Counterpart

Chapter Fourteen

Magnus knelt on the black padding on the ground, resting in complete silence for a moment. Despite countless hours in a place just like this, he had almost forgotten what it was like to be in a mage's training room. White panels made up the walls, supported by a simple but stylish wooden frame. Sturdy lamps illuminated the entire place by the ceiling- the flame sheltered to prevent any fires from occurring in case practice gets out of hand. It was a peaceful place, by all means, but his heart couldn't have beat quicker whenever he stepped into these rooms as a kid. Whether he died in the deployments to come all depended on his development when he was young. He could only imagine the pressure Rin must be under.

Magnus closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. His labia reserves were improving; he could especially feel it's strength here. The door finally opened, Rin hesitantly stepping into the room before walking up to kneel on the mat across from him. "How is your first day going so far?" Magnus asked.

"It's exhausting."

"I'd certainly expect that much. I'm afraid we don't have much time, so we'll get started right away." Magnus withdrew his spirit, the dragon encircling him. Rin eventually did the same, but not before only a couple seconds of struggling. "We're in a difficult position; I will be covering whatever the other mentors will not usually teach you. This includes very basic control of labia, as well as experimenting with aibal's properties. Given that your next classes on labia are coming up soon, I'll start by teaching as much as I can on it until then."

Rin nodded. "Okay. What first?"

"First, I'm going to try and draw out your basic abilities. Remember when you kept trying to attack my blade with your labia?" Magnus stood, his more formal mentor robes already proving more restrictive than those he had on before. "I'm going to have you try that again. You were impressively close, last time." He drew a wooden blade out from his belt. "Let labia flow through your body, and attack."

Rin deepened his breathing as his hands balled up into fists. His tiger's eyes were locked onto Magnus' blade as though it were ready to charge. Rin swung. Labia sparked to life from his arm as he made contact with the sword. Despite his fist being just too shy of hitting his target, Magnus could feel the impact as it was nearly knocked out of his hands. "Very good!" He said as he inspected the wooden frame. "You're going in the right direction, but your attacks can be stronger. Let's try again."

Magnus could see a sense of accomplishment flash across Rin's eyes as he prepared to go once more. This time, labia was already flowing across his arm even before he swung. He struck the weapon before Magnus even had time to brace himself. The wooden blade, or rather it's pieces, all flew to the ground, glowing chars remaining where it was cut. "Rin...that was incredible." It was almost unheard of to accomplish this much with so little training. Magnus walked over to grab larger wooden beams along with a stand. "Let's keep going. At this rate, attacking with labia will become second nature to you."

The two practiced on and on. Rin sliced through every target that was placed before him, even when they almost doubled in size. Not a single one of them took him more than three attempts. Magnus was growing worried he may run out of targets before the sound of sticks knocking together could be heard outside of the room, signifying the end of training.

"You are doing magnificently. How do your reserves feel?"

"...Fine. I never really feel drained at all."

Magnus frowned. "Try to pace yourself, nonetheless. You'll be forced to go a lot farther in your next classes. And don't hesitate to let them know of your special ability in case they start asking questions." Rin nodded. "Before too long, you'll blend right in to everyone else here. Just keep your head up."