Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 49 - 47 - Question

Lumi stood in the palace corridor, his mind still on that interrogation. It had gone significantly better than he thought. He pulled up his friend list interface as he began to compose a message to his companions.

"Meeting in twenty minutes. Gabriel will explain where. Time to meet the Empress."

The responses came quickly.

Ryan: "Finally! I’ve been practicing. I can’t believe you can get exp from just training. I went up a level!"

ToraX: "ABOUT TIME! This place has amazing food but I’m getting restless!"

VICE: "Acknowledged. I’ll finish my current conversation with the quartermaster."

HazyNova: "...okay"

Lena’s response was predictably different. "Can I bring Alice? She’s teaching me how to make people die with STYLE! It’s so beautiful. It’s so, so beautiful. Only thing better would be if I got to use it on a real person. Death is so beautiful..."

Lumi blinked.

What?

Even through text, Lena’s unique energy shone through. He wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or if she was just being herself. He sent back a quick reply: "I’ll come get you first. You are okay, right?"

"Of course! And I’ll be even more okay! I’ll try extra hard just for you!"

He made his way through the palace to go back to the training grounds. As he approached, he could hear the distinctive sound of combat magic being channeled.

Several knights were scattered around, but Lumi’s attention was immediately drawn to the center where Alice stood with Lena.

Alice looked exactly as composed as always, her posture perfect despite hours of instruction. What was surprising was the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. Evidence that keeping up with Lena was no small task even for a Chief Knight.

Not physically or magically, that was impossible. All of this was little more than play to her.

But mentally.

Lena, by contrast, looked like she’d been through a hurricane and yet enjoyed every second of it. Her hair was slightly singed at the edges, her robes had several scorch marks, and she had a huge grin on her face.

"Again." Alice instructed, her voice carrying a patience she had never shown Lumi, alongside a strange hint of fondness. "Remember, magic wants to flow. You guide it, clear the path for it, and then force it further."

"Guide and force. The key word being AND! That’s so interesting." Lena muttered, raising her staff. "Like convincing a cat to love you instead of kidnapping it! Which I’ve never done! That would be weird!"

Alice’s eyebrow twitched slightly. She was actively bewildered at her student’s unique way of processing information. "That’s one way to think about it. If it works it works. Now does it?"

Lena closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to channel. The magic that flowed from her staff was different from what Lumi remembered from their adventures. It was flowing at a different rate, mana flowed continuously even when a single spell was over. She then cast an energy bolt with a teleport quickly following it.

"Excellent!" Alice said, and Lumi could hear genuine approval in her voice. "You’ve grasped the concepts in less than two hours. Most knights take weeks to do so well."

"It’s like dominoes but with magic!" Lena exclaimed, spinning in place. "Oh! Lumi! Did you see? Did you see? I did the thing!"

"I saw," Lumi confirmed, approaching the pair. "Very impressive. Chief Knight Alice, thank you for taking the time to train her."

Alice turned to face him, and Lumi caught a flash of something complex in her expression. Respect mixed with curiosity and perhaps a hint of concern. "The thanks should be mine. Your companion is remarkably gifted. She is much like you. In all my years of instruction, I’ve only encountered one person who grasped this concept sooner."

She paused meaningfully. "That person was you, this morning."

Lena beamed at the praise, practically glowing. "Hear that, Lumi? I’m second place! That’s like first place but with less pressure! Also, Alice is really nice, you know? You really exaggerated her sternness. Once you get past her ’I can kill you with my pinkie vibe’, she’s a really respectable teacher!"

Alice’s composed expression cracked slightly. "I do not have a... ’kill you with my pinky vibe.’"

"You totally do! But in a cool way! Like a beautiful ice sculpture that’s also a sword!" Lena nodded sagely. "I respect it. I would let you murder me for the dramatic effect. It would be so beautiful on me. Eight out of ten on the intimidation scale."

"I... what?" Alice looked to Lumi, clearly seeking some kind of explanation for the chaos that was Lena.

"She means it as a compliment." Lumi assured her. "Lena just has a unique way of expressing herself."

"So I’ve noticed," Alice said dryly. "Her training has been... unconventional. I’m not sure what she’s doing half the time, but she’s following my instructions in ways I didn’t imagine they could be followed. Nevertheless, she’s done well."

"That’s because your instructions connect people!" Lena explained earnestly. "Through pain! Which is basically how all good friendships start!"

Alice opened her mouth, clearly thought better of whatever she was about to say, and closed it again. She turned back to Lumi. "As I said, remarkably gifted. However..." She lowered her voice slightly. "I am concerned about her mental state. Some of the things she’s said during training..."

Lumi could imagine. Lena’s particular brand of insanity was charming in its own way, but to someone like Alice who valued order and discipline... no, to anyone at all, it must have been jarring.

"She’s been through a lot." Lumi said carefully, which wasn’t technically a lie. "But she’s good hearted and loyal. The rest is just... personality."

"Personality," Alice repeated. "That’s one word for it. She mentioned something about a princess on the moon. I had to make sure she wasn’t giving off cryptic information the way you do. She was just telling a story about horses.

"Ponies!" Lena clarified.

"She claims the sun and moon are on speaking terms now." Alice’s done was unusual, not quite chastising, but neither confused nor approving. "She also mentioned that you two are... involved?"

"We are." Lumi confirmed.

Alice studied him for a moment. "I recognize it is not my place to comment, I hope you do not take offense. There is something I’d like to say, however."

"Yes?" Lumi asked her curiously. Alice wasn’t known for taking interest in anything she didn’t need to. He was unsure what she wanted.