With a determined step, Caelio headed towards the woods, intending to meet Mardi's daughter as previously agreed. Even though his mind was distracted by thoughts of Marina, he knew he had to keep his attention on his new acquaintance.

Or I could say my only friend.

He had partnered with the beautiful demigoddess during the rite of passage, but she needed his help to learn how to control her new electrokinetic powers.

At least I can walk around this place and not be locked in, he consoled himself.

Having reached the clearing where Elaine was waiting for him, the boy greeted her with a smile, hiding his nervousness.

“Sorry for the delay, sweetie. The meeting with Lyceum kept me longer than it should have.

Elaine burst out laughing at the way he presented himself. After a while he stopped and met his gaze again. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then they both gave in to a second laugh.

Mardi's daughter covered her mouth with her hand to calm herself, then looked at him worriedly.

“Has something happened, Caelio? Did Lyceum ask… about me?”

The blond hesitated for a moment, deciding to be honest with his friend.

“Actually, yes... but I lied to him, as you asked. The problem is another, I left a letter for Marina in front of her house, hoping to attract her attention.”

Elaine's eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? Oh, Caelio! You're really crazy!” she exclaimed, a beaming smile lighting up her face. “You threw yourself into the Lupi's den, hope Marina doesn't find you!”

Caelio slowly backed away, the temptation to run and get the letter was present. “Are you saying I made a mistake?”

“I told you that you shouldn’t do it.”

Elaine looked at him as if she was scolding him, then placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry, Caelio. You had courage, and this is already something precious. Whatever your end, know that I will make sure to prepare a beautiful funeral for you.”

Elaine's words made Caelio partly tremble, and he shrugged his shoulders to relieve the discomfort in his back.

“Thanks, huh. Reassuring.”

“Forewarned boy, forearmed demigod. Marina only has eyes for Shirei.”

“Him again. When can I see this guy?”

Elaine laughed and moved a strand of her hair. “Jealous? Soon. He's the newest member of the Equinox Flowers, so he's on a mission with them.”

The demigod sighed, before continuing. “Now, however, I think it's better to focus on your training. Are you ready to learn how to control lightning?”

Elaine nodded eagerly, ready to get to work. Caelio began to guide her through the exercises, dedicating himself with commitment to training his friend. Even though his mind was still occupied with thoughts of Marina, he focused fully on the task at hand, determined to do his best to help the blonde understand how her new powers worked.

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Elaine, Mardi's young daughter, looked at the boy with expectant green eyes. Her immaculate skin and long blond hair shone in the sunlight, her slender and graceful figure a stark contrast to Caelio’s powerful bulk, which was set off even more by his strange hump.

Despite her friend's help, Elaine knew that the road to mastering her new electrokinetic powers would be arduous. She remembered the endless hours spent together with the other Equinox Flowers, when Darryl forced them to undergo arduous training.

Now I'm being nostalgic.

Caelio showed her various stretching exercises to begin with. They then moved on to mobilizing mana, which the demigoddess figured was child's play. She discovered, however, how the sensation was different.

“It's natural that you're not used to it. The mana that flows through your silver vessels is tainted by Emion's power. Absorbing it will be easy, but channeling it will take a lot of work.”

The demigoddess wiped away a small drop of sweat, “Understood, I didn't think you’d be that expert.”

Caelio approached her, his deep dark blue eyes fixed on Elaine's green ones. “Believe me, I screwed up pretty badly. The thing is, the mana comes out like a primed bomb. You try to control it to download as little as possible and you end up creating thunder. Spoiler: you faint afterwards.”

Raising a hand, the boy began to concentrate, his regal aura giving off a faint glow. Slowly, a small spark of electricity appeared at the tips of his nails. As soon as he extended his fingers, five tiny bolts of lightning danced in the silence of the forest and left lines of pulverized grass on the ground.

“A nice trick, very elegant, I must say. Not exactly my style.”

“But definitely cool! That’s way too cool, Caelio.”

“The concept is: feel the energy flowing through your body, let it flow freely through your limbs, but block it when you are about to push it out.”

Elaine followed Celio's instructions, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She could feel a strange tingling sensation down her arms, as if thousands of tiny sparks were coursing through her veins. Concentrating, she tried to channel that energy, but when she opened her eyes again, nothing had happened.

A shadow of disappointment crossed the girl's face, her shoulders sagging.

“I can't do it, Celio. It's all so different from my usual approach.”

“Are you kidding? It's magnificent!”

Elaine blinked, the situation didn't seem so funny to her. Caelio placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his sympathetic gaze contrasted with her smile.

“Don't worry. These are new skills for you, they take time to learn. Better that you struggle to get them out, rather than the other way around. Try it again, focus on the tingling you felt.”

Nodding, Elaine closed her eyes again, determined not to give up.

Concentration had prevented her from asking her new acquaintance how he had managed to control electricity, even though the clues were now becoming quite obvious. Aena, her aura, powers and her home.

More clearly than that, you die… and, if anyone knew, someone would surely risk having a heart attack.

She shook her head and went back to channeling her mana. She failed about ten times before she sensed something strange inside her body. A feeling of heat and pressure, almost as if something was trying to break free. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, noticing with amazement small sparks dancing across the surface of her skin.

“Hey! Something's happening!” She exclaimed, her voice full of wonder and trepidation.

The boy watched the phenomenon with wide eyes. “Incredible! You're doing it!”

Encouraged by those words, Elaine concentrated even more, feeling the flow of electricity increase. Slowly, small bolts of lightning began to form on her fingers, dancing and snapping with ever greater intensity.

A radiant smile spread across the demigoddess's face, joy and excitement lighting up her emerald irises.

“I can control them!”

She had been wary of that method at first, believing that it would be impossible for her to master a power without reaching the divine path. She had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised by that discovery.

Looking at her friend, Celio couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride.

A mastery in record time, modestly. Mom, it's all because of you.

After a while everything returned to normal and Elaine threw herself into the boy's arms for joy. The demigod reciprocated, although his gaze was directed more at the blonde's cleavage than her face.

They made a few turns, then broke away and put a suitable distance between them again.

“So, what should I do?” Elaine asked, waiting for the next directions.

“Try it again, otherwise how do you learn to use it just in case?”

“Right,” the blonde replied before getting back to work.