'The Young Master is more skillful than he looks,' Tiamanes remarked. Lina glared at her right hand and shook her head. Her brother verified the contents of his dimensional pouch one last time before patting her on the back.

"Try not to surpass me too quickly," Glenn joked, "I told Sahro and Liara to take it easy on you, but..." He winced, "They're not the kind to do that, so..." He shot her a thumbs-up, "Good luck!"

Lina smiled dejectedly, "Thanks. See you in a few."

Glenn grinned and left the mansion without turning back. Lina looked at his dependable back and sighed. Wherever her brother was going wasn't her business, yet she was a little annoyed that she wouldn't tell him. Not even his two Black Heirs friends knew where he was going. All he said was that he would come back even stronger.

Why would he even need to become stronger anyway? Lina thought begrudgingly as she headed to the training room.

'Strength is the bare requisite for survival, Milady,' Tiamanes said, '...But you already know that. That's why you're working so hard to catch up to your brother, right?'

Lina pressed her lips together. I don't want to be a burden he needs to protect. I...I've already been that for too long.

She looked forward with resolve, her fists tightly clenched. Now that I have the opportunity to forge my own path forward, I have the obligation to do so.

'Wise words, Milady,' Tiamanes complimented her, before adding with a slightly mocking tone, 'Now remains to be seen whether you will survive Sahro and Liara's training without succumbing to their charms.'

Lina blushed and slapped her right hand in a rather silly motion. Stop bringing that up! It's not my fault if they're all so charismatic, okay? And it's of no help that they're the literal incarnations of beauty and perfection!

Tiamanes laughed, 'Who knows, maybe you will have some luck with the majestic white-haired beauty, or the rough warrior with green eyes and a cool prosthetic?'

Argh shut up! Lina was helpless in front of the entity's innocent teasing and arrived in the training room ashamed and her cheeks flushed red. Liara and Sahro were already sparing relentlessly, using every moment they had to grow their strength. If Lina understood correctly, it wasn't often that Glenn's group had the opportunity to sit in one place and work on their skills. They were too busy running around ruining cultists' rituals and advents of evil gods.

She was almost certain Glenn and Sahro were exaggerating that last story to show off, but something told her that they might not be lying about it. There was a hint of...hatred in their eyes that couldn't lie.

"Lina!" Liara stopped the spar, sweating profusely. Lina used all of her willpower to stop herself from ogling at her tantalizing body. Sahro wiped his forehead and snorted, "Hah, you're just using her as an excuse to take a break, aren't you?" He paused and paled, "...Sorry Princess, I let myself get carried away."

Lina gulped at Sahro's muscular body and looked away while Liara sighed, "Sahro, can't you just treat me normally? As Glenn said, I'm not the Princess of much right now anyway."

Sahro tried to plead, "But—!"

"No buts!" Liara ordered, her lips curved upward, "As the First Heiress, I command you to treat me like a friend instead of a ruler."

Sahro froze and clenched his teeth, "...As you wish, Prin—Liara," He hurriedly corrected himself after noticing her glare. Liara's anger faded as quickly as it appeared and she turned back to Lina with a gentle smile.

"Are you ready to awaken Aura, Lina?" She asked. Sahro walked away to grab a bottle of water, watching in silence. Lina dismissed all her unnecessary thoughts, or at least tried to, and nodded.

"Good," Liara invited her to sit in the center of the room, "There are multiple ways to awaken Aura, the first being endless training and the determination to go through it. You can also fight to the death with an incredibly powerful opponent and awaken your Aura during the fight, to allow yourself to push beyond your human boundaries."

Liara commanded a sword with her Telekinesis and made it float in front of Lina, before gently grabbing it. A white light covered the blade, vibrating with sharp power.

"You won't be able to awaken Aura this way because your body is already housing a Mana Circle. But don't worry, much like how your brother did it, I can forcefully awaken the Aura in your body. It will be very painful though, so you must be prepared," Liara warned with a serious face.

Lina gulped and gritted her teeth, "I am ready."

Sahro scoffed, "We will see about that. I saw much tougher Black Heirs pissing their pants due to the pain."

Liara glared at him, "I'm sure you're speaking from your own experience," Sahro's face hardened but she continued, "Still, it will serve no purpose trying to scare her. She already made her choice, after all."

The Black Heir shrugged, "So be it. Good luck."

Liara settled behind Lina and rested her hands against her back. The princess leaned into Lina's ear and whispered in an amused tone, “It's just my opinion, but I don't think you need any luck.”

Lina smiled, "Thank you."

Without further ado, Liara channeled her Aura inside Lina's body, activating the hidden strength in her body. Lina felt a pang of pain shot throughout her whole being. She clenched her teeth tightly, refusing to show an embarrassing side to Glenn's friends. This pain was nothing compared to her desire for freedom.

"Good...Keep enduring it. The pain is from the impurities that are being expelled from your body," Liara explained with a relaxed tone.

Lina couldn't reply, too concentrated on resisting the torture. A black substance began coming out of her pores, leaking out of her ears, nostrils, and eyes. She coughed and spat out a thick lump of black goo, almost breaking her focus, but Liara's hands on her back helped keep it together.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Excellent. Now, you need to feel the Aura and stop it from raging inside your body. Do your best to rein in the pain, and it'll eventually work out." Liara continued with her guidance, her Aura flowing inside Lina's body endlessly.

Lina exhaled heavily, drenched in sweat. She tried to do as Liara instructed her, but the pain was too powerful. It was like a raging torrent destroying everything in its path. Lina ignored all the signals her body was sending her to just give up and faint, and instead tried redirecting the torrent.

The pain, that was first overwhelming her entire being, began to become more and more centralized. The end of her limbs stopped hurting, then her arms and legs were free from the pain.

"Exceptional," Liara complimented her once more, "Now, try to condense all of that into a Core in your lower abdomen. It'll settle naturally the second you start guiding it."

Lina couldn't help but let out a grunt of pain. The more energy she concentrated on a point, the more painful it became. It felt like she was being stabbed and burning from the inside. A small ball of magma that tried to get out of her belly using every means possible.

Liara breathed in and out, starting to feel the toll. She kept her concentration up, helping Lina as best she could, but it was up to the girl to succeed. Liara could only show her the way.

Lina screamed as all the energy condensed in a single spot, forming a blinding bright pink ball. The ball was pulsing with destructive energy, each pulse coursing through her veins and overflowing them with strength. Lina suddenly shot to her feet, her Core completely formed. She looked at her hands in awe, finding them to be shining brightly with pink, sharp light.

This...this feels incredible! She punched out excitedly, her fist ripping through the air with incredible strength.

I need to try this. I need...I need to fight! Lina exploded with a pink Aura surrounding her body before charging at the nearest fighter, Liara. The latter tiredly rolled to the side, dodging disgracefully the inexperienced combatant's attack. Lina roared and tried to attack again, but Sahro suddenly appeared in front of her, grinning widely.

"Pink? Ha!" His crimson, blood-like Aura suddenly flared up, pushing back against her own and overwhelming it. Lina felt her strange desire to fight explode similarly, and she dashed at Sahro with all her strength condensed in one punch. Sahro watched her with a wide grin, not even bothering to block her attack. Her fist smashed against his chest with a loud bang and she suddenly felt all her strength leave her.

"There, there, better now?" Sahro asked as he dusted off his chest, unharmed and unbothered. Lina fell on her back, exhausted and out of breath. She felt like she had been rolled over by a dozen trucks and some more.

'That was rather reckless of you, Milady,' Tiamanes commented, 'But then, I suppose that's how one normally reacts once awakening Aura. I will just have to pray for you to not become a battle-crazed lady, I suppose...'

Lina couldn't hear any more of his nonsense and passed out.

Liara and Sahro exchanged a gaze and sighed in unison.

"That went surprisingly well," Liara said as she wiped the sweat off her eyebrows. Sahro nodded before crouching and picking the girl up.

"We probably have the ancestors to thank that she's inexperienced and relatively innocent," He grimaced and laid her on a resting bench, "Had it been Glenn, he would probably have started blasting away with magic and Aura combined."

Liara chuckled and emptied a bottle of water on her head, "That would have been an incredible sight to see." She paused and suddenly gulped heavily, "Hey, Sahro...Imagine if Glenn also had Aura?"

Sahro looked at her for a moment before spitting to the side, "I'd rather not think about it."

"Yeah, you're right."

"...Anyway, wanna spar?"

"Fuck off, Sahro."

***

"You've been putting this off for way too long, in my opinion," Diamanes scolded, "I could have taken these things before the fight with the Baron, for example. That would have assured us victory for sure!"

Glenn winced, "I'm not sure disrupting my skills with new ones would have actually helped me. And you know, the sooner we took care of that enlarged mosquito, the better."

Nelg chuckled in awe, "I'm really curious to see how this will turn out. What did you get with the other statues already?"

"Hmm, so far, I have Divine Blessing and Carbon Blades that I took from the Twilight Gate's statues. That leaves me with the Frozen Gate, the Burning Gate, and the Dawn Gate." Glenn rubbed his chin as he walked out of the Frozen Gate, enjoying the chilly wind surrounding the two massive ice statues. A little earlier in the day, Glenn had decided to finally put Diamanes to good use and take every spell he possibly could. It wouldn't do him any harm to bolster his toolbelt with new, ancient powers.

And new powers meant new combinations with his Specialty, Astral Sorcery, which ultimately meant more cool and powerful shit to throw at his enemies. He was totally not doing this because he had no idea as to how he was supposed to go to reach the Fifth Circle.

"If that can liven you up, I'm on the brink of breaking through, I just need to digest a few more souls," Nelg said. Glenn paused and grinned at the longsword hanging at his waist.

"That's indeed excellent news. What will be your next form? A spear, a pair of knives, maybe—oh, I know, a scythe!"

Nelg sent back a mental shrug, "I have no idea. I can't tell until I start the process."

Glenn rubbed his hands together with a wicked smile, "I can't wait. Now, let's take these statues' powers."

The Frozen Gate was still protected by its two silent watchers, a swordsman and a barbarian. Glenn first took the swordsman's power, his lips curving upward as he felt the power coursing through his left arm.

'That'd do nicely for breakfast,' Diamanes snickered. Glenn ignored him and extended his hand to call for this new power, but restrained himself at the last moment. He was still in front of the Gate, it might not do him any favors to make a show of himself.

"As if you weren't that much of a celebrity already," Nelg mocked. Glenn sighed and also took the barbarian statue's power before leaving for a more isolated spot, away from King's Rise Ramparts.

"Now, let's see that swordsman power...Surely something related to swords, right?" Glenn muttered as he channeled his Mana into Diamanes.

For a second, nothing happened. And then, a row of stone swords shot up from the ground, impaling the helpless vegetation in the area. Glenn whistled, impressed, "And one more area-of-effect spell. My fears are getting confirmed with each passing day. I'm more and more becoming some sort of war mage with all these wide spells."

Diamanes chortled in disbelief, "Are...Are you complaining?"

Glenn looked away innocently, "Absolutely not. I'm just wondering if we could have something a little different this time, like...like Divine Blessing for example!"

"I'm calling it Sword Grave," Nelg suddenly decided without anyone asking. Glenn shrugged. Sure, why not?

"I call dibs on the next one," Diamanes announced with a tinge of annoyance. Seems like the entity wasn't happy being stolen of the role to name stuff. Glenn chuckled and called the barbarian statue's power. This time, the consequences were instantaneous. A shockwave shot out with the sound of a beast's roar and devastated everything in its way for a dozen meters.

"Damn, the barbarian isn't playing around," Glenn looked at the destruction in awe. There was a large trench dug in the ground thanks to the spell while the trees had been reduced to splinters and dust.

"Lion's Roar! This one will be called Lion's Roar! What could better strike fear in your enemies than a destructive roar?" Diamanes laughed wickedly, satisfied. Glenn nodded in agreement. And Lion's Roar worked out quite nicely.

"We've got four done, four more to go," Glenn happily said as he walked back in the Frozen Gate's direction.

"Hey, Nelg, wanna bet on the next spell, if it's going to be another war-type or something more unique?" Diamanes suddenly asked.

Nelg grunted, "Depends. Will you let me bet on the war type?"

“No,” replied Diamanes in a calm tone.

"Then no, I'm fine."