A week passed.
Nothing new happened.
Eren was still a ten year old child with dark past and intriguing physic.
A normal individual can also draw mana but comparing them with cultivators is like comparing tap with waterfall.
For Eren's young age and his exceptional capabilities to draw mana, he was certainly talented. Yes but still too young to become full fledged cultivator.
He was weak, his body thin with obvious lack of supplements and before they proceeded to his awakening, eren needed strong constitution to withstand the painful procedure.
So Alena put him on high volume training since day one. push up, pull ups, squats and running.
Basic training which didn't needed any equipments and could be done by anyone. Only trouble eren faced was that he needed to perform those tasks till she said so and as a strict instructor, she pushed him to his limit. Till he fainted of complete exhaustion.
Eren's life literally became hell as he found himself sleeping only three hours a day, rest of the day included 18 hours of training and 3 hours of reading.
One would imagine how ten year old boy would train for so long but Eren's ability to conjure mana helped him gretly. Besides He got rest inbetween which steadily helped in his physical growth in build and stamina.
On top of that what he read for that week was about how to build a house. Not because he wanted to but because he was told to. His not so seemed master ordered him as she pleased. And where they lived till now.
A big cave behind the waterfall. Poetic and very realistic for beastly monster.
Eren couldn't leave or enter cave himself with heavy water pressure obstructing his escape and was forced to train inside all day.
Alena also wanted to make him sit under waterfall to strengthen his physic even more. That was just plain terrorising in Eren's eyes. Why?, because he felt those heavy rumbling and heard those loud splashes of the water. He knew his existence will be washed in blood and gore if he set foot under that monstrous fall. Alena also discarded it for future which inturn elevated Eren's troubles and anger even more.
Well he knew what this training meant and did his best but he still felt angry. Eren didn't show it but he definitely wanted to smack that fox on head and she knew it. Alena laughed from inside seeing him displeased and she herself pleased with her new found entertainment.
" Here." Few fruits fell in Eren's hand which he appreciated with hmph.
" Why so grumpy?"
"...."
" Hehe look pookie, mr. Salvatore is angry. he's gonna punish me." Alena spoke to cat like monster beside her.
It was a child black panther, green eyes, furry beast and quick on its toes. As it's limited intelligence, despite being a monster it was just a bit smarter than regular animals.
Beside that was just a cub, but upon hearing Alena's voice it smiled. Eren couldn't particularly see that face but mana sense gave vague expression of mouth open, cheeks up in smile, sharp two teeth visible along with child like laughter.
Surely monsters was not just smart but expressive as well.
Eren had another vein popped on his head, it wasn't enough as she herself joked alot but now he also had another figure to laugh at his misfortune but what could eren do.
That son of bitch was far to nimble for her small age.
It all began with eren arrogantly refuting Alena on how she treated him as a child. Apparently same day pookie lost her mother. As much as Alena showed ignorance to human, she was gentle towards beasts.
Thus the presense of the monster laughing at him but ignoring those both eren continued his rest, it was narrow window to get peace physically.
" You're so boring." Alena spoke a little disheartened.
" Meow meow.." As if agreeing with her pookie meowed.
" You agree too."
"..." Eren looked towards those for moment, watching them as if they were actually communicating. Were they really?
" I'm not, just don't have time to laze around like you furry creatures." Answered Eren, he knew keeping silent for too long will also create trouble.
" I don't think anybody would dare to call nine tail fox, a furry creature."
" eight tail and Why?, Are you secretly dangerous breed which is excessively blood thirsty." Eren joked.
" No but something else, as for ninth tail, I'll have it in no time." Eren didn't understand how she'll have ninth tail but that wasn't his concern.
" But wait did you call me lazy?I'll have you know I do lot of work."
" Like what?"
" like picking fresh fruits and..." And nothing, apparently that was all she did and laze around, obviously.
" And?"
" And your training is over?" she changed topic very crudely but for eren, the end of this hellish training meant more than anything.
More than getting back at Alena.
" Woohooo....."
" Awoooo"
" Meowwww" It was fine till eren shouted happily but why the fox and cat had to howl too.
" Was it hard mr. salvatore?"
" Yes ms. Hemsworth." Eren replied happily and jokingly.
" Well you know what comes next right?" She was smiling obviously, splashing water all over his fun.
Eren sighed in defeat, as if all the fun was taken out of his life after meeting this creature.
Endless training and now endless torture with no obvious outcome in sight.
" Come on eren I was just joking, of course today's your day off. We'll begin mana infusion from tomorrow."
" Really?" Eren had hard time believing her.
" Yes now get cooking before I change my mind." said Alena, walking back to deeper part of the den.
"...." For eren, who came from bottom of the human society such kind of behavior seemed normal.
Getting ordered around, being abused physically and verbally, getting beaten because of unknown reason. Such was the life of poor begger.
But things changed, his emotion and mentality developed. He never wanted to be overworked and overused but for Alena, it was different.
He felt calm around her, Despite her harsh and aloof nature and beastly figure. She was more god like being than anyone he met.
Alena joked relieving every situation's turbulent wind, expressed sorrow when need be but never let those emotion change her perspective of life.
She was wise when she wanted to but never revealed that sophisticated side, as if matching the level to her companion.
Her nature and radiant aura will draw attention of all but at the same time, will give warning to not approach if you have any ulterior motive.
Eren was simple, good to good and worse to bad. Because of this nature he was okay with living with a talking fox and similarly Alena also found his company desirable.
Putting those thoughts to back of his head and not expressing how he felt out loud to make the atmosphere awkward. He went to cook food.
Yes, till this day his only speciality was that he was good at cooking.
Alena did say she was vegetarian but surprisingly she wasn't actually. What she meant was despite her monster figure she doesn't eat raw meat and have never even tasted it.
Her human tongue buds have never even considered doing such task but she couldn't cook and thus had no choice but to eat fruits.
But that changed when eren came, Eren wanted out from hellhole and this came into play, giving him small window of opportunity.
Despite him awakening his limited mana sense, Alena forbade him use of it. She found this Blindness as an opportunity for growth. Till now eren randomly roamed blind sighed but upon Alena's guidance, he was actually learning how to do simple task without mana sense.
He was still far from reaching the stage of mastery but now atleast he could dwell in surrounding to such level that he could feel other presense without any use of mana.
Ofcourse cooking asked for his attention and he was allowed to use mana sense, as he needed perfect ingredients and seasoning in specific amount to make it delicious, Alena wasn't ready to compromise with that as she found his coocking really mouthwatering.
Alena didn't knew whether it was because she herself hadn't eaten cooked food for long or was it eren who was actually good at this but as long she could fill her belly, she couldn't care less.
That wasn't her problem but eren was crushed under her high on demands. With her big size she asked big fill which eren naturally couldn't fullfill.
If he would comply then eren would spend most of his day in just preparing her food which will be emptied in her pit of stomach in an instant, he didn't budge and at the end they bargained for five plate max.
Eren sighed again thinking about the amount he needed to prepare to feed this monster. Five plates weren't small and as a child begger, Eren and his brother ate half of one plate for a day.
Eren wasn't jealous just overwhelmed by large quantity, but he learned a lot during this week. His cooking adjusted to her taste buds as she was craving spicy food for long time.
Putting this all thoughts behind, eren focused on the large bowl before him, filled with fishes. Guess what's in the Manu today.
Eren gave another sigh, shaking his head in lethargic smile and started cooking.