Chapter 9
Scene: Training Ground
Aris, Anon, Ravena, and Norman stood under the sun, dressed in nice training clothes. It was a hot day.
"Today's training is focused on simulating the sun's rays. Try to face them and learn their intensity," said Instructor Almir. "I'll be back then the training will begins." With that, he left.
Norman looked at us and asked,
"Why do you guys look so dead?"
"Well, yesterday…"
Scene: healer room
"Aris, open your eyes!" Ravena screamed in his ears.
"Hey, come on,healer's coming. They'll heal him. Stop making so much noise, or he'll go into a coma!" I tried my best to stop her.
She glared at me, then kicked me.
"Don't you understand? If he dies, who will carry my staff? Do you know how painful this is?" She clutched my collar and started shaking me.
"Then, someone says, 'Sshhh!'"
We forgot there were also other patients nearby.
Just then, the head healer came in.
"Well, well, look who's here today!"
At first glance, it seemed like she wasn't feeling well after seeing me.
"Rest assured, ma'am, today it's not me, but him."
Then I pointed to the Aris.
She looked at Aris and began examining him.
"How did this happen?"
We explained the situation to her.
After hearing us out, she said,
"Well, it looks like I need to talk with Instructor Almir."
It seemed like there was something else on her mind.
"Ma'am, is he okay?" I asked, eager to know.
"Well, don't worry. He'll heal today, but the mark will remain for some time, and it will take about a week to fully heal."
She reassured us.
"Just let him rest today and keep it quiet."
Afterward, the healer checked on some other patients.
"Hey, do you think she's married?" Ravena whispered in my ear.
"Do I look like a womanizer to you?"
"No, no! Just look at her. Her body and her beauty—don't you think it's a waste for her to be single for so long?"
Sometimes I forget that she is also a girl. Sometimes she talks like I'm talking to a guy.
Then I looked at Ravena and said,
"Stop transferring your thoughts to others. Don't you think you should keep your manners? Or you'll never get married, and no one will marry a gorilla like you."
Ravena looked furious.
"Don't call me a gorilla!"
Suddenly, she was struck by a lightning ray. It was a spell cast by the head healer.
"Then, my work here is done," he said, preparing to leave.
"You two," he indicated to us, "don't make any noise and keep an eye on him. If there's any problem, inform me immediately."
He opened the door to leave.
"Remember, don't make noise or be nosy."
With that, he left, throwing a death glare in our direction.
"She's also a light elemental, but why does she look so scary sometimes?"
Elysia Valora—light elemental healer expert. I mean, she's a light elemental, but she's an expert healer. It's not like she's a saint. A saint gets their power from God, like Ravena, while Elysia is a mage who is an expert in healing. Two things are different.
"I mean, I'm also a light user, so why doesn't anyone fear me?"
She said while healing one of the beds.
"Because she's a genius and you're a giant gorilla," I replied.
She got angry and tried to hit me.
"Ah, what time is it? Has the training session ended?"
Aris suddenly woke up and looked for his glasses.
Then he saw Ravena clutching my collar, preparing to punch me.
"Well, never mind," he said.
After saying that, he lost consciousness again.
And after that, he kept losing his senses throughout the night.
Back to the scene:
"Well, a lot happened overnight."
"Yeah, I'm so exhausted and can barely stand properly in the scorching heat of the afternoon sun."
"Aris, are you alright?"
I looked at Aris. The scars from the fire remained on his hands and chest.
"Yeah, I'm alright. It's just..."
He clenched his fist.
"It's just that I feel so light. I've never felt this way before."
Aris Galeis is a flame elemental mage. The Galeis family is well-known, famous for their fire elemental powers. All members of this family are fire elementals, though not everyone can fully harness their power. One of the most feared aspects of the Galeis family is the Flame Dragon Mana Circle, which gives a user control over not only their own spells but also the ability to manipulate other users' flames and spells. Aris is the son of a branch family. His grandfather is the family head, and his father, the fourth son, is a noble of the northern subcontinent. Aris was born with the rare Flame Dragon Mana Circle, but he leaks his talent and is unable to properly use even basic spells.
"Well, if you say so," I replied.
Then Instructor Almir entered.
"Hm, looks like you guys didn't run away."
He looked at us and then flicked his hair to the side.
He walked in front of Aris, and Ravena stopped him with one hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Instructor Almir glared at her.
"Sir, leave Aris for today. You haven't forgotten what happened yesterday, right?"
She looked scared, but still stood her ground, looking him in the face.
Then Aris stepped aside.
"It's okay, Ravena."
He stepped forward and asked,
"Sir, do you think I can use my flame in combat?"
He asked Instructor Almir in an honest tone.
"Well, it's up to you," Instructor Almir replied.
He looked the other way and moved to his side.
"Then today we will start with Aris."
He walked in front of me.
"Sir, what about me? Can I not use my mana to create a flame like yesterday?" Aris asked, raising his voice.
Instructor Almir looked annoyed by him.
"Do you want to end up in the bed like you did yesterday?"
He said sternly.
Aris fell silent.
"Just wait patiently."
Then he walked up to me and observed me closely.
"What is your occupation or class? Or does it even matter what role you have?"
"For now, I'm a swordsman," I said, pulling out my weapon. It took the shape of a sword.
"So this is the rumored artifact? Let me take a look at this."
He reached out to take it, but as soon as he touched the sword, it disappeared from his hand.
Well, I guess I know what happened.
He stepped aside and took out his own sword.
"Since in the competition, we'll be using real swords, I don't want to waste time with wooden ones. Come at me."
Saying that, he assumed a dueling stance.
And of course, who wouldn't want to duel with the strongest opponent?
I also drew my sword and prepared for the duel.
To be continued...