“Impressive.” Euphridia’s voice awoke Kai from his trance, making his heart skip a beat as he turned to face her. “That’s a nice beginner spell, I’m amazed you can cast it so soon after getting your core back.”

She walked over to him, a complicated expression decorating her face. “I can’t even do it despite being a Five Star Medium Core…” Unable to hide the bitterness in her voice, she gave Kai a faint smile before walking toward the training area, sitting down, and getting herself ready for another night of training. Kai put the necklace and the fireball away, and walked toward her, followed by Onyx. She wore a slightly annoyed, yet defeated expression clear on her face. She stood up before Kai could say anything and undid her breastplate, letting it fall with a metallic clang. The boy blushed and closed his eyes as his face reddened. Euphridia chuckled softly, and said in an amused voice, “You can open your eyes, don’t worry, I wouldn’t undress in front of you, idiot.”

Kai hesitated for a second, however, he trusted Euphy and so he opened his eyes, glancing at her perfectly sculpted body. She wore a simple, loose yet tight enough top, its green color contrasting to her overall appearance. Her arms, although thin, were muscular and well-defined, and so was her stomach, which sparkled as sweat poured down her perfectly cut abs.

His face reddened even more, and he gulped, however he gathered himself the best he could and cooled down. Euphridia smirked, and her ring glowed with a soft light as two items poured out of it. One of which was a sword, its brown hilt decorated with a few red lines and golden symbols. Its golden cross guard held a beautiful, yet indecipherable symbol within, and its silver blade was similarly decorated with golden imprints. The other time, another sword, caught Kai by surprise, as it was the same sword they had purchased in Monten.

She threw it toward him, and he caught it by the handle, just barely slipping through his fingers. He smiled softly, having almost forgotten about it.

“That’s a nice sword they got you,” Euphridia said, her purple eyes burning with competitive spirit. “Now, let’s see if you can handle me when I put thirty percent of effort.”

“Huh? Wait what-?” Kai wanted to protest, however he barely had the time to process things before Euphy’s body appeared in front of him. His hand instinctively moved to block, however even if he parried perfectly, he still got sent flying backward by her immense strength. His head rang, however, he could not dwell on it as he felt the woman’s blade approach him, and he dodged to the side as it barely grazed his cheek. Raising his sword, he wanted to counterattack, but before he could even get in position he fell to the ground after being kicked in the stomach.

“Well… that was fast.” He groaned as he struggled to get up, propping himself on the new sword. “You’re so damned strong…”

“Language,” she chuckled as she pulled out a bottle of water. “Your reflexes have gotten better, though there’s still a lot of places left to improve.”

“Yeah, or maybe you need to go easier on me…”

“I did go easy on you though…”

“Yeah, I said easier.”

“Haha, sure! I’ll go easier on you, crybaby.”

“I-” Kai wanted to protest, however, he let out a defeated sigh and took off his shirt as well. The moon from the light hit his glistening skin, burning it slightly, however, he was already used to it after so many days. Picking up the sword and clutching the hilt, he could feel it vibrating, creating a weird, roar-like sound in the air.

“Looks like it accepts you,” Euphy said with a smile. “It’s rare for a beast spirit to accept a new owner so fast.”

“Beast spirit?” Kai asked, hearing this unknown term again.

“Yeah, I thought Aina talked to you about it, guess not. Don’t worry about it for now, just focus on feeling how the sword reacts to you. Move it like it wants to move. That sword is really good, if you take care of it it will serve to be a good companion.”

Kai glanced at its shiny silver blade and smiled softly, feeling a tinge of pain at not being able to use his father’s sword, but he knew that he had no other choice. If anyone sees me with that it’ll bring me more trouble than it’s worth… I was lucky last time, I can’t rely on luck all the time.

“Are you ready? I won’t use my sword anymore, try and touch me.” She said, putting her weapon away and getting into position. Kai gulped and followed suit, getting into his usual stance. The sword vibrated softly, sending a shiver down Kai’s body, and their hand moved almost instinctively. It slightly lowered the angle, however that was seemingly enough to give Kai a better sense of balance.

Euphridia turned into a blur, her speed splitting the air in two as she approached Kai, whose eyes fixated on her the best he could, trying to predict her movements. He turned around and blocked, getting pushed backward but this time he held his ground and took advantage of the moment to sweep a kick at her feet.

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She retreated, hopping in places and watching Kai with a fervent desire to battle. “Not bad kid.” She said before rushing him again.

…

Kai panted heavily as he lay on the cold floor, Euphridia’s sword pointed straight at his neck and a small puddle formed below him. He could barely make out her figure through his hazy vision. In the end, his eyes snapped shut, feigning a silent defeat.

“Why don’t we call it a night then?” She asked, grabbing Kai and lifting him. His exhausted expression told her more than any word he could utter, and she chuckled softly.

“You haven’t used any magic this match, but you should start doing that soon. Now that you have regained your ability to cast spells, mixing them with your swordplay will become necessary.” Her speech turned more rapid, and the excitement in her eyes grew at a rapid pace as she tried to guide Kai.

“Although there aren’t many people who’ve used both weapon and magic, there are enough of them for us to know it’s a viable option. For example, there’s Fenrus the Great, who used both a halberd and a wand simultaneously against the vampires. I wasn’t there to witness it but rumors say the thing almost melted as he enhanced it with the power of fire.

There’s also Catherine of Landalau, the last descendant of her bloodline. She only had one element, that being earth. That didn’t stop her from training and becoming strong enough to lift a whole sword made out of compressed sand… I heard she was so cool…

And there there is also…”

Kai’s ears rang as he listened to Euphy ramble on about different figures from times past, and in the end, decided that he couldn’t take it anymore and closed his eyes. Letting himself free fall to the ground, he fell asleep just as she caught him, and chuckled to herself. “This boy, I hope you will become one of these legendary figures. I believe in you.” She whispered before giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

Onyx barked silently as he watched from a distance, seemingly frowning at how she handled his companion. He got up and shook off the dirt from his fur before rushing to Kai’s side, placing his large body below him. Euphridia smiled and placed the boy on the Obborik, who then carefully walked inside the manor. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight and began tidying up the training area after seeing Onyx disappear behind a corner.

…

Kai lay on his bed, its comfortable blanket and pillows enveloping him with a flowery scent. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he rustled and moved about. His heart raced, threatening to jump out of his chest as he clenched the bed sheets. Light, muffled groans escaped his mouth, seemingly struggling to yell something. However, no matter how much he tried, his raspy voice only came out as incoherent syllables.

Onyx woke up from the commotion and hurriedly rushed to Kai’s side. Licking his face in an attempt to wake him up, he yelped in a sharp voice and scratched the boy’s arm. His attempts were in vain, however, as Kai seemed to be lost in a deep sleep, forced to live inside that nightmare. The Obborik closed his eyes and placed his large fluffy head over Kai’s chest, hoping that he would be able to help him calm down. Much to his surprise, his companion’s unrest began slowing down, until it finally disappeared a few minutes later. His heartbeat had returned to normal, and so did his breathing. Onyx let out a relieved sigh and kept Kai company until the morning sun rose.

…

He woke up a sweaty mess, the clothes Aina had changed him into sticking to his body. Slowing rising, he patted Onyx’s fluffy head, not questioning what he was doing on his chest, well, belly now. What happened after I passed out? He took a sniff around, his expression changing to a frown before smelling again and realizing something. I stink…

After getting out of the shower and changing into something more presentable, he tossed his dirty clothes in a basket. Before he could do anything more, however, a light knocking disturbed his peace.

“Enter.”

The door creaked open, revealing the tiny figure of a maid. She wore a head full of leafy green locks, decorated by a few flowery hair clips. Her crystally eyes, illuminated by the faint light of the chandelier, shared a similar color to her hair. She took a quick look around, her arms shaking slightly upon noticing Onyx, however she quickly gathered herself.

“Lady Aina has summoned you to her study. She told me to… to tell you to make haste.” Her quiet, squeaky voice raised a chuckle out of Kai, and he shot a glance at Onyx, signaling him to back away. What did he do to all the maids while I was training? This one seems especially terrified of him…

“Alright, I’ll be on my way then.” He replied as he walked past her, stopping in his tracks shortly after remembering something. “Can I bother you to take my laundry to the washing room? Thanks!”

The young maid nodded, her sharp ears reddening slightly. Looking inside the room, she instantly spotted the laundry basket, but she also saw Onyx. Hesitating slightly, she grits her teeth and walks inside, stomping on the ground as she seemingly prepared for a fierce fight.

Kai walked toward Aina’s study, his shadow created by the dim light splattered across the hallway’s lonely lights accompanying him on the way there. Unlike the library or the living room, the study was a place that he had never stepped foot in. I wonder if it looks fancy like one of those offices? She doesn’t have a computer but… maybe a magic ball, like a witch? He chuckled at the thought, and he finally found himself in front of the door. Its brown leather surface, decorated by what seemed to be button bolted inside the wood created a beautiful, diagonally checkered pattern.

He took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door, waiting patiently for a reply. It didn’t take long for it to creak open, revealing Aina’s figure, standing at a desk surrounded by books, documents, and paperwork.

“Come in already.” She said in a slightly annoyed tone. “You’re letting the warmth escape.”

Kai did as told and walked in, the door silently closing behind him as he stood in front of Aina. What’s going on? The atmosphere felt tense, almost as if you could cut it with a knife. She raised her gaze, and a hint of distress hid within her pupils.