Irfin didn't give them even a heartbeat of peace.
Irfin: "Lily. Lora. With me. Now."
Before they could reply, the ground beneath them burst into heat.
The entire field around them shimmered with rising waves of flame.
Lily stiffened.
Lora immediately pulled her slightly behind, protective on instinct.
Irfin smirked.
Irfin: "Lesson one: your enemies will not wait for your permission."
He snapped his fingers.
A pillar of flame exploded upward, barely missing Lily's shoulder.
Lily: "Agh..."
She yelped, stumbling back as heat seared her skin.
Lora cried out—
Lora: "Are you trying to kill her?!"
Irfin glanced over his shoulder, unimpressed.
Irfin: "If I wanted to kill her, you'd be holding her ashes."
He walked past them leisurely, each step igniting the ground beneath him.
Irfin: "Your job is to keep up. Try not to die."
He tossed a lazy glance back.
Irfin: "If you fall behind, I won't slow down."
Then he began walking away—straight into a field of blazing fire.
Lily bit her lip.
Her legs trembled… but she forced herself forward.
Lily: "Lora… let's go."
Lora inhaled sharply, steadying her nerves.
Lora: "…Right behind you."
They followed him—straight into the fire.
Terra watched Irfin depart with a soft hum of amusement before turning to her students.
Terra: "Come, you two."
She guided Melinda and Cassia to a quieter corner of the training ground—beneath a stone arch partly covered in moss.
Cassia looked confused.
Cassia: "Um… Lady Gravemont, Is this where we're training…?"
Terra knelt gracefully and rested her palm on the ground.
Terra: "The earth teaches patience before strength."
At her touch, the soil vibrated.
The ground rippled—softening, rising, reshaping.
Pillars formed around them in a slow, steady rhythm, like silent sentinels.
Terra: "You two lack stability."
Her voice was calm, yet firm.
Terra: "Your bodies move, but your hearts waver. First, we need to correct that."
Melinda swallowed.
Melinda: "Correct… how?"
Terra smiled, warm but unyielding.
Terra: "By grounding your hearts."
The next moment—
The earth suddenly opened beneath their feet.
"Ack..."
Melinda and Cassia yelped as they fell into a pit of shifting sand.
Cassia: "W-Wha—?!"
Terra's gentle voice echoed from above.
Terra: "Climb out. By yourself."
Melinda shouted up, half-panicked—
Melinda: "That's impossible!"
Terra: "Nothing is impossible for those who learn to stand firm."
Her voice carried an unshakable calm that somehow made the challenge feel… conquerable.
Cassia gritted her teeth.
Cassia: "…Okay. Let's try."
And the two began climbing.
Neris stood motionless, elegant as moonlit water.
Neris: "Claire. Step forward."
Claire did, though her trembling fingers betrayed her nerves.
Neris lifted her hand.
A sphere of water rose from the air—clear, perfect, humming with power.
Neris: "Your flow is uneven. Your mana is erratic. First, we need to fix that."
She flicked her wrist.
The water sphere shot forward—splitting into five razor-sharp whips.
Claire shrieked and ducked.
Claire: "W-Wait! You didn't even explain!—"
CRACK.
A water whip snapped past her cheek, cold and sharp enough to sting.
Neris: "There is no explanation, only adaptation."
Currents swirled around Claire, rising until she stood inside a dome of spinning water.
Neris: "Sink… or move with the flow."
Claire clenched her fists.
Claire: "…Okay."
Neris's lips curved faintly.
Neris: "Good. Then show me."
And the waters surged.
Aeros stretched his arms lazily.
Aeros: "Well, they've started. Looks like it's my turn."
He raised his brows at Gerald and Ella and raised both hands playfully, as if about to start a game.
Aeros: "Ready?"
Gerald: "I'm not sure—"
Aeros vanished.
"Agh!!"
A gust of wind slammed into their backs, knocking them face-first into the dirt.
Ella spat grass.
Ella: "Ugh!"
Aeros reappeared behind her.
Aeros: "Too slow."
Another gust hit Gerald from the side, sending him rolling.
Gerald: "I didn't even see you move!"
Aeros grinned.
Aeros: "You won't. Not until you stop relying on your eyes."
Ella charged him, dagger drawn—
He flicked her forehead.
Ella: "Ow!"
Ella stumbled back, stunned and frustrated.
Aeros: "Lesson one: If you can't keep up…"
Wind churned around them, sharp and swift.
Aeros: "…the wind will leave you behind."
He snapped his fingers.
Wind exploded around them, twisting into invisible blades.
Aeros: "Now. Catch me."
And he vanished again.
Ella: "GERALD, MOVE—!!"
Gerald: "I'M TRYING—!!"
Wild trainings had begun.
As the sun climbed higher, the training grounds were drowned in chaos.
Fire roared.
Wind howled.
Water cracked and sliced.
Earth shifted and swallowed.
Cries, magic, frustrated shouts, and exhausted groans filled the air.
The seven struggled.
Fell.
Stumbled.
Sweated.
And pushed themselves until their lungs burned.
Yet none of the instructors slowed down.
Not for a single moment.
---
Across the stone corridor, Evelyn stood alone—hands clasped gently over her chest.
She watched silently, her expression unreadable.
But her eyes… were calm.
Resolute.
This…
This was what they needed.
Because true strength is never born from comfort—only from challenge.
And today…
their real growth had finally begun.
———
The training grounds trembled beneath the weight of four overwhelming forces—fire roaring, wind slicing, water spiraling, and earth shifting like a living beast.
Hours passed.
Their bodies grew sore.
Their breaths turned ragged.
Their limbs felt heavier than iron.
One by one, the seven began to reach their limits.
Lily stumbled.
Her knees hit the scorched dirt as Irfin's flames lashed past her shoulder.
Lora shouted her name, grabbing her arm and hauling her up before the fire could swallow her.
Irfin didn't slow down.
Irfin: "If you fall—stand.
If you can stand—fight.
If you can fight—then burn brighter than the flames."
His voice cracked like thunder.
Lily gritted her teeth, forcing herself forward again.
Lily: "I won't give up!"
Lora tightened her grip around her sword.
Lora: "We're not losing here."
Together, they charged through the waves of heat once more.
Cassia slipped for the third time, sliding back into the sand pit.
Melinda groaned, face flushed with effort.
Melinda: "This is… impossible!"
Above them, Terra pressed her hand to the arc of stone, her voice steady and grounding.
Terra: "Those who remain unshaken can surpass any limit."
The earth beneath their palms solidified, giving them just enough stability to keep going.
Cassia: "Melinda… let's do it again."
Melinda inhaled deeply.
Melinda: "…All right."
They pushed upward—slow, trembling, but resolute.
Claire gasped for breath as the spiraling water dome crashed down on her like a living creature.
Her legs buckled, the currents swallowing her balance.
Neris's voice drifted through the water, calm and ethereal.
Neris: "Do not fight the current. Flow with it."
Claire clenched her fists.
Claire: "I… I'll try—no… I'll adapt!"
Steeling herself, she synced her breathing with the spiraling stream instead of resisting it.
The water softened slightly, bending around her like a gentle tide.
Neris's lips curved faintly.
Neris: "Good."
Gerald was thrown a fifth time, rolling across the ground like a ragdoll.
Gerald: "I didn't even see anything, how can someone move so fast—!!"
Ella spat dirt, cheeks flushed—not with anger at Aeros, but with sheer frustration at herself.
Ella: "Sir Galehart! P-please… slow down a little!"
A soft breeze brushed her cheek.
Aeros: "Lesson two: To strike the wind, you must first learn to read its dance first."
Ella lunged toward him—focused, determined.
A gentle flick to her forehead sent her stumbling back.
Ella: "—Ow! I-I will get this! Just you wait!"
Gerald groaned behind her.
Gerald: "Ella… wait for me."
But despite aching limbs and burning lungs, both pushed forward again—breathless, stubborn, unyielding.
Despite it all, every one of them kept moving—frustrated, exhausted, but fiercely determined to rise to the standard of the instructors their princess had chosen.
Eventually, the instructors granted a brief pause.
For a moment, all seven ended up side by side—panting, bruised, bodies trembling.
Cassia wiped sweat from her brow.
Cassia: "Is… everyone… still alive?"
Lily raised a shaky hand.
Lily: "Barely."
Ella spat out a mouthful of dirt, her expression twisted with exhaustion and indignation.
Ella: "Lucky you all. Your instructors train you. Mine? I think he's conducting a personal experiment on how much dirt a human can eat."
Gerald wheezed a laugh that instantly turned into a pained cough. Claire patted his back, though she looked no less miserable.
Claire slumped against the ground, wiping water from her flushed face.
Claire: "So… Much. Water…"
Melinda collapsed on her knees, utterly spent.
Melinda: "I'm completely exhausted."
Lily: "Me too."
For a heartbeat, the seven shared the same unspoken thought.
If this is just the beginning… how terrifying will the days ahead be?
Cassia: "No. We can't fall behind."
Lily pushed herself up, eyes blazing faintly.
Lily: "No matter how hard it gets… we will become stronger. We have to."
Their breathing steadied.
Their eyes flared with renewed determination, sparks of will igniting in exhaustion-darkened gazes.
For the first time, determination unified them like steel forged together in the same furnace.