Chapter 17: Training days Pt2
PH1RE'S P.O.V
The sun was already high in the sky by the time we gathered at the training grounds for our second weekly spar against Lydia. The air was fresh, carrying the subtle fragrance of the surrounding flowers. Despite the serene setting, my heart pounded in my chest, terrified of the beating we were about to endure.
Lydia stood there, her arms crossed, as she watched Maya and me approach. She looked so calm, like a parent watching over children at play, but unfortunately she didn't intend to treat us with any motherly affection at this moment, quite the opposite actually. A shame all things considered.
"All right," Lydia said, stepping forward and rolling her shoulders as if she were merely warming up. "Same rules as last time. If either of you manages to pluck a flower, you win. But if I catch you trying… well, you already know."
She wasn't joking. Last week's spar left us with bruises that took days to heal.
Taking deep breaths to steady ourselves, Maya and I moved in different directions, trying to divert her attention. Not that it mattered much; Lydia could cross whatever distance we put between ourselves and her in a flash.
We both knew we couldn't get the flower the way we were now, so our plan was to waste as much mana as we could, hoping to exhaust ourselves and end the beating sooner. Lydia was sharp—she'd know when we were spent, and that would be our only mercy.
I extended my hand, focusing as I cast the only spell I had.
[Fireball]
A ball of fire formed, hovering above my hand. I launched it toward Lydia, fully aware it wouldn't harm her. She swatted it away with a casual flick of her wrist, the spell dissipating into embers before it could even reach her.
"Is that it?" she asked, her tone almost bored.
Lydia's eyes flicked toward Maya, but I couldn't let up. I threw another fireball. This time, Lydia jumped back, giving Maya the opening she needed.
With a determined expression, Maya activated [Plus Step], her feet glowing as a flat circle of mana formed beneath them, propelling her forward with a burst of speed.
It wasn't enough.
Lydia's hand shot out, grabbing Maya by the hair and yanking her off balance. Maya hit the ground hard, a gasp of pain escaping her lips.
I charged in, fireball in one hand and reeling a punch with the other, but Lydia twisted my arm behind my back with ease. The fireball fizzled out as I lost concentration.
"Failure," she muttered, disappointment dripping from her voice.
She threw me onto the ground on top of Maya, and then the real torment began. Lydia spent the next eight minutes stomping on us with mana-enhanced kicks, each one sending shockwaves of pain through our bodies. The training grounds echoed with the sound of our grunts and groans as we tried to endure the relentless assault.
I know there exist a few "cultured" individuals who would find joy in this kind of situation, and if I wasn't the one in it, I might have been among them. But this felt like hell.
By the time Lydia finally stopped, I was lying face-down in the dirt, gasping for breath. My body screamed in protest as I tried to push myself up, every muscle aching from the beating. Maya wasn't faring much better, groaning softly as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky with a dazed expression.
'Did Aiden have to go through this?' the stray thought went through my mind.
Lydia stood over us, her arms crossed and expression unreadable. "What did we learn?" she asked, her tone curt.
"Lydia is a bully" Maya weakly said.
"Loid!" she inquired.
"What she said" I responded.
With a sigh she turned around, "That's enough for today," She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving us to recover on our own. I could only watch as she disappeared from view, the sound of her footsteps fading into the distance.
Maya managed to sit up, wincing as she did. "She enjoys this doesn't she?" she muttered.
I wanted to retort, but all I could do was groan in agreement. Every part of me ached, and the thought of getting up and doing this again next week made me want to curl up and sleep for a month.
But I didn't have a choice, there were things more important than my comfort zone.
"I'm going to bed," I finally managed to say, my voice hoarse.
"It's still morning"
"I know.
—————————————————
DING!
Daily requirement: 10/10
—24:00:00—
Fireball: User can turn mana into fire in the shape of a sphere.
Level: 9
Spell class: Beginner.
Spell type: Conversion.
As usual, I waited until deep into the night before heading out of the guild building to complete the daily requirement. This time, I made "extra" sure no one was following me. But if they were, I could always make up some good excuses. Although I've told them my spell series restricts me, I haven't mentioned the daily requirement yet. That was something I needed to keep to myself for now.
I kept replaying what Gwyn had told me the other day. If the spell series was meant to be weak, it would be weak, with no extra additions or caveats. But the fact that all those restrictions exist must mean that the effort is going elsewhere, being channeled into something—something I needed to figure out.
The best way forward was to keep progressing with the spell series, but it wasn't like my situation was completely hopeless. If anything, trying to learn pure spells manually is helpful in its own way.
In Raize, pure magic is magic that anyone can learn regardless of their magic series, type, or alignment. These are any spells or skills that involve the control or use of only mana itself to perform magic. Most pure spells are available by talisman, and because of that everyone can use them. I had to learn them myself since talismans don't work for me, and even if they did, it wouldn't be instinctual—I would need to consciously use them until they became ingrained.
I sat down and focused on casting Fireball, except this time, I didn't let it gather out of my arm. Instead, I concentrated on the mana within my arm. It felt like something cool moving through my arm. I then tried to sense this feeling coming from my surroundings instead of just my arm.
I traced the feeling up my arm, circling through my whole body, and then extended it to the grass I was sitting on. The influence of this feeling spread everywhere—to the trees behind me, the bugs scurrying on the ground, and even the stale mana in the air.
It felt blurry and flickered from time to time, but I had managed to finally get a sense of mana. It only took a little over a week. As long as I didn't move from this spot, I could keep this low-quality sixth sense going indefinitely. But making it instinctual was the real goal, so I had to keep practicing until I could stand while using it, then walk while using it, and finally run while doing it.
I decided to continue tomorrow. After our training session with Lydia today, I was excited at the opportunity to try Plus Step. Mana sense was okay, but everyone likes super speed.
I focused on the mana in my legs and directed it to flow there, just like when I was trying to cast Fireball. Plus Step was a spell that increased movement speed by redirecting mana flow to the legs in an instant. If I did the same, I should be able to use the spell, right?
However, every time I tried, I ended up being sent in a random direction due to the amount of force behind the step, and I would crash into some random location. My last try got me lodged in a tree, and it took me a long time to get out. Clearly, this isn't a one-night thing. I was honestly glad I was able to perform Fireball at all.
"I'll get the hang of it," I muttered to myself, dusting off my clothes. "Eventually."
The night was quiet, the only sounds being the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets. I took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill my lungs.
I returned to the guild, my body aching but my mind sharper than before.
I made my way to bed, collapsing onto the mattress with a sigh of exhaustion. My muscles screamed in protest, and my eyes were heavy with fatigue.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone