The arena was quiet as the trio stared at each other.
Aqua crossed her arms. "First, you two will show me how quickly you can cast the spells I taught you."
With a nod, the trio separated and formed a line with enough distance between them for safety.
"Create and maintain a spell while you are dodging my attacks." Aqua's grin widened as a ball of fire formed above her head.
The duo looked at her with horrified expressions.
"Mommy, please, I don't wanna die." Sheira rushed behind Azure and cowered as if she were a small girl hiding from a monster under the bed.
The girls stared at her as if she were about to incinerate them, yet they did not shake. They knew Aqua did not plan to hurt them, yet the statement shocked even Azure.
"I am not gonna hurt you, this will help you develop your mobility while casting." She turned her gaze toward Azure, "You, as a warrior, should naturally be better at this than Sheira; however, spell casting and melee fighting are rather different, as casting requires focus for novices."
"But…" Before Azure could even say anything, the ball of fire uncoiled. Hundreds of streaks of orange flame struck at the two girls, who tumbled out of the way.
"Strike back at me. Throw both fire and earth, come on girls!" Aqua's lips widened in a slightly sadistic grin as the homing lines of flame chased after two elves.
The duo scrambled for a while before Azure gathered her bearings and raised her guard. However, it was not what Aqua wanted, so the fire struck her and sent her rolling back.
"Use your spells!"
Azure nodded as she conjured an earth spike. It rotated around itself, slowly at first, but it quickly gained more and more speed before the line of flame punched her in the stomach and sent her reeling.
"Ugh!" The spike dissipated.
The air grew hotter as Sheira conjured a large ball of fire; however, she too stood still as if she were a clay pigeon.
The streak of fire hit her in the head, and the fireball dissipated. "Owww!"
"Cast while moving! Azure, use your warrior training, it will make it easier!"
The champion nodded as she pushed herself up to her feet and dashed to the side while maintaining a spear of earth. With a jump, she narrowly slid past the flame, yet just as she was about to launch the spike, it dissipated.
With a single moment of shock, three lines dug into her and threw her up.
Sheira took an opportunity to conjure another ball. And with a backward jump, she launched the immense fiery boulder at the red-haired girl.
However, Aqua merely stepped aside with a slight giggle, which left Sheira with disbelief plastered on her face.
"Hey! Don't dodge it!" Sheira looked as if she was about to cry before she was slapped by the tendril of fire.
The heroine merely tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips. "It wouldn't be a challenge if I just stood here and took it, would it?"
"I guess so." Sheira puffed out her cheeks as she rose from the sand. Azure dashed behind her and at long last managed to throw an earthen spike at her; however, she sidestepped the spell once again.
Another blazing sphere launched toward her and almost grazed her, yet Aqua dodged and let it hit Azure, who, in a state of shock, ducked and glared angrily at Sheira. "You almost hit me!"
"Not my fault!" Sheira gritted her teeth as she peered at Aqua.
"What do you mean, not your fault?!" Azure shouted.
While the liveliness was expected and even encouraged. It had its limits; these two started arguing in front of her, and so she conjured another sphere. If the girls had time to bicker about useless near hit, then they could easily take twice the amount of fire.
"Girls~" Aqua grinned, "Catch!" Instantly, both balls unravelled and sent threads of flame at both of them. While Azure had an easy time dodging them, the same couldn't be said about Sheira who had taken quite the beating.
"It's… a … bit much, isn't it?" Sheira breathed heavily as she finally found a rhythm in evasion.
"No, this is nothing when compared to what you will have to face in the world!" Aqua narrowed her brows before her gaze snapped to Azure, who danced gracefully around her flame. "See, Azure got it!"
Instantly, the graceful movement stopped, and the champion stumbled over her feet as she got pummeled by fiery ropes.
"Azure… we gotta coordinate."
"I agree." Azure nodded as she conjured a spike. She dashed behind Aqua once again as Sheira launched the fireball. Azure launched the spike at the same moment, but not at Aqua as the target.
Instead, she threw it slightly left of her, where she would dodge.
"Tch, too Naive." With the grace of an Angel, Aqua jumped in the air and let the spells graze against each other. However, just as the two girls were about to hit each other, Aqua snapped her fingers and a thin barrier of fire formed around them.
The spells crashed harmlessly into the barrier and disintegrated.
"That's enough! You two did excellently." She smiled as she clapped slowly.
"We haven't hit you even once, though." Sheira puffed out her cheeks.
Azure approached the princess and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Of course, we couldn't, she is our heroine after all."
"Of course you would say that. You enjoyed being played around by her!" Sheira patted down her dress before she ran away from Azure.
Azure's ears twitched. "I can't deny it, but come on!"
Aqua shook her head, "You were quickly able to adapt from failing completely to focus on dodging and attacking me."
"Hah! Thanks, oh my glorious teacher!" Sheira pushed her hips forward slightly as she pompously exclaimed.
"Still… you make me look pathetic." Azure sighed before she straightened her back, "Nevertheless, thank you! This was a better workout than what I was able to get in decades!"
"I am glad." Aqua rubbed the back of her head as she heard clapping coming from behind them.
The Queen stood up from her seat, and as they finished the training session, she approached, "My Shei cast a spell! I feel like I could shed a tear!"
In an instant, Soleah jumped at Sheira and rubbed her face against hers, "I am so proud! It was a beautiful view!"
Her eyes widened for a moment as she peeled herself away from her daughter, "Forgive me for that outburst." She adjusted her dress, and with a small cough, she turned toward Aqua.
"I thank you, once more, Aqua. So many have failed to get her to the point where she could shape mana, yet you did it in such a short time." She stopped for a moment. "However, I have a question."
Aqua blinked in surprise; she had not expected a question to come from Soleah, yet it was only natural to accept it.
"Ask away."
"I noticed that all three of you haven't used any method of casting I know of. I attributed it to you being extraordinary, but Azure and Sheira both conjured the spells without a catalyst, or a circle, or anything similar."
Aqua nodded. The Queen was right to be curious. The Aether was not common knowledge in this world after all.
"It is due to Aether conversion." Aqua rubbed her chin, "I am aware that it is not known in this world, and honestly, it was rather rare in my old one, yet it was known."
Soleah nodded. She dared not question the new world comments as she listened.
"You use mana by drawing from the excess produced by the World Soul. I have explained it to Sheira and Azure so they are aware of it." She stopped for a moment as Soleah nodded along.
"However, your soul produces Aether. It is fuel you can use to produce your own mana. Every soul is capable of it other than pure divinity, of course." She clasped her hands together as she explained.
Aqua stopped for a moment before her eyes wandered to Sun God, then back to the Queen. "Would you like me to teach you?"
"You would do that for me? Are you sure, dear? I am really fine as I am."
"Of course! It is a joyous occasion to teach someone as kind as you."
Soleah placed her hand in front of her mouth and giggled, "Hah! I would be stupid to refuse such an adorable lady. I will be in your care."
Aqua's face turned slightly red before she continued, "I assume you use a catalyst?"
The Queen nodded; it was a scepter she had grown attached to, and what served her through her entire career. It was not a mere weapon; it was part of her identity.
"Yes." Soleah clutched the scepter close to her, as if someone wished to rip it out of her hands.
"You can keep it, I can tell you are attached to it. All I want you to know is that spell casting does not require it." Aqua produced a small orb of crimson fire in her hand.
Soleah's eyes widened.
"While we are here, why don't I teach you what I did to Azure and Sheira? Someone as experienced as you should grasp it very quickly!" Aqua grinned widely as she extinguished the orb of crimson fire.