Primo woke up slowly. Her eyes opened and focused on the soft morning light creeping into the tent. With sleepiness still clouding his mind, he felt warmth beside him. As he regained consciousness, he realised that someone was lying next to him. She turned her head and was surprised to see Natali sleeping there, her face calm, and her breathing regular.
Primo was stunned, her heart pounding loudly. How could Natali be here? She tried to recall the events of the previous night, but the memories were vague. However, before Primo could move further, Natali began to wake up. Her eyes slowly opened, and upon seeing Primo who was already awake, she smiled gently.
'Good morning, Primo,' Natali said in a soft but warm voice, as if speaking to someone who meant a lot to her.
Primo, still surprised and somewhat awkward, didn't know what to say. His face was flushed, and he could only stare at Natali in confusion. Seeing the surprised expression on Primo's face, Natali also felt a little annoyed, although she tried to hide it behind a faint smile.
'What the hell is that expression of yours? Is that how you reply to a woman's good morning?' Natali asked, her tone a mix of annoyance and humour.
Primo immediately came to her senses and tried to give a stammering explanation, 'Sorry... I was just surprised. I thought it was a dream. I didn't expect you to actually be here last night.'
Natali raised an eyebrow, trying to hold back the laughter that was about to break out, then teased Primo in a nosy tone, 'Ehhh, did you expect something else?'
Primo who was already feeling embarrassed became even more nervous, her face turning even redder. 'That's not what I meant! I'm just... very grateful that you're all so nice to me here.'
Natali chuckled, then got up from the bed with a graceful movement. 'Alright, forget about that. Would you like to practice magic with me this morning?'
Primo, who was starting to feel calmer, immediately nodded enthusiastically. He felt that this was a good opportunity, not only to practice, but also to learn more about Natali and her magic. 'Of course! I really want to see how your magic works.'
Natali smiled gently, then patted Primo's shoulder. 'Remember, you are now part of Spring Colony's higher-ups,' she reminded.
Primo was a little surprised to hear that, and a small frown appeared on her forehead. 'How is that different from being an ordinary member?' he asked, curious.
Natali explained calmly, 'Being a bigwig isn't just about having great power. An officer has to be a good example to the other members. You have to teach them about empathy, co-operation, and how to work together as a team. Leadership is key, and as an officer, you must also be a role model.'
Primo listened intently, then nodded slowly, showing that he understood Natali's explanation. After that, they got ready to leave the tent and head to the training area.
When they arrived at the training area, they saw Dracko who was leading a training session for several other members. Dracko, in his typical casual style, waved at them.
'Hey, you two! What are you doing here so early in the morning?' asked Dracko in a loud voice, sounding pleased to see them.
Natali replied casually, 'We're also going to practice magic here.'
Dracko smiled widely, as if a brilliant idea had just occurred to him. 'Well then, how about we train together?' he suggested, the excitement in his eyes evident.
Natali looked at Primo for a moment before nodding in agreement. 'That's a good idea.'
Primo, who was getting excited about the idea, immediately agreed. 'I agree! It's a good opportunity to practice magic and maybe see some new magic.'
Dracko, enthusiastically, immediately called all the members who were training to gather. Once all the members were gathered, Dracko began to explain his idea. 'We will practice magic with a game. One officer will lead ten members, and the other two officers will try to hold off their attacks for five minutes. What do you think?'
Natali, curious about the idea, asked, 'What kind of game is this?'
Dracko explained further, 'One officer will lead the members, while the other two officers will have to withstand attacks from all of them. We'll take turns leading and defending. I think this will be a fun exercise.'
Natali smiled, clearly intrigued by the concept. 'Let's do it!'
Primo also looked enthusiastic and agreed quickly, 'This is a good opportunity to practice our combined magic and cohesiveness. We should take it seriously, like we're on a real battlefield.'
However, one of the members, who looked a little worried, raised his hand and asked, 'But, isn't it dangerous? You could get seriously injured, right?'
Dracko replied firmly, 'It's possible, but remember, it's better to get hurt here than die on the battlefield. You must be prepared to face a strong enemy. This exercise will help you strengthen your mentality and focus. How many of us have died due to lack of focus in training? Do you want to repeat the same mistake?'
Hearing that, the members began to realise the importance of this exercise. They slowly nodded, taking the challenge more seriously.
Dracko, now more energised, added, 'The rules are changed! Now you can attack. If you fall down and can't fight back, you are considered defeated. Ready?'
Natali chuckled and nodded, 'This will be an interesting exercise.'
Dracko then explained the team's power distribution. 'We have ten people training today. Three have fire magic, three have water magic, two have wind magic, and two have earth magic. The first match, I will lead these ten members against Natali and Primo.'
Dracko then gave orders to his team, 'Start now! Attack with Fire Ball and Wind Ball, combining your attacks to create a huge fireball!'
Seeing the big attack coming, Natali remained calm and said to Primo, 'I'll handle this small attack.'
She then unleashed her dark magic, Black Hole. A powerful black sphere appeared in front of her, absorbing all the incoming attacks. The attacks disappeared as if they were sucked into the endless darkness.
Primo, impressed by Natali's ability, said, 'I'll go ahead and immobilise the other members.'
He used the strengthening magic, 'Speed Up,' which gave him incredible speed. With a lightning move, Primo darted forward, but Dracko was already prepared for the attack. Dracko ordered his team members to create a very high earthen wall, blocking Primo's path.
Primo, who saw the wall, prepared to jump over it. However, Dracko, who had predicted the move, ordered the wall to be smashed into small pieces. Then, with his wind magic, 'Tempest Gale,' Dracko created a storm that blew the fragments of the wall towards Primo and Natali.
Natali, who remained calm, again used her Black Hole magic to absorb all the debris flying towards them. However, Primo, who was jumping in the air, did not remain silent either. He took out his holy weapon, the electric spear, and quickly cut through all the rocks that were heading towards him.
Dracko, who witnessed Primo's ability, admitted to himself, 'It's good how you withstood it all, but you can still do better.'
Primo, who was now back beside Natali, began to plan his next move. 'Can you attack them now?' asked Primo, looking for a way to change the situation.
Natali shook her head slowly, explaining carefully, 'My magic is too dangerous. If I use my Black Hole to attack, the impact could be fatal. Even a slight hit could leave them permanently disfigured.'
Primo nodded, realising that risk, then asked, 'Do
you have any magic that can restore their attacks after being absorbed?'
Natali shook her head again. 'I can't do that. But I can create the illusion of them attacking each other. However, if Dracko is constantly directing attacks at us, it will be difficult.'
Primo then asked back, 'What about you? Do you have any non-fatal magic?'
Primo thought for a moment, then replied, 'I can throw this spear, but the resulting explosion will make them at least lose control of their nerves.'
The two looked at each other, and let out a long breath. They knew that they were in a difficult situation, but they had to find a way to overcome this challenge.
Dracko, who was observing from a distance, couldn't help but scoff. He shouted, 'Are you guys done with your strategy meeting? Maybe I should call Kreig to help you guys?'
Primo shouted back, 'Have you used up your magic core? We waited too long for your attack!'
Dracko laughed, then taunted again, 'I'm not like you, who faint immediately after using magic!' He then gave the order to use the water magic, 'Water Needle,' and added it with the amplifying magic 'Freeze,' which froze the water needles, making them even more dangerous.
Primo, who saw the attack coming, muttered to himself, 'Another troublesome attack,' while blocking the attack with his spear. He then asked Natali, 'How many Black Holes can you make?'
Natali replied, 'Only five.'
Primo then planned a strategy. 'Protect me and keep Dracko busy. I will use my speed to defeat those members.'
Dracko, who was ready for his next attack, ordered the use of Wind Ball and Water Needle to trouble Primo even more. However, Natali deftly protected Primo using her Black Hole magic.
Dracko who was starting to feel annoyed by the Black Hole magic said, 'How troublesome is this Black Hole magic.'
Primo then used her spear towards the ground, creating an explosion that covered her with dust and smoke. He shouted as if Dracko's attack had hit him, but in fact he again used Speed Up magic, this time at fifty per cent speed, to dart towards the other members.
Dracko, who wasn't fooled by the trick, immediately moved towards Natali with his sacred weapon, a fire axe. Meanwhile, Primo quickly immobilised the other members with hand-to-hand attacks.
The fight between Dracko and Natali was no less intense. Dracko easily knocked Natali down and drove his axe into Natali's neck, forcing Natali to surrender.
Now, only one battle remained between Dracko and Primo. Both took out their sacred weapons, Dracko with his fire axe and Primo with his wind spear. The battle was so fierce that the other members were left speechless and in awe of their power.
However, in the end, the battle ended in a draw as time had run out. Both of them were exhausted and decided to take a short break to continue their training.