Once I finished bathing her, I gently dried her off. Though Alisa remained expressionless, I could tell she was satisfied—her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and she didn't flinch from my touch.
Smiling, I asked, "Wanna train together?"
Alisa blinked. Her eyes widened slightly—almost imperceptibly—and she hesitated, the silence dragging longer than expected.
I continued, patting her head lightly. "We both have talent, but it hasn't bloomed yet. So, wanna join my training? I could teach you some spells."
She hesitated again. I saw her fingers tighten just a bit. Her mind wandered back—back to that awful moment when she was kidnapped for the first time. The helplessness. The fear.
That memory lit a quiet fire in her heart. Without changing her blank expression, she gave a slow, almost robotic nod—like a duck bobbing its head in approval.
I nodded back and, without fanfare, handed her a scroll—the Legendary Spell I had found. The moment it touched her fingers, her body froze.
Her eyes widened. How? That was her only thought.
Sighing, I explained with sincerity in my voice, "I got it when we were at the spider cave. Lucky find."
Alisa stared at me, then i gave another a look of trust. "Please don't tell anyone about this. This is our little secret, okay?"
She smiled. "Promise."
But Alisa wasn't naïve. A Legendary Spell was an absurd treasure—there were only a few hundred known in the entire world. For me to just… give her one?
She studied my face, and then her lips curled into the faintest smile. She realized I wouldn't have told her if I didn't trust her.
And so, our training began.
Alisa led me to a wide, open training ground—handcrafted by her over time. The area was surrounded by worn-out training dummies, cracked stone, and signs of long hours spent alone.
I hadn't forgotten the Divine Fruits. Smiling, I pulled out two and offered one to her.
She shook her head. "The maximum you can safely eat is three. I've already reached my limit. Any more would be useless." Her voice remained flat, but her concern was clear.
I nodded and ate the two fruits myself. Immediately, I felt a surge. My body strengthened. My mana capacity quadrupled. I took a deep breath. My veins hummed with power.
Beside me, Alisa sat down cross-legged, already engrossed in comprehending the Legendary Spell.
Not wanting to waste a moment, I began comprehending the two High Spells I had been putting off. Time flew. Two hours passed like a blink.
Alisa tried to cast the Legendary Spell. Even with her bright yellow talent, it was too much. She would need at least six more hours to manage even a basic version. When cast like that, the spell would be significantly weaker—but still enough to protect her. It could withstand the blow of a 4-Star knight or mage, even if she was just a 2-Star.
If she refined it further, she might be able to survive multiple attacks from someone two realms above her.
What truly astonished her, however, was me.
Within that short time, I had comprehended the Calm Sea spell and could already cast it. The moment I activated it, my thoughts became faster, more organized. I entered a state of near-perfect clarity.
While Alisa continued with the Legendary Spell, I moved on to the Levitating Spell. It was tricky—slippery, even. After a few failed attempts, I finally got it. It wasn't elegant—more like a toddler trying to walk for the first time—but it worked.
I managed to control four wooden swords with my mana. The control was shaky, but it improved quickly as I practiced.
Seeing Alisa still deep in concentration, I handed her a scroll.
"This is the Calm Sea spell. It'll help speed up your comprehension. Try it."
She nodded like a little pecking bird, then activated the spell. Instantly, her eyes gleamed with understanding. Within minutes, her thoughts became lightning-fast. She was in a flow state.
Four hours later, she conjured the Legendary Spell for the first time. It was... slimy. The energy twisted and coiled unnaturally. But it worked. It wasn't uncomfortable—just raw and unfinished.
And like that, a week passed.
We grew closer without realizing it. We trained together, supported each other, even shared meals. There was no romance, not yet—just quiet companionship in a world that offered little safety.
By the end of the week, I had reached 2-Star Late Layer. With my barrier, boosted mana capacity, and the Legendary Spell, I could withstand several attacks from a 4-Star, or even one solid hit from a 5-Star.
My Levitating Spell had also improved drastically. I could now control up to 20 swords without exhausting my mana reserves too quickly. A respectable feat.
Alisa, on the other hand, had not fully but greatly improved learned the Legendary Spell. While her Levitating Spell wasn't as refined as mine, she had mastered it well
enough to use it in combat. She looked at me with a faint, bittersweet smile—because today was our last day together.
She didn't say it, but we both knew.
---
Meanwhile, deep in the ocean, in a place where light had long since died, something stirred.
A creature—ancient, colossal, and sealed—lay chained beneath layers of stone and magic. Shackles as thick as towers held it down. Thousands of spells glowed faintly across its body, humming with divine power.
It had five heads.
Each represented something.
Anxiety.
Fear.
Anger.
Sadness.
Jealousy.
The heads slept. But not for long.
One head—Anxiety—twitched. Its massive eye creaked open. It smiled, lips curling like a dead fish. Its voice was weak, but unwavering.
"Is it already… the Great War Era?"
Its voice rippled through the water like a whisper in a dream.
Another head, Anger, opened its eyes, glaring with eternal fury. "Not yet. At least… not the time. The Angels haven't invaded."
Then Sadness spoke, voice like a mourning wind. "Really? How long… how long will the Angels keep running… from that creature?"
The sea grew colder.
And deeper still, the creature's breath returned, slow and heavy. The seals held—for now.
But not forever.
[3 Powerstone I'll publish extra chap TvT]