"I'm looking forward to the next training session."
Was Leona's words earlier in the afternoon, but little did she know what manner of training was awaiting her.
"WHY AM I RUNNING FOR MY LIFE?!"
She screamed atop of her lungs as she was dashing at full speed between trees as they were being bombarded with all manner of destructive spells. Water, fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning, all elements were at her opponent's disposal and the only saving grace was the densely packed forest inside her inner world that served as cover as she zig-zagged between the trees.
"Just as a reminder." Robert's voice echoed from all directions. "Running away inside your inner world does nothing to increase your overall stamina. This is magical training, not physical."
"Easy for you to say!" She looked behind her only to notice a fireball coming at full speed in her direction before she jumped out of the way and rolled on the forest ground as the place where she was previously was now lit ablaze with azure flames. "Why am I fighting against 'myself'?!"
Just beyond the trees, a young woman of blonde hair and aquamarine eyes was outfitted with a full set of silver plate armor, its shimmering radiance reflected on each step she took. She wielded both a staff on her left hand and a frostburnt silver longsword on her right as she approached Leona with killing intent.
"It is what your mind deems as the best version of 'yourself'. It is your fault you're fighting her if anything."
"I didn't ask what I thought at the time!" She stood up with the help of her splintered staff and kept running. "Why are we fighting?!"
"Remember I told you, you can't actually die in your own inner world? Here, you can go above and beyond your limits in order to train your mind."
"And how does fighting myself have anything to do with it?!"
"Well… I thought it would be hilarious."
"I HATE YOU!"
She shouted and at the same time she felt a chilling sensation from behind her. It was as if she could physically feel the static electricity build up around her skin as her other self charged a lightning attack.
Upon turning around, she noticed the knight's left hand crackling with arcane energy.
"Fulgent lightning, smite my foes-"
'I can't dodge that!'
Was her first thought as she raised her staff forward and shouted.
"Ice Wall!"
"-Chain Lightning!"
Despite her rather fast reaction, the ice was still forming when the electricity arced around the top of the half ice wall before it hit Leona's staff. The high voltage spell traveled through her entire body before she collapsed on the ground with puffs of smoke coming out of her hair and limbs.
"Oh dear…" Robert's voice came from amidst the trees before he came down from the foliage above. "She's definitely dead."
"Gah!"
Leona suddenly opened her eyes.
It was in the middle of the afternoon when the otherworldly hero suggested the new training regime for Leona. They were both inside the house, sitting in front of each other with the tactician resting her right hand between his hands.
A killer migraine started to get a hold of her brain as she tilted her entire upper body down and held her nose ridge between her fingers.
"Ugh…"
"Well, that was certainly short-lived." Robert's voice seemed calm and unsurprised. "Why would you make a version of yourself capable of such destructive magic?"
She was still holding her head low as she spoke.
"Ngh… you did ask me to imagine the 'best' version of myself."
"I did that to understand what was your definition of 'best' but I wasn't expecting your idea of best to be an armored mage." He chuckled. "Though I can see why you want both worlds." He held his chin between his thumb and index finger before closing his eyes to think. "Then again, this might work in your favor. The tougher the opponent, the more you can learn by fighting against it."
"Can you not call her, it? That's me, you know."
"A figment of your imagination, therefore, it. Point of being aside, I find it interesting how you can imagine yourself wielding more elements than what you already have." He opened his eyes and placed each of his open palms on the inner side of his knees. "Alright, let's continue on. You might get a headache later on but it's part of the training."
She looked at him between her fingers.
"Will it get better?"
"That depends on you. Dying, even if it is in your own inner world, is still not very good for your health, you know."
"Knock it off, will you?"
She placed her right hand on top of his left palm and closed her eyes. A familiar tingling sensation started to come up from her arm until she finally passed out while sitting up.
The inner world. A physical manifestation of one's psyche. By rigorous training to truly learn about themselves, one could so much as recreate entire kingdoms within their own mind.
Leona, while not yet able to reach such lofty heights, was still somewhat successful thanks to Robert's aid and their accidental yet fortuitous soul binding mishap from a day ago.
Once she opened her eyes, she was once again greeted by a dense, humid forest.
"Hmm…" She grumbled. "I know this is supposed to mirror my mind but isn't it strange? Why is this forest so densely packed? I can't even see the sky."
"Instead of asking yourself why, ask how this is happening." Robert's voice came from somewhere amongst the treetops. "How did your inner world become a crystal palace? What was it that you were thinking back then?"
His words echoed in her mind as she recalled the vivid horrifying experience of fighting against the Empress of Annihilation.
"Dread, misery, agony and… sadness."
She grabbed her left shoulder which was wrapped in bandages where her arm had been dismembered. The nonexistent limb throbbed in pain.
"And what are you feeling now? Your true feelings."
'Doubt, anxiety, fear…' She thought silently to herself as she lowered her head and exhaled slowly. 'When have I ever started to doubt myself this much? Ever since the beginning?'
A few minutes passed before she lifted her head up.
"Despite my accomplishments, I truly feel that I have achieved nothing." She declared whilst holding her shoulder. "I don't have my father's acumen for strategy, my mother's geniuses for tinkering nor Krieg's might to protect those close to me. However, I do have one thing that none of them possess…" She slowly lifted her right arm upwards which started to glow bright with mana. "Which is why…!" Finally, she opened her eyes and shouted atop of her lungs. "I WILL CONTROL MY FATE!"
Mana surged from within her body towards the very end of the staff as it crackled with arcane energy. The very air started to spiral around it as an orb of azure flame started to form and accumulate more energy until she grasped the staff and flicked it upwards.
The wide blast of fire swept across the foliage revealing a bright blue sky hidden amongst the now smoldering treetops.
"Not bad Leona." Robert was clapping his hands as he approached her. It felt like he appeared out of thin air in front of her. "Now that you are focused enough, we can finally begin."
Her inner world was surely beginning to change, the burnt trees crumbled into ash that were carried away by the wind. In their place, pillars of stone began to erupt out of the ground and not before long, she found herself standing at a stone paved crossroads.
"What the… did I really just do this?"
She asked as she looked down to her feet and where it was previously dirt, was now paved with stone tiles.
"You already know the answer for that." He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. "Now you should be ready to confront her again."
Upon stepping to the side of the road, Robert revealed the same fully armored Leona from before behind him. She was standing just a few meters ahead of the tactician with her head hanging low.
"Hmm." Leona took a deep breath and raised her staff towards the simulacrum. "What will it be, me? The sword or the knee?"
As she said those words, the armored princess lifted her head up and the moment they locked eyes, the battle had already begun.