Challenges of the Aether: Call of the Abyss

Chapter 24: World Of Dreams

After class, Scarlet and I make our way to the arena, eager to meet up with the others for some training. As we approach the arena, we spot Edger, Hadger, and Jacob already gathered near the center of the field. They're stretching and warming up, ready for the training session. Edger waves us over with a cheerful grin.

"Hey, Rune! Scarlet!" he calls out. "Glad you could make it. We're just about to get started, just waiting on Pearl now."

Scarlet and I joined the group and started doing some stretches, preparing for the training ahead. After a short while, Pearl arrives and joins us, we greet her and continue with our stretching routine together.

We decide to kick off the training with some target practice. We set up five targets at varying distances, each labeled from one to five, with the number five being the farthest and most challenging.

Each of us takes turns shooting three shots at the targets, and we'll tally our points at the end to determine who performed the best. To decide the order of shooters, we play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors.

We gather in a circle, and the game begins. Edger goes first, followed by Pearl, myself, Hadger, Scarlet, and finally Jacob.

Edger steps up first, aiming with a focused expression. He lines up his shot and launches a dirt ball toward the targets. With precision, the dirt ball strikes the third target.

Next, Pearl prepares her shot, conjuring a water ball with a flick of her wrist. She sends it flying toward the targets, and it makes a splashy impact on the fourth target.

I follow, concentrating as I cast a fireball. It streaks through the air and hits the fourth target with a burst of flames, matching Pearl's score on that target.

Hadger takes his turn, summoning a dirt ball with a practiced motion. He releases it, and it lands firmly on the second target. Scarlet readies her shot, focusing her energy to create a sound wave. The sound wave travels swiftly and strikes the fifth target.

Finally, Jacob steps up and launches a small, glowing ball of light. It arcs gracefully through the air and hits the third target. We proceed with two more rounds of target practice, each of us taking our shots and aiming to improve our scores. The arena is filled with the sounds of magic and the occasional burst of energy as we each focus on hitting our targets.

As we finish up the final round of target practice, we gather to tally the scores and see who came out on top. Scarlet leads with a total of 11 points, taking first place, Jacob and I are tied for second place with 10 points each, Finally, Pearl, Edger, and Hadger are tied for third place with 9 points each.

After tallying up the scores, we decided to continue with a bit more practice. We transition from target practice to hand-to-hand sparring, focusing on improving our physical combat skills and coordination.

Following the sparring, we shift our focus to mana control exercises. Scarlet shared a training technique she learned from her instructor when she was younger. It's designed to strengthen your mana and help you become more accustomed to its flow. The method involves partnering with someone who has a similar mana capacity. You place one hand in theirs, allowing your mana to flow into them, while they channel their mana into your other hand.

I tell her that this is similar to the way I train myself. I accumulate my mana outside my body, holding it in my hands before slowly reabsorbing it. We decide to use her method, partnering up with one another.

Scarlet and I partner up, while Pearl and Hadger pair together, and Edger and Jacob form the final pair. We continue this arrangement for the remainder of our time together. the sun begins to set we call it a day, "We should do this again soon," Scarlet says with a smile, as we all leave the arena.