Twenty-five grueling days had passed since Blaze started his training with those weighty tubs. He did make some significant progress since then, but he knew that it was still not enough.
His muscles started to adapt to the strain. And now, he was able to lift the cumbersome tubs with relative ease. He took the tubs and sprinted from the riverbank to the pond with a newfound speed. The medday sun was casting a warm golden glow around him.
As he completed his thirty-fifth round, he was feeling a heaviness in his chest. The same heaviness he felt the first time. It felt hard for him to breathe. He was panting and slowing down. He stepped to take in some fresh air. His brows were glistening with sweat. "This was today's thirty-fifth round," he thought. "It feels too exhausting, I should take a break now." Saying that, he planted his hands on his knees and bowed his head briefly so that he could relish the much-needed respite.
After the intense training session, he took some time to rest so that he could go all out again. When he was taking a rest, he noticed that someone was peeking at him from behind a cluster of wildflowers. It was the same elf he had seen that day. She was watching him intently when he was. Blaze approached her cautiously out of curiosity, but just like that time, she vanished. She vanished into the thin air and only left a faint of her shadow where she was.
"What?? Wasn't she just here? Where did she go?" Blaze muttered to himself. His voice was mixed with confusion.
"Hey! Where are you?" he called out for her.
"Why does she always run away? It's like I'm gonna eat her or something," he exclaimed. He looked for the elf, scanning every shadow and bush that his eyes caught. But she just disappeared, and unfortunately, he couldn't even find any trace of her.
After that, he set on the edge of the pond. He looked at the water level and frowned with an exhausted voice, "I lost. I admit it. Ohhh, I can't find her. She disappeared like an invol."
Invol is a feiry-type magic beast. No one knows if it is real or just a myth. Some people say that they lived beside ponds, which can also be seen in the forests of friendly dungeons. It's like a fairy tale now. It's a small humanoid magic beast that has white wings. Rumors and the old tales say that they have the power of invisibility and ultimate healing. There is nothing that they cannot heal. They can even bring dead people back to life.
Then, suddenly, the elf came out of the forest from behind a tree. She looked shy. "W-wh-why are you f-filling the pond for so many days?" Her voice trembled a little, but it was full of curiosity. She looked like she was uniting courage to ask that question. She looked as if she was scared of something.
Blaze looked at her and smiled. "Oh, hello! Well, that's part of my training task. My master assigned me this task to help improve my skills. I am going to fill it until there is no space left for water. By the way, I'm Blaze. And, what's your name?"
The elf hesitated. She looked at him with her big and expressive golden eyes like she was searching his face for any hint of deception. "I-I am an elf," she stammered. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The Blaze gave a soft grin and replied, "Yes, I can see that." He was trying to put her at ease.
"W-won't you despise me or try to hurt me? I've heard humans sell elves to make money and do many bad things," she continued. As she continued, her voice seemed scared and was trembling.
Blaze sensed her fear and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm not a bad human. I would never do something like that."
"Bad human? Wh-who are they?" the elf asked. She looked a little relieved, and Blaze could feel the curiosity flowing through her voice.
Then, to explain that to her, Blaze said, "Bad humans are those who harm others or exploit elves like you said. They don't care about the feelings of others. So, every human is not as bad as you think. There are some of them who are like that."
She looked as if relief washed over her after she heard Blaze and asked, "Y-you won't hurt me?" Her voice tinged with hopefulness.
Blaze smiled. "Right," Blaze affirmed. "You're safe with me. I am not like them."
Ris smiled softly. As she smiled, her angelic smile was giving out a warm glow to her aura.
"I'm Ris." She introduced herself with her gentle and melodic voice.
Then Blaze replied, "'Ris', that's a beautiful name. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ris. Sorry, Ris, but I really need to get back to training. So, goodbye for now."
"B-but your arms and legs are hurt!" Ris exclaimed. She looked at his wounds and was concerned about him.
"The muscles of your legs are torn up. And the hands are slightly bleeding from the bruise for the weight," she added.
Blaze waved his hands as if he brushed off all the concerns from Ris's mind about him and said, "Oh, that's nothing. These will heal overnight."
"But I don't have enough time. I've got to fill the pond in thirty-five days, no matter what. So, I have to train anyway. Okay, see ya." Saying that, Blaze ran for another round. Then—
Ris screamed for Blaze, "W-w-wait. Wait, Blaze." When Blaze heard and stopped, Ris went ahead to where Blaze was and knelt in front of him.
Blaze stood there and was confused about what she was doing. First, she took a deep breath and then closed her eyes. She looked like she was trying to focus on something.
"By the light of renewal, mend what is torn—Healing Touch!"
she recited with conviction. When she cast the incantation, the air around her shimmered. Her hair started to float gently as if it were suspended in water. And then a radiant green light enveloped her.
Then the green light started to come on the injuries of Blaze. The spots where the green light washed over, he felt it like something warm was covering his body. The warm feeling cast all of his pain aside. Not only the pain, the cuts and the bruises from his legs and hands were fading out like it was never there. When the healing process was completed, Blaze felt like he was as good as new.
He was surprised. "You can cast healing magic?" he asked. His eyes were sparking with admiration.
When Blaze appreciated her, Ris blushed. Then she said, "I can do, but only up to Junior level."
"I-I can heal small cuts or bruises, nothing too serious."
"Wow, that's so incredible! You are already a junior-level healer. You can cast upper-level magics when you try them later." Blaze said with enthusiasm.
Ris looked down. She looked slightly embarrassed by the praise.
"It's not worth the credit you are giving," she murmured. Charming modesty.
"Thank you, Ris. I really appreciate it." After that, he added that he would have to go back to the training task. He also told Ris that she could stay there if she wanted because he would go there back in every twenty minutes anyway.
Blaze was grateful to Ris for healing him. After that, he went back to the regular routine. He picked up the metal tubs and dashed toward the river to bring water again. After many more trips to the pond from the river and the river from the pond, the sun hung low in the sky.
Blaze managed to complete twenty more grueling laps around the river. His muscles were burning from the workout that he did. All that time when Blaze was busy bringing water, she was sitting on the edge of the pond. She also encouraged Blaze for his task. Not only that, she also healed two more times. Today's training task was far greater than the other, thanks to Ris and her healing magic.
Finally, the last rays of sunlight disappeared, and the evening settled in. And both of them went to their respective places. They also exchanged heartfelt goodbyes like it was carrying a sweet promise to meet the next day.
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Blaze went back to his home and got freshened. After that, he sat at the dinner table and savored each bite and aroma of the food. Suddenly, Ignis turned to Blaze and asked Blaze to go to the backyard of their house with Cloudy after dinner was over.
"Okay, Dad. Coming right after I finish," Blaze replied enthusiastically, his curiosity already piqued.
He polished off his meal and soon, with a cheerful nod, set aside his plate.
Once outside, Blaze and his sprightly companion Cloudy bounded into the backyard. They could feel the cold air and the beautiful aroma of flowers in the garden.
When he looked at the ground, he found that there was something on the ground. His father was setting something up, and one of his sisters, Mili, was helping him. Blaze could tell the anticipation and concentration just by looking at their face. Then Mili announced, "It's finally done." Her eyes were sparkling, and she looked very excited. Something was going to happen.
At that moment, Lili, with a bounce in her step, arrived carrying an intricately crafted power stone that shimmered in the waning light.
"Here is the power stone, Dad. Is this the right one that we need?" She asked, and she looked like she was also excited about that.
Blaze got more curious about their excitement and asked what was going on.
He got more confused when he saw so many exesories fallen on the ground and something in the middle of the ground that looked like an ancient artifact.
"Good job, Lili," Ignis replied with a proud smile.
Then he turned to Blaze. "Now, Blaze, can you please place Cloudy in the center of that round artifact?"
"Um, alright, Dad. Cloudy, go on over there," Blaze encouraged Cloudy, who confidently trotted toward the shimmering metal circle embedded in the ground.
The artifact revealed an ancient design. Its surface gleamed in the twilight. In the core, there was a perfect circle which were made of nine magical gem stones. Each of those gem stones were representing each affinity of magic: vibrant crimson for fire, deep blue for water, icy blue for ice, verdant green for healing, radiant golden yellow for lightning, silvery white for wind, rich violet for darkness, earthy brown for earth magic, and striking emerald for Neural magic. There were all the primal magics of the world in one page.
When Cloudy stepped at that ancient artifact, suddenly a visual energy started to circle up in the air.
Immediately, the gemstones reacted. They started to glow up in their respective colors as if they were coming back to life from an ancient death. A soft sound like a hum was coming out of nowhere, it felt like it was coming from the deepest place of earth as if the heart beat of earth itself.
Blaze was confused. He couldn't fully grasp the situation. So, he was worried about Clowdy. Then Ignis put his hand on Blaze's shoulder like he was trying to say that everything was okay. Then Ignis said to Cloudy, "Now, Cloudy, flow all of your mana through the artifact."
Cloudy, Blaze's ever-loyal and brave companion, stood steadfastly in the center, ears perked, embodying a comforting sense of trust. Cloudy made a conscious effort to let his mana flow freely.
The artifact instantly reacted to Cloudy's mana. Anyone could tell that the artifact was overwhelming by Cloudy's mana flow. The gemstones erupted into life, and they instantly started flaring with intensity as their colors burst forth like shooting into the night sky in nine distinct, radiant beams of light. Crimson flames twisted and curled upward like a dance of fire while deep blue waves surged forth, sparkling like a river of ethereal stars. Golden lightning crackled and split the heavens as it arced upward, illuminating the night. A brisk wind swirled around them, shimmering with magic while frost and darkness intertwined like celestial ribbons, painting the air with an intricate display of elemental energies. An icy blue light surged forth alongside them. Its glacial brilliance was cutting through the darkness with a chilling radiance. Frost-laced tendrils spiraled upward, and their crystalline edges refracted the vibrant magic around them like it was sending shards of shimmering blue light which was cascading through the air. It felt as though the world itself was awakening and responding to the torrent of power the artifact had unleashed.
Then, the sky responded. A radiant pulse of pure magic erupted high above. It was rippling across the clouds with an enchanting force. Suddenly, the heavens came alive, and from their vast expanse, a breathtaking spectacle unfolded—glowing magic dust began to descend like delicate snowflakes, and they looked as if they were shimmering in every imaginable hue. Each tiny fragment of elemental energy drifted gracefully through the air. They looked weightless yet powerful, which was illuminating the night with an otherworldly glow. Blaze stood in awe. His breath got caught in his throat as he watched the sky rain magic itself. The vibrant lights painted the darkness in shimmering hues. It was like an ethereal masterpiece, unlike anything he had ever seen.
But then—Cloudy wavered.
The doid's sturdy stance faltered, his legs trembling as the glow around him flickered. Suddenly, Cloudy looked so strained that he would collapse any moment now. The power burst was actually Cloudy's mana. The artifact strained on Cloudy too much. The bright energy in the sky was fading out just like Cloudy's consciousness, which faded with a faint whimper.
Blaze's heart clenched.
"Cloudy!" he called out. He rushed toward his loyal companion, who had collapsed. The radiant artifact, which was glowing with nine magic stones, started to fade one by one as if all the magical power had been finished. The last specks of falling magic dissipated into the night, and then—silence.
Cloudy laid still in the center of the artifact. His furs were glowing faintly from the remnants of the magical dust. He was barely managing to inhale. His temperatur rose and he was trembling like he was in a deep fever. The colorful, bright night came to an end, and darkness broke through the sky.
Blaze dropped on his knees in front of Cloudy. His hands were trying to reach him, but he couldn't because of the trembling of his hands. He called out with a broken voice, "Cloudy...?"
He didn't respond. The only response that he was giving was the up and down of his chest as he was trying to breathe.
Blaze managed to take Cloudy in his arms. Silence. Lili and Mili were exchanging unreadable glances. The artifact lay dormant now, but the air still crackled with lingering energy.
Then—Cloudy stirred.
Again. A faint glow of the nine primal magics was pulsing through him. The magical power hadn't been erased fully. Blaze couldn't believe his eyes. There could still be a chance for him to live.
Blaze's breath hitched. "Dad... what's happening to him?"
Ignis didn't answer right away. He looked toward the sky. He looked like he was looking for something in the sky.
Then he whispered, "This might have worked. If it works, then it will change his life."