It is said Arlin, one of the sun gods, had a soft spot for rabbits due to him having had a pet rabbit once when he still walked among humans around 800 years ago, which is why rabbits tend to be seen as scared creatures in the scriptures of Arlinianism. Some might find that strange and even hard to believe. Would a god really have a pet? Would a god genuinely harbor affection for a creature so seemingly beneath his divine stature? My personal opinion that it's not such a strange thing, as yet again, Arlin walked among us humans and treated us kindly, and we certainly weren't equals with him.

A paragraph from the book "Revelations of the Arlinite Faith Holy Text ", by Calen von Stomwisper.

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Liam's POV

Shortly after Emily, Thandor, Nicole, and Karl departed for Amore, Liam and Jaxon found themselves in the training room.

And though it's called the training room, the room itself lacked any equipment. It had no swords, lances, or axes for someone to practice with, but what it had was space. It was a big, mostly empty room, perfect for someone to practice their magic in.

"Liam, did you want to go with them to Amore?" Jaxon inquired, observing as Liam placed a bucket filled with water beside four others, each brimming with water.

"Hmm, not really. It's so awkward between Emily and I. I doubt she would have wanted me to go, and considering the reason they went to Amore in the first place is so she'll get some fresh air, it made sense I stick behind this time." Liam explained as Jaxon looked at him, not looking impressed.

"I'm not sure what her deal is, but Liam, I doubt being passive like this will make things any less awkward! I say talk to her. Keep talking to her until this awkward thing going on between you two goes away." Jaxon suggested, delivering his characteristic straightforward counsel.

That is a VERY Jaxon idea alright...

"You think that would help? It might just do the opposite if I was forceful, you know." Liam explained his point of view, which made Jaxon roll his eyes.

"Fine, handle it however you want, but don't act surprised if two or three months roll by, and she's still the same towards you!" Jaxon retorted, his tone laced with annoyance.

It would be very frustrating if that much time passes without anything changing. It's not as if I'm a fan of having someone act so awkward around me. Maybe I should try to put a little more effort into talking to her.

"Anyway, let's start training, Jaxon." Liam suggested, hoping to shift the conversation away from Emily.

"Alright, let's start and be done before they return." Jaxon spoke as he started taking off all of his clothes, as they'll only get in the way.

Liam always wondered what people who don't know anything about them or Aludell would think if they saw this scene. Would they think he and Jaxon are two lovers dying to embrace each other? Liam always found that funny, but he never told Jaxon as he knew it'll make the boy explode. Liam loved to tease Jaxon, but not on this as some boundaries were best left untested.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Are you ready, Liam?" Jaxon asked, having taken off everything but the long glove he wore on his left hand.

"Oh, wait a second. I should take this off." Liam said suddenly, realizing he still wore the white lily necklace Nicole had given him.

I can't risk getting this damaged.

Liam quickly put his necklace away and returned to Jaxon, who in turn took his glove off.

There were burn marks all over it. There were some minors ones on the rest of Jaxon's body, but his left hand was where the burn marks were the most. Liam remembers how shocked he was the first time he saw Jaxon's body, but now he was used to the sight. What replaced shock in Liam was guilt as he knew some burn marks could have prevented if he had done a better job.

"I'll begin now." Jaxon spoke as he walked towards the center of the room.

"Okay, I'm keeping an eye on you." Liam reassured, moving toward the buckets full of water.

Jaxon started to summon flames from his left hand, a skill that always fascinated Liam. Unlike him, reliant on a water source to use his magic, Jaxon could conjure fire directly from his left hand. At first, Jaxon's control seemed stable, albeit a bit shaky. Liam observed, intrigued by the raw power emanating from his friend's fingertips.

Jaxon tried to control the fire and keep it in the air in the middle, not touching anything. Jaxon managed to keep control the fire for few minutes as he moved it in the air. The room was starting to feel hot, and Liam was starting to feel sweaty.

If it's hot from where I'm standing, it must be even worst for Jaxon who is right under that fire.

While Jaxon didn't do bad at the start, fire is a wild thing.

"Nghhh!" Jaxon let out, trying his best to keep his fire under control, but the stability was short-lived.

Jaxon lost control, and the flames started creeping dangerously close to his body. Panic surged through Liam, prompting him to act swiftly. Channeling his magic, he manipulated the water in the buckets, sending cascades over Jaxon to extinguish the flames. Both Jaxon and the flames were drenched.

"Are you okay, Jaxon?!" Liam called out as he rushed toward his friend, now sprawled on the ground, knocked down by the force of Liam's water.

Thank the heavens my aim with my power has become better, or I might have had been slightly late!

"I-I'm fine!" Jaxon responded, a mix of anger and gratitude in his voice as water dripped from his wet hair. He was thankful for Liam's intervention but frustrated with himself. "Will I never get to fully control this power??" he exclaimed, expressing his frustration.

"Jaxon, you did your best. Teacher did say that it might be impossible for your power to be fully controlled." Liam offered, hoping to provide comfort, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"That doesn't make me feel better!" Jaxon snapped. "If that's true, then either I'm never going to be able to fully use my powers, or I'm going to need you to be with me at all times if I needed to use it!"

Jaxon sounded hurt, and Liam wasn't sure what he could say to ease his friend's distress. He knew how hard Jaxon trained and how badly he wanted to master his power. Liam knew Jaxon did not want to count on him. Liam wished there was more he could do.

All I can do is watch you and use my power to save you when you need it, and even that I'm not perfect at.

After a minute of heavy silence, the only sound in the room being water dripping from Jaxon's hair on the group, Liam spoke up.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, Jaxon, so you have all the time you need to master using your fire powers. You might not believe me, but I really feel like you've improved since last month."

"...Do you really think I improved?" Jaxon asked, doubting Liam's words.

"Yes, you have. If anyone would know, it would be me after all. I am the one always training with you here." Liam reassured his friend.

"Hmph! I guess you having to use your power to save me every time does count as training for you!" Jaxon retorted, sounding annoyed but also wearing a genuine smile.

"How rare, you usually only smile while talking to Nicole." Liam teased the younger boy, provoking a burst of anger.

"Shut up!" Jaxon shouted.