"Maja. (Magic)".

Maja? Magic? That thing was magic? It's extremely different from Leon's. The closest thing to this was when he blew up that guy during his last reincarnation. Wait... last reincarnation... maja... I remember a girl with Leon that kept saying maja this, maja that. Is this her?

"Geejo Mo Awa? (Girl with Awa)", I asked her, making her frown in the process.

"Awa mamo. Moogo wo maja. (Awa stupid. Left no magic)", Well that's rude, considering what I've seen, wasn't what he taught her enough?

After hearing that, I stood up and spoke my mind, "Awa moogo ogo. (Awa left enough)".

And that seemed to displease her, "Wo ogo. (Not enough)".

"Ogo. (Enough)".

"Wo ogo. (Not enough)".

"Ogo! (Enough)".

"Wo ogo, mamo geejo! (Not enough, stupid girl)".

...

Did this mortal just call me stupid...? Did a naked horned monkey just call ME stupid...?

"Mam-Ah!".

thud.

…

Well, that was utterly humiliating... I tried to approach her to teach her a lesson, but now that the danger was over and the adrenalin gone, my body couldn't handle the strain anymore, so I collapsed.

...

Please stop shaking your head as if you're dealing with a buffoon. I can't handle anymore shame...

I hate this life... it's the worst. I'm sure Leon would disagree, but his current life couldn't be as bad as this, right?

Oh fates, why do you punish me so?

What manner of atrocities have I committed, to be lost alone in these forsaken woods residing in this frozen hell?

What unspeakable sin did this poor soul commit to receive your ire?

Is it the time I called fate "a vindictive whore who takes her wrath on the weak and hapless."?

If that's the case, what's the big deal? Others said worse, and you don't see them being thrown into a similar situation. Besides, according to the current scenario, wasn't what I said true? And isn't honesty the best policy? So can you please tone it down a bit? I've been separated from the rest while we were climbing down a mountain due to an avalanche, I woke up alone covered from neck to toe in snow. Hungry, thirsty, my clothes torn, my body aching, and full of bruises. Thankfully I found some edible berries, but as always, you hate my guts, so I had to fight some freakishly long rodent with sharp claws, long ears, and an elongated snout, for them. I also managed to fashion a barely acceptable knife, which took a lot of time to make, due to the poor quality of nearby stones.

...

It’s pretty obvious, but if you can’t tell, I REALLY hate this place... I also need to say something, but I know once I say it, I would jinx myself, and would falsify my previous claims of intelligence, but I can’t help myself. Could you make my already terrible situation any worse?

Groooooooo!

...

I stand corrected, you could, and for your information, oh fate of mine. I fucking hate you...

Thunk.

I fucking hate you...

"Mogo. (focus).", she tells me, after whacking me on the head with her bluish brown stick.

After saving me, she took me to her place to recover, which was, to my surprise, a crude wooden platform placed on top of some trees, and secured with vines, and that can be considered a display of her ingenuity in general. I’ve been observing the Tagan since my conception, and throughout my life, the number of them that showed such signs of creativity can be counted on two hands, not to mention she’s the only one with such mastery in magic, making her a valuable asset.

Anyways, during the next day, after she saw me using magic internally to increase my recovery, she forced me to cast it externally, and it turns out that not only can I use wind and earth, but also that I have an even higher aptitude for external casting, so for the past couple of days, I've been forced to become her student, at least till I recover, and from the looks of things, it won’t be anytime soon. Great, just great...

"Mogo! (focus)", yeah, yeah, sure. Just stop waving that thing. The last thing I need is another bump on the head. Alright, focus on the wooden bowl filled with dirt, make the dirt levitate, make it form into a ball, and gently place it back into the bowl. Done.

Now, is that enough for her, or do I have to get my head banged up again? Oh, and don't take this the wrong way, I’m not submitting to her or anything, and I'd kill her if I can, but she's just too damn strong, and I can’t. If I want to finish her off, I'd need to leave this body, and descend, which would waste this entire reincarnation process. And trust me, losing someone on her level would be a setback to all our races. It would be one of the dumbest things to do.

"Jeje. (Good)", she said while nodding with a slight smile on her face. Looks like even she can smile. Huh, the more you know.

Alright, now that we finished earth training, it's time for water. She emptied the bowl from its content, and raising her staff, drained some nearby leaves from their water content, and redirected the water into the bowl. Neat.

I wonder how she does that? This was her fifth cast for the day. How can she cast so many times without getting burdened? Does it have anything to do with the staff? How does that work?

Thunk!

"Mogo! (focus)".

Okay, okay! Stop hitting me on the head! Geez, maybe leaving this vessel to the rodites at that time wouldn't have been such a bad idea. At least it would've been better than dealing with this!

I look at the bowl, and did the same thing as before, but instead of putting the water back into the bowl, I look at where she's pointing at and find 2 small stacks of stones. So she wants me to split the ball into 2, huh? Alright, the distance isn't too long, so once the bullet covers three fourths the distance, it should split into 2 smaller parallel balls. Okay, focus on throwing it in between the two stacks, etch the desired effect that'll happen once the conditions are met into the ball via mana, then fire!

The ball flew from my hands towards the stacks with tremendous strength, and once it covered the desired distance, it split into 2, and knocked both stacks onto the ground, shattering a few stones in the process.

Is it over? I turn and look behind me to see the old hag nodding with a smile on her face.

"Jeje. Jowa waw. (Good. Training over)".

Finally... I think as I gracelessly fall on the ground.

Thank god it's over for today, since I can't take even one more of these stupid lessons. I feel like my arms are on fire, especially my veins, and I really want to sleep.

With enormous effort, I stand up and try to climb back up onto the tree to my side of the platform. What? You really thought that we'd practice up there? What if we overdo it and break a support branch in the process? Do you really want us to not only bruise ourselves, but also destroy our safest refuge for the night? Wait, why am I talking to myself like Leon? Great. The guy must've really rubbed on me.

Speaking of rubbing, I'd really go for a good rubbing right now, a nice and deep rubbing. Hehe... I really wish for a guy right about now... It's been so long, since I've played around with a strong hard stud... Sigh... I'd even take a scrawny runt at the moment. At least it would be better than this hell... Wait, why is she pointing her staff at me?

Foosh!

Crack!

The fuck!? Why did she throw a water ball in front of my head!? Judging from the sound alone, not to mention the rain of debris, it would've definitely killed me!

What is this red goop? blood?

I turned around and saw what looks like the twisted remains of some kind of striped yellow mammal sticking out of a hole in the trunk of the tree. Judging by its long slim tail, and its sharp clawed paws, it's most probably a feline. I think... You can't exactly tell, with the head reduced into bloody chunks of goop.

"Gaga. Mogo! (Danger. Focus!).

After she said that, she raised her hands, then closed her eyes. And I felt waves of wind pulsing from her, and then reflecting back. After a single minute, she opened her eyes, grabbed her staff, and conjured 4 balls of water the size of my head, drained from the nearby flora. She made them spin, and spin, and spin, and after the briefest of movements from the nearby trees. The balls flew, one by one, hitting their targets, which turned out to be 4 felines from the same species as the one before, and they shared the same fate. Each one of them either tried to dodge or escape, but all their attempts were futile. They weren’t fast enough to escape, as the balls took their lives. I looked at them as they were crushed, mangled and broken, before they could emit even a single cry.

“Mamo Wojo. (Stupid Prey)”.

Prey? Does that mean she knew…? You know what? I don't even care anymore.

Oh look, it’s getting dark. I can already see the stars in the sky. Better get some shuteye, since the more rest, the faster I’ll recover, and the faster I recover, the faster I’ll get out of this hellhole.

I lay down and look at the stars, and I have to admit, they look even more beautiful when you’re a mortal, since though they look mysterious and unreachable, they also represent a guiding light in the darkness of the night... Oh, look… a red shooting star…

Yawn… better sleep already… Hope Leon is better…

Huff… huff… Take that you abominable beast! You thought that I’m easy prey, huh? Well, look who’ll eat who now! Now, I just need to get my improvised knife and gut you, you carnivorous llama, pig hybrid.

…

Wait, where’s my knife…?

It fell right beside me, after I was tackled by this aberration…

Is… is that the rodent from earlier? And is that my knife in its mouth!? Hey! Get back here, you dirty varmint! Get back here!!!