When Seiya woke up this time, he was lying on a soft bed in a room he didn't recognize. The walls were made of dark wood, and sunlight streamed through a window, casting warm patterns across the floor.
His body felt different, lighter somehow, and when he moved his fingers, there was no pain. The wounds from that nightmare battlefield were completely gone.
"You're finally awake," Kirasaki's voice came from the doorway.
She stood there with her arms crossed, her silver eyes watching him carefully. "You've been sleeping for three days straight. I was starting to wonder if Magnus made a mistake choosing someone so fragile."
Seiya sat up quickly, his memories rushing back. Seth, Magnus, the Origin Light, everything felt real but also distant.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Raijin Village," Kirasaki answered, walking into the room. "It's a small settlement on the edge of the neutral territories, far enough from the major conflicts that we won't be bothered."
" This is where you'll be staying from now on, and also where your training begins."
She pulled a chair closer and sat down, her expression serious. "I don't know what Magnus told you, but I'll be clear about what happens next."
"Training you won't be easy, and I won't go easy on you just because you're a child. The Origin Light inside you is powerful, but power without control is useless that can lead to something dangerous."
"So if you're serious about this, about becoming a worthy Legend, then you need to be ready to work harder than you've ever worked before."
Seiya met her gaze and nodded. "I'm ready. I want to learn. I want to be strong enough to actually help people this time."
Something shifted in Kirasaki's expression, a flicker of approval. "Good. Then we start tomorrow morning. Get some rest tonight because after this, rest will be a luxury you won't get often."
...
...
The next morning came too quickly. Before the sun had fully risen, Kirasaki dragged Seiya out of bed and led him to a clearing behind the house. The air was cold, and his breath came out in small clouds of mist.
"First lesson," Kirasaki said, pointing to a pile of heavy stones nearby.
"Physical conditioning. Your body is weak right now, and the Origin Light can only do so much if your foundation is unstable. You'll carry those stones up that hill and back down. Ten times. Every morning."
Seiya stared at the stones, then at the steep hill she was pointing to. "Ten times?"
"Ten times," she confirmed. "And if you collapse before finishing, you start over."
The first day nearly broke him. By the third trip up the hill, his legs were shaking. By the fifth, he could barely see through the sweat pouring into his eyes.
By the seventh, he collapsed halfway up and had to crawl the rest of the way. But he finished all ten, and when he did, Kirasaki was waiting at the bottom with a canteen of water and the smallest hint of a smile.
"Not bad for day one," she said.
The training only got harder from there. Kirasaki drilled him relentlessly, pushing his body past limits he didn't know existed.
Running with weights strapped to his legs, sparring sessions where she moved so fast he couldn't even track her movements, meditation exercises where he had to hold his Origin Light steady for hours without letting it flicker. Every day was a test, and every day he failed in new and painful ways.
But slowly, over weeks that turned into months, Seiya began to change. His body grew stronger, his movements became faster, and his control over the Origin Light improved. The power that had once burst out of him in wild, uncontrolled flares now responded to his will, flowing through him like a steady current he could shape and direct.
When he turned eight, Kirasaki enrolled him in the local academy in Raijin Village. It was a small school where children learned basic combat techniques, magic, history, and how to survive in a world where monsters were a constant threat. Seiya found the lessons easy compared to Kirasaki's brutal training, but he attended diligently, absorbing everything he could.
It was during his second week at the academy that Kirasaki introduced him to someone new. They were walking back home when she suddenly stopped in front of a smaller house near the village center.
"There's someone I want you to meet," Kirasaki said, knocking on the door.
A young girl opened it, probably around Seiya's age, with long pink hair tied in a neat twintail and bright, curious eyes. She wore a simple maid uniform that looked slightly too big for her, and when she saw Kirasaki, her face lit up.
"Lady Kirasaki!" the girl said, bowing politely. Then her eyes shifted to Seiya, and she tilted her head. "Who's this?"
"This is Seiya," Kirasaki explained. "He's staying with me now, training to become a true warrior. Seiya, this is Akari. I've been looking after her since she was very young, much like I'm doing with you now."
Akari studied Seiya for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you, Seiya. Lady Kirasaki told me about you. She said you're working really hard to become a worthy Legend, huh?"
Seiya felt his cheeks warm slightly. "I'm just doing what I need to do."
"Don't be modest," Kirasaki said, ruffling his hair. "You've improved a lot these past few months."
"Akari here is also doing training, though her path is different from yours. She specializes in magic and household management, but she's learning combat techniques too."
"I thought it would be good for both of you to have someone your age to talk to."
From that day on, Akari became a regular part of Seiya's life. She would visit him during breaks at the academy, sometimes bringing homemade meals that were far better than anything her Master could make himself.
They would talk about their training, about the village, about the strange world they lived in. Akari had a cheerful personality that balanced out Seiya's more serious nature, and gradually, they became close friends.
...
...
Years passed in this rhythm. Seiya trained with Kirasaki every morning before dawn, attended the academy during the day, and often spent his evenings either continuing his training or talking with Akari. By the time he turned twelve, he had grown significantly stronger.
His Origin Light, once unstable and dangerous, now responded to him with precision. He could form weapons from pure light, create barriers of light, and even heal minor wounds if he focused hard enough.
Kirasaki's training had transformed him from a scared, fragile child into someone who could actually fight. He wasn't anywhere near her level yet, she could still defeat him in seconds if she wanted to, but he was no longer helpless. He could protect himself, and more importantly, he could protect others.
One afternoon, after a particularly grueling training session, Akari came to visit him. She found him sitting under a tree near Kirasaki's house, catching his breath and nursing a bruised arm.
"You push yourself too hard sometimes," Akari said, sitting down beside him. She pulled out a small medical kit and began wrapping his arm without asking.
"I have to," Seiya replied. "There's still so much I don't know, so much I need to learn. If I don't push myself now, I'll never be strong enough to actually make a difference."
Akari finished wrapping his arm and was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Seiya, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. I heard some interesting information recently."
"What kind of information?"
"Do you know about Lenergy Crystals?" she asked.
Seiya shook his head. "I've heard the name before but don't know much about them."
"They're rare crystals that form in places with high concentrations of Lenergy," Akari explained.
"Legends use them to enhance their abilities and strengthen their core power. What's more interesting about those are the magic that can contained in the crystal."
"They're really valuable and hard to find, but I heard from some traders at the village market that there might be one in a cave not too far from here."
"A cave?" Seiya repeated, his interest piqued.
"Yes, about three to five hours north of Raijin. It's supposed to be in the Korin Mountain range. The traders said the cave has been abandoned for years because people are afraid of what might be inside, but they also mentioned seeing strange lights coming from deep within. Lights that match the description of a Lenergy Crystal."
Seiya's mind started racing. A crystal that could enhance his abilities would be incredibly useful, especially if it could help him grow stronger and faster. But if the cave was abandoned because people were afraid, that meant there's likely danger inside.
"Are you thinking about going there?" Akari asked, watching his expression change.
"I might be," Seiya admitted. "If there really is a Lenergy Crystal there, it could help me a lot with my training."
"But I'd need to be careful. Kirasaki always warns me about taking unnecessary risks."
Akari bit her lip, clearly thinking hard about something. Then she looked at him directly. "If you decide to go, I want to come with you."
"What? Akari, that's-"
"I know it's dangerous," she interrupted. "But I've been training magic with you too, remember?"
"I'm not completely helpless. Besides, you might need support, and that's what I'm good at. My healing magic have gotten a lot better, and I can help watch your back."
Seiya wanted to argue, to tell her it was too risky, but looking at her determined expression, he knew she wouldn't back down easily. And truthfully, having someone with him who could provide support did make sense. He was strong, but he wasn't invincible, and Akari's healing abilities had improved significantly over the years.
"Let me think about it," Seiya said finally. "If we're going to do this, we need to plan it properly. We'll need supplies, a route, and we definitely can't tell Kirasaki. She'd never let us go."
Akari nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "So you are considering it."
"I am," Seiya admitted. "But only if we're smart about it. No rushing in blindly, no taking stupid risks. We scout the area first, assess the danger, and if it looks too risky, we turn back immediately. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Akari said, extending her hand.
Seiya shook it, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension building in his chest. This would be his first real test outside of Kirasaki's controlled training sessions, his first chance to see if all those years of brutal conditioning had actually prepared him for the real dangers of this world.
As the sun began to set over Raijin Village, casting long shadows across the ground, Seiya made his decision. They would go to that cave and find the Lenergy Crystal.