The rest of the day flew by in a blink of an eye, well, at least for Axus. He was having fun while instructing his new prodige. In contrast, the time ticked by quite slowly for Kellen as he gasped for a break from the brutal training.
Even in his ridiculous training session with Osiris, he had not been this exhausted.
'You do realize that this is almost entirely different from the time in the mindspace, right?' Said Osiris.
'Yeah, I kinda figured that already, asshole.' Replied Kellen through gritting teeth.
The mindspace may have been hell, but at the end of the day, the only thing being consumed was his mental energy and strength. Here with Axus, under his harsh and merciless supervision, Kellen was being broken repeatedly, physically and mentally.
The legionnaire had noticed that while Kellen had the raw power and energy, his body was still lacking. If he could describe it in a better way, it would be like pouring water into a bucket filled with holes.
Kellen's energy was steadily increasing after absorbing the cores, but his body, acting as the energy's container, was not strong enough yet to harness all of it. This caused the power Kellen obtained to be wasted as it was over-consumed when used.
Therefore, the only solution would be to build up his muscles and lay a solid foundation that Kellen sorely lacked.
Both Axus and Kellen did not like such strenuous and monotonous training. However, it was the only way to stimulate growth and allow Kellen's body to catch up to the vast power within him.
This training was nothing fancy or exciting. It consisted only of exercises for his body's muscles, with a few beatings provided by Axus in between.
The results would not be noticeable until after a few months of this boring but necessary training. He may have started late in training his body, but Kellen knew that starting now was always better than later.
Luckily, the regenerative properties of his demonic body allowed him to continue, almost nonstop, as he followed the instructions of his teacher.
His new teacher knew that the kid possessed some strange abilities, and he would never admit it, but this regenerative property the boy had made Axus slightly jealous.
The legionnaire could only imagine the heights he would have reached when he was younger if he had such an ability. Not to mention, the constant and relentless battles he could have fought in.
With a regeneration ability like that, he would be able to fight practically nonstop to his heart's content.
Just thinking about it began to heat up the legionnaire's desire for battle. But sadly, he did not have such ability, and it was the newest member of his legion that held it. Axus could only console himself by knowing this fact. At least, he could train the kid and live vicariously through his efforts.
Thinking back to their spar and even the ones before it, Axus became determined to keep the kid as close as possible to him. As he had instructed Kellen before, only through experiences would the kid truly grow. Looking back, Axus could clearly feel the hunger and ravenous will the kid had for fighting.
Although, for some reason, it almost felt like the boy was trying to fight against it. Axus could not understand why someone with such a blessing and craving for war would forcefully oppose it. It was like the kid was fighting against his own nature.
Axus still did not understand what could drive his new apprentice to resist his desires.
"Alright, I'm finished with this set." Announced Kellen as he dropped from the metal bar he was hanging on to use for completing the sets of pull-ups.
"Good, go run a few laps around the barracks and hopefully by then, Daren will have his preparations completed." Instructed Axus.
Kellen nodded before running off to complete his next assigned task.
He did not mind Axus's teachings. He knew that eventually he would need to do something about his undesirable physique. His new teacher had only pointed out his obvious weakness and focused on improving it.
While running around the long barracks of the Thunder Legion, Kellen thought back to his time at the laboratory. He questioned whether he had really changed much since then. Sure, he had gone through a ridiculous amount of life changing experiences. But was he, as a person, really any different now?
In his heart he still knew that he was weak. No, he knew that his mind was still the same. If he had changed in any way, it would only be externally. He didn't want to admit it, but the rage and anger he felt constantly boiling deep down inside of him, was not just because of Nergal or Osiris's influence.
Ever since he had arrived at the laboratory, he had subdued and buried these emotions in fear of what they would cause. Even when he was beaten down by the other labmates, he never once acted out against them or tried to defend himself. All Nergal and Osiris had done was lift the seal on those emotions.
Until now, it felt like Kellen was running. Not the kind of running that he was doing now around the barracks, but the kind that one did when refusing to face their problems. He wanted vengeance. Not the type of vengeance born from justice or righteousness, but the vengeance one held against his enemies.
But now, he had to face the truth of his situation. Even without Nergal's constant reminders, he knew that the thing that is holding him back is actually himself, or specifically, his own unwillingness to do what he needs to.
Although he had become a demon, Kellen still held onto his human traits and way of thinking, which inhibited him from fully utilizing his new power. This wasn't a problem that his teacher or the two idiots in his head could fix. At the end of the day it was Kellen's responsibility, his cross to bear.
While Kellen continued to ponder on this, a whistle signaled for his return. He returned to the barracks and found Daren waiting for his arrival.
"Are the preparations finished?" Asked Kellen.
Both Axus and Daren nodded their heads while glancing at each other through the corners of their eyes.
"It's time to get those slimy bastards." Said Axus as he caressed the spear on his back in anticipation.
"Well, let's not get carried away just yet… Remember, we need answers this time. So, capture them alive if possible, especially any who look like they're important." Said Daren while glaring at the legionnaire beside him.
"I get it. Don't worry about me." Axus shrugged.
"You are exactly who I'm worried about. We can't afford you fucking this one up." Complained Daren with a strict voice.
"Uh, hold on a second. What is the plan anyways?" Asked Kellen, who was confused by his fighting superiors.
Daren stopped his complaining and beckoned Kellen over to his desk. He laid out the papers he collected from the shelves behind the desk and pointed to a couple specific sections.
Kellen peered at the documents that were presented to him. The biggest one that took up most of the desk's surface was a map of the barracks.
Multiple parts of the elaborate blueprint were circled with the main focus being on the vault near the back of the building.
"I designed a fake stone and fitted it to the brooch. Unless it is in your hand and you inspect it extremely closely, I don't believe anyone would be able to see a difference from the real one."
He pointed towards the vault and said, "This is where the fake artifact will be stored just as it was originally."
"The last time they broke in, they simply appeared in that vault though." Commented Axus.
"Right, how do you plan on stopping them if they infiltrate the vault with whatever teleportation magic or something that they used before?" Added Kellen.
"Don't worry about that. I've designed something special for them if that's the case." Said Daren with a sinister smile before chuckling menaically to himself.
"So then what are we supposed to do then?" Asked Axus, who was used to this side of Daren.
"Easy, all I need for you and the recruit to do is stand guard outside the vault. Once they try to escape from the vault door, you two will ambush them and keep them in the vault."
"Huh? Not defend it?" Asked Kellen.
"Nope." Said Daren while winking, "I'm ninety-percent certain they will manage to enter the vault without using the main door."
Kellen tilted his head to the side with a look of confusion still present on his face.
"However, once they have entered, their escape will not be possible by using the same means… So they'll be forced to only exit through the vault door where you two will be waiting for them."
"Good work, Daren. I knew you would think of some crazy bullshit." Said Axus with a clap.
"Thanks, wait, what do you mean bullshit? This is genius!"
"Whatever, just let me know when we can start thrashing them around."
Kellen shut out the arguing that had resumed between the two men and gazed over at the vault near the back of the barracks.
'This better work…' He thought.