A/n: Hey guys! Mr. Author here. Holy sht did this chapter take longer than expected. I actually thought I could finish this an hour ago but the dialogue got pretty complicated near the end. It's also a little bit different from the other chapters and I'm hoping it turns out alright. Also, though there isn't much action in this one, this chapter is mostly used to flesh out the characters even further before I propel them on their adventure. Don't worry guys, the plot will start advancing real soon after this. I also decided to fast forward Seffy's training a bit as I'm sure many of you won't be pleased if I drag it out for too long. After all, this isn't dragon ball z, am I right? This chapter just needed to be done before I move on. Now, without further ado, here's the promised chapter. As always, leave comments as I enjoy reading them.

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After that day, Seffy continued to train under the guidance of Cyrus. Every day she was worked to the bone as she collapsed after every training session. Yet despite all of this, not once did she complain. Where many would’ve fallen to the brutality of the lessons, Seffy just kept driving forward, never losing sight of her goal and motivations. Soon real results could be seen as she got faster, stronger, and sharper than ever before. Her endurance increased to another level as well, since every day, Cyrus would work on breaking down her muscles for them to reform anew again. Strength, speed, and everything else related to physical prowess was drilled into her day and night.

She was taught in all facets of combat from learning the locations of weak-points of various enemies to how to efficiently move her body through the use of combat techniques. Even aerial combat was included as she struggled to meet the demands of Cyrus’s strict training methods. Soon, she even became too strong for most of the magical beasts in the forest and had to resort to sparring with Cyrus himself for practice. Of course, Cyrus never gave her any slack and she ate the dirt every time they fought.

///

“Alright, that’ll be it for the day.” Cyrus said as he turned away from Seffy who was lying flat on the ground on her back as sweat poured down her body.

“Haa… Haa… You never go easy do you?” Seffy responded through gasps of air.

“Of course not, I hate to lose after all.” Cyrus said with his trademark smirk.

Though in reality, Cyrus was actually still going really easy on her. However, when taken into account that he could easily split the continent in half if he used his full strength, it is still quite impressive to keep up with him even if he was going easy.

“In any case, I think you’ve got a pretty good grasp of fighting now. Though there are still improvements that you can make, your fighting abilities and body condition are sufficient right now.” Cyrus continued.

“Though, that only takes into account your physical abilities.” Cyrus smiled a bit. “The fact that you know no magic essentially bottlenecks your fighting capabilities.”

“Then why didn’t you train me in magic along with physical training?” Seffy asked confused as she sat up.

“Well, it’s simply because your body isn’t ready yet. Or rather, you need a certain amount of understanding of your own body to use magic, something that you can only understand once you have reached the limit of your physical capabilities.” Cyrus preached.

“But isn’t using magic all about utilizing the mana core?” Seffy asked, still confused.

“If that’s all you think magic is, then I’m sorry but you’d end up as a failure of a mage.” Cyrus spoke back.

“Like all things, magic itself needs a strong foundation. That’s what training your body is for. Sure you can use all the mana you want to try and increase your mana core size, but then you’d be missing the point. Magic isn’t just about unloading more power into spells, no no. Magic is all about using mana efficiently with as little waste as possible to achieve the desired results. I think I told you before about how the soul itself is what manipulates mana right?” Cyrus asked Seffy to which she nodded.

“Well then, the reason why I had you train in your physical capabilities is to increase the resonance between your soul and body. And because of a stronger link between your body and soul, it also allows you to move mana more freely within your body, reducing the amount of mana wasted while traveling through your body to cast the spells. This is also the best way to cast even the most destructive spells using the most minimal of mana. Unfortunately, many mages neglect this point and ends up as flimsy sticks waving their staff around, essentially wasting all their potential and the mana in their mana core as the majority of the power is lost in the casting of magic. They simply think magic is all about funneling in more mana to get better results to which I say they are just ignorant buffoons.” Cyrus finished.

“Unfortunately, I also used to be like that, a long, long time ago and had to learn this lesson the hard way.” Cyrus then spoke up again as his eyes grew a bit distant.

Seffy immediately noticed this change and was about to comment before Cyrus went back to his usual mood again.

Shaking his head again to clear away the memories, Cyrus asked, “So, did you get all that?”

After listening to his explanation, Seffy simply nodded back to indicate she understood. At this, Cyrus just smirked back and patted her head.

“Good, then you’re already much farther than I was when I was your age. Alright, now enough of that, let’s finally get to learning magic!” Cyrus cheerfully exclaimed with a clap.

“Are you going to teach me some spell incantations or something similar?” Seffy asked, finally standing up after recovering a bit from her exhaustion.

Cyrus looked at her keenly for a few moments which made Seffy a bit uncomfortable, she asked, “W-what is it?”

“Eh, it’s nothing really, but I’m going to make you throw out the idea of using incantations. Though it does help out a little in controlling the movements of mana in your body, it’s simply too clunky and slow to be used in battle and it’ll build bad habits if you use it too often. That and also it’s simply useless past a certain threshold where you gain enough control over your mana to the point of making its effects negligible.” Cyrus shrugged.

“Oh, alright then. So, then how DO I use magic without incantations?” Seffy asked as she walked up to Cyrus.

“It’s fairly simple really. You already got past the hard part after all. All you really need to do is imagine your mana flowing out of the mana core, through your body, and then letting it take on the form you wish afterwards. In all honesty, it relies more on your imagination than anything else. The reason why other mages struggle with casting magic is because they simply could not efficiently get past the part of moving it through their body, and I’ve already addressed that issue for you. Also, as a side note, it seems that people often times have an easier time imagining one type of magic or element over others, hence the magic affinity system which this world right now may or may not have. Usually that type or element would be represented by what magic that person first uses.” Cyrus finished and looked at Seffy for confirmation.

“Alright then, I’ll try it out.” Seffy excitedly spoke as she willed the mana in her body under her control.

Seffy turned to the side as she raised a hand and concentrated on it. A small black flame soon lit into existence until it immediate ignited and turned into a raging, black inferno in front of her, completely destroying a hapless tree that happened to get caught in the flames.

Quickly suppressing her mana, she stared at the results with wide eyes as everything in front of her was incinerated to the point where not even ashes remain.

“Heh, well then, that’s quite something. Darkness and fire huh? I’m flattered really; mirrors my very own magic. Though, I can’t say it wasn’t expected. I did say we were pretty similar after all.” Cyrus spoke amusingly.

“In any case, since magic relies mostly on creativity, I can’t exactly help you train in it much past the basics of controlling it. In the end, you’ll have to find your own style of using magic.” Cyrus said.

“Alright, that’s enough for today. I’m sure you’re tired. Especially with how badly I beat you up earlier.” Cyrus smirked evilly.

“I’ll pay you back one of these days, mark my words.” Seffy said as she pouted a little. After a bit, she simply held out her hands and said, “Carry me.”

“Hey, I know you’re not THAT tired. It’s not like the first day of training; you can walk on your own.” Cyrus spoke to which Seffy just wordlessly stood there with her hands held out, not giving in even a little.

“Sigh… Fine. Have it your way.” Cyrus sighed while scratching his head as he gave up. He then went ahead and lifted Seffy up in the usual princess carry and walked back to the cave.

///

For two years, Seffy continued to work hard on refining both her magic and body, reaching a point normal people can’t even fathom. It also helps a lot that her body, now that of a Celestial, is naturally gifted with using magic. Celestials were, after all, the pinnacle of magic prowess whose abilities were only challenged by their hated rival, the Elementals. In actuality, she was especially strong even when compared to other Celestials since Cyrus’s potent blood flowed through her.

After the two years were up, and also once Seffy reached a certain threshold in power, both she and Cyrus decided it would be a good time to depart from their humble little cave and explore the world.

It was now their last day living in the now very familiar and homely cave which they spent the last two years in.

///

Currently, Cyrus was bathing and relaxing in the middle of a large pond that was turned into a hot spring when he used his magic to raise the temperature. The majority of the last day was spent packing up everything the two of them have acquired over their two year stay. For the first time in a while, Cyrus just let himself sink into the feeling of being immersed in warm water. Since this was the last day, he could finally stop thinking up lessons plans to improve Seffy’s progress. So with a relaxed sigh, he just looked up into the night sky and thought about everything that happened since he ‘woke up’.

As he continued to drift deeper into his thoughts, he heard a slight rustle from a nearby brush next to the pond. In but a moment, Seffy walked out from behind it sporting her birthday suit in all its glory. It should also be noted that her body and face had not aged at all over these last two years since her ‘change’. Walking over to the side of the pond, she was met with the gaze of Cyrus who held a smirk on his face.

“Oh my, how bold of you. To show up like that, if you move any closer I fear my chastity may be threatened.” Cyrus coyly spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest. Though, as always, he spoke with an amused tone of voice.

“Stuff it. I don’t need to hear any more of your wisecracks. Besides, I’m sure you’ve seen my naked body plenty of times already. There’s no point in being shy about it. I’m sure you know that neither of us are that type of person anyway.” Seffy simply retorted as she hopped into the pond after testing the temperature. After getting used to the water, she waddled over to where Cyrus was relaxing.

“Ehh, you’re no fun at all. At least humor my jabs a little before you decide to rain on my parade.”

“We can save the banter for another time. Since this is the last day before we leave this place, I wanted to talk with you a bit. You know, to get some of the things in my head out of the way before we head out.” Seffy replied simply, not humoring him in the least.

“Alright, fine, fine. What do you want to talk about?” Cyrus sighed as he gave up his charade.

“It’s just… There’s been a lot on my mind about everything that happened over these past two years, and even before that. I just simply wished to have someone else hear my thoughts, to listen to the feelings I’ve kept in for so long.” Seffy continued to which Cyrus simply nodded his head, indicating for her to go on.

“I’ve never told you this before. I’ve simply kept these feelings within me this whole time; maybe I had hoped they would eventually just go away.” Seffy said, sounding a little anguished.

“But now, I know that they won’t ever leave me. These negative emotions within me won’t ever go away because they’ve been engraved into my soul.” Seffy said as her voice cracked a little. To this, Cyrus just simply went over and embraced her while patting her head.

“There, there. You don’t have to hold it in. Often times saying everything out loud helps ease the pain. Don’t worry… I’m here for you… I’ll listen to you.” Cyrus gently replied as he felt Seffy calm down a little.

“I… I…” Seffy stuttered before once again taking in a deep breath and continuing.

“Before I was the slave that you met on that fateful day, I had a family. That family was everything I could’ve hoped for. I had a nice, caring mother, a stern, but doting father, and a loving big sister. I felt that everything would be alright if we could just stay like that forever, to continue to live our lives peacefully and happily.” Seffy started.

“Honestly, if you asked me back then if I had anything I desired, then I would’ve immediately said no. Because I already had everything I wanted. My family… They were my everything. I would willingly offer up everything I have if it was for them, if it would keep them smiling.”

“But, like the cruel thing that fate is, my family was forcefully torn from me. On that day, both of my parents were slaughtered right in front of my eyes like animals. Both my sister and I were taken away by very bad people and there was nothing either of us could do.” Seffy said as tears started collecting in the corners of her eyes, tears she thought long dried up as she reminisced about her past.

“My sister as well… my sister… the only thing she wanted to do was to shield me from them, to take on all of the pain in my stead. She tried everything she could to protect me from the abuse. She was strong… she really was… but… in the end, even she died… even my only sister, my strong, loving sister was ripped away from me. She, she died right in front of my eyes!” At this point, all the pent up tears that Seffy had accumulated over the years had all burst out at once like a raging waterfall.

“Even then! I couldn’t do anything even then!” Seffy shouted out through her tears of sorrow and frustration.

“Why!? Just why!? None of us deserved the fate we suffered! None of us did anything to incur all that pain!” Seffy sobbed.

“And even as my sister died, it wasn’t over for me! I was forced to live on with the knowledge that my whole family was dead. To continue bearing the pain and suffering of all my family members! Many times, I simply wanted to just end myself, to finally leave this cruel, forsaken world. But I, I couldn’t! I had to try and live on for their sake. To keep their memories alive within me and live on in place of the lives they lost. As the last remaining family member, I had to do at least that much…” Seffy said, slowing down near the end.

“For another year, I suffered much of the same punishment dealt to my sister. Every beating I got, every cut, every bruise I received, I endured. I endured so hard. And every time it happened, I felt a little part of who I was leaving me. Soon, before I even realized it, negative emotions started to overwhelm me, to change me. Hatred, despair, regret, sorrow; they all enveloped my heart and threatened to suffocate me.” Seffy stopped.

“And then… and then… when I was finally ready to just give up… you appeared.” Seffy spoke as she slowly separated from Cyrus and looked him in the eyes.

“At first, I didn’t know what to think of you. You were like an enigma. A shadow. To be honest when I first saw you, I thought it would finally be the end of me. And yet, that didn’t happen.”

“You took me away from that rotten place, saved me, and even gave me much of your attention. Me, who was just another broken down slave girl.”

“You gave me hope when no one else did. You even tried to cheer me up. And for the first time in those miserable two years, I truly felt grateful and happy.” Seffy finished before continuing on once again.

“These last two years I spent with you was like a light that lit up the darkness from before. I felt, for once, that I could truly live on even with all this pain in my heart. You gave me a chance to become something different from who I was before. You… You gave me a choice, a choice for me to grasp that would turn my life around…” Seffy stared hard into Cyrus’s eyes as her own golden pupils gave off a soft glow.

“I don’t think I’ve said this to you before but… Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. For saving me, for teaching me, for giving me your care and attention, for giving me a chance and a reason to live on… Thank you…” Seffy finished and said no more as she looked down once again.

“…” Cyrus couldn’t say anything as he was a little lost for words. After a moment of silence, Cyrus spoke up.

“There’s no need to thank me, I was only doing what I wanted at the time. In fact, I need to thank you instead. For telling me all of this despite how painful it is. I truly am grateful that you trust me this much.” Cyrus finally replied as he wiped off some of Seffy's tears with his finger.

Seffy soon looked up again and smiled as if finally cheering up before saying, “In that case, you will have to accept my thanks for listening to me ramble on about my problems.”

“Alright… you win… you are very welcome.” Cyrus sighed before he sported his casual smirk again.

At this, Seffy just giggled before once again turning a bit serious.

“Also, I have a favor to ask you… it’s about that goal I told you about before.”

“Alright, what is it? You can tell me.”

“There’s a certain man I wish to kill. If we ever happen to come across him during our travels, please let me kill him.”

“Is that really something you need to ask me a favor for? I would’ve agreed to it either way.” Cyrus replied a little confused.

“Well, to be honest, this favor is more to prevent you from instantly killing him yourself. If you met him in person, I’m sure you would’ve already had him by the throat.” Seffy replied back while grinning. “In any case, I have to be the one to end him. No, I NEED to be the one to do it.”

Cyrus simply nodded then said, “Well then, I think we’ve been in here for long enough. If you’ve said everything you had to say, how about we both leave to get some sleep? After all, getting a good rest is an easy way to refresh the mind.”

Seffy agreed to this and they both got out of the pond to get dressed. Soon they were both back inside the cave and each sitting on their respective makeshift fur beds. Seffy went over to where Cyrus was about to sleep and requested that they sleep together for this one night, to which Cyrus readily agreed. And so, the two of them drifted off to slumber in each other’s arms, preparing themselves for the day after where they would have to venture out of their cave for a new journey.