It has been two months since Alianna left for her mission. During this time, Aria has been spending most of her time training under his tutor Joon, and her martial and weapon mastery have grown faster than anyone anticipated, especially Joon. At first, Aria could only last 2 minutes when sparring against Joon, and this was when she was not using any magic or any psionic ability, but now she can last around 30 minutes despite her small physique. This was mainly due to her training in her inner world with the assistance of the dream. During her training sessions the dreamer would recreate a life like dummy from the data he obtained during Arias fights that mimicked Aria's opponents skills and fighting styles to absolute perfection, meaning, the more Aria trained with Joon the more Joon training dummy continued to evolve and advance allowing Aria to understand her opponent better, Aria noticed that when fighting joon with only martial art and weapons like daggers and katana she was at a disadvantage but when she utilized her spell such as Entangle, a spell that causes grasping weeds and vines sprout from the ground in a 20 foot square starting form a point within range grasping and immobilizing any target within this range combined with burning hands, a spell that allows her to shoot out thin sheet of flames that shoots forth from her outstretched fingertips Joon became nothing but child splay. Within this two months Aria has mastered all spell she obtained from the family library although when it comes to using psionics she is still finding some difficulties but nevertheless she still continues training in her inner world honing her skills in secret currently she has reached the 3thrd circle and even here mana can now be full released into the world when she releases her mana it appears as a blue gently sparkling light. Today is a weekend. Liza told Aria that her mother had returned from her mission, and as they ate breakfast together, it seemed that their relationship had grown over the past two months. The scene opens to Alianna entering Aria's room; it appears to be the weekend, around noon. "Hello, little Aria, did you miss me? "Alianna. "Mom, you are back. I missed you so much. "Aria says inwardly, cursing, "Shit, I now have to be careful, I can't let her know of all the spell and abilities I have learnt, I will just have to limit and stick with the basic first and second level spells, as for third level, I will only use fireball if I have no other choice. Aria says mentally. "How is your training with Joon? Hope she is treating you well," Alianna asks. "It's fine at first, it was difficult, but I have started to get used to it," Aria replies. "Has he started teaching you about aura manipulation?" Alianna asks, "Aura?"Aria asks "How should I put it simply, Aura is a skill in which warriors bind their mana to their swords in order to reinforce their attacks, it is usually only limited to warriors but some of the bhaalspawns have been known to master this skill one such bhaalspawn is your older brother known as Sarevok similar to you he exhibit excellent talent when it came to using mana in order manipulate aura but he is not as versatile when it comes to using mana in order manipulate the weave making him have difficulty when it comes casting spells effectively although I have seen him cast several Level one spells like mage armor and longstrider, he is a ranked 7 among the initiates. Aliana says.
"Mom, who exactly are the initiates?" Aria asks Alianna. "Well, I suppose you, since you are quite mature for your age, I will tell you. The initiates are the top 50 out of every 100 who survive an event known as the gauntlet. The gauntlet is like an initiation of being recognized among the family elite, which takes place every 6 years. Bhaalspawns who have reached 6 years fight to survive in the gauntlet, where different monsters are used to examine the children's strength during this event, and all killing is allowed, whether it is a fellow bhaalspawn family member or a monster like goblins, wyverns, or even orgers. The more you kill, the more points you acquire. When Seravok participated in the gauntlet when he reached the age of six, he did not hunt any monster but rather his fellow bhaalspawn sibling. By the end of the event, he had slaughtered 43 bhaalspawns with only 6 other bhalspawns remaining; the rest were devoured by monsters. You will be participating in the 3rd-generation gauntlet. So far, 2 gantlets have been held. Alianna explains. "What! How can you allow this!!" Aria asks. "Don't you have a conscience? Why would you have such a barbaric initiation? Is it a crime to be weak, to kill so many bhaalspawns for such a dumb reason?" "Enough, Aria, I will not allow you to disrespect the family's traditions," Alianna says as she delivers a firm slap to Arias' face. "If you haven't noticed in this family, strength is everything! Do you really think your father gave you that pass because she loves you, he gave you that pass because of your talent in the weave? He hopes as your power grows you will serve him as one of his assassins." Alianna says. "What an assassin, I don't want to kill people, wait, is this why we are trained since we are kids just to become assassins for the family and the missions you go on are assassination contract. No, I refuse, I will never kill without a good reason," Aria says. Alianna seems generally infuriated by Arias' words, her smile gone, replaced by a serious look. "It seems I have been too lenient on you. I think it's time you went to the reflection cave. "Wait, what?" Aria says, suddenly Alianna grabs Arias' hand while chanting her Gate spell. Suddenly, a portal opens and both of them are teleported outside the fortress to a lone building located within the forest located near the fortress, in front of budling entrance stands a large sign written Punishment Hall. A guard asks Alianna why she has brought the child to the punishment hall. She says that she dares to defy the family laws on the gauntlet and needs time to repent. "Mom, please, I am sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it, please don't punish me, I have learnt my lesson. Please, you have just returned from your mission, don't do this! "Aria says, but her cries fall on deaf ears.
Suddenly, a woman dressed in a striking, dark, form-fitting outfit that emphasizes her athletic build comes out of the nearby building. She is adorned with elaborate, ornate gold armor pieces on her shoulders, forearms, thighs, and boots, which feature intricate patterns and a regal appearance. She holds a large, menacing black sword with jagged edges, suggesting she is a fierce warrior. Her short, platinum blonde hair is styled sleekly, adding to her commanding presence. "What is going on here?" The woman asks. "Greetings, Inquisitor Naomi, I have come to bring my child to reflect on her words," Alianna says as she explains what happened. "I see very well, you may leave, priestess Alianna. I will take it from here." Inquisitor Naomi replies as Alianna prepares to leave Aria in the inquisitors care. Aria tries to plead with her mother while holding her leg, but the inquisitor picks her up and takes her inside the punishment hall. As they walk, Aria notices various prison cells and guards in black attire stationed on various posts. Finally, it seems they have arrived at their destination, and a vacant prison cell welcomes Aria. This prison is a dark, foreboding cell constructed from rough, blackened stone bricks, giving it a cold and unwelcoming atmosphere. The arched ceiling adds to the sense of confinement, with the entire space bathed in shadows. A small, barred window on the left allows a faint, limited amount of light to filter through, casting dim illumination on the interior. Hanging on the back wall is a pair of heavy iron shackles with a long chain and on its end a heavy metallic ball. allowing for limited movement within the room. In the corner, a small section containing a toilet and bathroom has been constructed. A sparse spider web hints at neglect and abandonment. "Welcome to your new home for the next two months. Your maid will bring you your meals at the stipulated times. Try to escape, your punishment will be increased by another month." Inquisitor Naomi says, throwing her into the prison and commanding her guards to chain Aria legs with the shackles. "You are lucky you are one of the Lord's offspring; otherwise, you would have been killed imminently. "The inquisitor says as she leaves, closing the prison's gate, leaving Aria chained in the prison.