Chapter 4: Becoming Stronger

Kayla stood in a firm stance, her hands positioned as if she was holding a glass ball, her hands level with her chest and her elbows out with her right hand hovering over her left hand. A swirl of magic that was colored white misted around her hands and formed into a ball just between her hands. After a moment, she pushed her hands outward and made a sweeping motion with her arms. The magic left her hands and formed a shield around her and she grinned. "I think I'm getting it, Papa," she said, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.

River Person chuckled. "It seems so, Kayla," he said, pride in his voice that she was picking up on the protective magics and reflective magics so quickly. She was mostly focusing on the protective magics right then, wanting to master them before trying to tackle the reflective magics. She even learned that calling up the magic wasn't difficult and it didn't involve words. It involved actions and what she was wanting to do.

For example, if she wanted to create a shield, she had to either feel threatened or have a want to protect someone else and her hands would glow and she could put up a shield. She had even tried putting a shield around an attacking enemy, which River Person had stepped in to be and he was surprised when she had done that, but had been pleased as well. "That would definitely throw an attacker off," he said.

Kayla even went for distance and found she could keep a shield up for a good few minutes, which would give her time to get away. She even learned teleporting, which was difficult in itself, but she kept at it, making her father proud of her.

The reflective magic was a little trickier because she was looking to reflect attacks to either land elsewhere, stop or slow her attacker, or pin her attackers to the trees or the ground with their own weapons without causing them harm. Kayla tried to take control of attacks with telekinesis or by swiping one hand to act like she had a huge invisible bat and was batting away the attacks.

River Person had again stepped in to help and his cloak was a little singed and torn from where his daughter had been successful in her endeavors. "You're doing good, Kayla," he said proudly. "But how about a break? I'm not sure my cloak can handle any more hits."

"Aw, come on, Papa. I'm on a roll here," she said, grinning.

One thing that had become apparent was that Kayla was no longer being very shy. She was still wary about strangers, but the fear that once held her had vanished after she had been in her father's care and had met Grillby, who was now like an uncle to her. "You definitely are, my little one," River Person said. "But still, I need to figure some new strategies for you."

"Aw, come on. If you do that, how will I beat you?"

From the playful voice she was using, he knew she was just messing around and he moved a hand, catching her by surprise with his telekinetic magic and she landed with a soft 'Oof' in the snow and he towered over her. "Are you saying I'm not on my A-game?" He asked as he began tickling her.

"EEEEEK! PAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAPA!" Kayla protested, but he knew she wasn't really protesting the tickle torture. When he had tickled her the other day, she had asked about it and he had explained it and told her it was one way of showing affection. While fatherly affection was one that Kayla wasn't overly familiar with, she did enjoy when River Person would show her affection and often would say something sassy to get tickled.

He now chuckled at seeing his daughter squirming in the snow. "I'm always on my A-game and no little student is going to best me," he said teasingly, making Kayla laugh harder before she suddenly slipped out of his grasp and tackled him. Catching her, he caught her in a gentle bear hug, but she squirmed and tried to pin him again, which didn't work because he again caught her in a bear hug and gave her a playful noogie, making her giggle again.

Finally, he let her up and she laughed, feeling a lot happier than when she had first been pushed down here in the underground.

One day, before practice, River Person decided to see what his daughter's main trait was. "I'm going to examine your soul," he said to her.

"You mean we're going to be in a FIGHT sequence?" She asked, looking worried.

"No," he said reassuringly, knowing she didn't like to fight. "I will simply draw it out. It should be painless if you relax and fully trust me."

"I trust you, Papa," Kayla said. "Are you sure it won't hurt?"

He shook his head. "Just relax and don't fight when you feel my magic," he said soothingly.

Nodding, the twelve-year-old took a deep breath, relaxing as she felt her father's magic surround her. He had used his magic before like this to demonstrate how being wrapped in magic felt, so she wasn't alarmed. Plus, feeling his magic wrap gently around her made her feel safe. She felt a very gentle tug then and looked to see a heart floating above River Person's hand. Its colors were a mixture of orange and yellow with the color blue outlining the heart. "Is that…?" She started to ask.

He nodded. "Yes," he said.

"What does it mean?"

River Person smiled at her curious tone. "It means that bravery and justice are your main traits and they are tempered with patience," he explained.

Kayla had a doubtful look on her face. "Well, I don't know about the first two traits, but I do try to be patient," she admitted. "But that can be difficult sometimes."

She saw him smile at her. "While it can be, I see not only patience in you, but also bravery and justice too. With learning both reflective and protective magics, you're getting stronger."

She went up to him and hugged him, feeling reassured when he returned her hug, holding her and rubbing her back gently. "I hope I won't have to use my magic, Papa," she admitted. "But if I'm faced with Undyne…then I'll have no choice but to defend myself."

"Which is why I wanted you to have some way to protect yourself," he said. "If I'm unable to be there to protect you, you'll at least have a means to get away from someone who is threatening you. Just be very careful when you use your magic."

"I will, Papa," she promised as they went into practicing and sparring with her learning a bit more about her protective and reflective magics.

But little did she know that her learning had attracted the attention of a certain skeleton.

Oh, boy! Looks like another monster is getting curious. What skeleton has Kayla caught the attention of? Will he be friend or foe? Stay tuned to find out! :)

And please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418