Once Balthazar Flame was satisfied with his disciples’ abilities to gather external Essence, he had them perform a series of exercises focused on holding their newly cultivated energy as they performed other strenuous tasks.
The training regiment started simple; Balthazar sent Elem and Aja to run up and down the forest’s sandy hills and had them swim across its’ great pond while they tried to maintain their Essence levels as high as possible. Next, he summoned his Karasu Tengu and ordered the creature to hurl logs and boulders at his disciples. Managing Essence while exhausted was challenging, but doing so under the stress of getting crushed by a massive rock was even harder. Being a little slower than his friend, Elem ended up with a bruised set of ribs and severely scratched forearms but was luckily able to avoid worse injuries.
When not training to cultivate and maintain Essence, they spent the remainder of their days sparring. Most matches had the Kappa facing Aja’s Bicorn but sometimes the two Summons teamed up against their Master’s Legendary Class Summon. Although Elem and Aja were equally matched and took turns at beating one another, their combined strength didn’t come even close to their Master’s level.
No matter how hard they tried, the Kappa and the Bicorn didn't stand a chance. The Karasu Tengu was quick and voracious. It moved in flashes, able to avoid multiple attacks at the same time as it surgically took apart its opponents. If anything, those sessions were lessons in accepting losses and enduring beatdowns.
“Beating the weakness out of us,” was Aja’s begrudged label.
Balthazar’s techniques may have been unorthodox, and at times outright insane, but they were effective. Despite the pain and the exhaustion, Elem could feel himself grow stronger by the day. Calling Essence became easier and the energy itself felt more potent whenever he called his Kappa.
There were days where Elem felt that the gruesome schedule was becoming too much for his body but he pushed through regardless. Even when their master offered them breaks, and Aja gratefully accepted, Elem kept training by himself, repeating cultivation forms and drilling his Kappa’s attacks until he could no longer continue. There wasn’t a day in which his body wasn’t in pain but his mind remained focused on his goals.
The more he trained, the more he realized that progress didn’t come without significant struggles. Elem was on a mission. How could he rest while an usurper controlled his ancestral home and was even teaching his childhood friends? No. There was simply no time to relax. He had to set things right and there was only one way to do that. Elem had to end what his father started and reclaim the Sekuheim School.
He tried not to think about his past too much but he was unable to dispel the dark clouds hanging over his mind. His memories ran too deep and their scars hurt too much. Every night when he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the same trauma. The image of his father disintegrating echoed through his cranium like thunderbolts repeatedly striking the same patch of earth. This could only end one way.
His new Master may have regarded revenge as a pointless endeavor but Balthazar didn’t have his father murdered by some marauding psychopath. Retaliation was the only path forward- no matter what anyone else would tell him. Otherwise, Elem knew he could never be at peace.
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After one particularly hard day of exercise, Balthazar Flame gathered his disciples at the campfire for a cup of peppermint scented tea and a mushroom stew he had casually prepared while Elem and Aja had been trying to destroy each other in one of their intense sparring matches.
The Master sat cross-legged, his weathered face illuminated by the flickering orange light. His skin was wrinkled and leathery, marked by the experiences of a rich and storied life. As he sat there, he stared pensively into the fire, momentarily lost in thought. His eyes were deep-set and piercing, conveying a sense of wisdom and knowledge that only comes with age.
“I think it is time for you to leave me in peace,” he announced calmly before taking a sip of his tea. “Alright?”
“Alright?” Elem repeated, stammering. His eyes widened, nausea boiling in his stomach. What was happening? Was Balthazar kicking them out? Just like that?
Balthazar had always been a plainspoken man but this was blunt, even for him. Elem stared at his friend to gauge her reaction but Aja was more interested in devouring her bowl of mushroom stew than anything else.
“Master… What do you mean?" Elem asked.
“There’s only so much a Master can do for his students,” Balthazar replied dryly.
Elem disagreed. He still felt that he was improving by the day. Leaving now would be cutting his training, and thus his progress, unnecessarily short.
“There’s still much to gain Master!” he protested while still trying to sound respectful. “Your Karasu Tengu is still beating our Summons around like we’re children. This is too soon!”
Balthazar tossed another log onto the fire, causing the flames to dance higher and embers to flutter across the campsite. His lips folded into a self-satisfied grin.
“Have you learned nothing?” he asked mockingly. “In losing much is gained and in gaining much is lost.”
“What does that even mean?” Elem blurted, forgetting to maintain his humble tone. A part of him wanted to jump up and run off into the darkening forest. Far away from this terrible conversation.
“As a Summoner, fundamentals are important but once you sufficiently master those, there isn’t much a Master can teach you,” Balthazar replied. The experienced Master seemed amused by Elem’s distress. “Your growth would be minimal if you stayed here. Instead, we should talk about what’s next for you. The only reason you thrived these last few weeks was because you were exposed to new experiences. And that is what you need to keep doing. If you want to grow stronger, you must travel the Continent and test your strength. Face as many different opponents as you can. Fight against different styles, different elements and classes. That is the only way forward.”
“That honestly sounds a lot better than staying in this swampy forest,” Aja commented jokingly. She had finally finished her stew and was now downing the hot tea like it was a fresh juice. “Sounds reasonable, no? I am not complaining but I’d just love to take a warm shower and sleep in an actual bed again.”
“If you will listen to an old man, I do have a suggestion for you,” Balthazar continued. ”If you cycle two days east from Alabaster City, you should reach the Unagi Peninsula. There’s a summoning school there that recently got a new Master. She’s younger than most of her peers and while I’ve heard she’s very talented, she is still quite inexperienced. Facing her would be a great first challenge.”