Earlier in the morning, Lily knocked on the door, and Elara woke up. The time is around five o'clock. Elara turned at her bedroom door to open. Lily carries her morning breakfast before going onto the training ground. Elara wore a white shirt and black pants and tied up her long hair.
Lily's soft smile eased some of Elara's heavy feelings. "Good morning, my lady!" she greeted her and put down on the table. "Seeing you leave for training so early, my first thought was your breakfast. I've prepared everything fresh - started cooking at dawn itself. Please eat while it's still warm."
"Thanks, Lily," Elara smiled and thanked her.
Elara started eating her breakfast, a light breakfast Lily made for her, but she didn't turn her. Lily's smile faltered as she replied. "I was the one who should thank you, milady." "If you were not back then, we are trapped in a dungeon by now. So thank you, my lady!"
"But my lady, that drag… I mean lady Relia's training will be merciless. Are you ok with that?"
"I don't think her training will be as merciless as the life I've lived." A dark shadow flickered across her eyes. "In the life I lived once, there was no mercy, so how do I expect my training to be mercy?"
"I... I apologize for my thoughtless words, miss." Lily stood hastily, her chair scraping against the floor.
"Water under the bridge, Lily. No need to worry about it;" Elara leaned forward, curiosity replacing the shadows in her expression. "Though I think you know Master Relia, right?"
"Um…But she'll outstanding teacher, my lady,"
Lily didn't respond to Elara's question. Elara noticed that, but as she had000 reason to hide herself, there must be a reason not to tell her about Relia.
However, Elara is a clever girl, she'll find what Lily hiding from her. And she finished her breakfast and left the room.
"Best of luck, my lady."
Elara turned and smiled at her, a soft smile you never see on her face. The smile was genuine.
The following the corridor, she passed the garden. The training ground was in the second building of the magic tower. Despite the early hour and the unrisen sun, we can clearly hear a bird chirping far away.
In the sky, stars were shining, and Elara stood right in the middle of the training grounds. She stepped towards the chair and sat. At 5:30 in the morning, she inhaled the crisp dawn air, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
The training grounds of the Magic Tower stretched across a vast expanse, designed by the former master of the tower—a powerful magic sword master. He built this ground specifically for magic sword users, believing they would shape the future. All magic sword users died hand by the second demon queen of the underworld; by then, as the years passed, no one inherited the gift.
A decade later, in the house of Duke Larousse, a boy named Cassius Larousse was born. Unlike others before him, he possessed the power of the magic sword—the only one of his kind in the entire empire.
Magic sword users trained in the wide, open space at the centre of the grounds, a place built for intense battles. Day after day, they clashed, blending swordsmanship with magic as they sparred for hours under the watchful eyes of experienced masters.
Their training focused on both strength and skill. They learned to channel mana into their blades, making their strikes faster, sharper, and more powerful. Some could ignite their swords with fire or surround them with crackling lightning, while others specialized in defence, creating barriers or predicting their opponent's moves through magic.
But it wasn't just about fighting. They built endurance, pushing their bodies to the limit through physical training, agility drills, and meditation to control their mana more effectively. Every day, clashing steel and bursts of energy echoed through the training grounds—a place where warriors forged themselves through sheer determination.
But looking at the training ground, the facilities are new as if this is all-new; for Elara's training, Orian orders Levish to buy new things for the ground.
After a while, Relia approached Elara, and leaned in close, her breath brushing against Elara's ear. "You're here early, aren't you?" she murmured.
Elara's heart nearly stopped. A sharp gasp escaped her as she jerked back, eyes wide. Such a sudden disruption of the quiet chilled her to the bone. She placed a hand over her chest, trying to steady her racing heartbeat. "You nearly scared me to death!" she huffed, exhaling sharply.
Relia burst into laughter when she saw Elara's face; her face looked like a scary cat; "Sorry… S-Sorry" Relia replied.
Relia snapped her fingers, and in an instant, a large green board materialized out of thin air. The smooth surface gleamed under the dim light, untouched yet brimming with purpose. Elara raised an eyebrow.
"A study board?" Elara muttered, half-expecting something more ominous.
"Hey, without a plan, how I train you?" "Did you know how much time you need to master your magic?" Relia picked up a piece of chalk, tapping it against the board as she spoke.
"Dark magic isn't just about instinct. It's about strategy, discipline, and absolute control. And I've three years for your training, and in this time I'll train you, what you need."
With swift strokes, she began writing, outlining the plan, the trials, and the merciless training Elara would endure in the coming years. The words alone sent a shiver down her spine.
"Uh… Three years? Isn't that a bit much?" Elara gulped; her reaction after hearing three years of training changed.
"Would you prefer four?"
"... Three is perfect." (-_-)
Relia stood before Elara, smirking as she wrote on board. "Welcome to three years of intense dark magic training. By the time we're done, you'll either be a master… or a walking magical disaster. Let's aim for the first one, shall we?"
Mastering dark magic wasn't a matter of days or months—it demanded years of relentless training, breaking and rebuilding the caster until darkness became second nature. For a year, they conditioned the body and mind, forcing the student to endure the corruption of dark mana without losing control. And refined their techniques, pushing them to wield curses, manipulate shadows, and summon creatures from the void. By the final, only those strong enough to resist the abyss itself remained, prepared to face the ultimate test—stepping into the darkness and proving they could return. Few ever reached that stage. Even fewer survived.
"Let's first make strategy or rules"
Dark Magic Training [Foundation and Control]
Phase 1: Understanding Darkness
* Theory of Dark Magic—History, origins, and risks. (You already learned that from books)
*MANA Manipulation:- Controlling mana.
* Mana Corruption Resistance—Strengthening the body to withstand dark mana's effects.
* Shadow Sensory Training—Learning to see and feel darkness even with eyes closed.
* Mental Fortitude Drills—Withstanding illusions, fear, and hallucinations from abyssal exposure.
"First, you'll learn Phase 1, as you can see, the theory of dark magic and mana manipulate you already learned, so I don't waste my time on this. We start to Mana Corruption Training." Relia began with authority; her voice was calm. "But before starting, I have my rules and you'll follow them, right?"
"First: question after training, Two: don't overdo it, Three: don't hide anything from me, and lastly don't Cursing me, am I clear?" "If you agree with this we're going to start our training."
"Understood".
"Good. We're starting with a Mana Corruption Resistance, and since you already know the theory about this, let's move over there."
Relia points at the comfortable place, where Elara starts her training, and they step towards.
The first step to mastering dark magic wasn't casting spells—it was survival. Dark mana wasn't like ordinary magic. It didn't flow through the body; it invaded, twisted, and corrupted. And if the body was weak, it would break.
Relia makes a ritual circle for Elara. Elara's body was fit, so she didn't need physical training like jogging or running; she already maintained her stamina, but because of the dark flames unstable, she looked weak.
Elara stood in the ritual circle, sweat dripping down her back as the surrounding air grew heavy. Master Relia watched from the shadows, her expression unreadable. "Breathe it in," she ordered. "Let it seep into your veins, but do not let it take control."
Elara stood in the centre of the arena, her breath uneven, her body already tense in anticipation. Around her, dark mana pulsed like a living entity, swirling in the air, slithering against the ground, waiting to sink its claws into her. The earth beneath her feet bore deep cracks from past training sessions—where others had faltered, where the abyss had claimed those unworthy. This was not a place of mere practice. It was a battlefield, and the opponent was the magic itself.