Hello again! Last time we saw Marta, she was training with Vermillion as the former Special Unit members have taken up training Marta so she knew how to fight different opponents of unique fighting styles and techniques. Although Marta lost the training session, it was still a worthwhile effort.

Later that night, while learning a variety of new magic spells from Selene, Marta learned about Selene's tragic past of love and tragic heartbreak regarding her family and her boyfriend, Soleil, who died protecting her, but not before they reaffirmed their love for one another.

With the pain in Selene's heart beginning to heal, will Marta be able to face Vermillion in another sparring session? We'll see the results once we check on Marta and the others in the present...


Grass Field Outskirts [Present Day]

The recent recount of events was notably much lighter than what transpired in Izoold. Marta being with a group of friends she trusted certainly helped. Needless to say, everyone felt a little bad for Marta losing to Vermillion in their sparring match, even though Raine, Sheena and Regal expected that what was going to happen. Needless to say, based on what Marta and Tenebrae said, Vermillion was a rather patient and mindful teacher, which made her well suited to be Marta's second teacher. However, the fact she ate her dinner away from her friends and cleaned her body elsewhere came off as something strange indeed. At this point, Emil and the Heroes of World Regeneration began to wonder if Marta EVER saw Vermillion's face or not.

"Sounds like Vermillion put you through the works, huh Marta dear?" Zelos asked Marta in regards to the match between Marta and the Lady Knight. Although, Zelos was a bit disappointed he hasn't met these girls. Based on Marta and Tenebrae's descriptions, there were five lovely ladies he could have taken out on a date. Maybe he could've unmasked Vermillion himself.

"Yeah and even then, she was holding back. I hardly did much to her other than make her slightly worn. Even so, I'm glad she was my first sparring partner. If it was Topaz... she'd probably would have broken a couple... no, a LOT of bones..." Marta replied, recalling how patient and observant Vermillion was in regards to teaching her. However, she cringed and smiled nervously about how bad it would've been if Topaz taught her first, a sentiment the others shared. Thankfully, she wasn't the first or even her second sparring teacher.

"She must have been really strong. I'm curious, how would you compare her to Regal?" Lloyd asked Marta about Topaz for a moment in regards of her strengh to Regal, something that took the Lezerano President by surprise. Why the comparison?

"Huh? I've never really thought about it. I mean, both Topaz and Regal are both strong in their own way and they fight completely differently, so I'm not too sure how my input would be here. But, if Topaz was here, she probably say *Ahem* "Hey you! You look pretty strong there! How about a round to see which of us is the stronger martial arts fight!?", something among those lines." Marta replied, giving her own thoughts before breaking into her own impersonation of Topaz, earning her some laughter from everyone present, Regal, Raine and Tenebrae included. Marta was a bit thankful Topaz wasn't here right now or she'd probably give her a mean noogie for that.

"If she had asked me that, I would respectively decline. I'd be humbled by her compliments, but I don't actively seek out fights or accept random challenges." Regal followed up after calming down from his slight chuckle at Marta's Topaz talk. Regal is modest as always.

"Come on Regal, I'm pretty sure you'd be able to do well against her!" Genis chimed in, confident that Regal would win against Topaz.

"I don't know, this Topaz lady might give Regal trouble." Sheena chimed in, earning some disagreements and rebuttels while Regal remained silent. However, Emil then looked at Marta and thought about what she said about Selene toward the end...

"Marta... will... will Selene be okay...?" Emil asked his beloved about her look alike, prompting everyone to stop their current conversation. Initially, it seemed like they didn't want to dive head first into Selene's troubled past. Before Zelos asked about Vermillion, a part of him was filled with boiling, bubbling rage that a Tethe'allan noble murdered Selene's lover, a sentiment Regal, Sheena and Presea all shared as fellow Tethe'allans. If Zelos ever met this guy, he'd do everything in his power to remove this guys noble status before smashing his legs again, the latter of which he intend to do in secret.

"I believe that after hearing her out, Selene... I believe she's finally began to heal... when we settled in, she told us stories about her best friend, Soleil. She didn't tell the others what she told me at that moment in time, so everyone was surprised to hear this and yet, they were interested. When I fell alseep that night, I made out her wedding ring still within her hand, as if she finally grabbed hold of Soleil's hand after losing him." Marta answered the best way she could. Eventually, Selene would tell the others what happened to her and Soleil, but at that moment in time, just being able to help Selene was enough for her.

"Marta... I'm sorry for what happened to Selene and Soliel..." Colette apologized for once again, The Chosen blamed herself for what happened to Marta's friend. Not only did Marta lose her mom during The Giant Tree Rampage, but Selene and Soliel lost both of their families before Selene lost Soleil. Marta however, wasn't going to have any of it...

"Colette... I can't speak for Selene about forgiving you or not, but I do know for a fact that she never blamed you for what happened. I think she wouldn't want you to apologize for what happened. If anything, she's more mature than I was back then." Marta explained to Colette in hopes that she wouldn't blame herself for what happened to Selene and her loved ones while repremending herself for how short sighted she was in regards to Colette once again. It's apparent that the young girl feels awful for how she treated Colette back then. While she wasn't wrong to feel that way, how she acted certainly could have been better...

"Marta..." Colette simply said as she was touched by what Marta told her what Selene said to her.

"I... I think the two of you are too harsh on yourselves... I understand that you both wished you could have done things differently... however, what we need to do is to focus on how we can make things better in the present." Presea spoke up in hopes of reassuring Colette and Marta in regards to how harsh they are on themselves. It appears out of everyone, Colette and Marta respectively are their own worst critics. Granted, everyone has been hard on themselves, but it's apparent that everyone stopped being so harsh on themselves with Emil, Marta and Colette still beating themselves over it.

"Marta, Colette... I don't know how to say this, but you don't need to put so much onto yourselves. I don't have a right to say much... but I don't think you need to blame yourselves for something out of your control or for something you can make amends for." Emil said, at least hoping that Colette will stop blaming herself for the Ginat Tree Rampage and for Marta to cease being difficult on herself. While Emil can't forgive himself for murdering Aster and hurting Richter, he didn't want Marta and Colette to think they can't forgive themselves.

"Presea...Emil..." Marta simply replied, understanding that they want her to ease up on herself. She still intends to turn herself in, but... maybe, just maybe... she should TRY to forgive herself once she forgives Colette.

"I appreciate what you both are telling us... thank you both..." Colette replied with a thankful smile. The Chosen was always so selfless that it is just as detrimental to her as it is a boon. She's not sure if she can fully be considered blameless for what happened, but perhaps someday, she might stop blaming herself for The Giant Tree Rampage.

"Lady Marta, if it is alright with you, how about I explain what happened next while you take a breather?" Tenebrae asked Marta, figuring she could rest for a little while in regards to the story.

"S-Sure Tenebrae." Marta replied, figuring she could use this as an opportunity to take in what Presea and Emil told her and Colette.

"After we all rested and when morning broke, Lady Marta and the others had their brekfast before we moved out toward a mountain area where Lady Marta and Vermillion would have another sparring session. This time however, Lady Marta would utilize what Selene had taught her the night before..." Tenebrae explained as he recalled that session with strong memory. Usually, it took multiple attempts before making a solid comeback, but that second spar between Marta and Vermillion was something he could never forget...


Mountain Region [Second Day with the Special Unit]

Marta, Tenebrae and the others made their way through the mountain trail two hours after they woke up from a peaceful slumber. After having their breakfast and getting their equipment packed up, they made their way through the path. Vermillion suggested they hold off on their second sparring session until they find a good spot to do so. The trails went up and down along with some curving terrain. Needless to say, Marta was handling it pretty well for she had to walk a lot when it was just her and her father. However, Marta noticed Selene was in a more... sociable mood the she was originally, much to her happiness.

"H-hey Selene? I didn't know you like jewelry..." Emerald said as she spoke to Selene. This caught Marta's attention as she looked to see Selene wearing the wedding ring Soliel gave her. Marta made a small gasp that no one heard as a few tears clung to her eyes in response to seeing her dark haired counterpart wear the ring she couldn't bring herself to look at for a long time.

"Oh this? I didn't wear it much but... it holds a lot of sentimental value to me, so I decided to put it on." Selene replied somewhat nervously with a small blush. Marta could've sworn Selene whispered "Finally" to herself.

"Is this related to the Soliel guy you told us about? Was it a present from him?" Topaz teased Selene with a cheeky grin. Marta frowned a little upon hearing it, but she couldn't be angry at her since Selene has yet to tell them about what happened to him, nor has she confirmed that he was her boyfriend. She only hoped Selene didn't take it personally.

"Y... You can say that..." Selene replied while turning her head away slightly. Needless, Topaz was interested in one way or another while Emerald looked a little guilty.

"Hey Topaz, there's no need to mess with her on this." Marta spoke up, knowing full well that Selene hasn't revealed the tragic truth of what happened to Soleil. Not even Emerald knew the full story and yet she knew Soleil met a tragic end since she overheard Alice's verbal attack on Selene, hence her look of guilt. Yet, Marta's words didn't go unnoticed...

"Wait, what? Either my circuits are fried... or I'm hearing things. You're potentially hearing about an unspoken romance... and you're not gonna press it Marta?" Azure said while cleaning the dirt off her glasses, nearly dropping them upon hearing Marta telling Topaz not to tease her. Marta couldn't fault her as one discussion they all had, Scarlet and Lavender included, was about when they had a crush on a boy they liked once. In fact, it was one way the Special Unit occasionally protected Marta from Alice's bullying. Teasing the Combat Unit Captain about her "supposed" feelings toward Decus. Even Scarlet loved doing it!

'Scarlet... Lavender...' Marta thought sadly for a moment. She wished the two of them would be here right now and if she could, try to make it right by them both and show Scarlet that genocide isn't the answer. After a minute, she continued on her current topic.

"There's just no reason too right now. B-Besides, we don't know if they were in a relationship or not." Marta followed up, fighting back the romantic within her. Besides, she knew there wasn't anything to gain from it, knowing full well Selene's beloved is... dead. Marta noticed Selene smile a little in regards to what her former captain is doing for her.

"That isn't like you Marta... but if you say so. Sorry Selene." Topaz replied to Marta before turning to Selene and apologizing to her while scratching the back of her head. Marta and Tenebrae knew that Topaz wasn't trying to hurt Selene, but it was obviously still a sore spot.

"It's okay. However... it is a present from Soleil." Selene accepted the apology, but noted that Topaz wasn't wrong either. Marta then noticed Emerald backed up to her.

"M-Marta... remember what Alice said about Soleil... d-did Selene tell you anything?" Emerald whispered to Marta, at least wanting to know the full story. Marta can't blame her for it as the kunoichi was concerned about her dark haired friend.

"Y-yes... but I can't say anything... if Selene says anything, I'd rather let her do it then break her trust by saying it out loud..." Marta whispered back, figuring it'd be best for Selene to come forward with everyone else in regards to Soleil.

"Okay... I'll turst your judgment." Emerald replied with an understanding smile before running up to catch up with the others. Marta was happy that the kunoichi's spirits have grown ever since they left Izoold.

"She's quite different from the panic striken girl we saw back in the forest." Tenebrae said as he poofed nearby Marta and walked alongside her.

"Yeah, but I'm happy for her. Not only has she made peace with her past and moved forward, but even Azure opened up to us. I hope Selene can do the same eventually..." Marta replied in a bittersweet tone. While seeing her friends cry made her sad, she knew that for the pain to leave, they need a chance to let it out.

Once more, her thought to Colette came back. Initially, it was anger about confronting her, than dread... now it was anxiety. What would she do if the rumors of her running away are false? Would she forgive her right there? Would she continue pressing her? What... would she do? Marta knew however that she's not after her for revenge... compared to...

'Lloyd Irving... why? Why would he and the Church of Martel destroy Palmacosta? What would he have to gain from helping Tethe'alla?' Marta thought to herself as she never once gave thought as to why Lloyd would do the things he did to Palmacosta. He apparently fought for Sylvarant and helped create the New World they now lived in, so why would he destory a Sylvaranti city? It didn't make any sense and yet... it didn't change the fact that Marta now hated him for burning her home to the ground. Not to mention, the Church itself is not the same as how it was, with the Sylvaranti branch now submissive to the Tethe'allan branch, which Marta had mixed feelings on. She felt a mix of pity and disappointment toward the Sylvaranti branch for not standing up to the Tethe'allan branch while feeling resentment and disgust toward the Tethe'allan branch for being cruel to the Sylvaranti, including the branch that fell under their dominance.

"Lady Marta?" Marta snapped out of her thought as soon as the Centurion of Darkness called out for her.

"Y-Yes Tenebrae?" Marta replied, clearly having been zoned out as she tried to make sense of the reason why Lloyd and the Chruch would even attack Palmacosta. Granted, they were fighting against the Vanguard as Palmacosta supported the group Marta helped found, before and after their militarant change. Was the Church THAT threatened by the Vanguard that they raize the city? Despite that, it still gave Marta no answer in regards to Lloyd's motive.

"What were you thinking about?" Tenebrae inquired Marta, showing some concern about her being out of it in her own mind after asking about her friends.

"It's about Lloyd and The Church of Martel... I was wondering why they destroyed Palmacosta during the Blood Purge." Marta answered Tenebrae as she had no reason to keep her thoughts hidden from Tenebrae. After all, she was forthcoming with him and she had no reason to start now.

"Maybe Emerald and the others have an idea. If Decus knew about it, maybe they do as well." Tenebrae suggested as Marta took deep consideration at what he suggested. It would be easy to understand if she asked them...


Mountain Region [Clearing]

It must have been around 10:30 AM when Marta and the others found a clearing. Vermillion took time to inspect it, deeming it a good place to rest and to do the next sparring session, as it would give Marta a chance to adapt to her surroundings. Up until now, Marta's been fighting in open spaces with the only time she had limited room was on the ship she and Tenebrae fled from Palmacosta on.

Taking the moment to do so, Marta decided to ask everyone present about the Blood Purge and what they knew. To Marta's surprise, they don't know much like how it happened or what was already known. All Marta learned was that when the Blood Purge happened, her Unit did the following;

Emerald and Lavender were searching for Marta during the attack, concerned for her safety. Ultimately, they found nothing.

Topaz, Scarlet and Vermillion fended off the Church of Martel Knights to halt their attack, even managing to subdue and capture a few of them to interrogate them later on.

Azure protected as many civilians as she could, leading them out as best she could with the other soldiers. She was also the one who found Richter and Alice in the water near the docks and used a boat to row out and retrive them, although she hoped on letting Alice flail around for a little more.

Selene was around Brute at the time, making sure she protected him from harm during the scuffle, even helping him fight off his attackers.

Needless to say, it answered what they were doing during that time and in return, Marta told them about what she and Tenebrae went throught during the Blood Purge. It was fortunate none of them died or even ran into Lloyd.

"I'm just glad you were all unharmed from that mess..." Marta said, expressing her relief that her friends got out safely before turning to Selene.

"And thank you for keeping Daddy safe Selene..." Marta replied with gratitude toward her dark haired look alike for protecting her remaining family.

"You're welcome... although he didn't need much protection. He is the Vanguard's commander and possess some powerful Artes, including fire, dark and earth. But what concerned me is that he uses magic..." Selene explained, mentioning Brute's strength. Marta recalled that he recently started using a staff to fight lately. However, what Selene said...

"M-magic? Daddy can use magic?" Marta inquired in surprise. He never used magic before, even when they both traveled as he mostly fought off anyone trying to hurt them himself with his own two hands.

"Yes, I don't know how... but he's able to use some form of magic. It's possible he might have some elf blood in your family tree, but it's just speculation at best. Another possible explanation might be the Sylvarant Dynasty. " Selene said while placing a finger to her chin, as if she's curious about it herself. Needless to say, Marta and the other Special Unit members were all curious about where Marta and Brute obtained their magic from to begin with.

"What still boggles my mind is Lloyd leading the charge? I mean didn't he unite the worlds to being peace?" Topaz added on, raising the same point that confused Marta and the others present.

"That is quite the puzzle, isn't it? All I do know is that unless we are proven otherwise, is that he betrayed our country and killed a lot of people. I'm afraid we must classify him as an enemy." Azure said while cleaning her glasses, saying the one thing the girls and Tenebrae can agree.

"However... I must suggest we avoid fighting him for now." Azure continued as she put her glasses back on her face. This prompted mixed expressions from everyone present.

"Why not? If he's really lost his mind, we should stop him! I mean, we managed to kick Alice's ass, along with her monsters! We can take him!" Topaz argued back, bringing up their accomplishment back in Izoold a few days ago. It was obvious to everyone present that defeating Alice gave them all a boost in confidence.

"While it is true we were able to defeat Alice... it doesn't change the fact that Selene and myself still got hurt in that fight, not to mention that everyone else, you included, got worn down with Vermillion being the exception. Besides, Lloyd is on a completely different level. I believe that if Alice tried to fight him, either by herself or with backup from her monsters or the Combat Unit, she would most likely die. I doubt even Decus or Richter could do well against him very long unless they had gained a boost in power. So unless we REALLY have to fight him, we should avoid Lloyd until we are strong enough to do so." Azure explained to Topaz as she recalled that that everyone barely managed to beat the Combat Unit Cpatain in addition to mentioning that it would be suicide for Alice, Decus and Richter to try and fight Lloyd. Hearing that caused everyone to hush up, including Topaz.

"R-right. Besides, even if we run into him, I can just use a smoke bomb and get ourselves out of there." Emerald reassured everyone present about her smoke bombs. While it can be considered cowardly. It is better to run away to live and fight another day.

"Sorry we can't answer your questions about the Blood Purge Lady Marta." Vermillion followed up in a down tone as she wished that she could give Marta and Tenebrae the answers they wanted.

"No, it's okay. Besides, hopefully... we can stop Lloyd and make him answer for what he did to Palmacosta." Marta bluntly replied with everyone nodding in agreement. While taking Azure's advice to heart, they all agreed to not let this injustice stand.


Mountain Region [Clearing, 20 Minutes Later...]

After taking the time to rest and get their thoughts in order, Marta and Vermillion took their places on opposite sides of the clearing while Tenebrae and the girls took a good distance away to give the two enough room to spar without getting caught up.

"Are you prepared Lady Marta?" Vermillion said as she strapped on her shield and pull out her sword.

"Anytime Vermillion!" Marta replied as she strapped on her spinner before flicking her arm in front of her face to extend the blade, all while wearing a determined smile. Tenebrae only hoped that Marta didn't get overconfident just because she learned a few new spells from Selene. Upon looking at the other girls, he could see Topaz getting pumped up, Emerald balling her fists up in anxiety and a firce look, Azure calmly observing the match and Selene held her hands up to her chest, one hand clutching the one hand with her ring. They are clearly anticipating this match.

Vermillion and Marta each picked up a rock and after a moment, they both tossed it up into the air. This was how they would start off each sparring match. Both Marta and her teacher would toss up a rock into the sky and once they hit the ground, they would begin. Eventually, as if they fell in slow motion, the rocks fell and...

*CLANG!*

In the blink of an eye, Marta and Vermillion rushed forwad, clashing their weapons against each other before Marta broke away with a kick to Vermillion's shield to push her back, remembering that locking the Lady Knight in place prompted her to kick out her feet last time and get a few licks in. As soon as she got some distance in, Vermillion got her barrings and begin to make her way toward Marta, with the young girl jumping over her sword swing. As soon as Marta landed, she immediately ducked underneath the shield about to hit her before slashing back into Vermillion's armor, causing the Lady Knight to jump away a little bit. Needless to say, the girls were impressed by Marta's tenacity as far as Tenebrae can tell.

"Impressive... you remembered your mistakes from our first session, but don't assume it will be an easy feat." Vermillion replied with a small chuckle while touching the scratch on her armor's breast plate, as yesterday, Marta could land so much as a scratch on her armor.

"Yeah, I know. I rather you not take it easy." Marta replied with a cheeky smirk. She had to admit that despite holding her own yesterday, she left herself open a lot, hence why she decided to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee whenever she can. It was obvious to Marta that she can't take that many hits as it took a few clean strikes from Vermillion and she was down. She needed to know when to go it and break away when possible. A few moments of silence passed and then...

*SCRAPE!*

*CLANG!*

*CLUNG!*

The sound of metal scraping and clashing each other echoed as Marta and Vermillion continued their session. Tenebrae and the girls watched in amazment at seeing Marta learn from her mistakes and hold her own against the Lady Knight. The two clashed, but not landing a single hit. Eventually, it got to a point where Tenebrae sensed Vermillion pull out something...

"Pawn's Defense!" Vermillion shouted as she charged lightning into her shield and rammed it forward toward Marta, with the young girl barely managing to block it with her spinner. Last time, this was how Vermillion beat Marta after the toung girl healed herself. This time, she managed to denfend herself and than...

"Crescent Dance!" Marta replied back as she proceeded to use her overhead slash against Vermillion's shield and use the horizontal slash to knock her sword to the side. Afterward, Marta ran up to try and kick the Lady Knight, who managed to recover and push the young girl back. Eventually, the two ran around in circles, until Marta landed a few nicks on Vermillion's armor and Vermillion got a couple of cuts in on Marta. Even when holding back, sparring can be dangerous. Eventually, they were locked in another weapon clash until...

*THUD!*

"Mmf!?" Vermillion grunted in pain as Marta kneed Vermillion in her stomach before back-flipping away from her and began to cast a spell on herself.

"First Aid!" Marta shouted as she healed whatever injuries she sustained. As she saw Vermillion slowly get herself back up, Marta quickly casted another spell on herself. As soon as Vermillion got up to her feet and was about to charge again...

"Barrier!" Marta shouted as she increased her own defense and with that, proceeded to charge Vermillion, the latter of who stumbled in her tracks momentarily before regaining herself. Tenebrae smirked in satisfaction of Marta using one of the spells Selene taught her. When he turned to look, he saw Selene smile slightly in satisfaction and saw the other girls gasp in surprise at this "new" spell she just used.

The two girls went back and forth with each other. Clearly not relenting as they continued back and forth with one another. Eventually, Barrier wore off, but it was enough for Marta to withstand the occasional hit she took from Vermillion's attacks. The two stood facing each other, panting and breathing. Vermillion's armor is covered in scratches and had a few dents while Marta is sweating hard and had some dirt on her clothes.

'She's... she's still tough... despite learning from yesterday's fight... she's putting me on my toes. Even so... I need to... no... I MUST win this!' Marta thought to herself with determination to try and become stronger as thoughts of her mother and the green-eyed boy entered her mind. She began to cast another spell as Vermillion got up and charged lightning around her blade and charged forth.

"You're wide open! Bishop's Thrust!" Vermillion said as she proceeded to thrust her sword forth. Thankfully, whenever she used this against a humanoid opponent, she never runs them through unless she wills it too. However, before the blade can hit Marta, she broke out of her concentration and lept over Vermillion at the last second as the Lady Knight charged into the wall, embedding her sword into it.

'I'm starting to feel dizzy...! Time to give this my all!' Marta said as she began to cast her strongest attack. The one arte she had yet to show Vermillion. Not even Azure and Selene know about it yet as only Emerald and Topaz saw it.

"God of healing, bless those who stand before you. Grant me the righteous power to banish evil..." Marta chanted as she charged the energy within herself, her spinner spinning faster and then lept up into the air just as Vermillion pulled her blade loose as the magic circle surrounded her.

"Radiant Roar!" Marta shouted as her Mystic Arte took effect, healing her as the light magic damaged Vermillion. After the attack, Marta landed and made sure to prepare herself in case Vermillion had another trick up her sleeve. Vermillion took a couple of steps before falling to one knee, using her sword to steady herself. Although Marta held back her strength, she got concerned that she might have harmed Vermillion too much and became worried. After a moment or two, Vermillion stood up... but she placed her sword back in it's sheath, much to Marta's confusion. Vermillion then walked over to Marta and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I had no idea you had a Mystic Arte like that Lady Marta. You definitely saved your best move for last. Therefore, I concede this match. You are the victor this time around." Vermillion followed up with a happy tone of voice, signifying her pride in her former captain. This surprised Marta as she somehow managed to pull a win over the Lady Knight despite only facing her once.

"Vermillion... I... I don't know what to say..." Marta replied with a sense of disbelief as she lowered her head down, partially for going too far. Vermillion then lifted the young girl's chin up.

"People can get hurt in sparring sessions. After all, I may have gone a bit too far myself yesterday and today in regards to facing, for a knight's training is rigid and requires a ton of discipline. You possess a bright mind, but it would appear that you have yet to see it. I believe that's what allowed you to come out on top this time around." Vermillion continued, speaking in a manner that a teacher would. Hearing this, it cheered Marta up slightly.

"I'm sorry for getting carried away Vermillion..." Marta followed up with an apology.

"You have nothing to apologize for. However, I will accept it if you can forgive my harsh training." Vermillion said while offering her own apology. Marta then hugged the Lady Knight, with Vermillion returning it.

"You have nothing to apologize for either. Thank you." Marta said while thanking Vermillion for the session.

You are welcome Lady Marta." Vermillion replied as they stayed in place before breaking awaya and walking over to the others. Tenebrae can only smile in pride as the girls walked over.

"You were incredible Marta!" Emerald shouted as she hugged her former captain before breaking away.

"I must admit, you had some good planning out there." Azure said as she gave Marta a thumbs up for her effort.

"Hell yeah, you're pretty tough, ain't you?" Topaz said as she ruffled Marta's hair with a playful pat. Marta gracefully accepted it despite some annoyance.

"Good job Marta. You performed well out there." Selene simply replied with a bright smile. As Marta looked at her, she saw herself once more. To Marta, the fact she's smiling from the bottom of her heart meant a lot to her than she realized.

"Selene... you did well as Marta's magic instructor I see." Vermillion followed up, surprising the girls present, Selene included.

"Wait, you taught Marta magic? I thought Tenebrae did." Topaz asked in a befuddled tone of voice.

"It is true I taught Lady Marta how to use First Aid and inspired her to create her Mystic Arte, however Lady Marta specifically asked Selene how to teach her other spells, including Barrier." Tenebrae explained to everyone present to clarify where Marta learned what from.

"I hope it was alright Vermillion." Marta said to Vermillion, hoping it didn't do anything to make this match moot for learning a new spell outside of their session.

"It is quite alright. I think Selene is perfert to be your magic instructor. In fact, it might help for when you'll eventually have sparring matches with her later on. We will have two more sessions together before we switch with another one. For now, that will be it for today." Vermillion replied, expressing gratitude for Selene teaching her former captain a new lesson. After all, Selene did tell Marta what to do in this match.

With that, the girls celebrated Marta's first successful sparring match win with lunch before continuing along the mountain trail.


Lake

It was around nightfall when Marta and the others reached the bottom of the mountain. After finding a lake to clean themselves off and after having some dinner, Selene called Marta over to a private location, naturally with Tenebrae in tow.

"What do you need Selene?" Marta asked her dark haired counterpart to what she wanted.

"Remember what I said to you last night? If you somehow won against Vermillion, that I'd teach you a new spell. Specifically an Attack Type spell." Selene reminded Marta of whay she told her after her first magic lesson.

"Oh! Right, but is it okay?" Marta asked, but slightly unsure. After all, Marta only won the session due to Vermillion surrendering, not that she intended to take it THAT far, practice or not.

"A victory is still a victory Lady Marta." The Centurion of Darkness followed up. Even when trying to become strong, her compassion still remained. Granted, for someone who never learned how to fight until they left Palmacosta, it was understandable. However, that strong will of hers is always with her, but this whole thing was the key to making that will come to the forefront.

"This will require a ton of practice and effort, but the spell I wish to teach you is called Photon in addition to practicing your other spells. That aside, Vermillion is content with me teaching you magic. Shall we begin?" Selene replied as she pulled out her crop.

"Sure Selene! I'm ready when you are!" Marta said as she pulled out her spinner as she could concentrate a little better with it out. As the two girls practiced their magic, Tenebrae watched off to the side, content with seeing how close the two became.

However, Tenebrae couldn't help but feel that someone might be not be too far behind... even so, he hoped it was just his imagination.

To Be Continued...


And done!

Marta has managed to pull out a successful win against Vermillion. Plus, she now has an official magic teacher in Selene.

But, what's this watching presence that Tenebrae is feeling?

We'll find out next time!