Cubie hovered lazily beside Frain, who was groaning loudly as she tried to pick a weapon to train with. She was unable to decide for herself. In her defence, there were over ten varieties of weapons to choose from — a Halberd, spear, battle axe, warhamr, and zweihänder to na a few.
“Sister Frain, have you decided yet?” Cubie asked, getting visibly impatient.
“Hey, you two,” Aurelia suddenly poked her head into the armoury, waving her hand.
“Mama, Sister Frain has been taking forever to pick her weapon,” Cubie whined.
“Hehe, what’s troubling you so much, Frain?” Aurelia asked, running her hands over the weapon racks, their gleaming edges reflecting her youthful face.
“I just want to pick one that really matters. One that will not fail us,” Frain replied softly. And one that will not disappoint Lupy like last ti, she thought to herself. It was a guilt of inadequacy, a feeling of weakness.
“Co on, just pick one already.” Cubie rotated smoothly. “What’s the difference? All of them are in mint condition and sharp! Therefore, they’re all the sa. What’s so special about one above the other?” Cubie grumbled.
Despite her pouting, Frain didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to search through the weapons.
“Not so, Cubie! Each one has its own advantages over the others, excelling in either slashing, piercing, or blunt force," Aurelia corrected firmly. "What's more, these aren’t just regular weapons. They are forged by expert smiths and enchanted by Renaissance mages. These are valuable imports from the Aethia continent, you know!”
Cubie froze visibly, processing the new information. In the background, she was searching through a library in the Arc comm.
“Cubie, are you okay?” Aurelia asked out of concern.
“Oh! I understand now!” Cubie chirped. “The arcane imbuent!”
“That’s the term,” Aurelia bead. “Walk with , Cubie. Frain, take your ti,” Aurelia instructed. She paused and pondered, "Not like Cubie could physically walk, right?"
“Okay… How co you don’t use any Arc tools, Aurelia?” Cubie probed, and they both strode away, leaving Frain so privacy.
“Because I don’t need excess slots like most mages,” Aurelia replied with a knowing grin.
“Oh, oh!” Cubie nodded by moving up and down. “Even Zetius used Arc boots when he hurried to find Sister Frain,” Cubie recalled.
“Well, that’s a bit different. So Arc tools are used for utility, and not for warmongering,” Aurelia explained, her voice even. “Zetius might use Arc boots for travelling a great distance and even an Arc coat for its enhanced durability and comfort.”
“I see. I never realised that until now. I just don't think I could ever use Arc tools effectively,” Cubie said.
As they walked along the edge of the wall, “Last ti, you managed to create a wall out of thin air, right?” Aurelia probed, lacing her hands behind her back.
“Yes… I did. Hmmmm… A fluke, more like. Now that I've tried, it's a struggle to materialise a rigid structure, let alone a functional Armatus suit. Despite knowing all of its composition, alloy properties, tensile strength, Poisson’s ratio, forging process, and so on…” Cubie clarified, her tone becoming sombre, “Practically, I am useless without an Armatus suit.”
“No, you’re not! Cubie, don’t say that.” Aurelia objected firmly, “Hmm… I can relate to that. I felt the sa when I studied the essence of Domoklasis under Lunarius Canis,” She continued as she inspected her palm.
“Lunarius Canis? The wolf-man singer?” Cubie gasped.
“Wait? You’ve t him?” Aurelia’s lips parted in surprise. They both giggled, thinking of his solemn, nonsensical music.
After a while, an idea sparked in Aurelia's mind.
“How about I show you? I might not be a great Renaissance mage, but I can show you what works for .”
“You will?” Cubie asked, unsure.
“Affirmative,” Aurelia nodded with her eyes closed.
“We’ll start with the apple principle,” Aurelia said, grinning.
“Apple principle?” Cubie tilted to the side in puzzlent.
“It’s nad after the thod of visualisation we form in our mind using an apple. This is a way to initially gauge how well a person can imagine.
Let’s say we have people picture the apple — so won’t be able to visualise it at all, so will see a black and white one, a flat 2D one, and the best result is a realistic apple with colour and shadow,” Aurelia explained.
“Aha!” Cubie exclaid in glee. “Wait, what?”
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That was short-lived once she actually thought about it.
“That’s fine, I’ll show you. Now focus with . Picture a tal sheet!” Aurelia instructed eagerly, raising her palm forward.
“Now, we are going to imagine it in our minds,” Aurelia continued, shutting her eyes.
“Can you even close your eyes?” she asked Cubie and frowned.
“Hmm… I can disconnect my visual sensors,” Cubie replied.
“Good!” Aurelia exclaid. “Now, what do you see?” she asked.
“I see darkness,” Cubie answered factually.
“I an, can you see the tal sheet?”
“I do when I imagine it.”
“Describe it to ,” Aurelia commanded. “In detail, please.”
“I can see its outline, a square shape.”
“Now, try to shade it. Make it into a 3D object in your mind,” Aurelia continued, her fingers humming with mana.
“Done! I now see it like a realistic object in our physical world,” Cubie confird promptly.
“Combine it with the knowledge of the tal! Then letting your mana flow,” Aurelia muttered softly.
“Okay!”
Seeing Cubie’s glow intensify, Aurelia instructed, “Now you must invoke the essence. In my case, I’ll say… Domoklasis!” A surge of energy focused on her fingertips, and Aurelia crouched down to tap the ground. Faint orange lines began to take shape before a shiny tal sheet manifested out of thin air.
“Wow!” Cubie exclaid with awe.
Aurelia grinned, resting both hands on her hips. “Now, you try.”
“Right away!” Cubie said, following Aurelia’s steps. Once everything was aligned, she chanted, “Cubie!” A blue line of energy shot from her into the empty space.
Eventually, a tal sheet, glowing blue, ford in mid-air and dropped to the ground with a loud clank. Surely, her essence wasn’t Domoklasis, so the material wasn't permanent like Aurelia's. However, this marked a major breakthrough for Cubie.
“You did it!” Aurelia exclaid with joy. “Attagirl!”
“Yay!” Cubie jumped happily.
“Once you’ve done it enough tis, it’ll co naturally!” Aurelia praised her with a gentle pat.
“The apple principle rules!” Cubie exclaid, zipping around Aurelia.
“Yes, and it's a way to assist your imagination and eventually your creativity, which is one of the core principles of the arcane,” Aurelia explained with a nerdy lift of her finger.
“Right, right!” Cubie celebrated, then she attempted a few more materialisations for good asure. To Aurelia’s surprise, Cubie was performing the task more consistently now.
Just then, Cubie caught a glimpse of Frain heading out of the armoury, empty-handed.
“What’s wrong, Sister Frain?” Cubie asked, worried.
“It’s just…” Frain paused, a pang of disappointnt in her voice. “I was focusing on the wrong thing. I thought choosing the right weapon would be the answer. But the reality is, it's my own strength that matters. No powerful weapon can compensate for my own weakness,” she said, her voice heavy.
They both looked at Frain, speechless.
Frain stared at her fist with a newfound conviction. “I’ll keep practising with my bare hands first before relying on a weapon! Hmph!” She huffed, straightening herself.
Aurelia and Cubie exchanged a knowing nod. “Well, Frain, I believe you have the right mindset. We haven’t made a real fighter out of you yet!” Aurelia announced with a toothy grin.
“Sister Frain, I’ll try harder, too! Let’s make Zetius proud!” Cubie interjected.
A warm smile touched Frain's lips. Aurelia stepped forward and took Frain’s hand, cupping it gently in her own. Cubie then perched on top of their joined hands.
They shared a mont of silent camaraderie, a non-verbal gesture that ran deep between them.
With a shared nod, they moved. Frain found her answer not on the weapon rack, but on the weight rack. The cold, textured iron of a barbell felt more honest, more real. She didn’t need an enchanted battle axe. She needed to beco the weapon herself. With a sharp exhale, she began her deadlifts, her form still raw but her intent absolute.
She lifted, and she lifted. tal clanked against the rubber floor.
The burn in her shoulders and the strain in her back were a welco punishnt, a way to atone for the weakness she felt. In the periphery, she could hear Aurelia’s cheerful voice coaching Cubie. Flashes of blue light caught her eye, signs of her small friend attempting a magic far beyond Frain's own comprehension.
But Frain blocked it out. Her world was the weight, the floor, and the voice in her head telling her to push for one more repetition. This was not rely lifting weights. Rather, she was lifting the guilt from her shoulders. A small, determined smile adorned her sweat-dripping face as she completed the set, her body trembling with exhaustion and a new, powerful sense of resolve.
***
The heavy tal ball arched into the air and slamd onto the ground, tenderising the dirt and creating a crater among many.
Frain was drenched in her own sweat, her blonde hair clinging damply to her face. Her arms strained, veins protruding visibly from the exertion she was putting her body through.
The lion Wildren walked calmly towards the tal ball, which was roughly one tre in diater. Her palms were red, and white calluses had begun to form around the base of her fingers.
Once she reached the ball, she bent her knees and clenched her arms around the steel, lifting it upwards. Her limbs felt heavy, but she pushed through.
“YAAA!” Frain scread, hurling it with all her strength.
Thanks to her essence of Leontokratía, she possessed innate physical strength and durability. Yet, even that wasn’t enough to overco her foe.
According to a passage from Zetius’s Arcane 101, one thod to train such an essence was to push it beyond its limits.
BAMMM! A loud, muffled thud followed as the ball collided with the ground.
Soon, two figures erged from the far side of the training section. Cubie levitated slowly beside Aurelia, humming to herself.
“Frain!” Cubie called out after spotting her.
Frain wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned. “What’s it?”
“Cubie and I just finished our session. We’re going to head over to see Zetius!” Aurelia said with a bright smile.
“Wanna co with?”
Without hesitation, Frain shook her head.
“No, I’ll continue to train more… if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine! Co find us once you’re done, ok?” Aurelia replied, and Cubie nodded in acknowledgent. Without words, they both admired Frain’s determination and drive.
After a beat, Frain was left to her solitude. The loud impacts echoed again and again as she continued her physical training.
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