Erica stood tall outside his door. Although her eyes looked down she smiled when she saw him. "Can we talk?" She asked him in a hoarse voice, Samuel grabbed a coat and walked out of the house with her.
Sonya was sleeping on a bed still but all their mentors had moved out. They walked for a bit in the chill night before Erica spoke. "I'm sorry Samuel, she told us everything and asked me not to say anything to you... But it wouldn't be right of me to stay silent."
Samuel turned his eyes to look at her and started wondering what she was about to divulge. Erica took a few breaths before speaking again, "Ulma told us all everything about her intended training and leaving us. At first we all became shocked and confused, but then she shared a... secret with us!"
"She said that in her dreams she had already met the goddess, and apperantely the goddess had told her a lot of things already... Things she did not want to share, except for one thing. She had to let go of her attachement to you, otherwise she might wound up dying... apperantely the goddess had dreamt of it."
"But from the way you look, I am guessing she really sucked at asking you to wait for her properly?" Erica squinted her eyes in pain as she looked at him and when Samuel told her everything that had happened from his side, she clenched her jaw tight and made an exhasperated grimace.
"That damn idiot... She really doesn't know how to handle people at all... I understand if you cannot forgive her for her unintentional harsh words." Erica sighed and walked on in silence.
The eerie silence remained for quite some time before they approached close to the edge of the island where one could overlook into the clouds and night sky, all the stars shone brightly that night. Naught but a singular cloud in the sky.
"She will be gone for two years, we will be done with our remaining time here before she is done with hers... so my question is what will you do now?" Erica started shifting her body feeling quite uncomfortable.
Samuel put a hand on her shoulder and then made a small fist that he bumped on her shoulder gently a few times. "I intend to stay put, finish my remaining time here... or so the plan looks to be!"
"I need to get stronger! So I can fulfill my goals and my promises, even if I haveto do them alone!" Samuel felt a comfortable presence and a voice, "Never alone! Not anymore!" Night spoke as she walked out of a nearby shadow.
Samuel couldn't help but smile at the small creature. "I made a promise to the starry night sky, one that I don't intend to break either. So let's get stronger and better!" He grabbed Erica's shoulder again and she wiped away a singular tear while she nodded.
In her mind she kept thinking how stupid Ulma had been about it, Samuel breaking up with her like that was definitely something she deserved with the way she had gone about it. "Let's go! Otherwise Sonya will eat all the chocolate by herself!" Erica snickered.
"Chocolate? We have chocolate?" Samuel became confused, he had not heard about this at all. Together the two of them headed back feeling quite tired, they walked all the way back where Sonya was still sleeping.
Erica and Samuel took left and right side respectively and fell asleep with Sonya in the middle. They didn't sleep for long but it was a few hours worthy of sleep before they both woke up to Sonya squirming.
Samuel and Erica had together squished Sonya in between eachother and her squirming was her trying to escape the mountain on each side. "Goodmooooorn...." Erica yawned as she turned around and gave Sonya a hug that calmed her down. While Samuel turned to lie on his back he yawned as well, with the sunrise just about to peek over the horizon.
"I am sorry, for everything Sam!" Sonya said and grabbed his hand. "Thank you for saving me!" With her words tears started falling. "Don't worry about it! If you ever need me... Just call, both of you! I will come running as fast as I can, because you are my best friends!" He gave them both a big smile.
With all the recent events he was angry and sad with Ulma still, but with the death of Teric and seeing how a mission could go so wrong, he had doubted his own skills. All that was left to do was to become stronger and better.
He would overcome any trial, any test. Because he had already passed the test of death.
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Several weeks passed that turned into months. Soon half of the second year had already passed. Samuel's team being reduced to three and their mentors as well, they were given more minor jobs instead. Testing their abilities at every opportunity. All of them moving forward in their own way.
It took Sonya quite some time to get back into action as her body was a mess after the dragon incident.
Erica kept getting more and more efficient at her jack of all trades. Sonya had lost her mentor and Sarmah had lost her student, so she took over as Sonyas mentor. Helping her get back into shape faster, she was a military woman and mage both.
Samuel spent most of his free time training all his specializations whenever he had time. He wanted to perfect his own spells as much as possible as well, so the time went on and he generally improved in all fields. Alsian trained him a few times as well in the ways of their bloodline.
All his teachers were quite amazed by his impressive dedication and improvement in all subjects. He was truly putting his feet forward and it paid off for sure. He was also garnering respect from his fellow peers. But he wasn't the only one. Several second year candidates truly started to shine.
Previous troublemakers had done everything they could to steer clear of Samuel, mostly because they were afraid of him, none of them usually remembered how they had been beaten either.
The halfway exams were easily passed by Samuel and his friends, much to his dismay some of his free time he had started being followed by Emma and her teammates that hung around with their team.
Mostly because Emma wanted to stay with her big sister, but the rest of her team all looked up to Samuel as well, he was becoming quite tired of it all. But thankfully winter had rolled in and it was becoming late winter and soon early spring and their teams next field mission was soon coming up.
So he only had to endure the fans for a few days more. Although he often found himself daydreaming and wondering what Ulma was doing and how she was doing. A part of him hoped she was doing well while another part was still very annoyed.
Night had also improved her abilities, now she could stray further from Samuel without issue, she had also grown exponentially stronger. She easily shifted forms, easily merged with shadows and could tag along and speak mentally with him from far distances.
Samuel felt like his abilities had evolved and he felt like his body had also evolved, it was more muscular and felt like it was brimming with power waiting to be tested. The last half year had been spent in full training after all.
So the day finally arrived for their field mission. To travel down south to scout rumors of a rogue ice drake that had been attacking merchant caravans. A drake was a very small version of a full dragon and they usually lacked wings. An easy target for a team of 3 teachers and 3 apprentices.
If only it was true.