Elianna stood poised as the sun beamed down on her. She held her sword in her right hand, with her left foot in front of her right, ready to move at a moment's notice. She blinked as a gentle breeze blew past her, but her eyes remained locked on her target before her. Her grip on her sword tightened; she pushed mana through her body and, in one quick movement, burst forward.

Elianna was fast as she closed in on the target dummy, pushing mana into her sapphire core. Water magic rushed through her body, moving through her arm before moving to her sword. The mana gem on her sword glowed brightly with a sapphire hue as Elianna coated her sword in water magic. Elianna skidded to a halt with the target before her and slashed up with her sword vertically, slicing the dummy up its torso.

Elianna followed up by spinning on her feet, moving to her left, and moving her sword in three quick jabs, stabbing the dummy twice in the torso and once in the face. She spun on her feet again, this time moving to her right, and she fell to her knees, practicing her dodging. She gathered water magic in her empty left hand and, with her intent and willpower, thrust her hand forward, shooting a pressurized beam of water at the dummy, knocking some of its wood off.

Elianna quickly rolled over her shoulder before getting to her feet, stumbling a little before jumping back, getting some distance between the dummy and herself. She got back into her attack stance, wrapping water around her sword. With her intent of wanting to use a ranged attack as her father showed her, Elianna swirled the water around on her blade before swinging it horizontally. The water quickly flew off her blade like an arc of sharpened water before slicing into the dummy's torso.

Elianna followed up with her ranged attack by pivoting on her feet, spinning left and right while simultaneously swinging her sword. She released several water arcs toward the dummy, which all sliced the target on the torso or head, meeting their marks with lethal accuracy. Her father taught her that she needed to be as good at ranged combat as she was at close combat, as there would be instances where you could not get close to your opponent.

Pivoting to her left and releasing another arc, Elianna got into another fight stance, placing her left foot in front of her right. She gathered water magic to her blade, swirling it around, before she stepped forward with her right foot, thrusting her sword toward her target. The water shot out from her sword like a whip that clashed with the dummy's torso with highly pressurized water, splintering off some wood. With the water whip attached to her sword, Elianna moved her sword horizontally and vertically, delivering five more whip strikes before canceling the spell.

The water whip burst apart, raining harmlessly on the lush green grass beneath Elianna's feet. Elianna took a calming breath before she stood straight, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her head whipped to the right, surprised by hearing someone clapping, and she smiled warmly as her eyes fell on her father, who was standing close by.

Lucian smiled proudly, seeing how far his daughter had come with her sword skills this past year. "Well done, Munchkin!"

"Thanks, Dad," Elianna said, returning his smile and storing her sword into her spatial ring. She let out a small, frustrated sigh, "I stumbled a little after my roll, though."

Lucian chuckled, approaching his daughter, "Perhaps, but you quickly recovered and executed a follow-up attack without hesitation."

Elianna nodded and looked back at her target, "That's true, I guess. But I would've been faster if I didn't stumble."

Lucian smiled, shaking his head lightheartedly. He knew his daughter would sometimes scold herself whenever she made a mistake during training, putting herself in a sour mood. "Most ten-year-olds aren't even close to being as skilled as you. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Elianna smiled and looked at her father, "I'm only this skilled because I have a great teacher." She tilted her head, looking at her father curiously, "So, are you done with your meeting now?"

Lucian's smile faded as he sighed and shook his head, "No. We are taking a small break for the moment. So, I decided to see what you were up to."

Elianna slumped a little, as her father had been meeting with the leaders of the knight and mage orders all morning. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time training with her father, so she was eager for him to be done with this meeting soon.

"How much longer do you think it will take?"

Lucian shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm not sure. There are still some important things to discuss regarding the outposts."

Elianna looked at her father inquisitively, "Is it about the Infernal Cult and the orcs?"

Lucian's brows raised with surprise before he looked suspiciously at his daughter, "Did you read the papers on my desk?"

Elianna flinched slightly before she looked down and nodded guiltily. She knew she wasn't supposed to read those papers, as her father told her not to in the past on multiple occasions. But curiosity got the best of her a few days ago, and she looked over their contents. She read how there has been an increase in orc sightings around Zaraemar, which has the three kingdoms scouring the orc kingdom of Calignar, trying to find out how they're slipping through its borders.

However, the orcs weren't the only concern. There has been a rise in activity with a group called the Infernal Cult. Several adventurer groups have reported seeing the Infernal Cult and having run-ins with them, which resulted in skirmishes. As of now, no one knew what the cult was up to.

Lucian sighed, seeing his daughter nod and looking down remorsefully. "You know better than to read those documents, Munchkin. They're confidential. Secret."

Elianna nodded, shamefaced, "I'm sorry."

Lucian smiled slightly and patted her head. "It's fine. Just don't do it again." Lucian looked over his shoulder at the headquarters building, "I should be getting back."

Elianna looked at her father with a saddened gaze, "Already? You just got here."

Lucian looked at his daughter and smiled, "Yeah. Sorry, Munchkin, but I do have a job to do. Don't push yourself too hard while I'm gone."

Elianna smiled a little, trying to hide her disappointment, and nodded, "Okay. See you later."

Lucian gave his daughter one more head pat before he turned and walked back toward the headquarters building. Elianna watched her father as he climbed the steps of the building and walked through the double doors, leaving her view.

Alone again, Elianna sighed before she looked at the target. She didn't feel like practicing at the moment, so she decided to relax and do what she usually did: watch the knights train.

Elianna left the headquarters area, walking toward the first battalion building. Outside the building, she observed several knights and mages practicing their magic and sword skills. There was one group of knights and a mage who were gathered around each other in a circle, with one person in the middle speaking to all of them. Curious about what they were talking about, Elianna began walking toward them.

The man in the center of the formation looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had short green hair and blue eyes and wore the knight combat uniform. He had two golden discs on his collar, signifying he was a sergeant.

The sergeant looked at one of the men with a deadpan look, "No, Cutts, you cannot take a pudding break."

The other knights in the formation began laughing while Cutts, who had short dark blue hair and brown eyes, looked down with a saddened gaze. "Yes, Sergeant."

The sergeant looked around the group, "Now, are there any more ques-" The sergeant stopped, and his brows raised with surprise, seeing Elianna standing a few feet away. He smiled warmly, peering at her through the group, "Good afternoon, Lady Elianna."

The knights all turned, following the sergeant's gaze, seeing Elianna standing there calmly.

Elianna smiled and waved, "Good afternoon, Sergeant. I was just wondering what you were doing."

The sergeant smiled and gestured to the group, "We were just about to have a little gauntlet. Sparring one on one until one is champion."

Elianna's eyes widened with interest, "Woah, that sounds awesome!"

The knights and mage chuckled a little. The knights and mages in the area had become accustomed to Elianna's presence and always found it a little humorous when she showed excitement in their training.

The sergeant smiled, "You are more than welcome to watch. I only ask that you stand at a safe distance away."

"Cool!" Elianna chirped and looked at the trees a few feet away. "Is it okay if I stand by the trees?"

The sergeant followed Elianna's gaze, smiled, and nodded, "Yes, that is fine."

Elianna nodded and quickly made her way over to the trees. Once at the trees, she turned to watch the knights, eager to see their competition. The sergeant exchanged a few more words with the knights before they broke apart, and all stood in a line, facing Elianna so she had a clear view of the competition.

The sergeant stood in front of the line and yelled, "Alright! Now, let's have the squad leaders show everyone how it's done! Corporal's Havasar and Kulins, report!"

Two individuals in the line stepped forward. The first individual was a male dwarf who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had short black hair and dark eyes. The second individual was a female elf with purple hair and dark blue eyes.

The sergeant looked at the dwarf, "Havasar," and then looked at the elf, "Kulins." He gestured to the area in front of him, "Take your starting positions."

Havasar and Kulins nodded before taking the field. They stood several feet apart and turned to face each other. Havasar pulled a large black two-handed battle axe out of his spatial ring while Kulins produced two small silver daggers.

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The sergeant looked at the elven mage, "Dreason. Barrier, please."

Dreason nodded, and he took a wand out of his spatial ring. He raised his wand and the mana gem on the wand's handle, and the wand's tip began to glow white with pure mana. A white light formed in the air above Havasar and Kulins before spreading out, creating a dome of pure white mana around them. Elianna looked at the barrier in awe, seeing the display of magic.

Seeing the barrier was set and the on-lookers were protected, the sergeant raised his arm, "Ready!" Havasar and Kulins got into attack stances, forming mana guards around themselves. "Begin!"

Wind magic swirled around Kulins before she dashed toward Havasar at incredible speeds. Elianna went wide-eyed in wonderment, barely able to keep track of Kulins' movement. Kulins swiftly moved past Havasar, with her now standing behind him. Kulins quickly turned to face Havasar, coating her daggers in wind magic. The wind magic swirled around her blades and extended, making two short wind swords.

Kulins dashed toward Havasar, preparing to strike him in the back. However, using earth magic, Havasar quickly covered his back in an earth-like armor. Kulins waved her arms horizontally, striking the earth-like armor with her wind blades, barely slicing the surface of the earthen armor.

Earth magic swirled around Havasar's battle axe like particles of dust, and he whirled around, swinging his battle axe horizontally. Kulins swiftly jumped back, distancing herself several feet from Havasar as his battle axe met nothing but air. Havasar raised his axe, earth magic swirling around it, and swung it down vertically. The particles of dust gathered together, and Havasar released an earth spike the size of an icicle at Kulins. Kulins dashed to the side, dodging the earth spike, as Havasar continued to swing his axe, shooting several earth spikes at her.

Kulins was swift on her feet as she moved with elegance, dodging every earth spike Havasar hurled at her. Kulins moved to the side one last time before she dashed toward Havasar, closing on him rapidly. Havasar narrowed his eyes and raised his battle axe into the air. The earth magic swirling around his axe dispersed, and Havasar coated his axe in lava magic as he swung it down vertically, striking the earth before him.

Kulins went wide as she closed in on Havasar, and glowing bright orange veins of magma spread out throughout the ground before him. She stomped her front foot on the ground, barely skidding to a halt before jumping back just as a wall of lava rose from the earth in front of Havasar.

Kulins skidded to a halt, and ice magic began to swirl around her daggers. Kulins simultaneously swung her daggers horizontally, releasing a small cyclone of icy wind that struck the lava wall. The lava wall hissed as it cooled, turning into harmless rock.

With the rock cooled, Kulins returned to an attack stance and smirked at Havasar, "Not bad."

Havasar smiled as he walked around the lava rock wall, "You'll have to do better than that to break my defense."

Kulins chuckled, "Challange accepted."

Kulins dashed toward Havasar again, and Elianna stood on the sidelines, leaning against the tree, with her eyes wide and shining with admiration for the two knights battling before her. Kulins' movements were swift and elegant, while Havasar was strong and poised. Their displays of magic had Elianna's heart racing with amazement, and she wanted to be in their positions one day.

As Elianna watched Havasar and Kulins duel, her eyes narrowed slightly, noticing a scribbling sound from nearby. Elianna curiously looked around, trying to see where the sound was coming from. She looked around the tree and found the source of the sound.

Sitting at the next tree over was a boy who looked about Elianna's age. He had medium-length blonde hair and was wearing a green t-shirt and brown pants. The boy seemed to be drawing on a sketch pad in his hands and would occasionally look up with a focused gaze.

Elianna's brows raised, finding the boy being here curious, as she didn't know anyone else around her age came to the garrison, and she had never seen the boy before. Inquisitively, Elianna quietly walked to where the boy was sitting, approaching him from behind. As she neared him, she could hear him humming softly to himself.

Elianna approached and stood behind the boy, looking over his shoulder. Her eyes fell on his sketchpad, seeing he was using a pencil to sketch the first battalion building. Elianna's brows raised, seeing how beautiful and intricate his sketch was. The boy stopped humming and looked at the building again with a narrowed gaze before he smiled. He returned to humming, looked at his sketch pad, and continued drawing.

Elianna took another step and leaned forward slightly to get a closer look at the boy's sketch when she snapped a branch beneath her feet. The boy stiffened, his head whirled around, and his deep sea-green eyes fell on Elianna.

Elianna flinched slightly, startled at the boy's sudden movement, but managed to smile, "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

The boy blinked with surprise, eyeing her for a moment, before he returned her smile, "No, it's okay."

Elianna stood there a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say. She didn't usually have conversations with kids her age, not after her falling out with her old friends. Finally, wanting to break the awkward silence, she looked at the boy's sketch and pointed to it, "I like your drawing."

The boy looked at his sketchbook and smiled brightly, "Thanks!" He looked up at the first battalion building. "I thought the building looked cool, so I decided to draw it."

"D-Do you draw a lot?"

The boy looked at her and nodded, "Yep!" He closed his sketchbook and held it out to her, "Wanna see?"

Elianna's brows rose with surprise at the sudden offer, and she stood there motionlessly as she was caught off guard.

The boy's smile faded a little as he sat there extending the notebook to her, and she didn't grab it or say anything. He retracted his arm slightly, thinking that maybe she wasn't that interested in his drawings. "You don't have to look at them if you don't want to."

Elianna blinked, and her eyes widened slightly, realizing she hadn't answered. Eyeing his sketchbook, she remembered how good his battalion drawing was and felt a sense of intrigue, wondering what else he had drawn. So, she smiled a little, slowly nodded, and said, "S-Sure."

Feeling reassured, the boy's smile returned, and he held his sketchbook out to her, "Here you go."

She grabbed the sketchbook and began to look through it, with her eyes periodically flicking to the boy, who was still sitting against the tree and looking around at his surroundings. Flipping through the sketchbook, Elianna soon found herself smiling, seeing the beautifully detailed penciled drawings of flowers, trees, animals, and buildings.

"These are really good," Elianna complimented.

The boy's eyes shot to her, and he smiled appreciatingly, "Thanks!" He chuckled, "I like drawing things that catch my eye."

Elianna closed the sketchbook and held it out to him, "Thanks for letting me look at your drawings."

"You're welcome!" The boy chirped, taking the sketchbook. The sketchbook disappeared in a flash of green light, and Elianna's eyes flicked to the boy's fingers, seeing a spatial ring on his right ring finger. The boy followed her gaze and raised his hand, showing the ring, "It's my spatial ring. It's used to hold items, like my sketchbook."

Elianna smiled and held up her right hand, revealing her own spatial ring, "I know. I have one, too. It's where I hold my sword."

The boy looked surprised before he chuckled, "Nice!" The boy looked at her curiously, "Sword, huh? Does that mean you're an augmentor?"

Elianna nodded, "Yeah. What about you?"

The boy smiled proudly, "I'm a first circle mage."

Elianna's eyes raised with surprise, knowing it was difficult to become a mage from what her father told her, "Oh, congrats."

"Thanks! I'm actually here to train with my cousin under my aunt, who are both mages." The boy pointed to the first battalion building, "They're finishing their lunch."

Elianna looked at the building, "Are you not eating?"

The boy smiled, "I already ate. I wanted to come out and draw for a bit." He looked at Elianna curiously, "What about you? Are you training here, too?"

Elianna looked at him and nodded, "Yeah, I'm training with my Dad. Though, he's busy at the moment. We were supposed to work on my advanced elemental skills."

"Elemental?" The boy asked, sounding confused.

Elianna stiffened, and her eyes widened, realizing her mistake and seeing the boy's confused gaze.

"You already have elemental magic?" The boy asked, and Elianna hesitantly nodded. The boy furrowed his brows, "What's your mana core level?"

Elianna's stomach dropped, and her body subconsciously shook, "T-Two stars, at the bright stage."

The boy tilted his head slightly to the right, "How old are you?"

"T-Ten."

The boy smiled, "Oh, me too!" His eyes narrowed slightly, "But when did you awaken?"

Elianna flinched at the question. Memories of Dylan, Tyer, and Sarah flooded her mind. The word freak rang inside her head like a bell, and thoughts of her friends abandoning her swirled around her like a rolling wave of water, making her feel like she was drowning.

Elianna's body shook a little, and she felt slightly sick as she hesitantly said, "F-Four."

The boy's eyes widened with surprise, and Elianna quickly looked away. She steeled herself, closing her eyes, waiting for the boy to call her a freak. After all, everyone her age called her a freak, so why shouldn't he?

"That's so cool!!"

Elianna's eyes shot open, and her head snapped toward him. She saw the boy looking at her with amazement, his smile wide and eyes gleaming.

"I've never heard of anyone awakening that young!" The boy chirped. "How did you do it?!"

Elianna stood there, frozen, with her eyes feeling warm and growing watery. She had fully expected the boy to call her a freak, but instead, he was looking at her with wonderment. She couldn't explain it, but it felt like a relief to have someone her age look at her like that.

The boy's smile faded upon seeing Elianna's expression, and he looked at her, slightly concerned. "Are you okay?"

Elianna flinched and quickly wiped her eyes before she smiled genuinely, "Y-Yeah. And, thank you..." Her eyes narrowed slightly, "um..."

The boy looked at her with confusion before his eyes widened with realization. "Oh, where are my manners?!" The boy stood up, smiled, and held his hand out. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Nicholas, but I go by Nick for short."

Elianna returned his smile and shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Elianna."

Nicholas tilted his head slightly to the right, "Elianna, huh? Do you go by Lia for short?"

Elianna's brows furrowed, and she shook her head, "No. I don't care for that name. My fr-" She hesitated for a second before she continued. "My friends call me Elle."

They broke the handshake, and Nicholas chuckled, "Elle, huh? I like Lia better. It has a nice ring to it."

Elianna was about to respond but stopped when she heard a voice.

"Elianna, there you are."

Elianna and Nicholas looked toward the voice, seeing Lucian approaching them. Nicholas eyed the man, and his eyes fell to his collar, seeing the four golden stars, signifying his rank. Nicholas' eyes widened to the size of moons as he immediately realized who Lucian was.

Lucian smiled as he looked at his daughter. "I was getting worried; I didn't see you near the headquarters building."

Elianna returned her father's smile, "Sorry, Dad. I went to see the knights' training session."

Nicholas' astonishment grew, hearing Elianna call Lucian 'Dad.'

Lucian nodded, "I see." His eyes flicked behind her, and a curious expression fell upon his face as he eyed Nicholas. "And who is this?"

Elianna looked at Nicholas, and her brows raised in surprise. She saw Nicholas looking at her father with admiration, his eyes wide and gleaming.

Elianna looked at Nicholas inquisitively, "You okay?"

Nicholas looked at her with shock, like he had been knocked out of a daze. He quickly looked back at Lucian, placed his feet together, put his left arm at the small of his back, put his right hand over his heart, and bowed at the waist slightly.

Elianna's brows raised at the elegance and formality of Nicholas' bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," Nicholas said formally. "I am Nicholas."

Elianna eyed Nicholas curiously before looking at her father, who seemed to be trying to hide a comical smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Nicholas," Lucian replied, speaking friendly. "I am Lucian Vail."

Nicholas stood straight and nodded, "Yes, Sir, The White Wolf."

Elianna looked at Nicholas, confused, before she looked at her father.

Lucian raised his brows in astoundment, "I have not been called that in some time, and it's usually outside of Tri-Union City. Where are you from?"

"Zasaly, Sir."

"Ah, the capital of Gavaria," Lucian nodded. "What brings you here?"

"I'm training to become a mage with my aunt, Sir."

Lucian chuckled, "I see. And, you don't need to call me sir, young man." He looked at his daughter, "Speaking of training, our meeting is done. I came to see if you still wanted to train."

Elianna smiled excitedly and nodded, "Yeah!" She looked at Nicholas, "It was nice to meet you!"

Nicolas broke his admiring stare from Lucian and looked at Elianna with a friendly smile, "You too!"

Elianna gave Nicholas a small wave goodbye before she followed her father, heading toward the headquarters building.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lucian said.

Elianna looked at her father and smiled, "It's okay. I know you're busy."

Lucian looked at his daughter, returning her smile before eyeing her curiously, "So, what did you and Nicholas talk about?"

Elianna shrugged, "Not much, just about his drawings." Elianna looked to the side, and her lips curved slightly, looking content, "And our mana cores. He said it was cool that I'm a second star."

Lucian genuinely smiled, seeing his daughter's expression, "I'm glad."