A meal, and a full belly later, Kai sat on a bench, his hand rubbing soothing circles on his bulging belly.
"That was... crazy!" The spicy taste of the grilled Honeytooth Bear meat still lingered on his tongue. It was unlike anything he had ever eaten before.
"Crazy indeed." Marvin smiled as he set aside his own empty plate. The black puppy that had been following them licked its lips, savoring the lingering taste of the meat on its tongue. Although Kai had no idea what it was, he felt no threat from it and was able to remain comfortable in its presence.
Marvin snapped his fingers, making everything on the table disappear, before leaning forward, resting his weight on his elbows. "Now that we've had something sumptuous to fill out stomachs, it's time we moved on to something else." His eyes pierced the distance between Kai's.
"Hmm?" Kai raised his brows.
"It's time to begin your training." He also raised a brow when he saw Kai's confused look, "Oh, you didn't know I was to be your instructor? Well, I guess Kasuyi must have forgotten to mention that. He's as forgetful as ever." Marvin palmed his forehead and shook his head, as though a parent disappointed in his child. Kai could only look at him in a dumbfounded manner. Ever since he got here, he had seen every single person treat Kasuyi as if he was a god. This was the first time he saw someone speaking as though Kasuyi was an inexperienced child.
"Come, let's head to the training ground." Marvin placed his hand on Kai's shoulder before casting a teleportation spell. A complex magical array spread out underneath their feet before swallowing them in a flash of color.
Kai's vision spun as he was assaulted with a dizzy spell that threatened to knock him off his feet. He had to close his eyes to offset the spinning they were subjected to. After a few moments, the spinning lights around them finally settled down. Marvin didn't even blink during the whole transition. He simply placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, prompting the Earth class Mage to open his eyes and take in the view.
An expanse of reflective blue water spread out in all directions before him, reflecting the sky that was full of puffy white clouds. A serene aura that was accompanied by a silent melody of breeze hung around, soothing Kai's ears. The landscape had no end, seemingly stretching on forever and ever into the distance.
"Where are we?" He asked as he looked around. His feet hesitantly carried him forward, causing silent rippled to spread out from the point of contact with the surface.
"This is the Sacred Time Vault." Marvin replied, stepping forward along with Kai, although in a much more free manner. "It is the ultimate training tool developed by one of the former trainers of the Hidden Robe Abbey."
"Sacred Time Vault? What does it do?"
"It's quite simple, really. This Time Vault is a pocked dimension where time flows in a different manner and speed than the real world. In here, a day is equivalent to an hour in the real world." Marvin explained, "With its help, we will be able to make much more progress with your training than if we did so in the real world. Although, this all comes with certain drawbacks."
Before Kai could ask his next question, a ripple tore through the air before them, turning into a swirling purple portal. A robed figure stepped out of the portal, his dark hair swaying along with the breeze that blew by. Marvin paused, turning to look at the person who interrupted him with an unsurprised look.
"Took you long enough to get here, Kasuyi." He smiled lightly.
"I knew it was you the moment the Void Severer vanished from my pocket dimension, Marvin. I should have replaced the seal on it the moment I was done showing it off to Kai." Kasuyi sighed in a tired manner before turning to Kai, "I see you have met Marvin. Well, that saves me the stress of finding you an adequate teacher."
"And who says I'm here to teach him?" Marvin asked with a quirked brow and folded arms.
"The fact that you brought him into the Sacred Time Vault of your own accord speaks loads, old friend. Please take good care of Kai." Kasuyi nodded before turning to pass back through the portal. Just before he did so though, he stopped, turning his head back a fraction, "Also, please let him knew the drawbacks of using this method of training before you start." With that said, he stepped through the portal, the swirling purple vanishing a moment later, leaving the newly dubbed teacher and student standing alone.
"So... the drawbacks?" Kai turned to Marvin, quite curious about the aforementioned drawbacks.
Marvin sighed, palming his face once more before speaking, "The only drawback you need to be concerned is the strain that your soul will be put under during this training. Each injury inflicted onto you during this training is reflected back onto your mind and soul. The strain is considerable, and those with fragile and weak souls are liable to be crippled, or even outright killed if they are unable to cope with the intense strain.
"While this may sound very dangerous, you can rest assured, I made sure to inspect the strength of your soul before bringing you here. We will start with low intensity training, so the strain on your soul will be minimal. This is important because the initial phase of training is meant to strengthen your soul in preparation of the next phases. The following phases will get progressively more difficult as time goes on."
Kai nodded dutifully as Marvin explained all this. Although he was a bit worried when he heard about the strain his soul would be put under, he wasn't too scared, as Marvin had assured him that he would be able to push through the initial stages, and also because Kasuyi hadn't reacted negatively to Marvin's decision to train him here.
"I will give you one final chance to back away from this training now, Kai. If we begin, there will be no stopping." Marvin looked at him with a hard gaze.
"I'm willing to undergo this training without backing down." Kai nodded with a resolute gaze. He had made up his mind to get strong and be useful to Kasuyi. This was hi chance to become stronger, and he wouldn't miss it for anything.