While the young lady was away, Kyon picked up the handkerchief with a bit of blood that Juno had thrown away. He put it in his pocket. Then he returned to his place and decided to apply the healing ointment that Flitz had given him. There it was, his panacea. He wondered how it worked. And most important question: how effective was it?

He squeezed a bit of the golden ointment onto his finger and applied it on the most painful bruise on his hip. A pleasant cooling sensation spread over the raw spot.

{Uh… How nice…}

He analyzed with Synergy the changes under his skin and came to an incredible conclusion.

{As I thought, this world does not work like mine. The energy in my world is the same by its nature and has fixed constants that describe its behavior. In this world, the energy has internal memory which can change its behavior beyond recognition!}

Kyon observed the ointment energy transform under his skin into organic matter necessary for healing his wounds and increase the speed of processes inside. It must have been programmed to act according to a certain logic. Nanorobots can do this but what the hell nanorobots do in this world? He wondered if he could set any behavioral reaction in the matter, change its internal information and set off certain trigger reactions. As he could remember, the attribute of darkness and light was even more unique and unusual. He wanted to know more about everything.

His scratches rapidly healed on their own, bruises and contusions disappeared. The ointment was precise and coordinated as if it had the information where and what it should do. Such results in his world could only be achieved with more complex technologies from nanorobots to bioprinting, but not with programmed energy.

Juno returned five minutes later and was surprised to find the slave lying on the floor. She thought he could not stand upright. Orders are orders, after all.

«I order you to stand up and defend yourself. I'm not done with you yet.» - The girl said haughtily and raised her hand.

Kyon had to obey the formation. He rose to his feet with a grim expression on his face.

The girl turned her shoulders to the sides to warm up, clenched her fists (everything but spat on them) and attacked. She was going to knock that slave on the ground so that he could feel all the depth of the disgrace he had inflicted upon himself in the very first seconds of their acquaintance. If he would survive after that or not... Who cares?

The dangerous dance lasted for about two minutes when a drop of sweat treacherously rolled Kyon in the eye. The boy had to blink and missed a fatal blow to his leg. He lost his balance at once. In a split second, Juno seized the moment to knock him down.

{I did it! Come on, beg me for mercy!} – It was very timely, she had used up almost all of her energy. The girl generously infused the rest of it into her legs to give the slave nice sidekicks.

He curled himself into a ball holding his head in his hands, groaning in pain. Ah, it was music for the young lady’s ears! But for some reason, she couldn’t hear his cries for mercy. And his groans were too quiet... He wasn’t making any other sounds. It was unusual. The slave must be defective. She was not pleased with Flitz’s gift.

Half a minute later, the girl wiped off the sweat from her forehead, stretched languorously and looked at the result of her arms and legs with a content grin. She left the half-dead scum lying on the ground and hurried to the mansion with a spring in her step to take a shower and get changed. She couldn’t care less for the beaten guy just as she wouldn't bother about a dying fly. He was a thing that belonged to her. What's the problem?

The boy gave her a demonic glance as she walked away. Then he sprawled on the ground groaning in pain. Every muscle in his body ached, he was bruised all over. There were so many bruises they could cause anemia. The boy's face was deathly pale, one of his legs was numb and out of control. Synergy rushed through his body like a hurricane, trying to cover all the injuries at once. He had an empty feeling in his head. He was capable of almost anything and yet he couldn’t to get out of the jam with the lady of the house. His fate played a dirty trick on him. Discontent with the guest in this world, it decided to show him his place.

However, he was still alive and it was the only ray of light in that pitch darkness. He had never looked for positive moments in a nasty situation before. And now he had to.

Apparently, the little sadist took a special pleasure in kicking the boy when he was down, listening to his groans. He could have yelled properly but he had strictly forbidden himself to give the bitch what she wanted. It was evident that all she needed was his humiliation and pain, pain, pain... It really didn't matter that they didn’t get off to a very good start... She was just after his suffering. What an irony: the former Emperor of the illusory planet must scream and beg a little girl for mercy. Screw her!

It might seem that the boy was humiliated and devastated but it wasn’t true. His spirit had been hardened enough to never give up, especially when it came to his life. His pride, as well as his ego, could harm him, they should be suppressed, but his spirit was indestructible.

{This tormentor in the guise of an angel will surely kill me if I do nothing...} - He laughed bitterly at the miserable situation he found himself in. His body immediately took revenge for that with sudden acute pain.

When he was a little better, Kyon rose slowly, holding his side, and sat on the single bench. The ground was still cold. It was not a good idea to lie around all day long. The last thing he needed was to die of pneumonia to please that pain-in-the-ass.

He had so many injuries that it required loads of Synergy, energy and body resources to heal. At that moment, the boy cursed his vanity: he shouldn’t have tuned up his body to the state of "the sinewy athlete." He could use a minimal layer of fat now. Shock absorption would have been better, the energy reserve would have been higher. Flitz might have hesitated to give him to that bitch.

Two hours passed, the gate to the training area opened, and the demoness in angelic guise fluttered inside. Juno ran up to the bench.

Kyon flinched just looking at her, at her green eyes, her pretty face, her golden curls. Ah, how gladly he would wring her pretty neck! Then he’d watch her smile!

{I need a big club, please…} – He begged heaven raising his wet eyes. It seems he had to use his mouth against the orders. Otherwise, he had no chance.

His appearance pleased the girl. Her “rehabilitation method” was a success. She would make a good warden...

Juno was in high spirits but when she saw the pathetic living (so far) dummy, she put on the angry irritable face:

«I did not allow you to lie on my bench, wretched slave! I order you to punch yourself in the face three times and hide somewhere. I'll deal with you another time.»

Kyon looked surprised with his mouth open. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. There was still a chance. He clenched his teeth, stood up, landed three punches (faked, of course, he’d had enough of beating for the day) and walked to the pile of dummies, his head hung down. His pride cried for bloody revenge. If he couldn’t wring her neck then he should try and beat her to a pulp but how?! He wanted everything to fall into its rightful place as soon as possible.

Juno was pleased with the bot’s self beating. She pressed on her wrist and five seconds later two servants arrived. They carefully washed the bench from any dirt that the slave might have left.

While the servants were working, the girl began to warm up for her next training with the master. She reached her toes, arched her back, gracefully did the splits…

All of her actions looked very appealing and attractive but Kyon was not up to admiring the nasty girl. The only thing he appreciated was her flexibility. He imagined tying her tight and kicking across the training ground like a soccer ball. Suddenly, he stopped and gave himself a mental slap: he had reached a point of planning a brutal revenge on a girl. Shame on him. He thought it was impossible to sink any lower, and then he heard a knock from below.

Soon after the servants left, a man in his fifties with long dark hair, which he wore in a messy ponytail, entered the gate. He was wearing a kind of uniform used for Judo practice which suggested he was the evil lady’s master.

On his way in, the man caught a glimpse of the boy hiding among the dummies. The mark on his forehead told the master he was an ordinary slave, worthless of any attention. It wasn’t for the first time he’d seen something like that. It was weird, of course, but he’d better not meddle in other people's private affairs.

He approached the girl and bowed low to her. «Greetings, lady Juno.»

The girl finished doing the splits with a nimble somersault and said respectfully:

«Greetings, master Jean.»

Kyon raised his eyebrows: what a courtesy! And to the one who called her a lady. The master was of lower rank but she spoke with him much more respectfully than she did with Flitz. The hypocritical evil snake.

Jean smiled:

«How are you getting on with ether bending?»

Juno’s radiant smile made the man look away or he could go blind.

«I’ve made some progress, master Jean. I have the advanced grade of ether now! Check me out!»

He was thrilled to hear her pleasant voice.

Jean muttered in surprise:

«Re-re-really?! Lady... I must be a terrible master if I can't believe what you're saying... Please, do show me! I need to see it with my own eyes!»

Juno proudly raised her little chin and theatrically waved her hand. There was a loud crack and her finger lit with silver sparkles of electric current.

The man's eyes widened in disbelief:

«What self-control! What quality! Juno, you... You have really upgraded the element of ether, haven’t you?! You're even more talented than your sister!» - He was so overwhelmed with delight that he could not help saying quietly: - «It’s too bad the keys are not pure enough…»

His words hurt because the purity of the keys is the weakest point of any practitioner. Only the lucky ones have pure of keys when they connect with the soul. The benders of at least one of the elements exist only in legends. The best geniuses have the keys not far from absolutely pure, especially in the most simple elements. However, there are neither perfectly pure keys nor absolutely impure. Kyon could be proud of himself.

The girl heard the words the master had whispered and was mad with rage. She straightened her shoulders and growled:

«I'm even more talented. I will surpass her! Even the goddess won’t stop me!» - she waved her hand…

*bam*

A bolt of lightning hit the dummy straight in the head. The wood smoked and nearly caught fire.

Jean stared at the place the lightning struck, shocked:

«It’s incredible! It can’t be! You've definitely raised the ether to the advanced grade! Just in three months! It’s impossible! It’s unbelievable!»

Jean had lots of students. He knew very well how long it takes to master the elements, especially such a complex element as ether. Especially given the fact the new Stone generation as a whole is nothing but mediocrity!

It takes up to six months to develop the basic grade of ether, five years to raise it to the advanced grade and so on infinitely. But this girl had mastered ether in just a couple of months while mastering other elements and techniques, and very successfully too! The baby girl is an unsurpassed genius of her family. Perhaps, she was really better than her sister. Too bad the purity of her keys was low... But nothing could be done about it. It's like being born with one arm. Nature hadn’t endowed her with purity. It had always been her sore point, and small wonder. An easy test determines your future in this world. You can stay mediocre for the rest of your life or become a respected genius with a great future ahead of you, with hundreds of fans and admirers. The world is cruel. Purity doesn’t only enhance attack/defense power but also significantly increases development. And yet, the girl managed to raise hers to the 5th stage in no time, which also spoke of her extraordinary talent.

It is widely held that talent development largely depends on life goals, aspirations, will, and fortitude. And this noble lady is a good example to prove this theory. Her goals to beat her sister, wipe the floor with her, prove herself to everyone helped her move forward like a stubborn donkey.

Juno was pleased with the master’s reaction. She’d always been a bit of a show-off, after all.

Kyon was shocked. He saw the girl launch a coin lightning fast. As it hit the dummy’s head, a spark drew a line from her finger to the coin with the speed of light.

{Holy cow! If this crap hits me I am in for electric shock and paralysis! So, the girl was restraining herself during the fight, was she?} - The boy grunted skeptically. He couldn’t depend upon the young lady’s kindness. She must have spared him for later. She never stopped smiling while beating him. It gave her sadistic pleasure to get physical contact with soft flesh, without using magical effects.

Jean could finally keep his emotions under control. His heart was still fluttering, though. He put his hand to his chest and bowed:

«Lady Juno, your heavenly talent is greater than mine... It took you only three months to develop the advanced grade of ether. This is my limit. I don't have abilities for more. But, please, don't give up on me. I can still teach you master the wind element you’ve chosen.»

Juno tilted her head to the side and became even more charming. She pressed her finger thoughtfully against the dimple on her cheek. She liked Jean’s nervous look. He was so anxious to keep his position.

A few painful seconds passed which seemed to him an eternity. The man was sweating over with worry when the girl smiled cheerfully:

«Oh master, how could I?»

Jean nearly fell with relief.

Kyon, impressed by the girl’s lousy character, moaned inwardly. {She's quite a handful... Who am I messing with?! Flitz, you old asshole!}

«Then... let's begin developing the wind element to the advanced grade...» - The master muttered in a weak voice, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Juno took a fighting position and attacked the master. Her punches contained the wind element. The air swirled around them, the man’s sleeves and hair fluttered every time he dodged.

You can rise to the new stages of development faster during training than just doing cycles. It is easier for the girl to raise her grade when she feels the fluctuations in the energy of the wind element that come from Jean.

The masters can hold their ground as long as at least one of their elements is a grade higher than that of the student’s. In rare cases, the master can stay at work if they master the techniques the student is yet to know. That said, they must own the formations with those techniques or spheres with the grades of the elements.

While those two were dancing in battle, Kyon watched them intently, trying not to miss a single detail: {To my regret, Juno is very talented... According to Jean, she is second to none in her family. As for the master, his thoughts are impure. It will come as no surprise if he got attached a bit too much to this demoness in the guise of an angel while training her. That’s for sure... Oh, the way he stares at her when the girl is unaware. He looks away if she holds eye contact for longer than three seconds. Ugh, he's totally into her! Once, I came across a pervert master with the same sultry look... May he rest in peace.}

Apparently, Jean was a secret pervert. Maybe, an explicit one. And small wonder… If that beautiful on the surface creature was always before his eyes, it was hard for him to keep himself in check.

Kyon started hatching a plan.