"Boom!"
A stone target shattered into countless fragments, scattering shards in all directions.
"Don't stop! Faster!" Logan barked, his voice firm.
Aria sprang forward instantly, quickening her pace. Her movements had grown fluid, powerful. While running, she raised her arms and unleashed a barrage of compressed water projectiles. The liquid spheres shot forth at high speed, striking the targets conjured by Logan one after another.
Each impact sent shards of stone flying with a sharp crack. Debris rained behind her as she kept firing with unwavering precision. Her steps never slowed, her focus never faltered.
Twelve weeks had passed since the start of this intense training. Twelve weeks during which Aria had pushed her limits day after day under Logan's constant and demanding eye. The first four weeks had been devoted to the three fundamental stages: Materialization, Shaping, and Intensification.
Each day, she strengthened her control, refined her mastery, and learned to understand the very essence of the water element. Then, once those foundations were firmly set, Logan introduced real combat exercises.
The following eight weeks were entirely dedicated to training on moving and static targets. But the exercise wasn't just about shooting.
She had to move, dodge, aim while on the move, manage the power of each shot, chain her attacks without losing rhythm or balance. The targets constantly changed position, size, and speed.
It had become a true ballet between speed, precision, and perfect mana control.
"If I had to summarize these twelve weeks of intense training," Logan thought, watching Aria in action, "I'd say she's now mastered about forty percent of her water element's potential."
She sprinted swiftly between the trees, continuing her daily exercise.
"She can now deal real damage to targets, adjust her mana, and control this element with decent precision. But at this point, more drills on fixed or moving targets won't teach her much."
Logan narrowed his eyes slightly, focused.
"The next stage requires real combat. Real opponents. Real threats. But before we go back to the hunt, there's one more thing she and I need to do."
At that moment, as if to increase the challenge, a series of spikes suddenly burst from the ground, aiming straight for Aria.
This drill was an integral part of her training. Aiming while moving was one thing… but attacking while dodging simultaneously was another level entirely. It required coordinating her body and magic without a shred of hesitation. That was the foundation of true combat: attack and defense in one seamless flow.
Aria leapt nimbly from point to point, dodging each spike that tried to hit her. The stone spikes shot up in rapid volleys under her feet—unpredictable, fast, merciless. She was handling them well now, but at the beginning, this training had been sheer torture.
At first, training had been pure hell for Aria. Each day, Logan pushed her beyond her limits, confronting her with increasingly demanding drills.
After the initial four intense weeks, bringing the total to eight, Aria had finally mastered the basics of her second element. Aiming at moving targets while running and dodging had become almost second nature. Her mana control had stabilized. Her movements grew sharp, precise, controlled.
But Logan, ever methodical, knew it was time to raise the bar. That's when he introduced the ambush-path drill.
Spikes would suddenly erupt from the ground at unpredictable intervals, forcing Aria to constantly maintain a perfect balance between attack and defense.
"Argh!" she cried, doubling over in pain.
One of the spikes had slammed hard into her stomach. Logan had, of course, dulled the tips to avoid serious injury. But the impact was still enough to knock the wind out of her and send her sprawling, her muscles seizing up from the shock, struggling to breathe before vomiting to the side.
Logan rushed toward her.
"Maybe that was too much. Let's go back to the usual drill."
But instead of giving in to the pain, Aria pushed herself up onto her knees, eyes blazing with determination despite the tears.
"No… we keep going! I've been through far worse than this."
A faint smile appeared on Logan's tired face.
"That's the right attitude."
Aria gave him a small, breathless smile in return.
"Yeah… but it won't come without pain."
And indeed, her words proved truer than ever when the ninth week began, marking the start of the hardest phase yet. Each attempt came with pain, falls, and hardship.
"Argh! Again!" Aria cried, struggling to her feet after taking another hard hit.
"Try to anticipate the attacks. Don't just react predict them."
"Got it!" she gasped, panting.
Attempts followed one after another, short and brutal at first. That was normal; this phase of training was the toughest. Aria now had to simultaneously manage three essential parameters: movement, attack, and defense.
At the beginning, Logan had broken it down gradually.
The first step was simply to attack: materialize water, shape it, intensify it, and aim. On those foundations, she built solid control of her second element.
Then Logan added the second layer: movement. Learning to maintain her shots while constantly moving. This exercise had taken eight whole weeks, during which Aria learned to run, jump, dodge, and strike with ever-improving coordination.
Finally came the last step: integrating active defense.
Each session had spikes erupt unpredictably from the ground, forcing Aria to combine everything: aim true, move constantly, and avoid deadly strikes.
"Again!" she shouted after another sharp hit to her ribs.
The first days were especially grueling. She ended every session covered in bruises and contusions. Her muscles, numbed by pain, still had to endure her share of night watches; she refused to rest more than Logan.
Sometimes, when the injuries piled up too much and threatened to slow her, they used one of their precious healing potions just enough to allow her to continue the next day without interruption.
Day after day, until sunset.
By the end of the first week of this new phase, a change was already noticeable. Aria was finally managing to anticipate some of the attacks. Some spikes were dodged with a simple sliding step, a controlled leap, or a swift rotation.
From the edge of the training field, Logan allowed himself a small smile.
"Good, Aria, keep it up."
"Come on… I have to keep it up! If I want to keep up with Logan, I need to become stronger. As fast as I can," Aria thought, jaw tight, her eyes tracking every shift in the terrain.
Time flowed in that grueling cycle until finally, the last day arrived.
The spikes continued erupting mercilessly. Some shot up right under her feet, forcing her to sharply change direction, leaping with an agility honed over weeks.
All while dodging, she didn't stop her attacks: several conjured targets were pulverized under the impact of her compressed water projectiles, bursting into pieces under the pressure.
Suddenly, a spike shot up right in front of her face.
Her mind reacted before she even had time to think. In one smooth motion, she arched backward, bending her spine precisely. The stone point passed just above her nose, missing it by mere millimeters.
Aria held her breath, muscles taut, waiting for the next strike.
But nothing came. Instead, the silence was broken by rhythmic clapping. Logan had stepped forward a few paces, hands lightly applauding in the evening air.
"Bravo, we're done with this ninth week."
The sun was already setting, casting a reddish glow through the dense forest. Twilight slowly enveloped their camp. Exhausted, Aria collapsed to the ground, panting, her body dripping with sweat, limbs numb from exertion. Her rapid breathing made her chest rise and fall quickly.
Since they had arrived in this forest, they hadn't had a single chance to wash. No bathtub, no river accessible in this area. The feeling of dried sweat on her skin, sticky clothes, the sting of salt in her eyes… it had all become part of her daily life.
But Aria didn't complain. She had endured far worse. Far more painful things. She certainly wouldn't whine about that.
"Hey, Aria… how about a shower?" Logan suddenly asked with a faint smile.
Aria's face lit up instantly. After nine weeks of intense training, a shower sounded almost like an unattainable dream. How could she refuse such a blessing?
But a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She frowned and turned her head toward him.
"Wait… we could've taken a shower since the first day?"
Logan shrugged, expressionless.
"Technically yes, but I wanted you to master your second element."
A huff of indignation escaped her. Aria puffed out her cheeks like a frustrated child, crossing her arms. She imagined all those days she could have washed off the sweat and dust.
"Nine weeks… without a single bath!" she thought, outraged.
Amused, Logan spoke again in his calm tone:
"My sister always told me: after effort comes comfort. You've made the effort, so now you get the reward."
He then gave her a quick flick on the forehead.
"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing her forehead.
The pain wasn't bad, but enough to surprise her. She shot him an accusing look, half-pouting, half-amused.
Then, without warning, a question slipped from her lips.
"Wait, you have a sister?"
Logan nodded softly. "Yes."
"What's her name?"
"Saori."
"And where is she now?"
Logan answered without hesitation, his voice as calm as ever:
"Unfortunately, she's dead."
The words fell like a stone into a silent lake. Aria froze, her shoulders tense. Her heart clenched immediately.
"I'm sorry…" she murmured, lowering her gaze. "Why did I even ask that?" she thought, ashamed.
But Logan shook his head gently.
"You don't need to be. It's not your fault."
"Yes, but talking about her must hurt, right?"
A brief silence returned as Logan lifted his eyes to the star-filled sky.
"Yes. Not a day goes by that her absence doesn't hurt," Logan replied, gaze fixed on the moons in the night sky.
His voice remained calm, steady, but each word carried a sincere heaviness.
"But pain is an integral part of life. What doesn't kill us… makes us stronger. It's up to us not to let it crush us, but to face what life throws at us."
His words sank deep into Aria's heart. Because she too carried the weight of her own wounds every day.
The loss of her father, killed before her eyes. Her mother's disappearance, the slavery that had broken her tribe, her freedom, her childhood.
And yet… within that constant pain, a fragile light had endured. A hope to find her mother. To save her people, to free them all. She hadn't given in to despair. Instead of letting it consume her, she had risen again. Today, she trained relentlessly to be able to fight.
An inner smile formed in her mind.
"So in the end… forget comfort. Discomfort is better for growing mentally and physically. Like Logan said, it's up to us to turn our pain into strength."
Logan, perhaps sensing this shift in her mindset, suddenly asked:
"Do you still want that bath?"
Aria looked up at him with a small smirk:
"No, I'm good, thanks."
Logan raised an eyebrow slightly, intrigued.
"You sure?"
"Very sure. Let's eat, and I'll take the first watch," she replied with a bright smile.
A faint smile, discreet but sincere, curved Logan's lips. They exchanged a simple, knowing look, no words needed.
The campfire crackled softly, casting warm flickers of light on their tired faces. Both quietly ate wolf meat, enjoying the silence that had become familiar.
Then Logan finally lay down in his hammock, ready to sleep, while Aria settled in to keep watch. As every night, her eyes rested on Logan's peaceful sleeping face.
A face that had given her back hope, and the will to fight for her freedom and her tribe.
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