In the Erebor forest training ground just outside of Myrdin, Nenvalur's eyes widened as he was forced to sidestep away from Thorsen's blade aimed at the crown of his head.
"You're getting faster," he noted with a wry grin before kicking the giant's legs and sending him crashing into the ground. As Thorsen landed, Gwili moved in for a strike of his own, but the force of his blade was met with the immovable object that was Nenvalur's blade. The shockwave that their blades produced sent bits of the training ground soaring away from the spherical wave.
"And you're getting stronger," Nenvalur noted with a cheeky grin as Gwili was seemingly suspended in mid-air. "You can thank Lord Erumon for that," Gwili noted wryly before pushing off the blade to regain his footing, which allowed Thorsen a moment to get to his feet. "I still don't understand how your minds can keep up with that kind of speed," he noted as he dusted himself off, causing Nenvalur to chuckle.
"That's because you're still thinking about what your body is doing," he noted, prompting both Gwili and Thorsen to tilt their heads. "When you've trained enough, eventually the only things you'll think about are the best ways to exploit your enemies' weaknesses, rather than what attack you should do," Nenvalur explained.
"Not everyone gets to live as long as an elf," Thorsen shook his head disappointedly. "That's fair, but giants still live a long time, right? It might not take as long as you think, since you've been training for most of your life," Nenvalur said with a nod. Thorsen acknowledged his words with a similar nod.
I'll probably never reach his level, though, he thought momentarily.
"Still, those pearls Lord Erumon gave us really are something, aren't they?" Gwili said in an attempt to change the subject after noticing his friend's dour expression. "They're impressive, that much is certain. I wonder if this is how Thoma felt during his training when he was younger," Thorsen added. "Not quite," Bernar said from a short distance as he approached with Anwill and Leona.
"What do you mean by that?" Thorsen asked with a raised eyebrow. "Thoma had a seal placed on his core when he was younger. He spent most of his life until coming here to train being severely handicapped. It's a wonder he made it as far as he had, to be honest," Bernar shrugged, causing Thorsen and Gwili to glance at each other with concerned looks.
"Even with the seal, however, he always seemed to have a way with mana that even I had a hard time comprehending, but with Kalia's training, I'm sure he's almost as strong as I am now," he continued with a chuckle.
"After your displays in Harut, I find that hard to believe," Leona chuckled, prompting Bernar to smile nervously and rub the back of his head. "Well, about that…" he trailed off, causing Nenvalur to raise an eyebrow. "What kind of display?" he asked with visible curiosity.
"I fought over two hundred of Harut's finest; made quite the mess, too," Bernar grinned. "Oh, and I wasn't invited? That was rude, cousin," Nenvalur huffed, prompting the others to chuckle.
Cousin? Leona's eyes widened, glancing back and forth between them. Distantly related, but yes, Nenvalur, Thorn, and Ren are my cousins, Bernar sent back immediately, making Leona blink a handful of times. I-I had no idea your family roots ran that deeply, she sent with mild shock in her tone.
"Not many do, but since you're Bernar's lover, that makes us practically family, too," Nenvalur said with a brighter smile than he'd ever shown before.
"I feel left out," Gwili sighed quietly, leaning in toward Thorsen, who simply nodded his head. "You've known me since I was young, you're like an older brother to me," Bernar said placatingly, tilting his head as he shrugged. "Doesn't count when you were basically forced to come here," Gwili pouted.
"There, there, friend," Thorsen began, placing his large hand on Gwili's shoulder. "We're brothers in arms, and that's all that matters to me," he said, giving the much smaller elf a shake. "Thank you, Thorsen," Gwili said with a half-chuckle and a nod. "In any case, we need to get back to training. Ren said he was going to teach me something, but it seems he's running late," Leona glanced around the training area for any sign of him.
"No, I'm not," Ren said from just behind her as she reeled in surprise. "What the…? How did you get here so fast?" she asked, placing a hand to her chest to still her racing heart. "It's a technique I learned from Kalia. Apparently, Thoma and Ysevel have already mastered it, but I'm still getting the hang of it," he said with a small amount of dejection.
"They've already mastered it? But how is that even possible when you've only just learned it?" Leona asked, glancing at the others for an answer. Anwill and Bernar exchanged a momentary glance as if deciding whether to explain what they'd learned from Thoma.
"The only way that I can explain this to where it makes any sense, since even I still have a hard time understanding how it worked, is that the hegraphenian sage known as Sabura created a dome that altered the flow of time for them," Anwill began, pinching the bridge of his nose as if it pained him to even think about it.
"W-What?" Leona asked breathlessly. "Wait, that would mean…" she trailed off, considering the ramifications of what she'd just heard. "What he's trying to say is that Thoma, Ysevel, Irun, and Athar spent roughly ten years training with Kalia," Bernar said bluntly, knowing it would be much easier to tell her directly.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she took a few steps back and shook her head. "N-No, that's not…" she muttered. "Unfortunately for both of us, it is. While he's technically older than I am now, he doesn't have as much life experience," Bernar chuckled, but between him and the others, only Nenvalur laughed. "I thought he looked a lot stronger than last time," he said playfully as he shook his head.
"R-Right, he certainly looked and moved differently than before, but I had no idea that he'd undergone such intense training," Leona said nervously. "All the more reason we need to catch up to them," Ren suggested playfully, getting a nod from Leona as a result, though it was clear she was still in shock.
I think she handled that rather well, don't you? Anwill sent Bernar as Ren led Leona a short distance away from the group and began to explain what he wanted her to do. It's not every day you find out someone's aged a decade in roughly two months, but yeah, I think she did, Bernar shrugged, still observing her to make sure she was following Ren's directions properly.
Ren and Leona moved to the middle of the training ground, where Thorsen, Gwili, and Nenvalur's fight had just taken place, and signaled for Anwill to create the targets they would use for their exercise. With a wave of his hand, the mana flowed out from him into the nearby trees and ground, spawning wooden, humanoid targets firmly secured by the mana-packed earth at their bases.
"Alright, like I said, you have to hit at least one target from behind, one from the side, and one from above," Ren raised a hand and gestured to each one he wanted her to hit. "But I've only just been able to make a dagger recently. I don't know if I can do that," she said with a slight worry in her tone. "I know, but Kalia gave me some instructions after having taught Thoma and Ysevel," he said with a wry grin.
He got direct instruction from her? I wonder if they were always in communication somehow, Leona wondered momentarily. "No, but like other Wraithborn, we can share our experiences through our cores, allowing us greater insight into our abilities much more quickly," Ren said with a chuckle. "Huh, I guess that explains how the two of them were able to master that ability so quickly," she replied, putting a single finger to her chin pensively.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, since according to Thoma, she prefers a much more practical approach to training," he said, prompting her to raise an eyebrow. "So, she wanted them to figure out the power for themselves, correct?" she asked, getting a nod of agreement from Ren. "Then why did she share it with you so freely?" she asked. "She didn't, initially, but just before she and the others left, she allowed me only a small hint of what I would need to learn the odoruki technique, as she called it," he replied with a shrug.
I guess that hint alone was enough, Leona thought, immediately recalling the surprised gasp she gave when he appeared behind her.
"But enough about that. You've had some lessons with Aurae, but I'm here to help you refine any mistakes you make. Go on then, give it a try," Ren said encouragingly, gesturing to the humanoid targets a few dozen meters away.
Leona planted her feet just as Gwili and Thorsen had taught her to when she first began to use Ethereal mana and sent her consciousness to draw from the Wratih Realm. Within a few moments, the familiar scarlet mana began to envelop her hand in the real, forming an imperfect, but solid dagger. "Excellent, now, try to hit that one on the right," Ren said encouragingly, but could see Leona's face visibly twisting to maintain her concentration.
She raised her arm over her shoulder and threw it with as much force as she could muster. The dagger soared through the air momentarily, but fizzled out into a small cloud of mana a few meters away from her, prompting her to click her tongue frustratedly.
"It's the same thing every time. Every time I've tried to throw it, it disappears into thin air like it never existed in the first place," she said with a heavy sigh. "I still don't understand what I'm doing wrong," she continued, but noticed Ren was regarding her curiously.
"I think I might know who can help explain my thoughts a little better," he said, closing his eyes for a moment, as though he were trying to communicate with someone.
What is he doing? Leona thought, observing him curiously as she felt the Wraith mana permeating the air around them.