When the Kappa brought Elem back to the surface, he was greeted not only by Master Zorya but by an entire host of people. There was Dante, Mei Mei and a bunch of others whose names he didn’t know but recognized as Unagi School disciples. Although it was good to see that so many people were waiting for him, Elem was most delighted to notice Aja among the crowd, waiting for him with a towel and a bottle of fresh water.
“What were you thinking, sneaking out like that without telling me? How was I supposed to know you were off discovering some underground cave? Your dumb face didn’t even think to leave a note?” Aja shouted as Elem was hoisted back up the cliff. He recognized a mixture of anger and genuine concern in her voice. She always got this way whenever she felt blindsided. Aja threw the towel at him as if it was some sort of weapon. “How do you feel? Are you okay? You should warm up!”
Elem nodded as he dried his hair and wrapped himself in the towel.
“And? Did you succeed?” Master Zorya asked with a cheeky smile on her face. “You were taking a tad long, I was almost considering sending a search party down to find you.”
“It was a success,” he replied, still breathing heavily. “It was hard but I was able to do it..”
The mob clapped and cheered but Aja didn’t seem satisfied with the answer.
“Are you going to show us?” she asked. “Or at least tell us what it is?”
Elem took the bottle of water from her hands and drew a long gulp. His legs buckled from exhaustion and head was feeling light.
“I need a nap first, Aja,” he admitted. “I’ll show you after I swear.”
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After sleeping for most of the remainder of the day, Elem took his friend for a walk. They left the village together and walked along the peninsula’s jagged coastline until they reached the mainland. By now, the sky had darkened and a full moon reflected on the docile ocean.
Elem told Aja about everything that happened; how his Kappa killed that massive shark, how stumbled into a cavern filled with mummified summoners and of course how he had connected with his latest Summon. During it all Aja nodded along with faked patience.
“So are you finally gonna show me now?” she asked, the moment Elem finished talking. So far, he had only told her that he’d encountered a Fire Sunmon but hadn’t specified what kind. Naturally, she was dying to know.
Elem couldn’t let his friend in the dark any longer. He found a nice spot near the water from which they could see Unagi in the background; at night, the peninsula resembled a massive sea serpent disappearing into the ocean. Elem bent through his knees and pulled himself into a summoning trance. For some reason he felt nervous calling the Wyvern. The last time he’d seen the imposing Summon, it had tried to destroy him and now he was already expected to present it as an extension of himself.
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“I Summon the Wyvern; Fire Summon. The winged beast of destruction!” he shouted as a ball of fire combusted before him like a miniature sun. The Wyvern almost immediately cracked out of the fiery egg and landed on the ground with a smack. It then introduced itself with a drawn out roar that sent Aja stumbling back.
“What on earth?” Elem heard his friend mumble.
Having called the Summon to his world, Elem’s nerves had instantly evaporated. His spiritual connection with the Wyvern felt secure and strangely familiar. Something about the Legendary Class Summon truly resonated with him. The Wyvern lowered its head towards Aja as a sign of respect, and in turn she laid her palm on its massive maw. Next to the girl, the Summon looked ever larger than it had before. It was greater in size than an elephant but had a slender and elongated body that suggested it was far quicker.
“It's amazing,” Aja remarked. She stared at the beast's charcoal scales and nearly gasped at the sheer size of its folded wings. “I can’t believe that you connected with a Summon like this.”
Elem smiled at his friend. He still couldn't believe it either but although he had been shocked when meeting the Wyvern and even nervous when calling it, he already felt comfortable around in its presence. Something about his connection with the Wyvern felt deep and strangely familiar almost as if they carried some century old bond.
The Fire Summon’s Essence heightened Elem’s own senses and he could feel the beast’s power burn within his human body. He sent the Wyvern into the sky and allowed it to fly over the water which it did with terrifying grace and elegance. The Wyvern zigzagged above the waves, shaping the water with the gales exerting from its wings. To demonstrate its power, the Wyvern released plumes of flames from its mouth, instantly coloring the seawater into a deep orange and causing clouds of hissing steam to rise up.
It then shifted its long neck to the side so that it regarded Elem and Aja and launched an orb of fire into the body of the cliffs they were standing on. Chunks of earth rained into the water, causing the ground to shake. This was pure, unadulterated power, Elem realized. Power that he controlled and commanded.
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The next morning, Elem treated Aja to a bowl of seafood ramen at one of Unagi Village’s many outdoor food stalls. Master Zorya had suggested that he’d take at least a month of practice to acclimate to his new Summon before facing her in an official duel, but Elem had other thoughts. For him, a month felt too long. He didn’t want to needlessly stay at one place. The Continent was full of locations for him to improve and he wanted to focus on dueling and learn as many different things as he could.
“You’re so impatient,” Aja complained, slurping the broth from her bowl. “Don’t you want to be your best self when you face Zorya? That girl is strong, you know.”
“Sure,” Elem replied. “She is, but Ferran is even stronger. I just want to face as many opponents as possible, I’m afraid to stagnate if we linger here..”
Aja frowned.
“Come on, don't give me that crap! You are only gonna get better from training! Don’t you remember how long we spent in the forest with that old geezer? We improved a bunch there didn’t we, and we never even left those damn trees. Besides, there is so much you have to do to prepare for if you wanna beat Zorya and that Mermaid of hers.” She visibly held in a burp as she began counting on her fingers. “First of all, you need to know your new Summon’s strengths and weaknesses. Second, since you are going to face two Summons in a row, you better figure out how to shift between the Kappa and the Wyvern and learn how to manage your Essence while doing so. And then we haven’t even discussed the actual battle’s strategy yet!”
Elem chuckled, knowing that his friend was right. He hated starting discussions with her, because she would always win.
“Fine,” he said, playfully rolling his eyes. “I guess we have work to do.”