“Again!” Greg screamed.

“Arrrgggg!” I screamed as I swung my training sword at his chest.

Greg blocked my training sword with his. As my sword bounced back from the recoil, Greg swung his sword at my ankles. I knew what was coming and quickly jumped in the air to avoid his sword. As soon as I leaped into the air, Greg’s lips curled into a wicked smile.

Shit!

Greg swung his left arm and hit me square in the stomach.

“Ugu!” I exhaled loudly as the air was knocked from my lungs.

I flew through the air like a kite with its strings cut. I landed on the ground with a hard *thud*.

“Get up!” Greg screamed as he sauntered over to me.

Burning fluid traveled up my throat from my stomach. Vomit spilled from my mouth onto the ground below me. I held my stomach as I leaned forward into the fetal position.

“Get up!” Greg’s voice entered my ears.

I looked up to see Greg towering over me. His fuschia colored eyes were glowing a faint sinister red.

What the fuck is that?!

Greg raised his sword above head, to which I instinctually raised my own to block.

“Hey!” Andrea scream reached us, and Greg stopped in his tracks. “That’s enough! Come in and get cleaned for dinner!”

Greg looked up at the sky and sighed loudly, his large and bulky chest heaving up and down. He looked back down, and his eyes had returned back to normal. His lips curled into a thin smile, and he extended his for to grab.

I accepted Greg’s hand and he pulled me up. As soon as I got to my feet, the pain attacked me.

Greg started laughing as he pulled me along. “You’ll get used to it.”

My face twisted just from the thought as I followed Greg to the cabin.

“How about we take a bath together?” Greg asked with a smile on his face.

“NO!” I screamed as I ran upstairs to my room.

I will NEVER go through that again! EVER!

I made it to my room, and once I opened the door I found Juliette lying in my bed.

She popped her head from underneath my white covers. Her eyes looked sleepy, but we’re still clear and bright. Her hair was a disheveled mess, which only further added to her cuteness. She slowly revealed a smile that was bright enough to light up my room.

My lips curled into a smile, and I happily waltzed over to my bed before plopping a seat. “You must have been here for a while to fall asleep.”

“No, I just felt too comfortable.” Juliette sat up, and wrapped her arms around me, snuggling against me.

“Woah! I’m musty! Chill!” I tried to separate myself from Juliette, but she refused to budge.

“You smell really nice.” Juliette pressed her face against my neck, taking big whiffs of my scent.

Blood rushed to my face, and my heart started pounding. “Seriously stop!”

To my response, Juliette laughed and became even more aggressive with her fooling around.

Suddenly, Juliette planted a kiss on my lips. The taste of honey seeping through my lips.

Juliette separated her lips from mine. Her eyes held an indescribable amount of warmth in them, and her smile was gentle.

My cheeks started burning, and my heart skipped a beat.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that!

Suddenly, Juliette frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked, the fluttery butterflies in my stomach calming down.

“You look upset.” Juliette responded, worry evident in her voice.

“I…” I took a deep breath, before continuing to speak. “I’m tired. I just train and train and never get anywhere. While all of you are just… so incredible.”

Juliette hugged me even tighter, the warmth from her body transmitting to me. “You keep trying even though you have a chaotic core. That’s incredible.”

The memory of Andrea explains why I can’t use magic or Aura popped up in my mind.

“Magic is the expression of your Will onto the world around you. Aura is your expression of Will within yourself.” Andrea explained, her voice flat and stern. “For example, when you cast a spell, you're forcing the world around you to change and follow your command. When you activate your Aura, you're forcing your body to change how you want it.”

“I think I get it…” I responded. “But, why can’t I use either?”

“Well…” Andrea took in a deep breath before exhaling. “Most people can’t use magic, especially without the use of chanting. To impose your Will onto the world is incredibly difficult for most. The reason that we can cause spells without casting is… unique.”

Unique?

I frowned and tilted my head. I opened my mouth to speak, but Andrea continued nonetheless.

“So there’s that. And although more people possess the ability to use Aura, it’s still rare. Not to mention, you possess a chaotic core. A chaotic core explains itself by name, but to explain more. Most people's cores flow in a spiral and spread throughout the body. But, yours..” Andrea’s voice trailed off. “It flows in many directions, not to mention your unstable mana.”

Andrea sighed loudly, her chest decompressing. “Most people's mana is blue, but a few have unique colors like yours. It could mean a myriad of things. Such as the blessing of a god.” Andrea held up her finger with a raised eyebrow. “Which is almost non-existent. Or if you possess a unique bloodline, have a strange ability related to your mana or core, and that's just what I know of. There could be even more reasons as to why.”

Even though it’s rare for people to be able to use Aura and Magic, I’ve felt down about not being able to.

I mean.. I’m in a fantasy world. I just assumed I would be here for a greater purpose or something. Not just to be normal...

I sighed, but I had to admit that Juliette’s words made me feel a little better.

“Thanks.” I replied.

Juliette smiled, before her eyes popped. “Let’s take a bath!”

”What?!” I yelled, my voice leaving my mouth before I could stop it.

“Let’s go!” Juliette shouted as she grabbed my hand. She flipped up my sheets and already had a change of clothes lying on my bed.

What the fuck?! Did she already have this planned?!

Thus, I was once again dragged into the bathhouse against my will.