Training Arena~

Melody was in the training room, a huge arena filled with various types of weapons, worn-down statues, and walls filled with detailed designs. At the center, there was a massive transparent roof that revealed a intense red sky.

“It’s not real,” she said, glancing at me. “We’re very far underground right now,” she added, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“That’s so cool,” I said, admiring it.

“My mother said it was too cramped down here without windows, so she made her own.”

Melody quickly resumed her training.

She assumed her fighting stance. I watched as her focus sharpened. She raised her hands, clenched her fingers into tight fists, and absorbed spark from the air around her. Her fists glowed blue. She punched the air, sending out a ball of fire, and immediately followed with a left-hand punch that unleashed a gust of wind. The wind combined with the fire, intensifying the flames. She bent down, striking the ground, which launched a boulder into the flames. The wind intensified the fire, causing the rock to glow and melt into molten magma. Melody punched through the magma, and it seemed to magnetize to her hands, allowing her to fight with literal magma fists.

She then relaxed as the magma cooled and fell to the ground. Immediately, she punched the air again, releasing a ball of water in front of her. With another left-hand punch, she sent a burst of cold wind that froze the water ball instantly. She launched it into the sky, jumped up, and used the wind from her feet to propel herself. As she reached the ice ball, she kicked it with force, shattering it into pieces that shot out and smashed into one of the statues, filling it with hundreds of holes completely destroying it.

I’d never seen magic like this before. It was fierce, fast, and intense. If I ever had to fight her, I’d surely be defeated, I thought to myself as she landed perfectly on the ground.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, almost smiling.

"That was alright," I said dryly, trying not to give her too much credit.

But I immediately regretted it. I could tell she was proud of her fighting style. "Actually, that was really good," I added quickly. "I'm impressed."

She let out a small smile before suddenly punching me in the stomach.

"Yeah, I don't care what you think," she said, flustered.

Then her tone softened. "Do you want to go see your friends?"

"No, not yet," I admitted, looking down. "I'm not sure I can face them right now."

"Look," she said firmly, "you can't always save everybody. People die—it's just an unfortunate truth. So don’t focus on what you couldn’t save. Look at what you did."

I could tell that, in her own way, Melody was trying to make me feel better. But for now, it wasn’t working.

The next day~

By Lilith's instructions, both Melody and I met her in the training area early in the morning.

"You two have a simple task: break my defense and land one hit on me," Lilith announced. "Use any strategy you feel will help you, and come at me."

Without a second thought, Melody charged forward. She lunged at her mother, using wind magic to propel herself and then immediately switching to her flaming fists. As she launched a punch, it hit a large, invisible barrier that shot her back and sent her crashing into the ground.

I stood there watching them battle the sparks and noise reminded me of that night all I could see was Bethany's head the screems and Magnus laughing through it all my hands began shaking as a chill took over my body

"Help, Madoxx!" she shouted, preparing for another attack.

Lilith turned to me. "Madoxx, up until now you haven't used your Palm Casting effectively. Feel the spark flow through your body and expel it from the source. Don't use the mana in the air."

What does that even mean I muttered to my self.

From what I’d learned at the orphanage, I realized I could channel my spells directly from my palms without the need for a wand.

All I had to do was imagine I was holding one, and when I did, I could create ice—just barely—above my palms in the air in front of me.

It was almost as if I could see the spark a white pocket of energy hovering just ahead of me. When I concentrated hard enough, I could manipulate and shape that mana into shards of ice, which I could launch at will.

"Once I start attacking, you will die if you do not improve," Lilith said, her voice cold and serious. The statement sent shivers down my spine because I could tell she meant it.

I closed my eyes and focused. I felt the spark manifest throughout my body, rushing through my veins. I pictured ice expelling from my palms. My hands felt cold and numb as icicles began to form around them. I took a deep breath and tried launching the ice. A sharp, freezing sensation trickled through my hands before intensifying, causing excruciating pain.

"I can't do it," I muttered. "How is it possible? Look at Melody; she's doing quite well just manipulating the mana around her. Why is it so important for it to come straight from the source?"

Melody rushed back in, launching herself into the sky and shooting gusts of wind and fireballs at Lilith.

"The Enchanters are mages who need to chant or write down their spells before they can use them," Lilith explained as she effortlessly deflected Melody's attacks. "The Casters use tools like wands, swords, and weapons to channel their magic. The third type of magic style is rare, and you are the first one I’ve ever seen partially use it. It's called Palm Casting, where you use your body to cast spells."

"It's a very difficult style because if done incorrectly, the spell hurts the caster instead of the target. I will teach you how to properly use this style. As of now, you’ve been manipulating the mana you release from your body into the air. This isn’t effective. You need to learn how to use your body as your tool and cast your spells directly from your hands, not the air around them."

I took her words to heart and tried again. I visualized the mana flowing through my body, focusing it into my palms. I felt the coldness again but this time, I tried to control it, guiding it with my will. Slowly, the pain lessened and the ice formed more smoothly. I launched another attack, a shard of ice this time, aiming directly at Lilith. It hit her barrier but instead of being deflected like Melody’s attack, it cracked the surface slightly.

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"Better," Lilith said with a small nod. "But you still have a long way to go. Now, both of you, come at me together. Let's see if you can break my defense."

"Spark is simply another element in this world, like the air you breathe or the ground you stand on. The Spark in the air cannot be improved, strengthened, or overhauled, which is why mages use powerful staffs, mods, and other items to conjure their spells. A normal conjured spell would never be able to pierce my barrier, but you have made a dent in my defenses. Palm casting relies on the strength of your sprak core; the stronger you make it, the better your spells will be," Lilith said.

"Now I understand why she was so adamant about me learning this technique.

When I create spells externally using the mana already in the air, they’re weak and ineffective. That’s why mages use wands and other tools—they act as substitutes for a spark core, absorbing and amplifying the spark's power.

The advantage of palm casting is that it’s like having a wand inside your body. Your internal spark core strengthens the energy before you release it, making the spell far more potent.

"You’re a fast learner," Lilith said with a hint of approval. "Now, let’s see if you can keep up."

"The next ability you’ll learn is rune casting. This technique works by using your body to radiate spark, releasing it into the air around you. By doing so, you create a field of potent, rich spark in your surroundings.

Your task is to mold this spark into a rune—make it as large as you can. A larger rune creates a broader surface area, which allows you to unleash more spells and attacks simultaneously. It’s all about control and amplification."

But before that tell me what you have observed about Melody's fighting style.

Melody's style involved casting different elemental spells in quick succession. She manipulates the elements and use their attributes to create new elements. For example, fire and stone would create magma

You seem to be catching on, Madox she said, smiling

"With palm casting and rune casting, you can bypass the stage of combining spells internally Instead, you manipulate the spells internally to achieve your desired byproduct immediately.

"So instead of needing to summon water then using wind to cool it to create ice, you can just do this internally then get your by product immediately."

This brought me back to something Malinda had said at the orphanage. Apparently, a mage typically has only one elemental affinity, which is why we took the test to determine which element we could cast.

"While that’s true for most mages," Lilith explained, "there are exceptions. Some, like you and Melody, possess Deviant abilities—powers that go beyond the norm. These abilities sometimes allow mages to manipulate forms of spark that fall outside the main four elements: water, fire, earth, and air."

She paused, then continued, "There are three levels a mage can reach.

The first is a Standard Mage, who gains affinity with one of the four main elements.

The second is a mage who evolves their elemental ability into a secondary form. For example, a mage with water affinity might evolve it into ice, or a mage with stone affinity might develop the ability to manipulate sand. This evolution allows for more specialized and versatile casting."

"The third type," Lilith continued, "are Deviants—mages who can manipulate unnatural forms of magic, such as lightning, gravity, teleportation, and so on.

And then there’s you." She looked at me pointedly. "Because of your ability to fuse different attributes together, the limits of what you can create are virtually boundless.

Take, for instance, the shadowy abilities you developed after your encounter with the Keeth. That’s not something a typical mage could accomplish—at least, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to. Though I admit... I could be wrong."

"Anyway that's enough talk, now you learn through getting hurt!" she said smirking.

"Now l'm going to attack," she said coldly.

It was as if she disappeared before my eyes and reappeared behind me. Before I could even react,I was launched backward into the wall, denting it. Pieces of concrete flew everywhere and the impact knocked the air out of me.

"I told you, boy, be ready or you will die,' she said, her demeanor shifting from a warm, motherly aura to that of a beast filled with bloodlust, ready to kill.

I quickly got up as Melodie dashed forward, launching a deadly kick. Her leg, covered in hardened rock, sent shards of stone flying everywhere accompanied by a gust of wind and a loud noise that echoed through the arena.

I stood up and tried to cover my hands in stone. I imagined a rocky substance and created a lump of stone then like Melody i tried to cover my hands in it.

"Ah, foolish. You are nowhere near Melodie's level-only a cheap copy," she said as she dashed fowerd again and kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying.

"Be original , she added coldly

As I flew through the air, I felt the air leave my lungs again and felt as if I might throw up before hitting the wall, nearly passing out.

"Get up and fight," she ordered

Melodie landed on the ground and smashed her hands into it, launching boulders into the sky. She then jumped up and transferred the stone from her hands to her legs, boosting her kick. The boulders flew toward Lilith.

Instead of letting the boulders hit her Lilith jumped into the air, dodging them as they hurtled toward me.

With little time to react, i jumped out of the way, but one of the boulders hit me in the chest.

A sharp spike of pain overtook my body as I heard Melodie screaming, "Madox, i'm so sorr-" before she was sent flying into the wall by a kick from Lilith

'Focus on your surroundings," Lilith hissed.

I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness I'm actually going to die I said to myself

"Get up," a voice said

"What is this? Who said that?" I asked, surprised

"Get up. It was the white haired girl again

"Who are you?" I shouted.

"Stop playing games and win!" she orded

The voice was demanding but also sounded very unthreatining like that of a bratty child.

"Get uuuuuup," she ordered

I felt a sharp jolt of electricity course through my body. As I got to my feet, bloodlust took control. My body jolted forward as my palms began to glow, and the runes disappeared from my hands- three huge circular runes written in black fog runes appeared above my head

"Ah,so you have managed to rune cast after only one attempt!" Lilith said very pleased.

I felt like i did that day in the woods. I imagined shards of sharp ice forming and launching toward Lilith. A burst of ice shot out of the shadowy magic circles, with two of the shards hitting her barrier. Instead of merely deflecting off, they punctured and cracked the barrier.

Lilith smiled menacingly. "Now the real battle begins.

She cast her own runes onto the floor they where red and pulsateated violently, and a roaring blaze of fire expelled from them.

Instinctively, I jumped into the air, using wind to propel me high up into the sky.

"Show me what you can do, Lilith ordered, launching toward me and kicking me again. This time,I could see her fast movements and tried to create a rock shield in front of me. A strange magic circle appeared, and a large, solid rock wall formed in front of me.

"I smiled, but my confidence was

short-lived. The wall cracked where she

had kicked it, and before I could react,

Lilith teleported behind me. In an

instant, I became her target. She

delivered a monstrous kick to my face,

launching me into the ground with

incredible force. The impact was so

strong that it knocked me unconscious

"I woke up some time later, still

Laying on the arena floor.

Not far from me, Melody was lodged in

crater in the wall. My entire body felt

like it was on fire; every inch of me

ached as I coughed and groaned.

"So you didn't die. Good job,' Melody

said in a weak, hoarse voice giving me a thumbs up.

"I'm not sure yet,'" I muttered,

She let out a faint, weak giggle. "We did

alright... we'll definitely get her next

time," she said, coughing up blood.

'Yeah,"' I said, my own painful chuckle

escaping me

"Young lady, Melody, are you alright?"

A voice i didn't know said.

"I almost had her this time Nyssa, Melody

said, still struggling to speak

"I wholeheartedly believe that,' Nyssa

replied warmly.

Without hesitation, Nyssa carried us

both to the medic ward.

Nyssa was one of Lilith’s helpers, a quiet presence with black hair and a petite frame. She wore a maid’s outfit, and her chocolate-brown skin was scattered with freckles she had a warm smile and seemed to be very kind hearted.

Medic Ward~

The medic ward was a large room with

eight beds arranged neatly in rows. The

walls were a dark gray, and the ceiling

was adorned with four candlelit

chandeliers that cast a soft glow. The

floor was tiled in pristine white, and the

gray walls were engraved with intricate

gold runes.

Ola, Ren, Melody, and I occupied the

beds. Melody's bed was right next to

mine.

When I woke up, I noticed her lying still,

ner hands raised in the air as she stared

at them intently.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I find hands so interesting. They are the tools used to create and share affection. We use them to feel, but we also use them as weapons. These soft, squishy, bony hands have so many uses. Whether surrounded by rough stone, hot lava, or cradling a baby, we have these hands. You can feel so much from these hands. You're so lucky."

I was slightly confused by her statement. What did she mean I was lucky? She had hands too.

"I was born with no hands arms or legs a defect that occurred at my birth. These ones were a gift from my father—artificial hands and feet , the second greatest gift I got from him." Tears fell from her eyes. "Magic has taken so much from me, more than you can ever imagine. But magic also gave me these hands—these squishy hands that allow me to fight and become strong, strong enough to protect myself and those I hold dear. That's why I'm always going to try my best. No matter the odds, I'm going to overcome them with these hands my father gave me."

Melody could be rough around the edges—loud, violent, and beastishly strong. But here, she looked so fragile and vulnerable, at peace.

I wanted to ask her more about what she had said, but it didn’t feel like my place to pry.

The next day

“So, Madox, how’s your recovery going in the hospital wing?” Lilith asked.

“It’s... okay. My wounds healed relatively fast,” I replied.

“Naturally. The spells used to heal you are very powerful, but I worry they haven’t been as effective on your friends. All we can do now is be patient,” she said.

“Yeah, I will,” I said, my tone more pathetic than I’d hoped.

“Listen, Madox—”

“No, it’s fine, really,” I interrupted.

Lilith gave me a look—one that told me she understood the guilt weighing on my shoulders. She seemed to grasp what I was going through, but even if her words were true, I couldn’t accept that it wasn’t my fault.

“Listen, son, we’ll be training hard today and from now on. If you don’t give every ounce of your strength, you will die.”

Unknown Area~

“Magnus, sir, you were right. We’ve observed a greater spike in their growth than anything we’ve ever seen before. Shall we inform the others of your success?” a man asked.

“No. I took this risk on my own, and I’ll see it through to the end. This might be the most promising method we’ve ever used.”

“Understood, sir. What do you want us to do with the girl?” the man asked.

“Benimaru, I can’t tell you everything. If she’s still alive, treat her like the others,” Magnus replied, his voice sharp.

“Understood, sir. I’ll take my leave,” Benimaru said.

“Wait,” Magnus commanded. “Send Stone and observe the results,” he added, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

Benimaru hesitated before replying, “Understood, sir.”