Free Web NovelChapter 43: 43. Training ( I )
The two were in the carriage on its route to the Vulcan Kingdom.
"You want to test your abilities?" Raika asked.
"Yeah."
"Then why don’t you spar with me?" Raika suggested in the most natural way.
"Yeah, I think that will be good for me," Alaric agreed.
"Maria did say I should practice a lot to get used to the power. Sparring with Raika shouldn’t be a problem."
...
The sun’s rays made their way through the heavy canopy of the trees, beams of light falling to the ground like pathways to heaven.
A lake stood at the center of the forest bathed in the luminance of the sun, its surface shining like pearls. At its shoreline stood the mother and son, the carriage parked several meters away from them, Philip leaning on it, his attention turned towards them.
He knew of Alaric’s awakening, informed by Alaric himself over the journey, but hadn’t seen him use it.
It was abnormal to become a first resonance mage before the age of seven, but he didn’t ponder on that for long. Everything about Alaric was abnormal to begin with.
He was curious to see how this boy, born of fire but embraced by water, would use his element.
"Shall we..." Raika gestured for them to begin, Alaric nodding in acknowledgement.
Controlling the spears of ice was something of a fluke, unconsciously using his ability.
Since then, he had difficulty in trying to control the water from their water pouches.
But now, he hoped the danger would bring it out once more.
"Here I come."
A fireball flew towards his direction, slow but powerful.
He dug his heels into the wet grassland, his red eyes glowing subtly under the yellow luminance of the sun.
He took in shallow breaths as he tried to move the water of the lake, yet it didn’t budge.
The flames flew forward; though made intentionally slow, it reached its destination—nothing there to block it.
Fwoosh!
The fireball extinguished on its own, Raika retracting her spell.
"What’s wrong, son..." She came up to Alaric, the latter looking at the water confusedly.
He could feel the mana in the water, even see it if he willed, yet it felt difficult to move it. freёwebnovel.com
"She did mention this..." he thought, remembering the words of Maria. "But it isn’t that easy," he sighed.
"I want to try something."
"Mother," he turned to Raika, who looked at him worryingly.
In her mind, the continuous injection of fire mana into his bloodstream might be interfering with the manifestation of his magic.
And she was right.
If she hadn’t poured mana into him for all those years, sure he would have suffered, but not to the extent of failing to control a drop of water though his root node was activated.
"...can you come at me with the intent to kill?" he asked, a bit hesitant.
He knew his mother wouldn’t want to hurt him, not after all that had happened.
"Brace yourself," Raika warned, a bolt of lightning following.
Crackle!!
It stopped inches away from the tip of his head. He felt a shiver run down his body, hairs standing on end.
"It didn’t work," Raika commented innocently.
As if she hadn’t sent a lightning bolt at her son.
Alaric froze stiff.
"When did she..." He could feel the intent to kill, surprised Raika could emit such tangible intent towards him.
"She didn’t mean it yet..."
He knew Raika wouldn’t really kill him, yet the intent was real.
He was still alive, and that proved that she didn’t really mean to kill him, but...
"Let’s stop here. I will try again in the tower," he forced a smile, Raika tilting her head in confusion.
"Why? There aren’t any towers nearby... let’s continue," she urged, Alaric shaking his head fervently.
Raika’s shoulders slumped, eyes downcast.
"I know it’s my fault you’re having difficulty controlling the water element... let me make it up to you..."
"But your attacks are too fast," Alaric said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, don’t worry, I can slow them down."
Lightning crackled, twirling around her arm like a snake, slow, seemingly alive.
"I don’t think this will work. You would never attack to kill..."
"Death isn’t the only thing that can bring it out. From what I understand, you should be able to manifest it in a dangerous situation, not necessarily death..." Raika’s lightning snake slithered down her body, crackling towards Alaric.
Alaric watched as the lightning closed in, but he didn’t fear it.
He knew Raika would never harm him; there was nothing to fear.
Though he had been betrayed by his superiors, never once had he been betrayed by his comrades.
To doubt a comrade on the battlefield is a death trap.
They had to trust each other to the bone, each SEAL’s life in the hands of the other.
He felt that same camaraderie with Raika.
"Arrgh!!" He let out an ear-wrenching scream as the lightning snake made contact.
He felt several needles puncture his nerves, the pain making him convulse while standing.
"This should be something your mind wouldn’t want to happen to you," the lightning snake disappeared.
Alaric’s knees gave in, tears dripping down his face, drool from the sheer pain he had endured—but strangely enough, the pain had disappeared, leaving no lingering agony.
It felt as if it had never been there.
Raika had focused on his acute nerves, nerves extremely sensitive to pain—nerve endings at the fingertips, funny bones, tooth nerves.
Sensitive but luckily brief.
Alaric wiped his drool, an unknown smile forming on his face.
He remembered the training he went through—grueling, tiring. It felt like a death game, yet no one ever died during training.
And that training had saved him multiple times in real-life and death situations.
With a seemingly hysterical smile, Alaric stood up. Raika’s eyebrows raised in astonishment.
Though the pain was brief, she didn’t expect him to stand up.
During her training, this type of training was used, and she couldn’t stand after her first encounter—the fear of the pain to come rooting her in place, yet Alaric stood up with a smile.
"Let’s begin..."
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(• ◡•) A/N.
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