Rifi spent his days in quiet repetition, a constant cycle of training and honing his powers. Each day blended into the next as he cultivated his mana, forcing new pathways to form in his body, and once his mind grew too exhausted, he focused on his physical training. He performed the movements Nala had taught him, using mana to stimulate his muscles as he pushed his body to its limits.
In the beginning, Rifi had suggested training outside the cave. It seemed logical—outdoors, he would have access to different terrains and methods, similar to what he did back in the training camps. Weighted runs, climbing, pulling, and pushing—the exercises designed to target every muscle in the body. But Nala quickly shot down the idea, insisting the risk of being discovered by the devils was too great.
At first, Rifi was wary of Nala. Yes, Nala had saved his life, shared the mana vein with him, and imparted valuable knowledge, but the whole situation still felt surreal.
Different worlds? Overpowered devils? Who would come up with something like this?
Doubts plagued his mind for the first few days, as his thoughts raced. What could Nala possibly gain by lying? He's even training me to be a proper mage.
However, as Nala explained the recent surge in beast hordes and their unnatural behavior, things began to fall into place. The beasts were being displaced by the devils searching for Nala, forced south toward human city-states—Hepestus being the one getting the brunt of the attacks. Slowly but surely, Rifi's skepticism faded, and he allowed himself to trust the cat-beast. From then on, he focused all his energy on getting stronger.
In this way, a month slipped by. Rifi immersed himself in his training. Nala would wake from time to time, offering guidance—pointing out areas where Rifi needed to expand his mana pathways, which should be thicker to handle output, and which should be smaller for precision control.
Nala even attempted to teach Rifi the process of acclimating his mana to another element, something not uncommon in Nala's world where many mages could master two elements. But in this area, Rifi was utterly "untalented." His mana produced nothing but lightning.
Rifi didn't leave the cave during this time. When he needed food, there was plenty of fish and mushrooms deeper in the cave. He made sure to gather enough for Nala, too, though Nala mostly sustained himself on mana, occasionally using his soul space to snatch fish when his body required it. Rifi's presence had livened Nala somewhat—providing the old warrior with companionship in his final days.
Though Nala avoided using his mana, as to slow down his body's deterioration, he gladly expended energy to assist Rifi with the more intricate aspects of creating new pathways. At first, Rifi protested, unwilling to hasten Nala's decline. But Nala, ever the proud warrior, insisted. Once Rifi understood the depth of Nala's resolve, he relented. Seeing Nala's selflessness only fueled Rifi's determination to fulfill his master's final wish. By now, he no longer thought of Nala as merely a mentor; Nala had become his true master, and Rifi, Nala's disciple.
The mana vein beneath the cave provided more power than Rifi could have ever dreamed. It was, without a doubt, his lucky break. But with this incredible fortune came an equally heavy burden. As Rifi thought back on everything he'd been through, a bitter laugh escaped him.
Life and death, those twisted bastards. They give you fortune just to squeeze more out of you. Eh.
His thoughts turned to his friends. Rudeus, Lucilia… are they alright? I broke my promise to meet them after the horde… they probably think I'm dead.
It was likely they did. After all, no one had seen him since he led his team away from the front lines. By now, he was surely listed as missing—probably presumed dead. Returning now would likely brand him as a deserter, and he knew the fate of deserters in the city-states. But these thoughts didn't trouble Rifi as much as the worry about his friends.
Will they be angry that I never came back?
Melancholy settled over him. He was about to attempt another breakthrough, and that always came with risk. It was only natural for anyone who valued life to feel anxious at such moments. And if there was one thing Rifi clung to, it was life—if for no other reason than the promise he'd made long ago.
Rifi had reached the peak of the Purple core just recently, and while some might say his progress was unusually fast, Nala assured him this was only natural for someone with a Natural Body and the advantages Rifi had. After all, what mage had a White core warrior guiding them—and access to a mana vein?
Not one that Rifi knew of.
Nala had even reassured him that the breakthrough should be relatively simple. If anything went wrong, Nala would intervene.
"Within my soul space, nothing can harm you during a breakthrough," Nala had said, his voice filled with certainty. "Even if you fail—unlikely with your Natural Body—I'll dissipate the mana before it can damage your core."
This eased Rifi's worries somewhat, but he knew every action Nala took worsened his condition. That only fanned the flames of his determination.
"Thanks," Rifi replied with a hard glint in his eyes. "But I'll be damned if I let even one of your whiskers fall because of me."
Nala, lying comfortably in the pond, turned his head with a smirk. "Silly human, my proud whiskers don't fall so easily. If you've got time to worry, you should worry that I'll catch you slacking off and daydreaming about the past."
With a flick of his paw, a fish appeared out of thin air and slapped Rifi square in the face.
"Focus on your training. You can go visit your friends later."
Rifi wiped his face, grimacing at the fish's slimy texture. "Ugh, you know I'm sick of the smell of fish after eating it every day. You didn't have to throw it at my face."
Nala sank deeper into the pond, his whiskers twitching with amusement. "If you keep being silly, you'll earn an eel to the face next time."
"You're asking for it! I'll get one of those whiskers when I'm stronger!" Rifi retorted, half-jokingly.
"That's the spirit." Nala's tone shifted to one of approval. "You're ready for this breakthrough, Rifi. I have no doubt you'll surpass me one day. Your affinity for lightning is rare—few warriors master it as well as you have. Sure, you're untalented in every other element, but I don't see that as a weakness. Lightning's potential is limitless. Don't worry about me—focus on your training. Perhaps you'll even earn a whisker of my proud family when you're strong enough."
Rifi nodded, the unexpected praise from his master strengthening his resolve. He closed his eyes, his heart steadying as he prepared for the breakthrough.
Nala watched him closely but saw no reason to intervene. Rifi's determination, combined with the extensive network of mana pathways he had developed, made the process almost effortless. His Natural Body absorbed mana even as his core began to condense. The new pathways allowed him to control the pressure with ease.
In less than half an hour, Nala was peacefully asleep, while Rifi, now solidifying his Blue core, had taken another step toward mastering his power.