"Stand up!"
A blazing ball of fire flew directly at him. In a few seconds, he felt his heart almost loosen and skip a beat as he jumped to the side. He panted, seeing himself alive.
'Cassie is pushing me to show what I can. But… why should I? Does she really know something?'
Cassie's beautiful, angelic face smiled. Her fair skin reflected the light from the fire that hit the ground, and in her eyes, that light slowly turned demonic. She was smiling from ear to ear.
Vonn shook his head. 'What did I just see? Was that really Cassie?'
He rolled forward as another fireball went straight at him, then leaped as a blade of wind followed. His eyes were wide open, not missing a single attack Cassie was making.
Cassie, on the other hand, was chilling. But deep down, she felt impatient. 'Just why are you hiding your powers, Vonn? If you didn't hide it, maybe Diana would have accepted you!'
Cassie's worried heart beat fast, thinking of a future where Vonn was recognized. 'Wait… Why am I thinking this way? He's just a descendant of the family I'm protecting.'
But little did she know, her heart was getting closer to Vonn. She viewed him differently now, not just as the subject of the Silverfein family.
Vonn's young face turned sour, sensing another coming attack, which he expected to be even more devastating than the earlier ones. And as he thought, the attacks brought almost catastrophic results. The training room was halved, a huge crater nearly swallowing it whole.
He gasped, barely able to escape that invisible force. Dodging that felt like a reward from heaven for some unknown good deed he'd done, or maybe just pure luck. He didn't know how he'd survived.
Clenching his jaw, he darted at Cassie, who stood casually with a worried expression on her face. It was unusual for her stoic and composed face, but he wasn't bothered.
"Cassie… You said earlier that this was going to be the last easy training. Why does it feel like you want to kill me?"
Vonn hadn't expected her to answer, but she did.
"Vonn… I want to prepare you for the future. I feel that it won't be easy."
He clicked his tongue secretly. 'It seems like Cassie knows about it… But how? Is he an important character or a shadow character who didn't have much exposure but was crucial to the story?'
Having no time to ponder, he didn't delve deeper into it. "Cassie, what is it you're worried about? Why are you so eager to make me strong? I thought you only wanted me to achieve your goal."
Cassie's face had turned sour this time. Her sudden and frequent mood changes made him worried. Before, she was always composed, but now, it was as if something was bothering her.
Vonn didn't know if he should ask her, it seemed necessary, but he couldn't. He still didn't know how to approach her or ask personal questions. Their relationship wasn't that close, but their intentions aligned.
As Cassie grew more concerned, casting her magic spells from different elements, Vonn felt he had no choice but to calm her down.
Frantic, Cassie continued to shoot, but this time, Vonn was prepared and composed. He had read the pattern of her attacks, allowing him to easily dodge each one.
On the other hand, Cassie's attention wasn't fully focused on targeting Vonn, instead, she was just following her instincts.
"Vonn… this won't work. I guess I don't have any other choice." Cassie's tone dropped, too neutral and flat, almost devoid of emotion.
He felt his skin crawl as her face started changing. From angelic to elated and demonic, it now morphed into a feline look, something he had never seen in his life.
'Is she a curse? One of those anomalies like demons?' Vonn pondered, keeping his nervousness at bay as his surroundings began to blur.
He raised his hands and prepared his guard tightly, realizing the surroundings were starting to change.
Looking around, he was certain Cassie was casting a spatial spell, a magic capable of transferring them into a mirror dimension.
As Vonn stood there, dumbfounded and almost weakened by the situation, he didn't notice Cassie's fully changed appearance.
From her previous slim, ladylike form, dressed in elegant and vibrant-colored robes, she had transformed into a cat-like humanoid. White cat ears perched atop her head, a flat pink nose stood out, and her hands were slightly shaped like paws.
Her ample hips had grown a white, silky tail. The robes had transformed into light armor combined with a cape. In her hand was a magical red staff, coiled from the base to the top where a lustrous crimson stone rested.
"Are you worried that someone might discover your powers? Then, you don't have to worry about it now."
Vonn's eyes widened in disbelief. He gasped.
As the surroundings transformed into a wide, beautiful grassland, Cassie had changed into someone he couldn't recognize.
"Cassie…" Vonn finally realized she was of a different species or maybe just a different race.
'She is indeed a curse!' Vonn thought, as curses or demons were the anomalies and evil entities back in Noire's world.
"There will come a time when you'll learn my true appearance. Seeing it now doesn't change that fact," she smirked, her previous worries vanished, replaced by her usual confidence and aura.
"Does appearing human weaken your mental fortitude?" Vonn asked.
Shrugging, Cassie replied, "I am not that weak. You're just making my head hurt."
"Why? Are you that worried about my future?"
Hearing Vonn's words as he stood there, dumbfounded in the green field, she couldn't help but snort and chuckle.
"Worried about your future? Me? Of course not!"
Vonn's face went blank in disbelief. "You don't have to deny it. You're more honest when you're human."
"Haha…" she smiled awkwardly. "Wait, why are you so relaxed? The training isn't over."
Vonn raised his hands and stepped back. "Wait. I still need an answer to my questions. What are you, Cassie?"
She answered immediately, "You don't need to know."
And true to her nature, in this altered space, she cast an offensive spell. A giant sword formed from green and white elements—wind and light.
"Let's continue."