The next morning came alongside my usual routine, starting with my sparring session with Ais.
After countless battles together, our spars were no longer the one-sided affairs they used to be. I had grown stronger, faster, and more capable of keeping up with her inhuman speed and precision.
Ais's rapier shot straight toward my chest like a silver streak. Yup, now she was using her real sword without the sheath.
I deflected it upward with my sword, the clash of metal ringing around us. Without missing a beat, she flowed into a low kick aimed at my legs. I jumped back, creating distance, but she was already pursuing me.
Her blade came in a series of quick thrusts—one, two, three—each one forcing me to adjust my guard. I parried the first two but had to sidestep the third, her rapier cutting through the air where my shoulder had been a moment before.
We continued our spar, metal meeting metal in rapid exchanges. Ais pressed forward with a diagonal slash that I barely managed to deflect, her golden eyes focused and calculating as always.
As she wound up for another thrust, I saw an opportunity. Just as her rapier began its forward motion, I whispered under my breath, "Agni O."
Blue flames instantly erupted between us, forming a wall of azure fire that caused Ais to halt her attack mid-thrust. In the same instant, I shaped the flames into a spear and thrust it toward her side.
Her eyes widened—genuine surprise flickering across her usually stoic features. She twisted away at the last second, the flame spear missing her by inches as the blue fire dissipated.
"That was..." she paused, lowering her rapier slightly, "unexpected."
I couldn't help but grin. It wasn't often that I managed to truly surprise the Sword Princess.
"My new magic," I explained, still catching my breath. As changing the form of the fire when it is being used took a lot of mind. "Pretty useful, right?"
Ais observed the place the fire had erupted and then looked up at me with a smile, and said.
"Show me more." She looked excited.
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.
.
After that, we spared a little more, and as I was relaxing on her lap and her hand petting my head, As I played with played with the flames. A sudden idea struck me. I got up from her lap.
"What happened, Arin?" Ais said as she looked up at me. I turn to face her.
"Ais, I got some idea on how to use my flames differently. Do you mind helping me out?" Ais got up as well as I asked her.
"Of course not, what should I do?"
"Can you activate your Ariel? I want to test something. Also, just wrap the wind around your sword only and at a very low intensity." Ais nodded, unsheathing her rapier.
"Ariel." She muttered the spell name, and I was able to see winds wrapping around her whole body. And slowly they shifted towards her sword, and the intensity of the magic was low as well.
"Agni O." I also activated my magic as pure blue flames gathered around me, and I brought the flames toward her sword, still wrapped in wind.
It seems Ais also noticed what I was about to do. But I still explained. "Ais, I will bring my flames near your rapier, try not to push the flames away.
Ais nodded with clear determination in her eyes.
Slowly, I started pushing the flames near the sword, and when the wind caught the flames in its circle, I willed the flames to encircle the sword along the wind. And Ais' determination paid off as the wind and my flames united together. Creating a powerful flame tornado around the sword.
"Whew, Phase one is complete," I said, extinguishing the flame, as it was taking a lot of my concentration to keep it wrapped around the sword and flow along the wind, which was a lot harder than I thought. And just a slip in my concentration would have ended badly.
"That was amazing," Ais said, still looking at the rapier like she could still feel the flames wrapped around it.
"How did that feel?" I asked for a little more detail.
Ais thought for a second and explained. "It did not feel like it was someone else's magic but rather an addition to my own."
"Your own?" I asked and she replied with a nod. "Also, it was powerful. A lot powerful."
"Hmmm… I see. Then let's go home first and try different things in the training hall. I don't want to get scolded by Riveria. If we accidentally blow up the wall." Ais visibly shuddered.
"Yes. Angry Riveria is not good." She said and started walking in a hurry.
I also followed her.
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.
.
The result of the experiment we did was interesting, while I can add my own magic to someone else's. It also depended on the mastery the other person has of their own spell.
Those factors play a big part in it. And if that is successful, then the potency of the spell increases by a great degree. But it also gets harder to control as the magic gets stronger.
We keep doing different types of experiments, until it was my time to go on a petrol.
"You will be going on the expedition soon, right, Ais?" I have heard from Riveria that they will be leaving soon.
"Yeah, Riviera will also go," Ais said with that same doll-like expression, but strangely, she seemed more determined than usual.
"I see. I know it is still a little early, but best of luck." I am going to miss them. But I let that remain unsaid after observing her determination.
"Thank you. I will try my best."
"Just try not to get too injured. And remember there are people who have your back. Be sure to ask for Riveria's help if you encounter too much trouble." I told her these things mostly out of worry since I can not guess what might happen anymore, and an event might get triggered before its time.
"Um. I will." Ais said she put her rapier back in the sheath.
"Good, then I will get going." Since I am already a little late than my usual time for patrol.
"You too, take care, Arin," Ais said as I was walking away. I just turned around and gave her a smile and a wave of my hand. She returned both the smile and the wave of her hand.