Hello everyone! Welcome to the second half of this double feature of Silent Magi's Apprentice! If you've read the first one, congrats on making it! And today, we're having Aussa teach him Earth Magic!
Striberx: Lots of things were changed and altered here. At first we were gonna have Aussa kinda hook up with Kuromu, but we decided to change that as that felt unnecessary here. Though if anything, that was more of my bad cause I just kinda enjoy those things. Thus altered to fit better here.
KRD: The pairing with Kuro x Shizuka was too strong! And if you didn't notice, yes, his training mirrors that of Aang learning how to control the elements.
Striberx: Of course, a lot of different ways to explain on said elements as well as how there are many different ways to learn it. This one was just something that came to my head on how Earth magic could be learned, but its not the only way to learn it. Much like many other things, there's so many different ways to learn and experience certain stuff.
KRD: Yup! So with that being said, let's dive into the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! All creative rights belong to Kazuki Takahashi.
Last Time on Silent Magi's Apprentice
"Here we are. Brace yourself." Eria said, before she pushed the door open. Upon doing so, his eyes widened considerably at the sight. Wynn's room paled in comparison to what he was seeing now. In front of him was an ocean full of water, protecting the door's magic that stopped the water from rushing out. But what made him gawk was the fact that sitting on the ocean floor… was an underwater city. And not just any underwater city.
"N-No way! At… Atlantis!?" Kuromu stuttered. "The Atlantis?!"
"But of course. Who else but me would be worthy to own this place?" Eria smiled brighter.
"Ah! Darling!" Eria smiled brightly rushing to the man to hug him as they shared a loving kiss.
"Welcome home, Eria. Have you been well?" He asked.
"Mhm, I have. This is Kuromu, an apprentice to a friend of Master Doriado, he's here to learn Water Magic from me." Eria introduced.
"Is that so?" The man smiled, before holding out a hand for Kuromu to shake. "Well met, my young friend. I am Neptabyss, Prince of the Atlanteans. Welcome to our humble home."
"The honor is mine, Your Highness." Kuromu nodded. "I never realized you and Eria are married."
"It was something for us too when she unsealed us and gave us freedom. I couldn't help but fall in love and marry her." Neptabyss smiled.
"Oh, Neptie, don't embarrass me~" Eria flushed, while fidgeting like a school girl.
"Plus, it's hard to deny how cute she can be." The prince chuckled. "And a special surprise is in our future."
"A surprise-" Kuromu's words were caught in his throat as he realized the implications, his eyes widening considerably. "Oh! OHHH! Oh wow! Congratulations!"
"It's still in the early stages, but we couldn't be happier." Eria smiled softly, rubbing her stomach.
"But wait, are you sure you should be training me at this point?" Kuromu asked.
"I'll be fine. I can handle the fundamentals, while Neptie here will help with the combat." Eria informed.
"Huh… you really thought of everything." Kuromu mused, before grinning. "But I'm not one to complain. I'm in your capable hands." He bowed to them.
"It must've been so hard for you… not knowing where you came from nor if you have any family… to feel so alone, no?" She said to him calmly.
"I mean… I have Shizuka-sensei and the others, but… I… uh…" Kuromu got out.
"Yet you still feel alone. Like something is missing and it hurts." Eria stated to the boy in a calming voice.
"That's not…" Kuromu got out, and before long, he felt something wet trailing down his face. "H-Huh?"
Eria smiled, knowing that the mental walls he built up were becoming undone.
"Shhh… it's okay… I'm here." Eria whispered gently to him.
"I… what?" Kuromu uttered in confusion. He wasn't sure why he was crying now. Sure, he had no memories prior to now, but it shouldn't even bother him, at least not yet anyhow. And yet… this feeling of sadness began to overwhelm him as more tears came down his face.
"You may not know it now… but when you do, I'll be here for you. For now, accept this sorrow and grow stronger." Eria said to him, gently patting his head.
"My… sorrow…" Kuromu managed to say before eventually crying on her with silence.
"Are you serious?" Doriado asked with wide eyes.
"Yes… I am…" Shizuka nodded softly.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" Doriado almost scolded.
"I could not… not when our enemies could be listening in." Shizuka answered.
"Who else knows?"
"Master Endymion and La Jinn. The latter only knows through sensing the young boy when they first met." Shizuka replied.
"Hmph, of course they'd know. Cheeky things." Doriado huffed. "And… you're sure it's not fading away or killing him, right?"
"No. At least I do not think so. Not yet anyway." Shizuka said. "And now that I think about it, I have an inkling of a feeling that Minerva may also know. She just did not want to tell me in front of the boy."
"Hmm, this is troublesome…. I'm surprised that not only do they still exist, but one so young is still alive." Doriado noted.
"I cannot tell him what he is. If he were to discover that…" Shizuka trailed off.
"Don't worry. I won't tell him." Doriado nodded.
"Huh?" Shizuka looked surprised. "You will not?"
"Shizuka… I know what happens should someone like him find out the truth… Most become self destructive… I don't want to see that happen to him."
Shizuka sighed in relief, not knowing that she had been holding in a sigh. "Thank you. It means so much to me. His life is but his own, and needs to be preserved for as long as possible."
"Of course. Though even if my little Charmers knew or not, I know they'd still do the right thing and keep testing him in their trials." Doriado smiled.
"Yes. You are right."
"Uh… is the little guy my opponent?" Kuromu blinked.
"He is." Eria nodded. "But don't let his size fool you. He's a lot more agile than you think."
"Uh… okay?" Kuromu got out, confused.
"Rawr, rawr!" Gigobyte roared.
"He's saying that you shouldn't underestimate him. And that he's really strong." Eria giggled.
"Okay, maybe I was just a tiny bit." Kuromu said sheepishly, causing Gigobyte to comically jump and flail in anger as if asking, 'You wanna piece of me?!'
"Gigo, easy now. He hasn't faced you yet, so you also shouldn't underestimate him either." Eria wiggled her finger with shame.
"Rawrawrawrawrawr!"
"Eager little fella, isn't he…" Kuromu sweat dropped.
*SPLASH!*
A water ball was flung at Kuromu's head, as his face was dripping wet from the water.
"Oh, he doesn't like to be called that." Eria warned, a bit too late.
"Now you tell me…" Kuromu deadpanned, before shaking his head to rid himself of the excess water. "Alright, you temper-tantrum lizard. You wanna fight? You got one." He said, pulling out his wand.
"As Source of Thy Power, I Order Thee. Decipher the Laws of Creation. Become one with the wind and soar above the clouds! Follow-"
Gigobyte huffed as it slammed its tail on the circle, shattering it like glass.
"No way!" He gawked, before realizing that Gigobyte was already in front of him. He immediately dodged to the side to avoid a strike from the bipedal lizard. "Gh… Light Sphere!" He shouted, pointing his wand and sent an orb of light at him.
Gigobyte soon opened its jaw, clamping down on not just his wand, but wrist as well before flinging him to the side, only to start using the droplets of water around him before changing it into ice shards as the creature flung them at Kuromu, attempting to overpower the boy.
"Gh! Repel those that stand against me! Mirror Force!" He shouted as a magical barrier appeared in front of him and deflected the ice shards, sending it right back at Gigobyte. The lizard held up its hand as the ice shards stopped just before hitting it, only to turn it back into water as it splashed onto the ground.
"As Source of Thy Power, I Order Thee. Decipher the Laws of Creation." At that point, water suddenly rushed at the tip of the wand, condensing and pressurizing into a single orb of liquid. "Accept my offering and wash away all iniquities! Torrential Tribute!"
With an unseen signal, a large torrent of water came rushing towards Gigobyte, in the form of crashing waves. There was no way the bipedal lizard could escape this!
The lizard growled before it let out a howl, its cry echoing out and somehow protecting it from the crashing waves, leaving it unscathed.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!" Kuromu gawked.
The Gigobyte grinned, as it then raised its claws as it controlled the waves and flung it back right towards the young mage.
"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!" Kuromu panicked as he wove his wand to produce a magical barrier, in an attempt to hold off the waves. However, it wasn't enough as the magical barrier cracked and shattered, washing him away. "Gaaaaaaaargagrhgahgahrgah!"
The Gigobyte soon bellowed in laughter at the scene, enjoying this 'trial' very much.
"He has a long way to go…" Neptabyss said dryly. "And a lot of work to do."
"I never said it'd be easy or quick." Eria noted as she clapped, stopping the match. "That'll be enough for now, Gigobyte, Kuromu."
"Rawr, rawr, rawr."
"No more. You've done enough." Eria huffed as she pointed to Kuromu who was knocked out cold. The young man felt a trickle of his soul almost leaving his body as his eyes were comically soulless.
*DING!*
"Geez… what a wimp…" Hiita scoffed as she, Wynn, Aussa, and Lyna, and Dharc were watching on the 'screen' from the living room of their house. They had seen the whole fight, and though his moves were decent, it still wasn't up to their level.
"I gotta admit, I'm not impressed…" Dharc added dryly.
"Easy you two. You both weren't the best either when you started." Lyna giggled.
"Pah, he and I are different." Hiita waved off nonchalantly.
"Sure, at least he's not hot-headed like you are." Wynn deadpanned.
"Wanna say that to my face?" Hiita growled, producing a fireball from her hand.
"Master! Hiita is starting a fight again!" Lyna called out.
"Don't you bring her into this!" Hiita snapped.
"Ugh… story of my life…" Dharc facepalmed, as Aussa tried to diffuse the situation between her fire and wind sisters.
*DRIP, DRIP, DRIP*
"Mm?" Kuromu looked up at the sky as he noticed that it had darkened, "Rain?"
"It's the biosphere making this. It senses one's mood and acts accordingly. It must have sensed something in your own heart to start raining?" Neptabyss guessed.
"I… don't know." Kuromu pondered, as the rain now started pitter pattering on the area around them, save for the hot spring, due to the magic surrounding it having its own atmosphere. "Still, it's strange… why would-
*ZIIIIING!*
"Ergh!" Kuromu suddenly held his head with one hand, his eyes shut tight as he tried to fight off a mental pain that's hammering into his skull like a nail digging into itself.
"Kuromu? What's wrong?" Eria asked as the others were starting to worry.
"I don't know…! I'm suddenly-"
*ZIIIIIIIIIIIIING!*
"Aaaaaaaaaaargh!" Kuromu yelled out as he held his head with both of his hands, trying in vain to stop the major headache he's receiving.
"Oi kid!" Neptabyss said with worry as well.
Moments later, his eyes snapped open and everything in his vision went white.
"Well look who it is." One of the strangers sneered, approaching Memory Kuromu.
"Please… just leave me alone…" Memory Kuromu pleaded.
"After what you did. You're not getting away so easily."
Kuromu was confused. What exactly did he do to upset this person?
The memory Kuromu whimpered softly as he tried to make a run for it, yet the strangers quickly caught up and pushed him to the ground. The group gathered around as they began to hit, strike and fully assault the boy. Their hits echoing in the rain as it was obvious they wanted him hurt and unable to move.
"That's right… I had a headache because of the rain… it… made me remember…"
"You remembered something?" Shizuka asked.
"Yeah, I think… a part of my lost memories were restored, but… it's still vague…" Kuromu shook his head.
"Did you learn anything new?" Shizuka questioned.
"There's not much, but… I was in a dark alleyway… it was raining at night… I assume that I was walking home until these… strangers surrounded me from out of nowhere. One of them had some kind of grudge against me and I tried to run, but…"
"Oh… Kuromu…" Shizuka frowned sadly.
"I see… so his memories have partially returned…" Endymion nodded.
["I worry for him, Master."] Shizuka said. ["If this was the extent of his first memory. I cannot imagine as to what the rest of pieces would entail."]
"I know… But you must have faith in him. If he cannot overcome it, he won't be able to survive the rest of his training." Endymion noted. While it was also painful for him, he too, needed to have faith that the boy will overcome these odds.
["I understand, Master. What must I do?"]
"Support him to the very best of your abilities. You are his Master, after all. And as his Master, you must guide him towards the right path."
["Yes Master."] Shizuka said, before the communication ended.
Endymion sighed as he sat back on his seat. He couldn't help but wonder if this was a sign of things to come. Hopefully, this wasn't a sign of a bad omen.
And now the continuation…
Kuromu, while still recovering, continued his training in earnest. While he learned offensive and defensive spells with Water Magic, spells that support him were also included in the lesson. Theses lessons include echo location, both in the water and out, controlling one's body temperature especially in freezing conditions, as well as sensory alteration on himself and his enemies. But healing using Water Magic was the biggest perk of all. It especially helped in his Alchemy lessons when brewing more potions from his textbook. When he felt ready, Kuromu tried fighting against Gigobyte one more time, and this time…
"Raaaaaaaaawr!" Gigobyte roared as he was sent flying, tumbling to the ground.
"Yes! I win!" Kuromu cheered, jumping in the air with joy.
"Well done, Kuromu. You passed." Eria smiled with a soft clap for his win.
"Thank you, Eria." Kuromu nodded with a smile. "But I couldn't have done it without and your husband."
"More or less, you prevailed. Congratulations, young man." The Atlantis King smiled.
"Thank you." Kuromu said, before turning to Gigobyte. "Sorry about that. But I had to win. So…" He said, before grinned mischievously and pulling his eyelid down and sticking his tongue out. "Behhhh~"
"Rawrawrawrawrawrawr!" Gigobyte jumped up and down flailing angrily.
"Gigo! Language!" Eria gasped from what he said to the boy.
"No need to resort to such ways, Gigobyte. He won fair and square." Neptabyss noted with a huff.
"Heh, it's fine, you two. I don't mind if he vents out at me. I did vent out on him, so it's a fair trade." Kuromu shrugged. The reptile huffed with a nod, respecting the young mage even more than before.
"Alright, I guess it's onto the next trial for me." Kuromu said. "I'll be working with Hiita next, right?" He said, but then his head tilted when Eria and Neptabyss looked at each other with awkward looks. "Is… something wrong?"
"Hiita… is well… how you say….?" Eria pondered on the thought of how to explain and inform him of her ways.
"She's a hot head." Nepatbyss answered, earning a gasp from his wife. "Honey, you know its true. She doesn't like 'challenges' she prefers to be the challenge and always throws anyone who has faced her out of her realm. Nobody has gotten past her absurd standards."
"Yes, but…" Eria pouted.
"Unfortunately, she doesn't find your skills impressive." Neptabyss stated to a gawking Kuromu. "She said to have Aussa train you next."
"Ehh~?"
"Trust us, Doriado tried her best, but Hiita won her debate in the end. You'll be training with Aussa instead. Hopefully by winning her trials, Hiita will give you a chance." The king said as he patted his back, "Though I believe you'll really like Aussa, she seems to like you too." He chuckled out.
"So I've heard…" Kuromu chuckled sheepishly. While he still appreciated her feelings, and rather flattered, he still didn't feel that way towards her. They had only just met, and after the things that Eria had said the other day, he had a feeling that his lessons with her are going to be pretty awkward. "I guess I owe her an apology for… you know…"
"Indeed. But I know you'll get along soon." Eria smiled.
"And remember, no hickies~" Neptabyss teased, earning a slap on the shoulder from Eria. "Alright, I jest, I jest."
"You have a weird way of showing that." Kuromu deadpanned.
Chapter 6: One With the Earth
The door to Aussa's room and realm was fully made out of wood, with pieces of dirt on it, giving it a very 'hobbit' like feel to it. It made Kuromu curious what the rest of the realm will be like alongside what her trials are? Given how the middle of her door had a symbol of 'Earth', there was going to be a lot of dirt and possibly plants. With a deep breath, and calming his nerves, he pushed the doors open, and briefly blinded by light, forcing him to cover his eyes temporarily, before they adjusted.
Within the room to the realm, it was nothing more than a large valley of flora and a very dense forest. And in the middle of that valley was a very large tree, as crepuscular rays of light shone between the leaves of the tree's canopy. Kuromu slowly walked into the room with awe and wonder. It wasn't unlike Shizuka's home in their forest, but it was still impressive nonetheless. Given his sensory training, he could feel the life force of earth from the tree and the ground beneath.
"This is…" Kuromu muttered.
He was about to finish before he felt something tug at his ankles, making him look down to see a small rabbit tugging to get his attention.
"Hm? Well hello there." Kuromu looked down and smiled, kneeling on one knee. Though what was strange is that it had a safety helmet and a pair of goggles on him.
"You're the mage to train under Lady Aussa, right?" The bunny asked in a very cute, high pitched voice.
"Okay, the bunny talks." Kuromu stated.
…
…
…
"THE BUNNY TALKS?!" Kuromu cried out, landing on his butt.
"No need to shout, mister…." The bunny responded, holding its ears from his shouting.
"S-Sorry, forgot animals have sensitive hearing." Kuromu said, somehow getting over his shock. He should not be surprised anymore! "Er-hem." He cleared his throat. "Yes, I am."
"Then please, follow me, mister." The rabbit said as it began to hop away, leading him to where Aussa would be. Kuromu got up to his feet and followed the Rescue Rabbit towards the big tree. The closet he got, the more intimidating it looked, as it was towering over his being inch by inch, foot by foot. By the time they arrived, they found themselves at the base of the giant tree.
Sitting at the roots of the tree, reading a book with snacks and small animals around her was Aussa, simply having her usual alone time and not noticing Kuromu arriving.
"Uhhh… Aussa?" Kuromu called out.
The girl flinched as she looked up, only to 'Eep' as she covered her face with her book.
"I-I… didn't expect you to be here so soon…" She said softly.
"I… just got done training with Eria." Kuromu blinked.
"I-I see… um…" Aussa muttered something that the mage couldn't hear.
"Aussa?" Kuromu tilted his head. "Are we… going to start training?"
"Um… w-we can… but uh… m-mind if I finish my book?"
"Uh… okay. Guess I'll just sit here and wait." Kuromu said, as he sat down on the ground Indian style and waited. As Aussa continued to read, she peeked over her book and saw Kuromu play with the dirt seemingly out of boredom, but then her eyes slightly widened when she saw him do hand movements and grains of dirt slowly rose up to his level.
"Ah…" Kuromu blinked in surprise before he decided to try something and mold the dirt in some geometric shapes. "Hehe… ah! Hahaa~!" He chuckled, as he was manipulating the earth to make all kinds of shapes.
"You can do it so easily…" Aussa said with surprise.
"Eh?" Kuromu said, looking at her, but the moment he did, he lost concentration and all the dirt fell to the ground, much to his disappointment. "Awww…" He pouted.
"You were able to move it already and so easily…" Aussa stated with surprise, "Normally… others had to wait months to finally even move a simple stone…"
"Really? It doesn't seem that hard to me." Kuromu stated.
"But it is!" Aussa said, now being much closer than before, "To mold and shape the earth, is to understand being part of the cycle of life and one with nature! You can't just move and shape it like it's dough, but understand that everything comes from and returns to it!"
"U-Ummm…" Kuromu managed to say. "Aussa, you're uh… ahem… being too close to me…"
Aussa blinked only to blush as she quickly backed off into the roots, as they quickly nearly covered her but her face out of embarrassment. "S-Sorry…" she said softly.
Kuromu sweat dropped. 'I wonder if she's really going to teach me anything at this point…'
"Oh my… still having the jitters." Doriado sighed wearily, watching the projection with the others.
"C'mon, Aussa! Don't be such a wuss!" Hiita snapped.
Wynn giggled. "Scared that your man might be stolen away?" She teased Shizuka.
"What are you talking about?" Shizuka asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Wynn face faulted at this, "Oh no…"
"What is it?" Shizuka asked confused. "Is there a problem?"
"You sweet summer child… I envy your ignorance…" Wynn sighed.
"Who are you to call me a summer child?" Shizuka frowned, as if she was being insulted. In a way she was, because she knew for a fact that she herself was a lot older than Wynn and the rest of the charmers.
"It's a phrase, Shizuka." Doriado giggled. "But don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually."
"Figure out what?" Shizuka questioned. "Doriado, you are not making any sense."
Doriado sighed as she shook her head, "I sadly cannot say much more. It'll ruin something that's budding in you."
"Hm?" Shizuka was even more confused than ever, making the rest of the Charmers sigh. Wise, the Silent Magician may be, she could be rather ignorant of anything that was commonly of the… social norm.
After nearly an hour, Aussa had finally finished reading her book, and Kuromu was done playing with dirt and making shapes out of it. Although, she was still nervous around the boy, she had to get her wits together. She was here to train him. If what her Master said was true about his life being in danger, then he has to work on his magic in hopes to avert that disaster if and when that time comes.
"W-Well… um… since you already know how… to control earth, we can… s-skip the first trial and… do the next one?" Aussa spoke up to the boy.
"Already?" Kuromu looked surprised.
"As I said, you already know how to control the earth and mold it to your wishes without much effort. So it is time to move on to your second trial." Aussa reminded.
"O… kay, but what does this entail?" Kuromu inquired.
"W-Well… to be one within the earth…" Aussa said before she blushed, "W-Which means you and I must be slightly submerged in a hot mud bath…. Literally 'being one' with the earth…"
"A… mud bath… okay. Odd, but… okay. So where is this hot mud bath?"
"F-Follow me…." Aussa said as she led the way. They walked around the roots of the tree and seeing how large they were, Kuromu guessed that it would take at least 15 minutes to walk to the other side of said tree.
"I must say… this tree is huge. How long has it been growing?" Kuromu asked, looking upward. "I could imagine that thousands of years went into this one tree."
"You could say… this is what was inspired to be known as 'The World Tree'…" Aussa informed.
"The… World Tree?! As in the Yddgrasil World Tree, right in the center of the Nine Realms?!"
"Mhm… it was 'the first' tree…" Aussa nodded.
"No way…" Kuromu muttered in awe. "To think the World Tree was nothing but mythological fantasy in my world, much like Atlantis. It's right here."
"Many things that were considered on that level… are all real and sealed within such realms thanks to Master Doriado as well as Endymion. So whatever land, city, or place that is on such levels like this? Are all here in these walls." Aussa informed.
"I keep forgetting that what I knew about the old world I was in, doesn't apply here." Kuromu said.
"Hehe, well… if it has knowledge? It's still useful to you." Aussa smiled.
"I guess so." Kuromu chuckled sheepishly.
When fifteen minutes had elapsed, they had finally arrived at the other side of the tree. Kuromu blinked as he saw the mud pits that were in front of it. The mud pits was just big enough for two people to dip themselves in. Though what unsettled him was the fact that this mud, the color being a mix of dull gray and brown, bubbled occasionally, making him assume that it was going to be boiling hot at one point.
"Okay, we're here." Aussa sighed in relief, only to blush, "U-Um… c-can you look the other way please?"
"Huh? Why- oh! Oh! Uh…" Kuromu stuttered with a blush as he quickly turned around in the other direction. His ear then heard the sound of clothing shuffling, making the boy flinch. 'Don't turn around, don't think about it! You are better than this! You're a man! Okay… think… think of something…! I know! Pi = 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510…'
Aussa soon gave a sigh of relief, "O-Okay… you can look now.." She said, as the moment he turned around, she was already in the mud, completely naked as her clothes were nearby. Though what made him blush more was seeing her nearly bare chest stick out of the mud. Her cup size was massive!
"U-Uh…!" Kuromu gulped hard. "Are… you sure this is the correct way to… be one with the Earth…?"
"Y-Yes… this has to be done like this… There is no other way."
"Right… well then… if you don't mind…" Kuromu cleared his throat, confusing her. "I can't take off my clothes while you're staring at me."
"O-Oh! Right! S-Sorry!" She said, as large root moved to covered her vision, giving him some privacy.
Kuromu sighed at this, as he started taking off his clothes. 'I can't believe I'm doing this…' he thought to himself. After taking off his clothes, he neatly folded them and placed them on the side before slowly taking a dip in. "Ow, ow, ow, ow…" He winced as he sank deeper into the mud pit before finally relaxing. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… okay, I'm good."
The roots moved as Aussa sighed with relief, knowing that the hardest part was done.
"This trial is simple, just be one with the earth. Hence why we're in this mud bath."
"And… how long do I have to stay in here?" Kuromu asked.
"Until you understand how that feels." Aussa said, "M-Meaning… we can't get out until that happens…"
"…not unless it's an emergency?"
"No." Aussa said curtly.
"Ugh… okay," Kuromu groaned. 'I just hope I don't pass out like I'm in a hot spring.' He thought wearily.
"Oooooooooooooh, bold of you Aussa!" Wynn swooned, watching them from the 'screen'.
"Ugh… how boring… They're just going to talk?" Hiita groaned out.
"Someone gag me…" Dharc blanched.
"I don't get it…" Lyna tilted her cutely. Ah~ the sweet innocence of youth at its finest.
"Now now, we all made a promise not to judge how our trials go." Doriado said, slightly swatting Hiita and Dharc with a rolled up paper. "We use our Elemental Trials to train and test those who have potential. We do not judge how it works as it is the Element's Primordial Nature that shows us these trials."
"Yes ma'am…" Hiita and Dharc grumbled.
"That being said…" Doriado looked at the projection, "Regardless if he passes or not… I do wonder how these two will become and if such feelings will emerge or fade?"
"I don't know about that. I mean the guy shot her down the moment Wynn started yapping."
"Hey~! I call it how I see it." Wynn huffed in annoyance. Dharc's eye twitched, as if he was annoyed.
"Hm? What's wrong, Dharc?" Lyna asked. "You look kinda mad."
"I'm not…" Dharc answered stoically.
"Aww, mad she didn't mention yo-" Wynn attempted to tease her brother.
"I will blind you if you even say anything else…" He threatened her.
"Mmmmmm…" Wynn puffed her cheeks. "You're just as dense as him."
"Mmm… can't I be next?" Lyna questioned, as she just wanted to play with the new mage.
"Sorry dear. But you're still a little too young to be his teacher." Doriado smiled sadly.
"But I wanna play with him!" Lyna pouted.
"Maybe after Hiita's trial… as long as she doesn't burn him to a crisp…" Doriado seat dropped.
"Yay!" Lyna beamed happily.
For nearly two hours, Kuromu and Aussa stayed in the mud pits. His eyes were closed as he tried to concentrate, pondering and meditating on how to be one with the earth. But then… how could he concentrate, when Aussa's right there in front of him? Especially with her chest just threatening to bulge out of the mud! 'She's close…! Too close! No! No, don't think of her that way! We just met!"
Speaking of…
"Um… Aussa?"
"Hm? W-What is it?" Aussa asked, looking at him.
"Uh… I've been wanting to say something." Kuromu said, before he bowed to her in apology. "I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Aussa blinked in confusion.
"The other day… when we first met. When Wynn was going off about you having a crush on me… I… didn't take your feelings into account when I said those things. I'm sorry…" He apologized again.
Aussa shook her head, "It's okay. I know you weren't meaning anything truly awful." She reassured him with a smile.
"Still, what was Wynn thinking, trying to hook us up…" Kuromu grumbled. "It's not like I need to find a girlfriend right now…"
"She knows I like to read fantasy novels, especially with a charming prince." Aussa sighed. "She thinks she can try to find me one by putting me in scenarios where it 'could' happen. Please forgive my lovesick sister…"
"It's fine…" Kuromu sighed.
"Anywho, once this test is complete, we can move onto learning the basics of Earth Magic." Aussa reassured him that his time in the mud baths isn't going to waste away.
"Works for me." Kuromu shrugged.
"So… do you like books?"
"Yeah, read 'em all the time." Kuromu answered. "I'm currently reading my Potions book I got from the Royal Magical Library a while back."
Aussa smiled upon hearing it, "Sounds like you're wanting to give others proper help compared to simple healing spells, no?"
"Of course, I mean I can't always rely on magic, all the time. So I have to come up with alternatives." Kuromu shrugged. "Besides, I always found alchemy interesting, getting to mix different things. Though… I'm not allowed to blow stuff up in my cauldron for the sake of blowing things up…" He pouted.
"Hehe, sounds like fun." Aussa giggled a bit, "What about stories? Any type of genre you like?" She asked as they both got closer again.
"Hmmmm… well, adventure, action, maybe a bit of drama and suspense, mystery here and there. And yeah, a bit of romance, realistic mind you." He said with emphasis.
"Heh, I understand. Fantasy and adventure are my favorites too alongside anytype of romance." Aussa smiled. "Now, I want to test something." She said as she made an orange orb of light, letting it float around the two to see how Kuromu would react.
"Huh? What's this?" Kuromu tilted his head curiously.
"Energy of the earth."
"Okay, and… what does this do?"
"That's for you to figure out." Aussa informed.
"Huh…" Kuromu muttered, reaching out towards it, but it moved away. "Eh?" He blinked, reaching for it again but again it moved. It then became something of a comical chase of Kuromu chasing the orb in a cat and mouse-like fashion as he tried to swipe it numerous times, only to fail. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiss…"
"You still don't understand what using the Earth truly means." She reminded him with a sweat drop, mainly because of Kuromu hissing like a cat.
"Mmmmm…" Kuromu pouted, sinking his body deeper into the mud up to his neck. He then got a sneaky idea and cupped his hands in a certain way and-
*SPURT!*
"Hah!" Kuromu fired a mud shot at the orb with his hand… only for it to miss. "Hah?!"
Aussa sighed as she shook her head, knowing that he's missing the point of being one with the earth and learning from the energy of the earth are very different matters.
"Seems he's still having some trouble with the lesson." Eria sighed softly.
"And what's with him taking a jab at me?" Wynn huffed in annoyance with puffed cheeks, while crossing her arms.
"I mean… he's not wrong, since you are kinda delusional…" Dharc muttered.
"What was that?!" Wynn snapped, before pulling on Dharc's cheek. "Say that again, I dare you…!"
"Owowowowow, cut it out!"
"Master~ they're fighting again~" Lyna tattle-taled.
"Now, now you two. Please get along." Doraido said, as a threatening aura leaked out of her smile.
The two of them flinched, when they felt their Master's wrath through her smile, before Wynn let go of Dharc's cheek and both looked away from each other with a huff.
"Idiots…" Hiita scoffed in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, what was that, dear?" Doriado smiled again, this time the threatening level of her aura being much more aggressive.
"I-It's nothing…" Hiita shivered, not wanting to make things worse for herself again.
"Haaa… haaa… haaaa…" Kuromu panted heavily. After twenty minutes of chasing and attempting to catch the Earth Energy orb, he had gotten too tired. Plus, all the mud on him made his body even heavier, making it more difficult for him to move around.
Aussa sat there as she watched, waiting for him to realize what this full entails with his progress.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah, I'm done…" Kuromu sighed heavily. "I got nowhere."
Aussa sighed as she shook her head, "Seems you're still struggling with the concept of this trial…"
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Kuromu pouted.
"What is your concept of Earth? What do you think it's meant to be and what purpose it has?" She questioned him.
"Uhhhhh…" Kuromu trailed off as he pondered. "It's… meant to sustain life, stay solid, and be a huge force of nature?"
Aussa shook her head, "That's what you were taught. Not what your true concept of it is." Aussa pointed out.
"Eh?" Kuromu blinked in confusion.
"For me? My concept of Earth is more than that… Without it and water? We wouldn't exist. The Earth gives us so much more than solid ground or a powerful force. To me? Earth is a balance…" Aussa said as she made some mud float up before it began to take shape, forming into other sources of earth from sand, to rock, to even a gem stone.
"That's…"
"You could only form shapes with only just the dirt on the ground, correct?" Aussa asked, to which Kuromu nodded. "Why do you think the shapes lost form as soon as you lost concentration?" She asked, to which the young man almost gawked.
"I uh… well…" Kuromu began.
"When Earth is gathered together, it returns to whence it came, but if you add something to hold it together, like this mud bath for example, it's not so easy to return to its original form, now does it." Aussa explained.
"That… totally makes sense." Kuromu deflated.
"Now with that knowledge… what is your next move?"
Kuromu thought about it as he held up his muddy hand and looked at it. After a few moments, he cupped it with his fingers spread out and closed his eyes to concentrate. Moments later, the mud on his body trembled and quaked as if something was trying to pull it away. It struggled to hold on, but eventually, the mud had no choice but to let go as it now gravitated towards his hand in pieces.
Aussa watched and waited, seeing if her words gave him some insight on how to tackle this next trial.
The mud that gathered soon turned into a mud ball. Not only that, the Earth Energy Orb started gravitating towards his hand as well. Slowly but surely, but it was progress nonetheless.
Aussa smiled, seeing that it may have worked before she got out to clean up and dress back up, knowing that the rest was his duty to figure it out. She just had to wait and see.
'Concentrate… don't overdo it… just like with the Mana Crystal…' he said to himself.
Little by little the mud on him and the Earth Energy Orb gravitate towards his hand as the mud ball grew larger and larger, as it was now the size of a beach ball. Moments later, the Earth Energy Orb found itself being absorbed into the mud ball. When it was completely inside, the mud ball started glowing from within.
Kuromu felt the energy spiking from inside as he opened his eyes. "Uh… Aussa! I think I did something!"
"Good job! Keep it up!" Aussa praised him. But then her eyes widened, when the mudball something floated up higher and into the sky, then it started really shining bright.
"Uh… is it supposed to do that?" Kuromu couldn't help but ask, while staring wide-eyed at the floating shining mudball.
"I… don't know. I never seen it before."
Back at the house, Shizuka's eyes widened considerably as she kept her eyes on the 'screen' of the astral projection in front of her. Never did she think that her apprentice would have such an excellent aptitude in Earth Magic. However, it was because of that very reason, that it started to alarm her. Given the signs he got from the Mana Crystal training and the Healing Potions he had made… it would stand to reason that this accomplishing milestone is putting him in grave danger.
"Doriado." Shizuka said, alerting her friend. "You need to set up a barrier, quickly!"
"Is it-" Doriado asked, but Shizuka's nod was all she needed to know. The Elemental Mage nodded back as she clapped her hands together, forming the said barrier. She was thankful that Shizuka gave her a quick lesson on how to form it, as it was the same kind of barrier that Shizuka had used on her home to ensure the boy's safety.
"Huh? What are you doing, Master?" Lyna asked curiously, tilting her head in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
"Think of it as something only meant for Shizuka's eyes only." Doriado informed them.
"Oh… okay!" She chirped, before looking back to the 'screen' to watch the rest of the trial.
"Rather naive of her to… take your word for it." Shizuka stated.
"Innocence can usually lead to understanding." Doriado noted. "Still… it was a good call on your end. I hadn't realized that his progression became… significantly different from what you've told me."
"Yes. I can only hope that it was not enough for our enemies to notice…" Shizuka frowned.
Meanwhile, the mudball continued shining brightly as it floated there while Kuromu and Aussa could only stare at it in awe and surprise. Just what was happening? Aussa didn't know it was supposed to do that. Neither did Kuromu. He didn't know what he just did. He was only doing what he was taught and now it was turning into something he didn't know he was capable and was starting to panic. "Uh… how do I stop this?!"
"I… I don't know… This is something entirely new to me." Aussa shook her head, unsure how to fix this.
As if things couldn't get any weirder, the World Tree started glowing as well.
"Now what?!" Kuromu cried out.
Motes of magical energy from the World Tree started seeping out of tree which was then absorbed into the mudball, and eventually started cracking. The rays of light from the Earth Energy Orb seeped through the web of cracks, before it finally shattered the mudball shell. The Earth Energy Orb was glowing brighter than ever and more powerful than earlier. After that, it slowly floated down and towards Kuromu.
Kuromu looked at Aussa in bewildered confusion. "What do I do?"
"I… I think it wants you to take it…" She muttered.
"Are you sure?" He asked unsurely.
"What else is there?" She pointed out.
Kuromu looked back at the Earth Energy Orb apprehensively for a few moments, before gulping and reaching out towards it. The next thing that happened was that it was absorbed into his body, which glowed intensely around his body frame before it eventually faded.
"This is…" Kuromu got out. "I don't know what just happened, but I think… I got some sort of power boost."
"I… think that was the World Tree accepting you… I think you just passed the test." Aussa said with surprise.
"So… this means, mission accomplished?" Kuromu asked with a sheepish grin.
"Seems like it. Congratulations." Aussa smiled sweetly.
"YES!" Kuromu cheered, punching his fist into the mud pit… only for it to glow and… solidify! "Uh…" He said wide-eyed, before he tried to move, "Oh no, I'm stuck…! Ergh! Errrrrrrrrgh! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" He grunted, trying to free himself from the now dried up mud pit.
"Hehe, maybe you should relax a bit?" Aussa giggled.
"But I've been stuck here for hours!" Kuromu complained.
"Then think of a way to get unstuck. Can't be as hard as it is now." Aussa joked with a giggle.
"Oh very funny." Kuromu deadpanned, before he pushing his hands on the solid mud in an attempt to push himself out again. "Errrrrrrrrgh! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! Come on! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
"You can do it, just keep trying." Aussa giggled as she walked off to the entrance.
"Aussa, don't leave me behind! Help me out! AUSSAAAAAAAAA!"
"See you at the entrance, Kuromu." She said with a wave.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Serves you right!" Wynn laughed, holding her stomach, as tears of joy broke out of her eyes. "Oh this is too funny!"
"Seems he still has a long way to go." Eria sighed softly. "Hope Hiita won't be too tough on him."
"Shouldn't we help him get out?" Lyna asked, tilting her head. "He looks like he's having a hard time."
"He can do it himself." Dharc huffed with annoyance. "Besides, he's an expert in Earth Magic with that power boost. For someone so compatible with Earth, he's clearly dense like it too."
"Come now, Dharc. No need to be rude to our guest." Doriado said to him.
"Hmph. Whatever. At the end of the day, he hasn't shown anything that's earned my respect." He said, before walking off. Doriado sighed at this. Those trust issues are still something that he needed to work on. Though she couldn't help but wonder why he was this upset to begin with.
"Still as prideful and as protective as ever." Doriado sighed with a slight shake of her head. She then turned to Shizuka. "I'm sorry about my apprentice's behavior, Shizuka."
"It is alright, Doriado. I know he wants to put on a brave face and show off to you." Shizuka reassured with a smile. "I only hope his tasks with Hiita do not become heavy on him."
"She may be rough around the edges, but… she does have a soft spot. She only… doesn't express it that well."
"Like Dharc when he talks about Master!" Lyna beamed happily and innocently.
"Hm?" Shizuka raised an eyebrow, before looking at her friend. "Doriado, is it possible that your apprentice-"
"Oh, I'm quite aware." She giggled, "Just waiting for him to stop being so stingy and just confess."
"Of course… that is much like you." Shizuka said dryly with a sweat drop.
"I prefer them to be honest to me, as well as not see me as some trophy or prize to win. Like those in the Citadel." She rolled her eyes from the several nobles trying to win her over.
"I do not even want to think back on our days in the Academy." Shizuka groaned in annoyance. "Their behavior now is still deplorable back then."
"One reason why we both chose to be out of their reach, so we can find our true charmers who won our hearts." The mage winked playfully. "As for your case, you may not realize it now, but I think something beautiful will happen with you and your apprentice."
"Surely, you do not mean…" Shizuka trailed off, before shaking her head. "No. Impossible. There is no such thing between us. We are merely student and teacher."
"Maybe you just aren't looking carefully."
Shizuka remained silent as she pondered on this. 'Surely, there cannot be anything between Kuromu and I… is there?' Sht thought to herself as she continued to watch the 'screen', Kuromu still struggling to get out of his predicament.
