggling? What did you mean by ‘not being able to watch anymore’?"

Arianna hesitated, looking a little embarrassed.

Then, after a moment, she admitted:

"I can see all kinds of mana now."

Cassis stared. What?

She explained that she had gotten frustrated with her own training, unable to maintain her mana circuit pattern in both arms at the same time.

So, in her frustration, she had experimented—and somehow, unlocked the ability to perceive all elemental mana.

Cassis burst into laughter. Arianna blinked, startled. He laughed harder. He could barely breathe, his shoulders shaking as he wiped actual tears from his eyes.

She really was a genius. Here he was, struggling to even form the pattern—and she had already moved past that struggle, jumping straight to the advanced applications. Not only that, but she could now see other elements and she had even helped him control his own mana better.

And yet—she didn’t even think she had done anything noteworthy. Arianna was now looking at him like he had gone insane. He finally managed to calm himself down, letting out a sigh. "Sorry," he said, still grinning.

Then, he told her what he had been thinking. As he expected, she turned bright red. She was clearly not used to compliments. And that just made him laugh again.

Back in Cassis’s flat, he first checked in with his parents. His father told him that he had been able to get in contact with one of his parents’ – Cassis grandparents’ – neighbours. The neighbour was a young woman who had gone out to see if the nice older couple next door was alright. She had found them both dead and taken their phone, in case someone called. It seems they both had had a heart attack when they first saw the monsters.

Cassis thought it was probably because the ambient mana proved too much for their bodies to handle. It was almost always young children and the elderly who suffered the most from diseases.

He had already known that his grandparents would be dead, but it still felt like a kick to his guts. “Sorry dad. That’s terrible. Should I come to the house?”

“No, son. Don’t worry about me and Liam. Your mother is taking care of us. I’m glad that you have Arianna to be with you now. Also, we still cannot reach your mother’s sisters or your cousins.”

After a few more words and shared worries they said their goodbyes.

He told Arianna about his grandparents. She hugged him tightly. “I don’t know why I’m so sad. I knew they had died during the first wave. There was nothing I could do.”

“Still, it’s terrible to lose someone you love, even if you know that it is going to happen.” She was clearly remembering her father who had been fighting cancer for four years before he succumbed to it. He hugged her back.

They stayed like that for a bit. Then they let go, sat on the couch and started talking about better things, like their gains for the day.

Cassis went first.

Some of his existing skills had upgraded:

* Slash (Advanced → Expert)

* Deflect (Intermediate → Advanced)

* Counter (Intermediate → Advanced)

He had also gained new skills:

* Dodge (Advanced)

* Acrobatics (Beginner)

And the biggest surprise—his Energy Perception had levelled up, going from Beginner to Intermediate. And he had gained a new Feature: Mana Control (Basic). That had to be thanks to Arianna’s help.

His Mana Saturation had also increased, now at 19%.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Then it was Arianna’s turn.

Her Mana Saturation had skyrocketed to 40%, which wasn’t unexpected given how much she had pushed herself today.

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Her Features had also improved and somehow her mana related abilities a had jumped more than one rank:

* Energy Perception (Beginner → Advanced)

* Mana Sight (Beginner → Advanced)

* Mana Control (Beginner → Advanced)

* Awareness (Basic → Beginner)

* Stamina (Basic → Beginner)

Some of her existing skills had ranked up:

* Bludgeon (Beginner → Intermediate)

* Willpower (Beginner → Advanced)

And she had even picked up new skills:

* Parry (Basic)

* Deflect (Basic)

* Dodge (Basic)

Cassis let out a low whistle. Those were good gains for just a single day.

Still, he knew why this was happening.

For him, most of these improvements weren’t about learning something new—he already knew these techniques from his past life.

The system simply required him to demonstrate his understanding to grant him the appropriate skill levels. And in a training session like todays, where he been able to actually use nearly all of his combat knowledge, his progression had been rapid.

Arianna, on the other hand, was starting from a weaker baseline.

Her physical stats and skills were still low, so her growth was faster for now, especially with him teaching her.

But from the Advanced level onward, improvements would be much slower—it would take time and relentless effort to refine each skill further.

He glanced at her. She looked pleased with her progress—but also exhausted.

He sighed. This was just the beginning.

"We’re going to continue this tomorrow, too," he said.

Arianna groaned, flopping back against the couch dramatically.

Cassis smirked. He knew she probably saw the physical training as pure torture. The fact that her Willpower skill had jumped two entire levels in just one day told him just how much she had been pushing herself past her limits.

Still, it was necessary.

He couldn’t protect her. Not in this world. And he couldn’t stop her from fighting either—not when she had so much talent, not when she had that burning need to save people.

If she was going to throw herself into danger no matter what, then he needed to make her strong enough to survive it.

He exhaled heavily. He was tired, too. But resting was a luxury—one they couldn’t afford.

There was still one last thing they needed to discuss.

"We also need to think about how to use our newfound fame to our advantage," he said. "And we need more information. I remember a lot—mostly the big events—but it’s been fourteen years. And this time, the apocalypse is different. We’ve already changed a lot."

Arianna nodded, brow furrowed in thought.

But she was also half-asleep while doing it—her head kept drooping forward, only for her to jolt herself awake again.

Cassis grinned.

"Maybe we should think about this tomorrow."

Arianna barely managed to open her eyes to look at him, then gave him a grateful smile. That smile. For some reason, it made something tighten in his chest. She didn’t complain. She never admitted when she had reached her limit.

Cassis had started to notice the pattern—Arianna would push herself until she physically couldn’t go on, all because she didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

Even him. Maybe especially him. He sighed.

That could become a serious problem. But that was a conversation for another time. Right now, he was too tired to find the right words—and she was too exhausted to listen properly.

"Come on," he said, standing up. "Let’s go to bed."

She didn’t argue. And as if it was the most natural thing in the world, they both walked into his bedroom—and slipped into the same bed.

The next day was much the same as the day before.

They trained. They pushed past their limits. And in return, they gained.

Cassis’s improvements were the following:

* Stamina Capacity (Intermediate → Advanced)

* Parry (Advanced → Expert)

* Acrobatics (Beginner → Advanced)

And finally, after hours of effort, he managed to form the circuit pattern in his arm and hold it for a time. His Mana Control finally reached Beginner.

His pattern felt different from Arianna’s.

Her cleric type pattern naturally drew in ambient mana, feeding her a constant supply.

His warrior type pattern, however, didn’t do that. Instead, it optimized his mana flow, ensuring that he could release controlled, powerful bursts whenever needed.

It made perfect sense for a warrior.

And with this breakthrough, his Mana Saturation jumped to 25%.

Arianna’s improvements concerning her mana were even more impressive.

* Energy Perception (Advanced → Expert)

* Mana Sight (Advanced → Expert)

* Mana Control (Advanced → Expert)

* Awareness (Beginner → Intermediate)

She had experimented with her circuit pattern all afternoon and could now hold it in both arms for extended periods before she had to stop. She said it felt like splitting her mind in two.

Right now, she was maintaining the pattern across only her torso, using it as extra practice. Cassis honestly thought she was insane. But she didn’t seem bothered by the strain.

She also expanded her mana perception, playing around with different types.

So far, she had identified Plant, Mist, Sun, and Shadow Mana.

She still wasn’t sure how they originated from the four basic elements, but she was determined to figure it out. Then, she decided to experiment further.

She attempted to imbue her healing spell with water mana. The result? A small puddle of water formed on the ground in front of her. And it had healing properties.

It wasn’t as effective as a potion, only able to heal minor scrapes, and it cost a lot of mana—but still, it was an entirely new spell. They had scooped some of the water into an empty bottle to see how long the healing effect would last.

The System named the spell Holy Water (Basic). He could only shake his head in astonishment. Only the most talented mages and clerics had managed to create their own spells at only F-rank in the other timeline. And she just got one by experimenting…

But after all that experimenting, Arianna got bored and simply observed the mana around her. That was when she made another discovery. She saw how mana crystals interacted—with each other, with the environment, and with people.

A few passersby had come out of their houses, watching the two of them train throughout the day. And Arianna had noticed how the ambient mana reacted to every person. Even though they hadn’t unlocked their elemental affinity Arianna could tell at a glance what it was.

She had also noticed that even for people she couldn’t see with her eyes, she could – for a lack of a better word – feel where they were and how strong they were, as each of them had different amounts of elemental mana inside them and was producing tiny amounts of their elemental mana. She had seemed relieved by that fact, though he didn’t know why. This ability was still limited to a certain area but would certainly grow over time.

That was how her awareness grew even further.

Everything mana-related came so naturally to her. Her MS was now at 56%, and it was still rising fast.

Her physical combat skills, however, remained stagnant. That would have to change. They needed to train more.

Throughout the day, people had stared at them. Mostly, they stared at him—like he was insane. Arianna, though? They looked at her differently. Softer. Kinder.

And he could understand why. She looked adorable in his too-big T-shirt and loose shorts that went past her knees.

She really needed her own clothes. Tomorrow, when they bought food, they would also buy her clothes. And underwear.

...

And just like that, his mind went there again. Last night, he had gone to the bathroom before bed and had seen her panties and bra drying in his shower.

That meant she had been sleeping without them. Beside him. And tonight, she had done the same thing. It shouldn’t matter. It really shouldn’t. After all, she was wearing one of his sweatshirts and sweatpants—no skin was showing.

But just knowing that there was nothing underneath made him feel...

Nervous.

Excited.

He groaned, running a hand through his hair. He shouldn’t be thinking this way. He had stopped further advances into romantic territory for good reasons—he needed to remember those reasons.

As they sat on the couch in silence, both lost in thought, Arianna suddenly turned to look at him. He groaned again, covering his face with one hand.

She raised an eyebrow. He forced a grin and shook his head.

"Nothing."

Distraction. He needed a distraction.

"Tomorrow, let’s think a bit more about the fame and information issues and then buy some supplies. And clothes for you."

Arianna nodded sleepily.

"My food is almost gone, and some shops will be open again."

She hummed in agreement.

And just like that, the conversation moved on—and he could breathe again.

Like every evening, Cassis was on the phone with his mother, making sure his family and their friends were safe. Arianna went to the bathroom first, giving him some privacy.

His mother’s warm voice came through the speaker, filling him in on the latest news.

“There is still no news about my sisters or their families. Cassis, do you think…?”

His heart sank. He knew they were dead, but he couldn’t tell her. He tried to give her some encouragement. “Mum, we don’t know anything yet. They could just have lost their phones. And I don’t know if my cousins and their children would think of calling you as one of their first priorities. We haven’t seen or talked to them in years. Not since there was all the trouble with your parents’ inheritance.”

“You’re right. Maybe there is still hope.”

Cassis didn’t want her to be sad, but he felt bad giving her hope when there was none.

"The military came by today," she said shocking him with the sudden change of topics. "They did a census, checking how many people were in the neighbourhood."

Cassis frowned. "Did they ask you anything suspicious?"

"Not really. But when they recognized us from the world announcement and the Hall of Fame, they got… curious. A little nervous. But nothing happened."

That was to be expected. The government had no control over awakeners yet, wouldn’t for years, and right now, they still relied on public goodwill.

Still, it was only a matter of time before they tried something. Even though it wouldn’t be as heavy-handed as after the second wave, they needed to be careful not to become too entangled with them just yet.

"Just be careful, Mom," Cassis warned. "And whatever you do—don’t promise them anything. Don’t sign anything."

His mother sighed, exasperated. "Helen told me the same thing."

That caught his attention. "Helen’s still with you?"

"Yes. You know she never married and doesn’t have any other family. Then she quit her government job today. She’ll stay with us for a while."

Cassis felt a wave of relief.

His parents were good people—sometimes even too good for their own survival.

In the other timeline, they had also tried to save Nadine and Violet, but at the cost of their own lives. As far as he knew Nadine and Violet had also died. And even in this timeline, his father had lost an arm. If Cassis and Arianna hadn’t arrived in time, all of them would be dead.

But Aunt Helen was not naive.

Cassis had always suspected she had been a government operative or serious criminal when she was younger. During his childhood she was always gone on long “vacations”, always had convenient emergencies, and—most telling of all—she had handled herself surprisingly well in a fight.

And of course, she had eagerly broken the rules to forge Arianna’s registry entry.

With her around, his parents wouldn’t agree to anything restrictive.

"That’s good," Cassis said, reassured. "Helen will make sure you don’t get tricked into anything."

His mother huffed. "You and Helen both act like I’d sign my soul away for a free meal."

"Not a free meal," Cassis teased. "Maybe a family discount at the bookstore, though."

His mother laughed, and he smiled despite himself.

They said their goodbyes, and Cassis promised to call again tomorrow.

"Tell Arianna I said hi!" his mother added before hanging up.

After the call, when they were both in bed Cassis turned to Arianna and relayed what his mother had said.

Arianna’s eyes lit up with an idea.

"Wait—what if we asked Helen for advice?"

Cassis raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For our influence problem," Arianna explained. "Neither of us knows how to navigate all this attention. But Helen? She worked in the government, she’s smart, and she doesn’t hesitate to bend the rules when necessary. She might have some insight on how to use our fame to our advantage. Or how to effectively use our future knowledge and how to gather current news.”

Cassis considered it.

It was a little embarrassing that neither of them had figured out a good approach yet. They knew they had to start a guild but they could only do that once one of them was E-rank. Only the founder had to be E-rank, the other two necessary founding members could be F-Rank, as could be further members. Who other than them and Cassis’ family should be in the Guild was also not clear. They had thought about the Bristols’ and the Morrisons’, maybe some fighters from City Hall or the gymnasium. But it was all still unclear.

After all, he was a private person—he had never wanted to be famous. Actually, his survival in the other timeline had been because he was more of a loner.

And it seemed Arianna was the same.

"Yeah," Cassis finally said. "That’s actually a good idea. We’ll ask her tomorrow."

But for tonight, that was enough thinking.

"Let’s sleep."

Arianna nodded sleepily.

And just like the last two nights, they both slipped into dreamless sleep, exhausted from another long day of training.