-Centuries Ago; Airedale Village-
If there was one thing Magical Beasts and Elves had in common, it was that they were touched by the mana. It is part of the reason why the Elves were able to live among them for some long. Only those to which the beasts selected, would have the honor of being their partner.
Within the farm the village provided a set of stables set up for the beasts, that were large and small. One of the stables however had read, "DANGEROUS MAGICAL BEAST"; when one would pass by many would often hear the sound of growling and hissing.
Within the large stable where flowers grew just outside had been a small raptor, the size of a teddy bear toy as all he could do was growl whenever someone approached. The little raptor bared teeth as he could hear voices coming from the other side as he could see a pair of feet.
"P-Prism...M-Maybe we should g-g-go back." He heard a voice say, "We--We'll get in trouble if we're found here instead of the Spring Festival!"
"He's just scared and lonely, Plu-Plu. I think he just needs a friend." A young girl said.
The raptor heard one of the children gulp, "But you heard what my mom said. Since the humans killed his family he might--"
He could hear the young girl shush him, "You'll only make him upset if you say stuff like that Plu-Plu."
The little raptor had been taken back as he noticed a set of creatures made from that of earth and fire sneak their way through the door as the raptor went on edge the moment the gate opened. There before his very eyes he saw a young fair girl, no more then ten standing at the doorway; she had short silver hair as some of it had been in a small ponytail. She looked to have eyes in the shade of purple and her ears possessed small points. She wore a cream beige dress with puffed sleeves, and a green apple cover held up with a brown ribbon around her waist and a red pearl brooch as she had on a pair of dark blue slippers.
Beside her had been a young boy with caramel skin, hazel eyes and wavy white hair wearing a white tunic with cyans steamers on his shirt and pants
The little raptor backed himself into a corner as he growled while bearing teeth.
"Hi there bud!" The little girl said as she waved to him, "How are you doing?"
The raptor growled as his claws twitched as his body curled.
The boy beside her started to tug on her arm, "Prism, we should go! I have a bad feeling about this!"
"We can't, not yet." Prism repiled, "Just trust me, okay Pluck?
The little girl-- only stepped closer as the creatures made of the elements seemed to have followed. Despite the ground being covered in mud, she sat on her knees as it stained her skirt.
"It's okay bud." Prism said scooting a bit closer, "I won't hurt you."
She lifted her hand over his head as the raptor flinched. Though he still bared his teeth, Prism didn't back out as she didn't show any fear. The next thing the raptor knew her hand was on his head as he seemed to freeze up. The boy named Pluck jumped as he said with a fearful expression, "Prism! Y-you touched him!"
"Wow…" Prism said as her eyes lit up, "... Aunt Yuki always said, scales were rough and coarse like sand. But yours--They feel really soft--Like a peach."
The little raptor purred with confusion as he tilted her, looking at her curiously. She started to scratch behind his head as the raptor found it to be soothing as he eventually leaned in for the touch; His own body uncurled as he stood.
Prism gave a soft laugh, "You were never going to hurt anyone. You're just a big softie, huh?"
She placed her hand underneath his chin as she scratched it; the little raptor bellowed. "You were just as scared as all the other adults. You poor bud."
The raptor looked calm and docile, though it wasn't long before he removed himself from the child as he picked up a peculiar scent, coming from within the stable. He followed the scent as he realized what it had been; Prism watched him as he dug up a little patch before he picked it up with his mouth. He sauntered back over to Prism as she saw in his mouth he was holding a fully bloomed primrose.
Without hesitation, she took the flower from him as she took in the scent. The little raptor soon crawled up on her lap as she immediately cradled him the moment he flipped onto his back. He started to lick her cheek as the sensation made her giggle. She stood up as she rocked the little raptor as his tail curled around her arm.
"I guess this means you and I are gonna be together from now on?" She said before she laughed when he licked her again.
"Bime i elena--" Pluck said shocked, and with realization, "--I think he just made you his partner."
Prism only smiled before she held the little raptor up to the ceiling, "I'm gonna call you--Adrien!"
***
The sun rose in the early morning over the horizon lighting the tall building. Prism had been sound asleep in her bed, having got a good night's sleep for the first time in the week she had arrived. She subconsciously adjusted herself in the bed as she sighed with content, enjoying whatever pleasant dream she was having as a little spirit had been asleep in her head, as it seemed to be giving her a pleasant dream.
It would've gone on forever were it not for a certain raptor who nudged Prism before he licked her cheek to get her to wake up, while the little spirit vanished with a wave of sand. She let out a groan as she wiped her cheeks before she smiled; she scratched underneath his chin as he bellowed.
"Good morning bud." She said tiredly.
Adrien's tail started to wag as he started to bounce a little. Prism chuckled at his behavior though she shushed him when he started to speak to her in his own way, "You'll wake everyone up. Just give me a minute to get ready and we can go out on the run."
Adrien let out a happy whine before he nuzzled his head against her body. She giggled again, as she hugged him making him purr, "You silly raptor…"
KNOCK, KNOCK--Went the door suddenly as it made her jump.
She soon slid open the door as she saw it had been the triplets, awake and dressed unlike her.
"Morning Prism!" The triplets said.
"Hey guys." Prism said with a wave before she rubbed her eyes, "I thought you'd still be asleep, what are you doing here?"
"We'd figured you'd be up by now to go for Adrien's morning run!" Aine said.
"So we thought--" Aidan said, "--You'd be up for a good old fashion race."
"Winner gets ma's special breakfast~!" Aisling said.
Prism only hissed through her teeth as she looked a little nervous, "Oh, I don't know--Yami and Jack's lessons start today after I help Asta, Feo, and Karasu with the chores, and I can't exactly be late for it. Plus I only told Yami I take Adrien out on his run, if he doesn't know where I am--"
"Don't worry." Aine reassured her, "It'll be a quick run to the lake and back."
"Yeah--" Aidan said, "--Captain Yami won't even know you're gone, so let's go do it."
Prism gave it some thought as she had a look of worry, though ultimately when she noticed the pleading looks the triplets had given, she couldn't help but give a smile, "Well I suppose one race couldn't hurt--It might hurt you though because you'll lose since Adrien is still the fastest their is."
Aisling chuckled, "Why don't you meet us outside and we'll find that out!"
***
-Two Hours Later-
It was a little while later before everyone in the base was up, though most of them were a bit frantic. The week they arrived Asta would go up to Prism's room if she had slept in to wake her up, though was a bit shocked when he found she wasn't there.
At first he thought it was because she had taken Adrien out on his morning run; though it had been a LONG while, and needless to say, the new recruits and Pluck's family started to turn the base upside down.
Pluck had shouted as he kicked down the door to the base, "PRISM! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Prism!" Asta called out, as he had been seen in a tree, "Pri! Where did you go?!"
Feodora groaned as she was seen coming out of the bushes, "I swear to God, she's more of a handful then those kids back in Hage!"
"Feo don't say that!" Asta said.
Karasu soon came back in the direction of the magical beast farm, "She's not around back. I even double checked the mama's pen to be safe and there's nothing."
Asta had groaned after he jumped out of the tree, "Aw man! Captain Yami is definitely not gonna like this!" He soon turned over to Noelle as she was just leaning against the doorway, "How come you're not helping us look for Pri?!"
"Because I'm royalty." Noelle merely responded.
"Yeah, and Stuck Up rules unicorns." Feodora said, making Noelle flinch at that sort of tone.
"Typical Stupid Sil--Wait---." Pluck started to add before he turned over to Feodora as he looked offended, HEY! IT'S ONE THING TO INSULT ME BUT THE STUPID SILVA IS ANOTHER STORY!"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Noelle yelled before Pluck waved her off.
"What?" Feodora said, "I thought you liked honesty, Stuck Up."
"THAT'S NOT HONESTY!" Pluck shouted "THAT'S JUST YOUR STUPID INSULTS, FROST HAIRBALL!"
Feodora's eyebrow twitched before she said coldly, "DIE."
Pluck's jaw dropped as he yelled, "LIKE HELL I WILL!"
"This is no time to fight amongst ourselves!" Asta shouted, trying to break them up.
"Hey!" Magna soon said as he peeked out of the doorway, "Any luck on her whereabouts? Yami is getting really impatient!"
Yukiko soon added as she made herself known, "Yeah and I don't mean to scare you, but Jack can get just as mad and deadly if she ends up late."
"There's no sign of her." Karasu replied, "We looked everywhere."
Pluck added, "Yeah, no dice."
"Uh--" Asta said awkwardly, "--You kind of banged on Pri's door for like an hour before one of us said she might not be in the base."
Pluck simply bonked him on the head as he said "Moving on, Addi tried to find Adrien too but to no avail."
"I swear that girl takes after that clumsy man of a father." Yukiko said.
Magna had said, "Well you guys better find her quick! You've all seen how the Captain can get!"
"No need to tell me twice." Pluck said as he did a couple of stretches. "I'll be back"
Vandy soon came through the doorway, as he and Jubei appeared to be looking for something or someone. "Hey mom, Pluck?" Vandy said, stopping him from running, "Have you guys seen the triple A's anywhere?"
"Pa says it's their turn to do a grocery run today!" Jubei said, "And we wanna go into town with them to get new toys!"
Immediately Pluck and Yukiko's faces flinched for a second before they said "The Triple As?"
"Oh yeah--" Asta said, "--Now that I think about it, I haven't seen them all morning."
"Same here." Feodora added, "It's surprising though."
"Yeah, it's hard to miss brightly colored witches." Karasu said.
Pluck's face began to turn to annoyed as he said "Those three--"
Magna said as he fixed his sunglasses, "The lil brats!"
Yukiko slapped herself in the face, "Damn it, I should've known--"
They were soon taken back by the sound of a beast's call, as well as a set of running footsteps. They saw up ahead it had been a familiar raptor, a deer, a jaguar and a large wolf. Adrien had been ahead of them as they looked to be in a hurry; they jumped when he had skidded to a halt and Prism jumped off the raptor. Her hair had been a mess as branches and leaves were stuck in her bangs and ponytail, and she had a fresh set of mud stains on her clothes and robe. The triplets looked to be on the same boat; even their magical beasts were a mess as they were practically wearing the mud.
"I'm here!" Prism said as she stood up straight, and acted like there was nothing different about her.
Everyone only stared at her as they looked to be in shock. Prism noticed this as she flinched, "What?"
Immediately Pluck bonked her on the head before he scolded, "YOU DUMMY! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING RACING THE TRIPLE As?! AND LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE ALL MUDDY! AND YOUR CLOTHES LOOKED LIKE A MANA TORNADO HAD HIT THEM!"
Prism laughed sheepishly, "Sorry."
Yukiko had let out a shriek before she said, "YOU SERIOUSLY HAD US WORRIED! LOOK AT ADRIEN!"
Addeline rushed to Adrien as she was hitting him with her stick while scolding him "QUACK! QUACK QUACK QUACK!"
Adrien only responded by scooping her up in his mouth before he spat her out making her growl when she landed on the ground.
"Seriously, what happened?" Asta said, "Did you get in a mud fight or something?"
"Well, not exactly." Prism replied awkwardly.
"Funny story--" Aidan said, "--It started off as a race then--" He patted his jaguar on the head, "--River here ended up tripping and fell down and accidentally dragged us with him."
"We kind of tumbled and rolled through a bunch of loose branches and leaves--" Aine said, as she scratched Kona's ear, "--Landed in a sinkhole, almost gotten eaten by said sinkhole, if it wasn't for Kiba, though we ended up tripping again tumbling again because he pulled a bit too hard and we ended in a mud pit afterwards."
"And THEN it turned into a mud fight and we lost track of time." Aisling added as she brushed her hat off of dirt, as she soon said with a smile as she set back on, "Funny right?"
"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT A SINKHOLE!?" Asta, Feodora, Noelle, Karasu and Magna exclaimed.
Pluck took out a wooden sword from his grimoire and bonked the Triple As at the same time as he shouted "YOU TRIPLE IDIOTS! YOU NOT ONLY PUT PRISM IN DANGER BUT YOURSELVES! THAT WAS RECKLESS!"
"Ow.." Aidan groaned.
"Okay, we deserved that." Aine said.
Yukiko said as she cracked her fists, "Pluck's not the only one you have to deal with."
Aisling flinched as she said "Meep! Mom's mad!" She soon whispered to her siblings, "Maybe we shouldn't have mentioned that sink hole!"
"Maybe!" Aine and Aidan whispered back.
Addeline turned to River & Kiba as they jumped as she said with a low tone while holding her stick, ready to displicne. "Quack...."
"He-Hey!" Prism said, "In our defense, we didn't know that there was going to be a sinkhole at the bottom of the hill!"
Noelle said, slapping herself in the face, "But you're Royalty! How can you not tell if it was a sin-"
Pluck bonked her on the head with his wooden sword as he exclaimed, "SHUT IT! NONE OF YOUR SILVA LOGIC! THEY ALMOST DIED!"
"Seriously, that's your main concern?" Karasu said.
"Wait wait wait--" Jubei said, "--YOU GUYS HAD A MUD FIGHT WITHOUT US!?"
"You should've waited up!" Vandy added.
"That's YOUR main concern?!" Karasu said to the two of them.
"DID YOU JUST MISS THE PART WHERE THEY ALMOST DIED!?" Feodora yelled.
Pluck added as he bonked the two kids on the head, "DON'T ENCOURAGE THEM!"
"Hey Buddy, I know you're their big brother but you're a bit too rough on them.." Magna said
"Prism, you gotta be more careful!" Asta said, "You could've been killed!"
"I know, I know, but I didn't think I was gonna be gone for that long!" Prism said as she bowed her head, "And again that sinkhole basically jumped us, I mean come on. That happens right?"
"That doesn't happen at all!" Feodora said.
Magna sighed, "Well you better hope Yami doesn't find this out. He's already mad enough as it is because of--"
BAM!!
There was suddenly a fresh hole in the wall as it made Prism shriek and leap into Asta's arms while Adrien shrunk himself and hid himself in the hood of her robe when a threatening aura came through the dust cloud. Yami stepped on through as he had a glare.
"Oh there she is. I was wondering where the hell she ran off to." Yami said with his usual look.
"He-Hey, Yami." Prism said as she shook while she waved, "I-was just--"
Yami soon said as he took a puff, "Well spit it out."
"It was Pluck's idea!" Aine immediately said while pointing to her brother.
Pluck's jaw dropped as he yelled with confusion "WHAT?! YOU ARE NOT PINNING THIS ON ME!" He took out another sword made of gum as he caught The Triple As right when they were about to run. "TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!"
"What, you don't!" Aidan argued.
Aisling added, "You're a terrible role model!"
"For once I agree." Noelle said as she rubbed her head.
Yami soon said, making them all shrink by the tone of his voice, "Shut up all of you, unless you wanna die."
"No sir!" They said in unison.
"Now first things first--" Yami said as he grabbed Prism's head making her whimper, as she was lifted out of Asta's arms "--You're taking a bath. You're not gonna smell like someone threw up on your first day."
"Fair enough." Prism said with a squeak as she curled up into a ball like a puppy being carried by its mother
"Next--" Yami said as he grabbed Asta's head making him freeze, "--You're gonna do her chores for today."
"Y-yes s-sir!" Asta shouted.
"Sorry Asta." Prism said with a guilty look.
He then looked over to the triplets, as they shrunk at his gaze, "Since your big brother is delivering the punishment it's fair that he takes you for a bath, after that you do ALL of your chores and study work. No playing outside today."
"Yes captain sir!" The triple A's yelled.
Pluck said with a huff, "Let that be a lesson to you three."
"Aww, no visiting town!" Vandy said with a pout.
Jubei said with a growl, "So much for Haggling.."
Yami said to Jubei as she flinched. "Also give me the knife."
"How did you know I was carrying it!?" Jubei exclaimed.
Yami simply glared at her before Jubei handed it to her mother as she said "Sorry."
Yami soon went inside the base taking Prism with him and dropping Asta as he landed on the floor with a grunt, "Now let's go."
"Ye-yeah, okay." Prism said.
With that said, Yami made their exit leaving Noelle, Feodora, Karasu, Yukiko, Magna, Asta, Vandy and Jubei out dumbstruck.
"Is he like this everyday with your family?" Feodora asked Yukiko.
Yukiko replied awkwardly, "Yep."
Pluck said as he dragged the triplets towards the baths. "Now let's go. You guys smell."
"We can walk, you know bro!" Aine said.
Pluck stared at them with his own glare making them jump, "No."
"Geez! He's more scary than Yami when it comes to his siblings!" Asta exclaimed.
"Well he is the eldest after all." Magna told him.
Karasu soon scratched his head, "If the Cap is like this everyday, then I'd hate to see how he's gonna be with the tater-tot's lessons."
"I still don't think having that beanpole being her teacher is the best idea." Feodora said.
Yukiko reassured her. "Trust me, Jack knows what he's doing."
Asta soon groaned, "It kind of sucks we can't watch though--I really want to see how they train Prism!"
"Of course YOU'D want to see that Dum-Dum." Feodora said facepalming herself.
Noelle had said to Asta, "Typical Dorkst-" She was soon interrupted when Addeline whacked her with her stick as she shouted "HEY!"
"QUACK!" Addeline shouted.
"By the way--" Asta soon said as he turned to Yukiko, "--Where are Prism's lessons going to be anyway?"
***
Some time had passed and Prism made herself presentable along with Adrien before she left the base with Yami. She found herself back at the Magical Knights headquarters though rather than take Adrien or use Finral (Like usual) she had been riding along with Yami via his broom, since they were in a hurry.
Adrien had been along for the ride as he had been hanging out in Prism's pouch again where her grimoire was safely stored. Her face had been covered as she looked below their feet; she watched the people of the capital mingle about and went with their daily lives.
She really wanted to go down there and explore, though it was a bit unfortunate that she couldn't do such a thing right now.
The little light lemur appeared on her shoulder as he had spoken to her. "I wish I could but I made a deal with Julius. I've gotta follow through with it."
The little light lemur spoke again. "I got into too much trouble this morning, so it's best not to start some other trouble you know."
Yami soon said, getting her attention, "Hey, if you're done speaking to your friends, we're here."
She was a bit startled as Yami took them both down to the courtyard where Adrien started to growl again. "It's okay bud." Prism said, while patting Adrien's head "No ones gonna chain you up again, I promise."
"Still don't see why you had to bring your lizard friend with you." Yami said as he got off the broom while Prism leaped off, "Whole point of having discrete lessons is not to attract attention."
"Adrien doesn't like it if I'm too far away." Prism replied as she let Adrien out of his pouch as he returned to full size, "He likes being in a pack, so everywhere I go he comes too."
Yami sighed as he said, "Well as long as he doesn't cause trouble, it's fine."
Just then Prism jumped at the sounds of people running; she saw a stampede of people run by them as they were running scared.
"RUN AWAY!" One of them shouted.
"Uh--" Prism said awkwardly, as she looked at Yami, "--Is that bad?"
Yami said with a groan, as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Oh boy, here we go."
Soon the door in front of them was sliced in pieces, coming out of the now destroyed door was a familiar skinny man, wearing a Green Mantis Robe as blades looked to be coming out of his arms as he looked absolutely livid.
"Okay that looks pretty bad!" Prism said as her body shook, while Adrien growled and bared his teeth.
"KEKE--YOU'RE LATE, YOUR HIGHNESS!" Jack shouted.
Prism squeaked fearfully as Adrien stood in front of her baring his claws. Jack said as he stepped over to her. "YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE!"
"I was--Playing around with some friends!" Prism explained nervously, as she held up her hands "We-We just lost track of time that's all!"
Jack had told her while giving her a look, "Playing around? So suddenly the lessons aren't important to you?"
"N-No!" She said, as she shook her head "You got it all wrong!"
"Bime i elena! He really is terrifying when he's mad!" Prism thought, "If I'd known he would get this angry I would've gladly said no! Ah, I feel really guilty now!"
"You know girlie I have every right to cut you up if you weren't the princess right now!" Jack shouted
"That's a scary thing to say!" She exclaimed.
Adrien soon went to bite Jack on the leg as it had startled them; Prism held Adrien back as he still went to charge.
"Adrien! Stop that!" Prism told him, "You can't attack him! He's supposed to help me!"
Jack soon said as he bared his blades towards the raptor, "KEKE! WANTED A PIECE OF MY LEG HUH?! WELL YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT!"
"No! No fighting!" Prism said as she struggled to hold the raptor back, "Everything is chill!"
Yami soon got in between them, as he had drawn his blade, "Okay, Okay. That's enough for you two. I already got enough flack for two certain sword boys back at the base and I don't need to deal with this crap." He soon turned to the raptor, "And You, Behave yourself."
Adrien only huffed as he held a look to kill towards Jack, while Jack himself retracted his blades. Prism sighed with relief, "Oh thank Mana." She soon gave a curious look, "So… How are we going to do this training anyway? I'm assuming there's a lot of sparring matches involved, plus a couple of magic spells thrown at me on all sides."
"Whoa, how do you figure that?" Yami asked.
"That's how they trained us in our village." Prism replied before she held her hook swords and bow and arrows that Adrien was holding, "I even brought these with me just in case."
"KEKE--Well well you're right on that one, your Highness" Jack said, before he swiped the hook swords and arrows from her, "Though in this case, you're not going to be needing these!"
"Wait what?!" Prism exclaimed.
Yami had added, "Yeah Girlie. Those are gonna be reversed for me and not to mention, you know how to use your arrows already. What this training REALLY is about… Is your grimoire."
***
Prism found himself standing in the middle of an open room with the little spirits at her side along with Yami and Jack. Adrien had stood on the opposite end of the room. "Alright then lizard girl--" Yami said brushing his hands, "--It's time to get this training started. Bring out the scythe."
Prism gulped, "U-Uh okay."
She soon took her grimoire out of her pouch before she turned to the page in her book and read aloud the words written.
"Shadows reveal thy form
Let your power aid
Lead the hunger astray
Bring me victory today"
The book soon glowed from its pages, before the scythe revealed itself as it floated just in front of her. The moment she grabbed it. However when she took it she hit the floor as she let out a cry of agony. "Ow--" She groaned, while her body twitched, "I think I broke my arm--!"
Jack said, "KEKE-That's because you're holding it wrong!"
Prism soon got her arm out from under the scythe before she tried to pick it up, "How can I be?! I can't even lift the darn thing!"
Jack told her as he lifted the scythe with ease, surprising her, "First off--Your arm posture was off!
"Arm posture?" She said while tilting her head.
Jack said as he showed her, "KEKE--The way your holding it right now, your arms will tire out more easily. You're supposed to hold it over there." He pointed to the lower middle area of the handle.
"It--" Prism said a bit shocked, "--Doesn't look that hard."
Jack told her, giving her a slap on the head, "KEKE--No back talk! Show me the stance!"
"Ye-Yes sir!" Prism replied.
She soon took the stance that Jack had shown him, though it was sloppy as she nearly tripped on herself as neither Yami nor Jack didn't look pleased by this. "This good?" She said.
Jack didn't answer as instead he tossed the scythe and instantly knocked her over; once more she was trapped under the scythe. "That's a no." She groaned.
Jack had responded, "KEKE-Try again!"
"Ye-Yes sir Captain Jack!" Prism said, before she tried to lift the scythe off. Though she was having difficulty as it ended up hitting her stomach making her gag. "As soon as I get this off of me."
Adrien soon went over to her as he took the scythe by the handle lifting it up a little bringing her relief. "Thanks bud." Prism said, "Now just take it nice and e--OW!"
She had been taken back when Yami stepped on Adrien's foot causing the scythe to land back on Prism's stomach. "Why would you do that?" Prism groaned.
"Simple. It's your weapon, you gotta lift it on your own." Yami told her, "There are gonna be times where Adrien can't help you."
The two of them looked confused as Adrien cocked his head to the side. "But--Adrien's been sticking by me for as long as I can remember." Prism said, "He's always watching my back."
Yami merely retorted, "In case you didn't know, the jobs you're gonna take as a Magic Knight aren't like your hunting trips or occasional bandits. You'll be dealing with powerful opponents, some from opposing lands like the Diamond Kingdom."
Prism sighed, "I still find it hard to believe that the Diamond Kingdom is doing bad things to people, even to Feo."
"Well time's have changed." Yami said "And you're gonna have to do the same--By surpassing your limits."
The look on Prism's face changed as she took a deep breath as she gave it some thought. "He's right. It's not like back home. Whether I'm willing to accept it or not, I'm not back home, I'm in a time different from my own. I feel really out of place, but--" She soon had a look of determination, "--I can't let that stop me. After all, it's like Asta said--My magic is not giving up."
She gripped the handle with both of her hands as she started to groan. She put all of her strength into her arms before she started to lift it off of her. Though it didn't really budge--At first anyway. She could feel something pulsating through her veins as it strangely glowed an odd glow which Yami and Jack seemed to have noticed despite the face her arms were hidden with her sleeve and glove.
She tossed the scythe off of her with ease; it seemed to have vanished with a flash the moment it touched the ground. She sat herself up as she looked at her own hands in shock.
"There we go--KEKE!" Jack said with a smile
"I--I did it." She said as she stood. She couldn't help but jump in place as she looked excited, "Bime i elena, I did it! Did you see that?! I lifted that scythe like it was nothing!" She couldn't help but hug Adrien as he had been wagging his tail, "You saw that too right bud?! I lifted it so easily!"
Adrien let out a happy noise, as he licked her cheeks. The little spirits around her seemed to have celebrated this as well.
Yami however couldn't help but have a skeptical look "Hmm, Something tells me that it was not luck that helped her...or rather something else.." He thought, "Might have to keep a close eye on her just in case something like a week ago happens again. Because that Ki...It's-."
"Yami!" She soon said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Isn't this great!? I never did stuff like this before, even when I was training back home! I just had to dig deep!"
Yami seemed to retain his composure as he just gave her a chop to the head making her freeze and giving her a noticeable bump on the head. He told her, "Hey don't get cocky. You still have a long way to go, and not to mention you got a lot to learn, you understand?"
"Ye-yeah okay." Prism said.
Yami soon gave her a hard slap on the back before telling her, "Now get to it, kid. Today is just getting started."
***
-Step 1: Scythe Combat-
Prism was able to call back her scythe with ease though was faced with a challenge. She held her scythe like Jack had shown her despite the fact that her arms were shaking, and the fact that she was having trouble standing, though was faced with a challenge. She had been told by Jack she had to block his attacks--While a bucket of water sat on top of her head.
"Uh--" She said, trying her best not to spill a drop from the wooden bucket she was struggling to balance, "--Is this really necessary?"
Jack replied with his blade, "KEKE--If you're not able to block my attacks while you're carrying the scythe, you might as well die!"
"That's kind of a scary thing to say!" Prism said as she shook.
Yami said while taking a puff, "Not the point beanpole."
"Here I come!" Jack shouted as he charged. Prism let out a shriek as she managed to dodge Jack's blade, but the bucked ended up flipping over as it ended up dumping the water on her head and shoulders as it covered her face. Immediately Adrien jumped in when Jack still went in for an attack; He swiped Prism by the hem of her jacket tacking her on the opposite side of the room surprising both captains.
Jack had told the raptor as he set Prism down on her feet, "HEY WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, LIZARD?! BRING HER BACK!"
Yami had shouted, "BAD LIZARD! WE'RE TRAINING HER HERE!"
Adrien merely growled at them in response before he removed the bucket from Prism's head; she coughed a little as she was soaked. "I'm okay." Prism said before she sneezed causing her to fly into the wall just from the sheer force of the soundwaves making Yami and Jack jump.
"I think I broke my everything." Prism said.
***
-Step 2: Push Ups-
Prism couldn't help but groan as She was seen on the ground with one hand as she asked Yami, "Can't I just do it normally like Asta and Feo?"
"Nah, that'll be too easy." Yami said with a puff. "The shrimp already surpassed his limits when it comes to physical strength, you're gonna do the same but differently."
"Yeah but--" She groaned as she tried to push up, "--With one hand? Wouldn't it be easier to do this with two?"
Yami told her as he put some books on her back, making her freeze, "Nope, you're gonna go straight to hard level."
"Did you just put books on my back?!" She said, confused.
"Yes, it's to help build up your stamina." Yami said, "And from what Yuki and Cad told me, you don't have much of it."
Adrien soon knocked over the stack of books off of Prism's back, surprising them. Yami had told the raptor, "Hey bud, You're really getting on my nerves!" He soon placed the books back on her back as he told him, "This is for her own good."
Adrien only knocked the books off of her back again, Yami turned as he said "Getting REAL tired of your shit, Adrien."
Adrien only let out a sort of squawk as if he was talking to him while he looked him dead in the eye.
Yami told him while cracking his fists, "Oh so you want to go?"
Adrien growled as he showed his teeth off to him, as he readied himself to charge.
"No! No!" Prism said sitting on her knees, "Don't fight him! He will bite your arm off!"
Jack said, manifesting his blades once more, "KEKE--YOU'VE BEEN A PAIN IN THE ASS ALL DAY! Once We're done with you then we can train her highness!"
"No, don't fight!" Prism said, "Chill, remember?!"
Yami soon said, as he gave a smirk, "trust me, this won't be long."
Just before they could do anything, a familiar figure stepped in between them; almost immediately Prism seemed to have retreated behind Yami. The person had revealed to William "I was wondering what all the commotion was—" He said, "—Though it seems like the training was a bit more lively than I expected."
Yami had told Willaim with a gruff. "Hey Willam, What the hell? I was about to teach some manners to this raptor."
Jack added, "KEKE--I second that! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I was here to collect some documents but heard the noise just nearby." William explained, "I had nearly forgotten her highnesses lessons started today." He soon leaned over slightly as he greeted with a smile, "Hello there Princess. It's good to see you again."
His own voice made Prism flinch as she peeked out behind Yami. She said as she couldn't help but stutter nervously, "He-Hello Mr Vangance."
Yami told her, as he removed her from behind his back, "Hey, His mask isn't gonna bite you. It's just for show."
Jack added, "KEKE--It's not even scary!"
"That's—" Prism started to say before she stopped herself and thought, "—That's not why I'm nervous."
"Your highness?" William soon said, getting her attention; Prism immediately avoided eye contact when he had spoken to her, "How is the training so far? Interesting I take it?"
"Don't look him in the eyes! Keep your head down!" Prism told herself in her head before she said while stammering a little, "I-It's uh different from my warrior training in my vi-village. Bu-But I'm sure I'll—" She gulped, "—Get the hang of it."
"I'm sure you will." William said, "Mrs. Barbados often spoke highly of you. Your friend Pluck as well. As the top of your warriors guild in your tribe I'd imagine you're handling this in your own way."
Yami soon stopped smoking as he was speechless, "Come again?"
Jack had said, shocked, "Y-You're kidding?!"
William soon stepped towards Prism as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "I know it can be hard to adjust to the sudden changes around you, but you shouldn't worry. We're all here for you to help you through it."
"Tha-Thank you." She said bowing her head as she couldn't help but think, "Even his words remind me of him."
"Captain Vangance." Someone soon called out.
Prism soon noticed a young man with thick wavy brown hair possessing a small build wearing the golden dawn robe like William, as she was nearly put into shock.
"Ratri?!" She thought in confusion.
"Everyone is waiting outside." He said, "Just as you instructed."
"Thank you Langris." William said, before he turned to Prism as he bowed his head, "I look forward to our lesson in the coming days, your highness."
Prism said nervously as she bowed her own head, "Li--Likewise Mr. Vangance."
With that said, William took his leave along with the young man named Langris. Finally Prism took a deep breath to calm herself. Yami soon told her, giving her a pat on the head, "Alright, let's get back to it then."
"O-Okay." Prism said before she went to start her pushups again, with Yami setting a set of weights on her back. Adrien had been about to knock it over were it not for Jack holding one of the blades he had manifested close to him.
As she struggled to do up to ten like Yami had told her to do she couldn't help but have a thought. "I don't know if this is the work of fate, or even the Spirits, but everywhere I seem to turn, I just keep seeing the faces of my loved ones around me. Everyone that I left behind. I don't know if it's supposed to be a blessing, or a curse. Mom… Dad… What do you think?"
***
-Step Three: Obstacle Course-
Prism found herself standing in front of what might as well be a playground of death. The course had several pitfalls as well as balance beams and what looked to be stumps that had been set up for anyone to kick off, not to mention there were several battery rams that swung across the stage. Along the course, there were 2 thin boards slowly spinning under a body of water with another one with 4 circular platforms evenly spaced to another part of the stage that had a couple bars to climb over to reach another platform. She only looked horrified at this sort of thing as she could see a couple of them had been steel balls.
"Uh…" Prism said, shocked, "... You guys want me to do--What?"
Yami told her, "Haven't you been paying attention? You have to go through the course."
"Oh--" She said before she flinched when she noticed a guy flying off the course, "--Is that all?"
Jack told her, "KEKE--It's all part of training, your highness!"
"I--" Prism said as she cleared her throat, "--Don't know if I can do all of that."
Jack merely retorted, "Nonsense! If someone like you can become the top of her guild then surely you can take on this course!"
Yami added, "He's got a point. I took Sword Boy here and it took him 3 tries until he got it. If a genius like him can do it, then so can his best friend."
"THREE?!" Prism exclaimed, before she said nervously, "Isn't there anything easier I can try!? You know, just to prepare myself for the apparent extreme course!"
"No." Jack and Yami said to her nonchalantly, making her flinch and even Adrien's jaw dropped.
Yami soon gave her a kick as he told her, "Now get to it."
"KEKE--Try not to die!" Jack added.
Prism nearly found herself losing a nose as a battering ram came flying by as it caused her to jump back. She adjusted herself as she kept her hood over her head. She took a deep breath before she slapped her cheeks. "Okay--" She said to herself, "--You got this!"
Prism soon ran into the obstacle course, however--
SLAM! BAM!
Prism found herself nearly flying off the course as she was practically tossed around and as by the time she hit the floor her face had been bruised and had gotten a cut in her mouth.
"Let me try that again." She said before she stood and dashed back into the obstacle course, though was only met with more smacks to the face and even on her arm and leg..
Yami yelled while smacking his hands, "Hey! Hey! You're doing it wrong! Rushing in is actually the first mistake!"
Prism didn't quite hear it as she was smacked in the face again this time by a steel ball.
Jack soon added, "Watch your timing--KEKE!"
Prism dashed again and was practically flown back; though she had regained her footing she nearly stumbled.
"Oh for the love of—" Yami said before yelling, "—Think before you go head first!"
Prism went in the course again, though this time she barely dodged one of the battery ram's as she felt her wrist snap making her shriek. Another soon came at her as it hit her across her face making her fall into the pitfall and hit her head on one of the stumps making her ears hear a painful ring.
Adrien soon let out a piercing roar at the sight of his partner hitting the ground. His horns and streaks lit up before the inside of his mouth became lit. The next thing Yami and Jack knew he blasted the course, setting half of it in flames before he ran to Prism, hopping down into the pitfall that was only shallow deep with water.
He curled his body around Prism in a protective way just as she recovered.
"Adrien…?" She groaned as she could feel his claws grip her body; not enough to draw blood. She could hear him growl aggressively as other Magic Knights in the area seemed to have noticed the raptor though backed away at the sight of his teeth.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Jack shouted.
"That damn raptor--" Yami growled.
Adrien growled at the two of them, before he let out an aggressive roar.
Yami said while drawing his blade, "Hey Bud, You've done it now.."
"Wai-Wait hold on a se--" Prism started to say before Adrien pounced at Yami, "--Adrien no!" Adrien was prepared to grab his hand with his teeth, though Yami beat him to the punch as he grabbed a hold of his neck before pinning him to the ground.
Yami told the raptor as Adrien started to thrash, "Down Boy! You did enough damage for today!"
Adrien screeched as if he was telling Yami to let him go, though Yami himself ultimately refused.
"Adri, bud--!" Prism said as she tried to stand though she found herself groaning. Despite this she was able to lift herself up and go over to Adrien. She started to massage his head as he let out huffs and growls, while keeping her other hand to her chest so as to not aggravate it.
"It's okay, it's okay." She said while gently shushing him, "I'm just fine, you don't have to be scared."
Adrien started to calm down, allowing Yami to remove his hand from his neck. He sat himself down before he started to lick at her broken wrist to try to soothe the swelling. "Good raptor." She said scratching his cheek, "Have you calmed down now?"
Yami and Jack looked over the damage of the obstacle course as neither of them looked too happy.
"Damn it all!" Jack complained, "Now we're gonna have to cancel early!"
Yami added as he took a puff, "So much for an afternoon wasted."
"Oh--!" Prism soon said, getting their attention, "--I can still train alright, you don't have to cancel! These injuries don't even hurt as much! Not even my wrist!"
Yami could see she was saying it with a smile, however he could see her legs shaking a little as she stood. Yami merely told her "Hey, it's okay to admit your hurt you know. That's how strong people are formed. Your best friend knew that too on his second try."
Prism had been speechless at this sort of thing. Though right when she was about to say something she felt Yami's hand on her head, "Let's get those treated, so you can be ready for next time."
***
That afternoon, Yami and Prism returned to the Black Bulls base after visiting one of the healing mages they had available; they even took the opportunity to relocate her wrist. It did hurt more than she expected though at least it wasn't broken. As for the bruises she had gotten, they did heal up thanks to them, all except the one she had gotten on her eye.
Let's just say, Asta, and Feodora were surprised to see she came back with a set of bandages around her head and eye.
"WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!?" Asta yelled as he had seen Prism casually sitting on the couch with Vandy, Jubei and Karasu. Adrien had been laying at their feet as he didn't mind they were using his back as a foot rest.
"Oh, hey Asta, Feo!" Prism said, noticing they had entered the room.
"DON'T HEY US!" Feodora shouted, "WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR EYE?!"
"Prism was just telling us about training today!" Vandy said as he bounced in his seat.
"Apparently they put her in an obstacle course on her first day." Karasu said, "She ended up getting this out of it."
"You're so lucky!" Jubei said as she was sitting on Prism's lap, "I want an intense course like that!"
"What kind of kid are you?" Karasu questioned while giving her a look.
"Are you sure you're okay though?!" Asta asked, as he immediately rushed over to her, "That looks really bad!"
"I'm fine Asta." Prism reassured him with a smile, "They gave me some medicine to help out with the swelling. It'll heal in a couple of days."
Feodora sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Seriously, I think those Captains are REALLY out to kill you."
"No, of course not!" She said, as she waved her hand, "The training regiment is just different then I expected. It's certainly something I'm not used to when I was training to be a warrior."
"I'll bet." Asta said, before looking around, "Where is Captain Yami anyway?"
"Out sparring with our parents." Vandy replied.
"Uncle Yami likes to spar with them to help train when he doesn't have anything else to do." Jubei added, "Sometimes it takes his mind off if he's angry."
Prism couldn't help but have a guilt on her face as she laid back on the couch. "Uh-oh, I know that look." Vandy said, noticing that her expression changed, "Did something happen?"
"Well--" Prism soon said as she twiddled her thumbs, "--In the obstacle course I kind of rushed in without thinking and Adrien came after me after I was hit to the floor."
Asta's eyes widened slightly as he sat beside her, "Oh no--Was it bad?"
"He uh--" She soon said as she fidgeted, "--Kind of tore down half the course--And may have tried to bite Yami again. They weren't too happy which is why we're back early."
She looked over to Adrien as he purred, "It's not like he meant to do it. He worries about me, that's all. I guess he was scared about me getting hurt."
"Well, it's not like it's your fault." Asta said.
"Couldn't you just leave him here in the base?" Feodora said, "I mean he likes Stuck up's family. They could take care of him while you were away."
Prism looked nervous again as did Vandy and Jubei which they were taken back by. "What is it?" Karasu asked.
"About that--" Prism said as she played with her moon medallion, "--I didn't tell Yami but--"
"--Adrien has separation anxiety." Vandy soon said.
The three of them looked a bit shocked at this sort of thing as their looks softened. "How long has he had it?" Asta asked.
"Since he was a baby." Prism replied, "Mother and Aunt Yuki on one of their hunting trips, found him when he was only a few weeks old. His old pack was killed by humans who only wanted to sell their scales. Adrien's type of magical beast is rare, and his species scales go for a high price. Unfortunately it's the reason why his kind is or was endangered. They figured they never bothered with him because once upon a time he was the runt of the litter."
Adrien moved himself from where he laid before he laid his head on Prism's lap again; she scratched his head. "Ever since he and I became partners, I'm the only other person he's seen as a parent figure and he's basically my family. He's fine as long as he can pick up my scent but if I'm too far away--"
"Hey, Pri--" Asta soon said, "--It's okay we get it."
Prism sighed, "I don't know what I should do. I can't leave Adrien, but if I bring him with me to one of the lessons, the other captains might chain him up again or worse cage him--" Adrien merely flinched at this though she quickly calmed him before he started to get crazy, "--He'll hurt himself again if that happens. I know that the captains have their best intentions for me and Julius does too, but he can't go through something like that."
Asta and Feodora looked at one another before they smiled. They both sat by her as they took her hands. "We'll figure it out." Asta said, "I may not know much about Magical Beasts, but we can work it out!"
"We just need to work out a strategy!" Feodora soon said.
Prism had only smiled, in gratitude at this, "Thanks you guys. I really appreciate it."
"Hang on--" Karasu said, "--How come you didn't mention this to the Cap? For the record he is basically the guy that has to watch you like a hawk as long as you're under his roof."
Prism had soon answered, as she twiddled her thumb, "I don't know--I guess he would just find it a bit dumb that's all."
"Is that so?"
The group turned to Yami as he took a puff as they nearly jumped out of their seats as they screamed. "Seriously, stop doing that!!" Feodora yelled as she put her hand over her chest.
"Are you trying to kill us with fear?!" Vandy said.
Yami had said, "Don't give me ideas."
He turned to Prism as he said "I figured the raptor has some issues with you being hurt today during today's lesson. That I can get. Adrien has every right to be nervous since you're his partner even if these accidents can be out of control sometimes. There is a way to alleviate this."
"But I can't leave Adrien alone when I'm away for the lessons." Prism said, "And he didn't mean to cause all that trouble today. I just don't know what can be done."
Yami simply told her, "Got anything that smells of you?"
Prism was a bit confused before she replied, "Just the pouch I use for when he shrinks himself, why?"
Yami smiled as he said, "How about you use that and leave it at the base?"
At this the group looked a bit shocked. Yami soon clarified, "You said he's fine as long he can pick up your scent, didn't you? That pouch can be a good example. You can just leave that here whenever your away and he'll be fine."
Prism looked a bit worried as she was unsure if she should go along with Yami's advice. He soon gave a sigh before telling her, as he kneeled down to her eye level, "I know you and him have an unbreakable bond but you can't keep holding his hand and he knows he can't tag along with you forever. You're the one that said that you wanted to learn to adapt to change didn't you? It's time to start learning now."
Prism let out a sigh of her own before she looked at Adrien as he let out a purr. The little spirits appeared around her and they seemed to have spoken their own mind as they started to talk to her with the sound of bells; Asta and the others watched as they had conversed with her as he couldn't help but find a certain thing odd.
Yami had commented as he took a puff from his cigarette, "Seems like your little friends are giving ya the pep talk."
"I guess it can't be helped--" Prism said as she scratched one of the little spirits' heads, which had been that of a gerbil who appeared to be made of water, "--If you guys are agreeing to it."
Feodora sighed as she laid back on the couch as she shut her eyes, "Guess that settles that problem then."
"Seems that way--" Karasu said doing the same, "--I don't mind a problem fixing itself up."
"Are you guys about to nap?" Vandy asked.
"What else is there to do in the afternoon?" Karasu said.
"Here, here." Feodora added as she got herself settled, "It's not like we got nothing better to do.
Just as this was said, Yami had grabbed their heads making them freeze up, "Oh no you don't. You three aren't done either."
"Eh?!" Karasu and Feodora exclaimed.
"Wait, what's that now?" Asta said, a bit shocked.
Yami soon told them in a threatening tone of voice, "You guys have cleanup duty to do."
"EH!?" Asta, Feodora and Karasu shouted.
"ARE YOU FOR REAL!? WE FINISHED JUST THIS MORNING!" Feodora yelled.
"YOU EXPECT US TO DO IT AGAIN?!" Karasu yelled, "WHAT KIND OF A CAPTAIN ARE YOU!?"
Yami had retorted, "The caring kind, now shut up or you die."
Immediately the two of them flinched as they froze up, "Ye-Yes sir."
Prism couldn't help but giggle at their expressions as Vandy and Jubei bursted out laughing; Adrien had been giving his own version of a laugh, while the two of them tried to calm down. Asta couldn't help but look at the little spirits again as he thought about him.
"It's strange--" He thought, "--The way those little guys talk to her. It's almost like… They're singing to her."