Zooom...
The hover jeep tore across the barren outskirts of Mercery, the colossal city looming far behind them like a distant memory. Over 100 million souls packed into that steel giant, and here she was—out in the wilderness with Blitz, clinging to the seat like a baby bird tossed from the nest.
Aika's hair flopped in the wind as she glanced nervously at Blitz, who sat behind the wheel, sunglasses reflecting the harsh sunlight.
"Um... Where are we going, if I may ask...?"
Blitz didn't even blink. "You may not ask."
Aika's face puffed up in a pout. So rude... she thought.
The hum of the engine, the sway of the ride... It was hypnotic. Aika's eyelids drooped, her head wobbling. For the fourth time in twenty minutes, she started nodding off, a small snore barely escaping her lips.
Blitz glanced sideways, an evil little smirk creeping onto her face.
Without a word, she aimed the jeep at a bump in the road—a big one.
BOOM!
The hover jeep launched into the air, the force snapping Aika awake.
"AAAAAAOWW-HA!!" Aika yelped, clutching the seat as she was tossed around like a ragdoll.
Blitz just kept driving, her expression calm—almost bored.
"Keep your eyes open, Nemizora," she muttered. "This is just the beginning."
Aika huffed, cheeks puffed out.
Another ten minutes passed, the city disappearing into the horizon.
And then—
They arrived.
A massive scrap heap stretched before them, a twisted jungle of metal and broken dreams that seemed to go on forever. The place was a monster in itself—stretching over five miles long, rusty towers of junk clawing at the sky.
Aika's mouth dropped open in shock.
"W-what is this place...?"
SLAP!
Blitz smacked the top of Aika's head with the back of her hand.
"Welcome to your new playground," she said flatly, already stepping out of the jeep.
Aika stumbled out of the jeep, nearly tripping over her own feet as she took in the massive, towering scrap heap before her.
Blitz stretched her arms over her head, letting the sunlight warm her face.
"Ugly, isn't it?" she said with a smirk.
Aika nodded slowly, still trying to process what she was seeing.
Blitz's gaze swept across the twisted metal jungle.
"This is all made of magic metal—conjured by magic stones. It's the leftovers from the Great Pirate War." She gestured at the massive, broken ships and collapsed buildings scattered across the landscape like giant skeletons.
"Mercery takes these wrecks and repurposes them—turns them into new magic weapons."
Aika's brows furrowed, her lips pursed in confusion.
Why am I even here?
Blitz caught the look. Her smirk deepened.
"You're wondering why I brought you here."
"A... a bit," Aika admitted hesitantly.
Blitz turned to her fully now, arms crossed, her tone sharp.
"Well, you're going to practice using that magic of yours."
Aika's mouth opened in protest. "But... I haven't been able to use magic without items since... since... It was a fluke!"
Blitz groaned, rubbing her temples like she was getting a migraine.
"Girl! There are no flukes when it comes to magic, idiot!"
"O-okay, okay!" Aika held up her hands defensively.
"Sit down."
Aika sat down on the dusty ground, feeling small and a little lost.
Blitz set a rusty tomato soup can in front of her. It clanked against the metal surface, looking sad and dented.
"Use magic to lift it."
Aika stared at the can, her fingers twitching nervously. "But I told you—"
Blitz's glare cut her off.
"All this 'can' and 'can't' talk is pissing me off!" she snapped, voice sharp as a whip.
"There is only CAN!"
Blitz crossed her arms, her voice cold and final.
"You will not leave here until it's lifted."
Aika swallowed hard, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek.
"...Okay."
She sat up a little straighter, her heart thudding in her chest.
The soup can sat in front of her, looking so stupidly ordinary it made her want to scream.
But she had to try.
Aika took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she hovered them over the can.
Focus... Focus...
She closed her eyes, trying to remember that feeling—the one she'd felt when she healed those wounds in the lab, that strange warmth pulsing inside her...
But it wasn't there.
Nothing was happening.
Her brow furrowed in frustration.
She clenched her teeth, a frustrated growl slipping out as she tried again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Her breathing grew ragged, her face flushed, hands shaking as she reached for the magic she couldn't touch.
The can sat there, mocking her.
Blitz said nothing.
The sun beat down.
The wind whispered across the heap.
And Aika's heart sank lower with each passing second.
The sun began its slow descent, bleeding orange and pink across the horizon. The air grew colder, the long shadows of twisted scrap metal stretching across the ground like grasping fingers.
Aika's breathing was ragged, her arms trembling. Sweat dripped from her forehead, soaking into the dusty ground beneath her.
She was tired... So, so tired.
Her vision blurred, and her eyelids grew heavy, but she forced them open. No... not yet...
Then...
She tried again.
And then—
The can... moved.
It barely rose—less than an inch from the ground—but it moved.
Aika's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Blitz, who had been standing there the entire time, arms crossed and stone-faced, let the faintest hint of a smile creep across her lips.
"Good... you can rest."
Aika's head shot up.
"No."
Blitz blinked, her brows lifting slightly.
"...?"
Aika's voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but it carried a fierce resolve.
"No... I won't stop... I need to get stronger!! I don't want anyone to die..."
Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms as her whole body trembled.
Blitz stared at her for a long moment, the wind whipping through her silver hair.
Finally, she nodded.
"Very well. Keep going."
And so she did.
...
This went on for weeks.
The days bled into nights, and nights into dawns. Aika's hands grew rough and blistered. Her body ached in places she never thought could ache. Her mind teetered on the edge of breaking.
But she kept going.
Every day.
She got a little stronger.
The first week, she could fully lift the soup can.
The second week, it was a small TV.
The third week, a fridge—an entire fridge, floating in the air like it weighed nothing.
Almost there... almost there...
Her breaths came in sharp gasps, her face pale and slick with sweat as she put everything she had into it.
Then came the next challenge.
Blitz set her sights on something greater.
"Try to summon weapons," she ordered. "No magic items. Just you."
Aika gritted her teeth, her fingers trembling. She reached deep inside herself, searching for that spark.
Her vision wavered. The world blurred. Her head ached.
But she didn't stop.
Try... try... again...!
And then—
P O O F
A burst of faint light erupted from her palm, and when the glow faded—there it was.
A sword. Crude, flickering, unstable... but a sword.
Aika gasped, staring at it in disbelief.
Blitz clapped her hands once, a sharp, crisp sound that echoed across the scrap heap.
"We've got your gravity magic down... Now, focus on your conjuring magic. Practice it until you're as good with it as you are with magic items. Once you get there... you'll be ready."
Aika's voice shook as she caught her breath. "...Thanks."
Blitz's expression softened, just a little.
"Aika... you don't realize how strong you are. There is no one—no one—except Lionel who can use magic without the help of items."
Her gaze sharpened, like she was seeing Aika for the first time.
"You are... special."
Blitz clapped her hands sharply, the sound ringing through the air.
"Don't think I'm done with you yet, though!"
Aika's heart sank.
Blitz's smirk was sharp and cruel.
"For the next month... six hours a day conjuring, two hours practicing healing magic... and let's say four hours of spell work."
She tilted her head mockingly, as if daring Aika to argue.
"That's twelve hours total."
She flashed a wicked grin.
"You've got twelve hours left—to sleep."
Aika's shoulders slumped, her face pale with exhaustion.
"...Guh..." she groaned, her voice small, barely a whisper.
Blitz crossed her arms, her expression as unyielding as iron.
"This is what it takes to get stronger, Aika."
And the training continued.