Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Silent Magi's Apprentice! Welcome to the 2nd part of this double feature upload! This particular chapter though is going to be part of 4-Part Arc, where Kuromu will be refining his Elemental Magic. And I'm introducing even more characters that will help in Kuromu's journey as a mage! So let's get going and see where this takes us!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! All creative rights belong to Kazuki Takahashi.
"As Source of Thy Power, I Order Thee. Decipher the Laws of Creation. Bend to my will, embrace Life, and expose thyself to light the way for those led astray. Light Sphere Barrage!"
Multiple spheres of light shot off from his wand, flying across the training field that was the Rainbow Ruins. They each hit target accurately and precisely, shattering the stone pillars into pieces in quick succession, one after the other. When the dust settled, the only thing left standing were the destroyed rock fragments in its wake.
"Well done. You have mastered this spell, Kuromu." Shizuka praised with a smile.
"Thank you, sensei." Kuromu smiled back. "Though I couldn't have done it and the other spells without your guidance."
"Hey! What about me~?" Nia cried out, wanting praise as well.
"Oh, you were great too… at least for target practice." He said sheepishly.
"Heeeeeeeeeey~!" She whined, while Elesia snickered quietly.
"Still, with this much progress, we may have to set up your trial sooner than expected."
"The Thaumaturge Trials… right?"
"Ding ding!" Nia sounded off with a nod. "That's right!"
"Yes. But before that, I must test you. By facing me in magical combat."
"Eh?!" Kuromu gawked in surprise. "Me… fight you?"
"Yes. I must ascertain your output, potency, and wit when facing another mage." Shizuka informed him. "After all, the first trial will have you pitted against other apprentices. Why settle facing them right then and there, when instead, you can get some practice, facing someone who has experience?"
Kuromu pondered this. Shizuka did have a point. At the very least, he would know what to expect from the Thaumaturge Trials, since Shizuka had already gone through it. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. Although…"
"Do not worry. Your teacher is more resilient than you think, when taking damage." Shizuka smirked. "I am no stranger to combat after all."
"Er… right." Kuromu chuckled sheepishly, before nodding. "Alright then, let's do it."
"Good. Now then, let's go over a few rules of etiquette when initiating magic combat."
Chapter 4: Breezy Freedom
Meanwhile at the Magical Citadel…
Endymion was at his office, handling business like any other office worker, looking over documents, signing them, and overviewing the next one. It was a rather tedious task, but one that was required of him to do, as Master of the Magical Citadel. The documents he was overviewing were finalizations of the upcoming Thaumaturge Trials for Apprentices qualifying to be full-fledged Mages. They were essentially registration forms that listed everything about them, including whom they are studying under. Amongst these papers, Kuromu was amongst the listed candidates, but strangely enough it was incomplete. Not everything was filled in the blank.
"I may need to pay them a visit before accepting this application." Endymion noted as he was curiously confused on why it wasn't finished. Granted, he did come from another world, so perhaps that was partly why it was incomplete. Not to mention, his memories prior to arriving are still being worked on, which could be another factor.
Of course, if he were to submit this application to the Magic Council now, Kuromu would no doubt be scrutinized on everything he does. And that is something he cannot afford, were they to discover something about his… true origins.
Endymion, with a thoughtful hum, decided to take matters into his own hands to finish the application, as he needed to protect the young soul from the harsh circumstances of the 'High Mages' of these lands.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
"Master Endymion, Elemental Mistress Doriado is here to see you."
"Please, let her in."
The large crystal doors opened and a beautiful woman entered the Master's chambers. She had long blonde hair with glowing crystal blue eyes as she wore a white religious robe with a blue magical chest piece as on top of her head was a red oval crown with a star in the center.
"Master Endymion." Doriado bowed to him. "I'm pleased to see you are well."
"Doriado, likewise." He smiled at her, "What brings you to my office?"
"I have heard that Silent Magician has taken in a new apprentice." Doriado stated. "Is she here by any chance?"
"No, she is at home. I'm quite surprised you're interested in that,"
"Oh, it's nothing like that." Doriado giggled. "I merely wish to offer my congratulations and meet her new apprentice. Although, I also hear that her apprentice has taken an interest in studying Elemental Magic."
"He has. The young boy has an inept desire to learn magic. Something I wish that this generation would do instead of boasting about their bloodline or wealth." He sighed heavily.
"Sadly, the change of mindset will take years to implement." Doriado frowned slightly, but then smiled again, "Still, I think this is a great opportunity."
"Hm? For what?"
"For me to assist Silent Magician's apprentice in refining his Elemental Magic." Doriado smiled brightly, with a clap and a tilt of her head.
Endymion chuckled at this request but nodded to her, "Very well. I'm sure the boy will be delighted to learn from you."
"Oh I can't wait!"
"Will the Charmers be assisting as well?"
"Of course they will. They all need to learn and grow together, no?"
"Yes, quite so."
"Do you understand?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes sensei." Kuromu nodded, as the two stood opposite of each other from a distance. After going over the rules of magic combat, he was now ready to spar with his teacher. The rules were simple: First to lose their magical shield loses. Second, both combatants are not allowed to use magic that would prove lethal. However, they can use status magic that can temporarily incapacitate their opponent.
"Ready, my apprentice?"
"Whenever you are." Kuromu said, before both magic shields were brought up in front of them, and both held out their wand/staff.
"And fight!" Nia sounded off, as Shizuka started with sengding a bolt of ice, freezing his legs to the ground.
"Gh!" Kuromu gritted as he pointed his wand and produced a small fire spell to melt the ice, strangely wincing and struggling to maintain it, before managing to jump and duck back to avoid another bolt of ice fired towards him.
"Light Sphere Barrage!" Kuromu pointed his wand at Shizuka and fired multiple orbs of light that sailed across the air.
"Ah, not bad usage of those. But remember their counterparts. Singularity Defense." Shizuka flicked her wand as several small black holes appeared around her, sucking in the light spheres before redirecting them back at Kuromu.
"Not so fast! Repel those that stand against me! Mirror Force!" He shouted as another magical barrier appeared in front of the first magical barrier and the light spheres crashed into it, bouncing back at Shizuka.
"Negate Attack." She called out as the magical rebound disappeared. She then tapped her wand against the ground several times before the room tilted and spun, making it difficult to keep balance.
"Gah! Rise from the ground and flow with the wind. Levitation!" He said, before managing to lift himself off from the ground. "Sorry sensei, but that's going to take more than that!" He said before holding his wand parallel to his face. "As Source of Thy Power, I order Thee. Decipher the Laws of Creation. Assume the guise of my thoughts and change form, at my call! Hard Light Projection!"
At this point, a hard light holographic image of a sword took form and he gripped it tight.
"!" Shizuka gasped in surprise.
"Hyahhhhhhh!" Kuromu landed on the ground, knowing that it was stablized again and ran towards Shizuka, swinging his 'sword' down, only to be blocked by Shizuka's staff and the two were in a deadlock.
"Very impressive, my apprentice. I did not think you would learn that spell so soon! Did you sneak a few of my books into your own private studies?" Shizuka asked with a sly smirk.
"You'd be surprised as to what else I learned." Kuromu smirked back.
"I see… although your studies should include being aware of preparation and learning insight into certain movements." Shizuka informed, cryptically.
"Huh?" Kuromu said, confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"Did you not notice that most of my spells have been non-verbal? Surely there must be a reason for that, no?"
Kuromu's eyes widened, "Shoot!" He realized, before immediately backing off from Shizuka.
The moment he did, he noticed that the clock hadn't moved. Shizuka had a spell planned before throwing the first spell.
"No way… Time Magic?!"
"Indeed, and it is also combined with an inverted illusion spell. It is one of my own designs that traps my target in a loop of time and space, restricting one's escape. The question now, my apprentice… How do you escape?"
Kuromu gritted his teeth. He certainly couldn't answer that. No… he can't panic. That's what Shizuka wants him to do. 'Calm down… think… How could I escape an illusion bound by time and space?' He thought. He had to revert it back somehow. 'Wait… that's it!'
"As Source of Thy Power I order Thee. Decipher the Laws of Creation… Return to Thy origins and restore Order from Chaos! State of Emptiness!"
*CRASH!*
In mere moments, the reality around him shattered like glass. Shizuka smiled and applauded him for the realization.
"Well done, Kuromu. It gladdens me to see you solving the answer to that puzzle."
"I have to admit, I almost panicked." Kuromu said, before smirking. "But now the real fun begins. Hard Light Projection!" He said, before producing a second hard light sword." He ran towards Shizuka and swung both 'swords'… only for Shizuka to disappear. "Huh?!"
"Did you really think I would let you do that? Gravity Bind." Shizuka giggled. His body felt heavy as his hardlight swords disappeared from hand.
"My swor- uwhaaaaaaaa!" Kuromu suddenly plummeted to the ground with a loud-
*SPLAT!*
"Ooooooooooooh…" Nia cringed.
"The Young Master will be rather sore." La Jinn commented.
"Oh my!" Shizuka gasped, dispelling her magic as she rushed to his side with a worried look, "Are you alright, Kuromu?"
…
…
…
*POOF!*
"What?!" Shizuka gasped, before turning around and saw Kuromu ready to swing.
"GOT YOU!" Kuromu smiled victoriously.
Shizuka's eyes widened, whimpering and held her head, in fear from his attack. The boy flinched from the sight as he swung, but missed over her head. "S-Sensei?" He got out. But then, he noticed a glint in her eyes. 'CRAP!'
Magical chains erupted from the ground, wrapping and trapping the young mage in a sealed spell, feeling his magic completely draining, as she stood back up.
"Not bad, thinking on your feet to deceive me. But remember, unless they are unable to use their wands or have no magic, they can still fight back."
"Y-Yes, sensei." Kuromu said, stunned. "You win… and… I'm sorry…" He mumbled, feeling ashamed that he nearly hit her with satisfaction.
"Still, you did wonderful. A passing grade in my eyes." Shizuka smiled, before dispelling the chains and helped him up to his feet. He also feel his magic returning slowly.
"Boo!" Nia said before shouting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
"Eh?!" Kuromu gawked.
"You were supposed to kiss at the end of the match! Booo!" Nia sounded off.
"Oi, oi, oi…" Kuromu groaned.
"Regardless of… Nia being childish, you truly did well, Kuromu. You have grown significantly since our encounter." Shizuka praised with a smile on her lips.
"Thank you. That means a lot." Kuromu smiled back. He then noticed his teacher having a different expression on her face, as if she had sensed something. "Something wrong, sensei?"
"We have a visitor."
"Huh? Who?" Kuromu asked curiously.
"One that I have not seen in quite awhile." Shizuka said with another smile as she went out to greet the visitor. Kuromu, Nia, La Jinn, and Elesia all exchanged looks at each other, before heading out of the Pocket Dimension as well. Going into the hallway and towards the main living room, they saw who was at the door.
It was the same woman who had visited Endymion's office.
"Doriado, it has been far too long." Shizuka smiled at the familiar face.
"Yes it has been." The woman grinned and the two shared a friendly hug. Doriado then noticed the young boy, "Ah, so this is the famous apprentice who has Silent Magician's approval? You are quite lucky to be taught by her."
"Um… sensei, who is this?" Kuromu asked his teacher.
"Kuromu, meet one of my friends. This is Elemental Mistress Doriado." Shizuka introduced, "She and I were classmates and friends during our time at the academy."
"Oh," Kuromu blinked. "You were classmates with Shizuka-sensei and Lady Minerva?"
"Shizuka?" Doriado asked, looking at Silent Magician.
"My… er-hem, my apprentice gave me a name." Shizuka cleared her throat.
"Hehehe, now that is truly adorable!" The mage giggled with delight, "You two are much closer than I thought."
"Please, do not think too much about it." Shizuka sighed.
"Hehe, of course." Dorado snickered, "Truthfully, I came to actually see your apprentice and how his progression has been."
"Oh?" Shizuka raised her eyebrow.
"Uh… actually…" Kuromu said, as he looked embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. "To be honest, I… haven't exactly started my training on Elemental Magic… yet."
"I see. Well then… this is your lucky day. I shall help you teach and refine your Elemental Magic." Doriado smiled.
"Eh?" Kuromu blinked.
"Hold, Doriado." Shizuka interrupted, while… pouting? Was she pouting? "Kuromu is my apprentice. You think of me incapable of teaching him?"
"Oh, of course not. Why would you ever think that? Ohohoho…" Doriado chortled, a hand over her mouth. Clearly, Shizuka was not amused.
"Oooo~ cat fight!" Nia whispered.
Unfortunately, Elesia heard Nia, holding up a rolled up newspaper and swatting the Dreamsprite on the head, shaking her head with disapproval.
"Um… I don't mind if both of you taught me." Kuromu said, catching the two's attention. "If there's something that Shizuka-sensei missed, you can fill in the rest. If… that's acceptable to you, Lady Doriado."
"See? Even your apprentice understands. Don't get jealous over sharing him, Shizuka." Doriado said with a snicker, knowing this was going to be fun.
Shizuka, of course, was still unamused by this. She had her eyes closed and arms crossed as one of her eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "Honestly, you and Minerva have never changed…" She sighed, as she opened her eyes to look at her apprentice. However… since this is my apprentice's request to have both of us teach him Elemental Magic, I have no reason to refuse it."
"Wonderful!" Doriado beamed a smile, "Let's strike while the iron's hot, shall we? I must examine his aptitude in order to understand the flow of his mana."
*GROOOOOOOOOOOWL!*
Everyone blinked when they heard Kuromu's stomach grumbling for food. "Um… lunch first?" He asked sheepishly.
"Hehe, oh I suppose the lesson could wait. Let me treat the both of you." Doriado said, going over to the kitchen. "You don't mind if I start cooking, do you, Shizuka?"
"Go ahead," Shizuka nodded, and Doriado set herself to work with the help of Shizuka's broom servants.
"Oh wow, this is delicious!" Kuromu said excitedly as he dug into Doriado's food that she had cooked for lunch.
"I'm so happy you like my cooking, Kuromu." Doriado thanked, enjoying the praise.
"Yes. Well… it is to be expected." Shizuka said, as she had a spoonful of her soup. "Out of the three of us, that is: myself, Doriado, and Minerva; Doriado is most competent in cooking during our days at the academy."
"If you want, I can send you leftovers every now and then?" Dorado offered the boy. "Maybe even private desserts?"
"Sure! I don't mind!"
"Hehe, it'll be worth it." Doriado giggled, glancing at Shizuka with a sly smirk and sticking out her tongue playfully to tease her. Shizuka said nothing with eyes closed as she kept eating her soup.
"So Lady Doriado, you're called the Elemental Mistress because you control the elements, right?" Kuromu inquired. "What elements can you control?"
"Nearly all of them."
*PFFFFFFFFT!*
Kuromu did a spit take, "Ehhh?! All of them?!"
"Nearly all of them. Some can come into existence or be fully original to a mage, but I can easily pick up on it and learn how to instantaneously." She said, sipping her tea nonchalantly.
"I… see. Would I be able to do that someday?"
"With proper training and persistence, you will." Shizuka said. "Though, each mage is attuned to their one True Element."
"True… Element?" Kuromu parroted.
"It is the Element that is bound to someone's soul and very existence. This Element is something that even I cannot learn or pick up on, and is granted by the Primordials."
"Primordials… are they somehow affiliated with the Thaumaturge Trials I will take part in?"
"Yes, alongside granting your True Element, your wand will also change and reflect in accordance to its nature." Shizuka added. "There are cases that a mage's True Element can be more advanced than others, but that is a rare occurrence."
"Like… fusing elements together?"
"Mhmm, or even bestowing an element that hasn't been made or used before." Doriado nodded. "The last time that has happened was… oh, when was it? It was such a long time ago. Perhaps centuries ago." She said, placing a finger on her chin, while looking up in thought.
"Centuries?" Kuromu gawked. "It's that rare?"
"Very. Not many earn such a boon from them, so having something others cannot use is a big change in the magical world." Doriado nodded. "But as for you, young man, since you're just starting out, you'll only be starting with the basics."
"The Four Foundations." Kuromu remembered. "Otherwise known as the Classical Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth."
"Yes, but there are a few others that not many know amongst the Primordials." Doriado said. "But those will have to wait. We will start your assessment after lunch."
"Yes, milady." Kuromu said, before going back to eating his lunch.
It was after that hearty lunch, that Kuromu, Nia, Shizuka, and Doriado went back to the Pocket Dimension where the ruins were, while Elesia, La Jinn helped the magical brooms with tidying the kitchen. In front of Kuromu was a stone pedestal. On that stone pedestal were four Mana Crystals, but each were a different color. Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green, and Topaz Yellow. Each of them corresponds to their respecitve element: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth.
"For your first test, we need to see your output on using each element, as well as the threshold. If you can't withstand a certain element for long, it is your magical weakness." Doriado informed the boy. "Channel your magic into each crystal to make it glow. That will show your output. However, you will also be experiencing the pain of using said element. That will show your threshold. Do not fret over lasting damage or pain though. Think of it as… touching water from a hot bath and seeing if you need to wait for it to cool off or add cold water into it."
"Okay." Kuromu nodded.
"Remember your training when you refined the Mana Crystal in your first lesson." Shizuka stated. "Whenever you are ready, choose any Elemental Crystal to start with."
"Yes, sensei." Kuromu nodded, before looking towards the four color-coded Mana Crystals.
His eyes wandered and were set on the Wind Crystal. Stretching out his hand, his eyes closed and concentrated. Moments later, the Wind Crystal glowed and levitated in the air. An orb of wind surrounded it as he concentrated more. The wind gathered around him, feeling the force of its torrents, but Kuromu remained still. Doriado wrote down what she saw, understanding his output and threshold.
"Good. Now choose another." Doriado said.
Kuromu nodded as he placed the Wind Crystal down, then moved his focus onto the Water Crystal. Once again, he closed his eyes and concentrated. The Water Crystal floated up in the air, much like the previous. But instead, an orb of water surrounded the gem.
The water surfaced around Kuromu's body and slowly covered him from neck to feet, feeling the shivering cold and the high heat from the water as it shifted. It even made him feel as if he was either in calm waters or a raging torrent, yet once more he was fine.
"Hmmmmm…" Doriado hummed to herself as she wrote it down on paper. "Interesting… you can choose another Elemental Crystal now."
As soon as he placed the Water Crystal down, the water surrounding him crashed onto the ground. He then focused on the Fire Crystal and did the same process, an orb of fire surrounding the gem. The flames surrounded him and was being dried off, but then-
"Ite!" Kuromu cringed in pain as the Fire Crystal dropped unceremoniously and the flames dispersed.
"It would appear that Fire is your weakness, Kuromu." Doriado noted as she wrote down the reveal, even more so as to how quickly it affected him.
"Ghhhh…" Kuromu hissed, feeling the searing heat lingering, shaking his arm violently as smoke emitted from his arm.
"Relax, do not think about the lingering pain." Shizuka stated with some worry.
Kuromu nodded at this before his eyes returned to the Crystals, this time trying the Earth Crystal. Stretching his arm out, the gem floated as sand and rock surrounded it. Then something unexpected happened. The soil and dirt gravitated towards his hand, becoming a ball of sand. Then with an unseen signal, Kuromu slowly bent the sand and rock to his will, producing shapes of all kinds. From a sphere to a cube, or an abstract shape that one would consider a geometrical piece of art.
"This is…" Doriado got out for a moment as she quickly wrote down what she was witnessing. "Alright, that is enough." She said. Kuromu let his 'masterpiece' crumble to dust and the Earth Crystal dropped on the stone pedestal.
Kuromu sighed as he leaned, but Shizuka caught him.
"Are you alright, my apprentice?" Shizuka asked.
"I think so." Kuromu nodded slowly, before turning to Doriado. "How did I do?"
"Quite well, in fact. Your threshold for what you can handle and use is quite interesting and impressive." The Elemental Mistress noted before she put her notes away. "Now that I've seen what you're capable of, I can now set up a training regiment of how to refine your control of Elemental Magic."
"Even with Fire, that's my weakness?"
"Yes. Like a muscle, you need to work on it, otherwise you could easily be taken out. Most mages avoid such trials and only focus on their strengths." Doriado informed him. "So my adorable Charmers will definitely help with that." She smiled brightly.
"Charmers?"
"Yes. They're my apprentices."
"But… I thought a Master can only have one apprentice."
"Most are, but there are exceptions to where the rule is bent in favor of the students and their learning." Doriado stated, "Especially if they were rescued…"
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that. I never knew." Kuromu apologized.
"It's fine, they are like my daughters and son, and I'm glad I took the chance to train them." She smiled sweetly in response. "That aside, I must return home and have them assist me with preparing your training regimen. I'll let you know when it's ready."
"Yes, milady. I'm looking forward to it." Kuromu nodded.
"Good, have that passion and eagerness. I shall see you until then." Doriado smiled as she turned to Shizuka, "You keep doing your best and we'll see how he does against my Charmers."
"Is that a challenge?" Shizuka raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe so. What do you think?" She asked with a sly competitive smirk.
"Ooooh, so we're getting that cat fight after all?" Nia asked excited.
"No/No." Shizuka and Doriado looked to her.
"Muuuuuu~ boring!" Nia pouted in complaint.
"Leave me out of it." Kuromu raised his hands in defense.
"But it's fun!" Nia pouted with a huff, "Ruining my work here, you know that?" Kuromu merely stuck her tongue out at her, to which Nia pouted even more.
A few days later, Kuromu and Shizuka were informed by Doriado via a message sent by a Petit Dragon, one of Doriado's apprentices' familiars. It was a cute yellow dragon with only a small snake-like body and a pair of small dragon wings. Having the letter in its mouth, Shizuka read the note, then promptly responded back with her own, before handing the note to the Petit Dragon and sending it on its way back to Doriado. After informing her apprentice, Kuromu had a couple hours to prepare for the training regimen. So he made Healing Potions to put in a crate for post-training as well as making sure not to forget his wand. After prepping himself, he was dressed in his regular clothes when he first arrived and the Master/Apprentice dup left the house while the rest of the residences' looked after it.
Using a magic circle, Shizuka opened up a portal to Doriado's residence, and the two stepped through the other side. Kuromu found himself staring at his new environment which was… a sea of clouds?
"Whoa, whoa, whoooooooa!" Kuromu jumped with one leg, then the another, alternating between them as if he stepped on hot coal. But here he was, stepping on clouds as if they were made of cotton. He looked around and saw that there were motes of lights floating around and about, and in front of him was Doriado's home which looked somewhat majestic, given that the house was made of marble and stone. "This… is the place?"
"It is." Shizuka said, while walking casually towards the home.
"A-Are you sure I won't fall from the sky?" Kuromu gulped nervously.
"Positive, not unless she decides you are an enemy." Shizuka giggled.
"Nope! Don't want to entertain that, thank you!" Kuromu cried out comically as he quickly ran after her, though cautiously stepping as if trying to avoid puddles of water from a rainstorm. With a sigh of relief, after stepping on marble stairs, Shizuka knocked on the door three times.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
The door opened and greeting them was a young lady with short, spiky, brown hair and glasses covering her brown eyes. She wore an aqua green turtleneck shirt with a tan coat over it, with a black shorts and brown boots while wieldiing a staff that had crystals sticking out of it. Rising on her shoulder was a brown-furred marmot called the Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness with a horn, buck teeth, and bat wings alongside a tail.
"Hm? Can I help you?" the girl asked them.
"Is Master Doriado here? My apprentice is here to begin Elemental Magic training." Shizuka said, moving to the side and gesturing to the young man.
"Hello. I'm Kuromu. I'm Silent Magician's apprentice." He bowed.
"Oh! Yes, please come in." The girl bowed before moving away to let the two enter the home. Though she was looking at Kuromu's figure, pondering in thought about the boy.
Kuromu was unaware of her glances as he looked around in slight awe. It certainly looked like a villa of ancient times. There were marble floorings and the walls had bright and warm colors to them. Even the decor looked fancy, as if he had been transported to Ancient Rome.
"You seem interested in the architecture." The brown haired girl stated.
"It's impressive. If not, a bit imposing," Kuromu commented. "Thought I can't imagine Master Endymion staying here for a vacation."
"Hmm… very perspective of you to know that." The girl noted as she gently pushed her glasses up, finding some interest in him. "Oh, I'm Aussa. My title is the Earth Charmer."
"It's nice to meet you, Aussa." Kuromu nodded with a soft smile.
"Oh goodie, you've arrived!" A familiar voice called out, as they all turned to see Doriado coming out from one of the hallways, along with the Petit Dragon that had returned with the message.
"Lady Doriado." Kuromu acknowledged. "I'm ready to begin my training."
"Yes, yes of course." She smiled, "Though before we do, I would like to introduce you to the rest of my Charmers, if that is fine?"
"Sure, I'd love to meet them." Kuromu nodded with a smile back.
Doriado smiled back as she led the two to a small living room as within it were four more girls, all of different sizes, styles and personalities.
One had spiky and messed red hair that went down to her shoulders having the same tan coat but the inside consists of a very loose white unbuttoned shirt and a black sports bra that covered her chest, alongside her black skirt and brown boots. She wielded a staff that was looked like a literal touch and her familiar next to her was a fox with a flame at the tip of its tail called Fox Fire.
She obviously a tomboy due to fire spewing from her mouth upon losing a game to the other girl.
This girl had long blue hair with the same tan coat but had a navy blue dress underneath it alongside her black short and brown boots. Her staff had leaves and crystal tear drop at the top and her familiar was a bipedal light-green skinned reptile with red eyes which cackled at the red-haired girl's loss, named Gigobyte. The blue-haired girl was giggling as small bouts of bubbles escaped from her.
Nearby was another girl with green hair in a ponytail, having the same tan coat and black skirt, but her shirt wasn't as loose as the red-haired girl's. Her staff was silver and has a dragon molded on top. And her familiar of course was her Petit Dragon. Vines were moving her book's pages or letting her sip on some tea.
The fourth girl was a young girl with short white hair and silver eyes, but her coat was tannish gold. She had on a white tubetop with a black corset added to to it alongside her black shorts and brown boots, wielding a staff that looked like a golden halo. and her familiar was this angel-like orange ball of cuteness with blue eyes and a pink heart on its head, while sporting two pairs of angel wings, called Happy Lover. They were watching the sky outside as motes of light floated off of her.
Finally sitting in the shadowed corner was a young male with messy black hair having a tan coat that tattered and wore a black shirt and black shorts alongside his brown boots. He wielded a staff with a vulture skull that had horns and his familiar was a Meda Bat, a purple floating ball with a yellow eyeball bat wings, claws, and a tail. He was reading a book by himself as this all happened.
"Charmers, gather around, I have guests I want to introduce to you." Doriado said, clapping her hands two times. They all perked up as the group stood up and walked over to their master, ready for her next orders and wishes. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Silent Magician and her apprentice Kuromu. Her apprentice will be studying Elemental Magic with us today."
"Ah! Welcome welcome!" The green haired girl beamed brightly, as she seemed very excited before grasping his hands, "So! Does a cutie like you have a girlfriend yet?" She asked bluntly.
"Eh?!" Kuromu gawked.
"Wynn, don't be rude to our guest." The blue-haired girl scolded her, with a soft chop to her head.
"Ow! Come on, Eria… I know many of us were dying to see if it was a boy or someone single!" Wynn frowned as she rubbed her head.
"Pfffft, who cares about that crap? I wanna know if he's super strong!" The red-haired tomboy smirked dangerously, punching her fists together as flames erupted from said fists briefly.
"Does he like birds too?" The white-haired girl pondered as it seemed she was the youngest and most childish one so far.
"Now, now, Hiita, Lyna." Doriado admonished gently. "Kuromu's only started learning magic recently. So it would be unwise for him to be… thrown off the deep end as it were."
"Hmph… He doesn't seem much to me…" the boy scoffed softly as he went back to reading his book.
"And you need to stop being so depressed Dharc." Wynn huffed at him.
"I'm not depressed. Just that if it isn't a lesson by master here? I'm not interested." He said upon looking away with disinterest.
'Wow, what a colorful cast… quite literally…' Kuromu sweat dropped, looking at the scene between the six apprentices of Doriado.
"These are my Charmers. Gifted mages that I rescued from a group of vile ex-mages who attempted to harness their affinities of the elements." Doriado introduced with a smile. "They are Hiita, Eria, Wynn, Aussa, Lyna, and Dharc, but of course you knew that from earlier."
"Uh… right." Kuromu chuckled sheepishly.
"Now then, listen closely Charmers." Doriado said, getting their attention. "Recently I assessed his Elemental affinities several days ago and the results were that he is most compatible with Earth, neutral to Wind and Water, but weak against Fire."
"Was that why you had us prepare the training rooms?" Dharc asked.
"Correct. He is to train with Hiita, Eria, Wynn and Aussa due to his current affinities. You four will be testing him. Dharc and Lyna you two will remain by my side." Doriado informed. "Although Lyna you can heal his wounds for each training session he completes."
"Okay!" she smiled brightly with a nod of approval.
"Oh good, I don't have to do anything." Dharc said, before turning around to leave. "If that's all, I'll be in my-"
"Dharc, you too will remain. You should see this. I'll even throw in my cookies if you stay." Doriado giggled out as she knew how to deal with his issues with strangers.
"…thanks, but no thanks."
"Ehhhhh~? Why not~?!" Doriado cried out childishly with comical panic, waving her arms frantically. "Don't you like my cookies~?"
"I'm not a little kid anymore…" He frowned.
"Huh? But didn't you praise her breakfast this morning?" Hiita questioned.
"That doesn't have to do with anything." Dharc deadpanned.
"Jealous…" Aussa pointed out.
"Like heck I am!" Dharc snapped. "Gah, whatever, I'll be in my room." He waved off, before walking away from the group, his familiar following him after.
"Well he's a barrel full of laughs…" Kuromu muttered, perplexed.
"He has… been like this for awhile. Never trusting anyone other than us. We're all practically family here, and sometimes he feels like when someone new appears, I'm trying to replace him… But that's far from the truth." Doriado sighed, "I want them to connect and make friends too… I don't want him locked up without other contacts."
"I'm sure he'll come around." Kuromu assured. "So about that training."
"Yes, as I said before four of my Charmers will be testing you. They will be working with you to complete a trial."
"So it will be like the assessment." Kuromu deduced.
"Indeed." She smiled with a nod. "So go ahead and choose your teacher and we will begin."
"I see. In that case…" He said, looking between the four Charmers. "I'll start training with Aussa."
This made the girl flinch as she looked at him with surprise, "M-M-Me? But… I'm not that great…" She said, looking shy while hiding behind her staff.
"Huh? Why not? I mean I'm most compatible with the Earth Element, so I have to start with the easiest first, right?"
"I-I'm not much of a fighter with my magic yet…" Aussa said with doubt.
"Aww! I see what's happening!" Wynn smiled, hugging her friend/sister, "You got a crush, don't ya!"
"Haaaah?!" Kuromu gawked at Wynn. "But we just met! That's not how it works!"
"Ever heard the phrase 'love at first sight'?" Wynn pointed out, "Aussa here loves romance stories and read many of them about such encounters. She thought it was fiction until now!"
"I- I-" Aussa stuttered, as her glasses were fogged up that she couldn't see, while turning red.
"Look, as much as I'm… flattered by the gesture, I don't feel that way." Kuromu sweat dropped.
"Geez, rip her heart out why don'cha?" Hiita said with a roll of her eyes. "You know what? Screw it." She said, before grabbing Kuromu by the arm and dragging him away. "You're starting with me."
"H-Hey! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Kuromu cried out in dismay.
"Just shut it and let's do this before I smack you!" Hiita huffed with annoyance.
"Mmmmmm! Hiita, no fair! I want dibs on him first!" Wynn cried out, as she grabbed Kuromu's other arm and pulled him back. By then, Hiita and Wynn started bickering with each other over who's training him first, all while doing a tug-of-war with his arms.
"Let go Wynn, I'm training him first!" Hiita snapped.
"Nuh-uh! He's training with me!" Wynn added.
"Over my dead body!"
"That can be arranged!"
"You wanna go?!"
"Seems your girls are becoming very fond of Kuromu already." Shizuka smiled.
"I'm so sorry about this." Eria apologized, bowing to the Silent Magician. "My sisters aren't usually this… energetic."
"It is quite alright, as Doriado said, our students should get along with each other." Shizuka waved off. At least she was glad to see them getting along so quickly.
"M-Me… in love… with Kuromu… that's not true at all…" Aussa muttered out, still embarrassed, as steam was coming out of her head.
"Oh dear, I think Wynn broke her mentality." Doriado sighed.
"STOP MY PULLING MY ARMS!" Kuromu wailed out.
In the end, it was decided that Kuromu would go in the same order that he tested out his Elemental Compatibility back home. Meaning, Wynn was the first Charmer to train him, followed by Eria, then Hiita, and finally Aussa. The Wind Charmer was more than happy that she got to go first, meaning that she'll get the chance to know all about him, and probably ask him out on a date later. But she can do that later, right she needed to teach him everything about Wind Magic.
"Here we are!" Wynn chirped as she and Kuromu found themselves in front of a door which was made of hardwood. There was a green magic circle on the front of it with intricate and complex designs, but in the middle was a symbol of 'Wind'.
"I'm guessing this is your room."
"That's right!" Wynn smiled brightly. She then pushed the door open and a burst of wind came flying out, causing the young man to bring up his arms, until the wind died down. After petering out, Kuromu brought down his arms and walked towards the door. He was in awe when he saw nothing but a bright blue sky and clouds floating along, guided by the wind pushing them.
"This is…" He muttered in awe, before stepping forward, only to almost fall. Catching himself by balancing on one leg, and looking down… he noticed that there's no floor! Meaning Wynn's room was nothing but the sky! "Whoa! Whooooooooa! Whoooooa!"
"Hehehe, why are you so scared? It's just my room! Nothing dangerous here." Wynn smiled brightly.
"There's nothing but sky! I'll literally fall endlessly!" Kuromu pointed out.
"I see…" Wynn nodded before grinning mischievously and pushed the boy from his safe spot.
"UWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kuromu wailed out as he flailed wildly with fear.
"Why are you screaming?" Wynn asked, her head tilted to the side, "You're not falling, ya know?"
"I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" Kuromu yelled as he was still free falling and still flailing.
Wynn simply rolled her eyes and walked over only to bonk his head, "Silly, this place is enchanted. You're not gonna fall by walking inside my room. I mean, how else would I be able to keep my stuff from falling or flying off?"
"AHHHHHHHHHH- huh?" Kuromu stopped screaming, looking at Wynn who was literally standing on air. He then scrambled to his feet and looked around, hopping around with one leg and the other, to make sure he was really standing like her.
"See? Nothing to be scared of, silly!"
"Could've fooled me…" Kuromu grumbled. "With all these Rising Air Currents blowing up in here, I could still be sky diving for all I know."
"True, but think of this as my living room. Once we move into the training area of this place, then that's a different story." Wynn shrugged, then started skipping between the clouds.
"How could she be so carefree about all this…?" Kuromu muttered to himself.
"Because, much like the wind, I love being free." She turned to him with a smile, "I love the open air I see and feel, and I wanna share that feeling with others too! Why be so cooped up inside unless you want to feel like you're soaring through the air?"
"I… guess you have a point."
"It also means I have good hearing. Nothing gets past me." She winked playfully.
"Gh…" Kuromu flinched, before pouting. 'At least she can't hear my thoughts…'
"So for me and my room, it's the open sky! You can see everything up here!" she smiled with a twirl, "Though the training area is much more… ugh… 'grounded' like you expect." She groaned. If there's one thing she disliked, it's being grounded to whatever was holding her down.
"Right, well uh… lead the way." Kuromu said.
Wynn smiled as she skipped between each cloud before stopping at what looked to be an emerald green stain glass door. She then opened it and inside was a physical floor, gesturing for him to enter first. Entering inside, Kuromu found himself inside a room that was open-air, and looking Arabian-themed in terms of interior design. It had open windows as tall as the walls, and there was a living room that was off to the side. The furniture was also Arabian in design with its couches and table, and another part of the room had a kitchen-like area, and even a bathtub.
"This is definitely a vacation home…" Kuromu commented.
"Just wait till you see the outside. It's gonna blow you away." Wynn giggled.
"Right." Kuromu sweat dropped. He had a feeling that somehow the wind's gonna carry him away. "Well, anyways, when can we start? Where do we start?"
"Oh, outside of course." With a snap of her fingers, the wind around them picked up, and suddenly they were flying up into the open-aired roof.
"Whooooooooooooa! Okay, this is definitely the real deal now!" Kuromu shouted as they went through the roof and were on top of the house that Wynn resided in. "Is this really your idea of training?!"
"As much as it is for you. I'm just doing what the Master is asking of us." She shrugged.
"Uwhaaaaa!" Kuromu shouted as he flailed while floating. "Rise from the ground and flow with the wind! Levitation!" He called out as his whole body glowed and finally was about to steady and right himself up. "Phew… okay…" He sighed in relief.
"There you go, newbie." Wynn smirked with delight.
"Okay, so now what?" He questioned.
"Now you gotta practice flying, like all birdies do!" Wynn chirped. With a wave of her staff, she produced rings of wind set up throughout the entire area. "I want you to fly through those."
"Uh… okay." Kuromu said, as he leaned forward and attempted to move, but was moving very slowly. "Errrrrrgh, errrrrrgh, come on, why can't I fly?" He grunted, as he tried moving his arms and legs and in a swimming motion, but was still moving slowly.
"Because we're human. We don't have the equipment nor body type like birds do. So what do we have that's superior to them?" Wynn questioned.
"Uh… magic?" Kuromu answered.
"Besides that…" Wynn deadpanned.
Kuromu pondered on this, before a thought came to him. "Our minds."
Wynn smiled with a nod, "Correct. Our creativity allows us to think of problems and solve them to make up for what we lack. When we can't breathe underwater, we make things that'll allow us to. So when we need to fly…"
"We make things to make us fly."
"Correct!" Wynn smiled, "While brooms or magic can help, for those who aren't adept with Wind Magic, it'll only make it difficult. So instead figure out a way that'll help you fly."
"Okay, let's see here…" Kuromu began as he pondered on what he could use. "Use creativity, get creative. Use your mind." He said, closing his eyes as he tried to think of something he could use. "Okay, in order to fly, I have to think like a bird. Be a bird. I need to have wings. I gotta follow the wind. Alright, let's try this." he said, as a magic circle appeared below him.
"As Source of Thy Power, I Order Thee. Decipher the Laws of Creation. Become one with the wind and soar above the clouds! Follow Wind!"
At that point, using his mind to think and concentrate, a pair of green wings appeared behind his back alongside two pink ribbon tails behind it. Kuromu looked shocked at first, but after the initial stupor, he flapped his newly found wings merely by thinking about it, before moving forward. "Hahaha! Haha! I-I'm doing it! I-I'm flying! I'm flying!" He laughed with excitement as he glided across the sky.
"Easy now. Don't let the adrenaline get to you." Wynn said, with concern.
"It's okay, I got this! This feels incredible!" Kuromu laughed as he kept flying around.
"That's not the point! You need control, otherwise the Wind Magic you produce will run rampant."
"Hahahahaha! Hahahahahawhoooooa! Whoooooooooa! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Kuromu panicked as he started flying erratically. "Oh crap, I can't stooooooooop!"
"Ugh! I told you!" Wynn frowned, flying over to him and made a small gust of wind around Kuromu, enveloping him in said wind, making sure that he spun in the opposite direction until he was still.
"Haaaaaa… phew… thanks Wynn…"
"I told you not to let the adrenaline get to you." Wynn huffed. "While I may be carefree, I also learned to control my carefreeness."
"Sorry…" He apologized.
"Just remember one thing about Wind. It can be calm, but an untrained mind can cause it to become a tornado and become uncontrollable." Wynn scolded.
"R-Right."
"Now, let's try this again."
"My, my, he has a long way to go." Doriado commented as she and Shizuka were watching his training through a projection seeing it on the 'screen', as the two Masters were sitting in the dining room having tea.
"Even your students are doing well, teaching him the basics of the elements and their nature." Shizuka stated.
"But of course, my Charmers have been training longer than he is after all." Doriado giggled.
"Though I have to admit… I worry he may be learning things too fast to keep up…"
"You think so?" Doriado tilted her head.
"He is as eager as a Beaver Warrior in wanting to learn more things, but I fear his eagerness may lead to his eventual downfall… it is as if… he does not want to slow down. Or rather… he cannot slow down."
"Then as his trusted teacher and friend… you must assist him. We don't want to see our students destroy themselves in their pursuit of magic. We can only offer advice and trust that they are doing the right thing."
"Yes… you are right. I hope that you are right." Shizuka nodded, looking back at the projection, seeing her student still training with Wynn.
"There you go! Relax and let the wind guide you, rather than force through it." Wynn smiled, helping Kuromu learn with his flight lessons, gliding and soaring to start off, before learning advanced methods of Wind Magic. After going through flying training by going through the wind circles, she taught him to use Wind Magic as a way to buff not only his speed, but other aspects of it in terms of offense and defense. After teaching him these buffs, she made an obstacle course to the point that the rings were not only smaller, but were positioned in a way that Kuromu would have to make tight turns using the buffs.
"Hyah!" Kuromu used his Follow Wind to make another tight turn and went through the small ring of wind. "Alright! I did it!"
"Well done, Kuromu!" Wynn smiled, clapping happily from the results, "With this, you'll learn to understand Wind Magic even more, and the spells will start coming to you like a gentle breeze!"
"I had a great teacher." Kuromu chuckled. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance."
"Hehe, well aren't you sweet?" Wynn giggled as she snapped her fingers. In mere moments, the exit to her room appeared next to them, "Oh and before you leave. If you still want that date, you know where to look." Wynn said with a wink to the boy.
"Uh…" Kuromu blushed. "Why don't we relax for a bit, before I move on, yeah?"
"Of course." She smiled, and with another snap, the door changed to her living room.
"Haaaaa… that was rather tiring." Kuromu sighed as he plopped on the couch.
"Mhm! But you'll recover." Wynn giggled.
"Yeah, I don't wanna tire myself out with the other three." Kuromu said.
"Oh my~" Wynn giggled from the little dirty joke.
"What?" Kuromu titled his head. Wynn couldn't help but gush at how innocent he was.
"Oh, never mind your cute little head." She said with a few pats to his head.
"I'm not some little kid." Kuromu pouted, as he tried to bite her hand, but Wynn quickly lifted it up.
"Ah, ah, ah. Don't be a bad boy." Wynn chortled. "Not unless you plan on dating one of us?" She winked back at him.
"Eh?!" Kuromu gawked. "I-It's not like that!"
"Yet Aussa and I think you're the cutest!" Wynn said, now hugging him tightly. "And I don't mind sharing with my sister."
"H-Hey Wynn, stop!" Kuromu stammered in embarrassment, blushing heavily.
"Aw, but why should I? If it makes you like me more, then I'm going to continue!" She said before whispering in his ear, "Unless you want to see more of me?"
"No thank you! I'm not ready for that!"
"Why not? I know you were staring at my Master's chest." She grinned with a devious snicker.
"I wasn't! And I wouldn't stoop that low!"
"Well then why not mine?"
"Because I'm not a pervert…" Kuromu deadpanned.
"Are you sure about that? Seems to me, you like staring at our Masters." Wynn snickered out.
"Yes I am sure that I'm not a pervert." Kuromu pouted.
"If you say so." She shrugged before letting go of him and skipping along the clouds again.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" He called out.
"Oh you boys with your simple minds…"
"Why you… get back here!" Kuromu called out as he used his Follow Wind to fly after Wynn, to which the Wind Charmer grinned widely and flew ahead. The chase had begun.
"Missed me, missed me! Try again!" She stuck her tongue out at him, teasing the boy.
"Wait until I get my hands on you and pinch your cheeks so I can stretch them out!" Kuromu growled, as he attempted to swipe at her, only to miss yet again.
"Oh? Which 'cheeks' do you mean?" She laughed, hurling a small cloud at him as it felt like he was hit by a cotton ball.
"Your face cheeks, that's what!" Kuromu snapped. "Take this! Air Slash!" He said, swiping his winds and crescents made of wind came flying towards Wynn.
"Hmm, not bad. But not good enough." Wynn said as she simply clapped her hands and the crescents of wind dissipated with ease.
"HUH?!"
"Tell me, what type of air current and temperature did you use to make those?"
"W-Why does that matter?"
Wynn wagged her finger, "Tsk, tsk, tsk… It matters completely. If you just simply use wind to make it, but don't factor in the air currents around you or the temperature of it, they're as fragile as thin ice." She then produced a ball of air. "Allow me to demonstrate." She said, before hurling the ball of air towards Kuromu with blinding speed, and sending him flying.
"Whooooooooooooa!" Kuromu cried out, tumbling backwards in the air before righting himself up. 'This wind… it's… cold! It feels like it's ripping through me!'
"Since we're high in the sky, the temperature is much colder than the ones closer to earth and of course below sea level too. Using wind like this, can help you avoid situations or attacks of intense heat, even counter and cancel it if you know the proper temperature you're facing against."
"Ugh… okay, noted." Kuromu grunted. He then concentrated and formed a ball of wind, but then decided to try something by adding a thin blade of air circling around it. "Let's see how you like this! Wind Shuriken!" He shouted, throwing it towards her.
Wynn smiled softly with a nod, yet what made things shocking was how she caught the spinning blade of air, between her fingers like it was a fidget spinner.
"NO WAY!"
"Not bad, but still not factoring in what I just mentioned. Wind may be thin to use, but it has the same force and weight like being in the depths of the ocean. You can't fling it like its marbles. Use it like you're using a hose of water or moving with the waves of a tide. Like this!" She said, before throwing it back at Kuromu with greater, causing the young man to dodge.
"WHOA!" He cried out, before looking towards Wynn and-
*POW!*
"Gotcha!" Wynn laughed as she tackle hugged Kuromu and pinned him on the ground, looking down on him with a grin.
"H-Hey! No fair! You did that to take advantage of me!"
"Maybe so, but you still fell for it and lost." Wynn grinned wider, leaning closer.
"W-Wait, Wynn, hold on, no. I'm not ready for my first kiss to be taken." Kuromu gulped.
Wynn leaned further… only to peck his cheek and giggled, "Gotcha!"
"…eh?" Kuromu blinked, looking stupefied as Wynn got off of him and sat down.
"Relax, if I truly did want to kiss you, I'd have to get in line. Plus I wanna see how the others react, if they want to try and take that leap first." She winked playfully.
"Uh…" Kuromu got out, sitting up as well and sighing heavily. "Geez, I knew you were carefree, but not to this extent. You really are something, you know that?"
"Why thank you, Kuromu. I just find it better to be free of yourself than to bottle it all up, ya know?" Wynn smiled then made two cloud chairs for them to sit in.
"Be free of yourself… huh?" He pondered. "Do I… seem that way? All bottled up?"
"Well, I can admit that you're not fully unleashing your true self. I can see it clear as the sky." Wynn pointed out.
"What do you mean by that?" Kuromu looked confused.
"I just think there's something you're not talking about or maybe even aware of. I don't know how to explain it, I just get that feeling that you're not fully free yet."
"I see. Well I don't know if it has anything to do with not being fully free, but… the truth is, I don't know everything." He admitted. "When I came to this world, I only know my name and nothing else. My memories are all scattered and I don't have all the pieces of the puzzle together quite yet."
"Maybe once you finally remember, you can be your better self?"
"I… guess. Though, I'm not sure if that part of myself is better."
*FLICK!*
"Ow." Kuromu winced, when Wynn flicked her fingers on his forehead. "What was that for?"
"Worrying about the small details isn't going to make you remember things faster." Wynn said. "Why rush everything? Granted, I'm not saying to be ignorant of your whole situation, but it wouldn't kill you to take your mind off of it, even just for a little bit."
"So… you're telling me to slow down." Kuromu said, before sighing with slumped shoulders, "Shizuka-sensei said the same thing, but I guess I still haven't learned my lesson…"
"Then this is the perfect place to do so. My final lesson? Cut back and relax. I'll come get you when its time for you to go to one of my sister's." Wynn smiled.
"Uh… right." Kuromu blinked, before his eyes started getting heavy. "Huh…? What- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
Wynn smiled as Kuromu fell asleep. A heavy sigh escaping her lips, "About time my Comfy Sleep Time Cloud worked on him. He truly needs to relax more." She noted, turning her head to see Shizuka and Doriado walking in. "Sorry about that… had to get him to calm down somehow. Oh, and he passed with flying colors."
"Good job with your lessons, Wynn. You can go now." Doriado said with a smile, knowing her student did well before turning to her friend, "So, Shizuka? What do you think of the first lesson?"
"It is a start. But the other trials that await him… I hope that he is prepared." Shizuka answered.
"We can only wait and see how it'll progress." Doriado said, as the two ladies looked at the sleeping Kuromu who lightly snored away. Hopefully by the time he wakes up, he will be refreshed with a new mindset.
