The World Above

Chapter 10 : First Training Session

Haven's POV

Once the initial shock wore off, I found myself thoroughly enjoying our journey to the Palace. The pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky, and the blanket of stars stretching to infinity was a heavenly sight.

As we reached the entrance of Magix, Kuzunoha, the fox, landed softly on the clouds. The guards at the majestic gate bowed and opened the gateway for us. We entered the magical land, and I was immediately entranced by the breathtaking view before me.

"I would have given you a proper tour if we weren't already a bit late," Hercule said, breaking my trance.

"Don't worry! I'm pretty sure I'll be learning about these places and their customs soon enough," I replied with a nod. He smiled at my comment and pointed out the palace to me.

"Look, there's our capital, home to the Crystal of Power, the Kingdom of Magix."

I looked up, and my breath was taken away. The lands we passed by each had their own charm and beauty, but the Magix Kingdom was something else entirely.

The palace was not only made of crystals, but the whole land was covered with them. Hercule explained, "Crystals are the foremost source of power, energy, and life on Magix."

We entered the palace through the roof, which opened up as we arrived. I saw that Felix was already present. The gods and goddesses looked up as we landed. Hercule hopped off and held out his hand to help me down.

"Thanks," I smiled and jumped off. With my hand in his, Hercule strode up to Angelica and bowed. After a moment's hesitation, I copied him. Hercule moved towards his throne, and Felix joined me as Angelica stood to address us.

"I'll give you a brief overview of your training," she began.

"The gods and goddesses each have something to teach you."

"Selene and Lenna will teach you the art of concealment and disguise. In simpler words, they'll teach you to be a spy."

"Chofi and Pandora, along with Erebus, who couldn't join us today, will be teaching you our history, economy, and politics."

"Aether, Morpheus, and Farris will be in charge of your physical training."

"And lastly, Hercule will teach you about spirit animals and the animals of Urgula in general. He'll help you get connected to your spirit animals."

"Today, we'll be testing your physical strength. Aether, Farris, and Morpheus will be training you. Any questions?"

Angelica paused, waiting for us to respond.

"Um, what about Flema?" I asked timidly. Everyone's attention turned to me, and I felt a bit shy. "I mean, every god and goddess has something to teach us, except Flema, so um..." my voice trailed off.

"Ah, I understand. I'll be the medic during your training, so whenever you're hurt, I'll be there to treat you," Flema spoke up from her corner. I nodded in understanding and glanced at Felix, who seemed deep in thought.

Felix's POV

Hearing the Queen talk about our schedule made my head spin. How were we supposed to train and learn everything while balancing our regular activities? Despite my doubts, I said, "Alright, let's start!" My voice carried more enthusiasm than I felt.

Angelica smiled and nodded at someone beside her. "Sofia, is the arena ready?"

"Yes, Your Highness! Please follow me," Sofia replied. We followed her to a spacious room equipped with all types of weapons, from shurikens to swords. Theater seats lined the sides, where the gods and goddesses sat to observe matches during festivals, as explained by the tour guide.

As we entered the arena, Farris took the lead. "This is where Aether, Morpheus, and I will train you to become one of the best fighters in history!" He paused and then rephrased, "We'll try to, anyway."

"Farris! Don't discourage them!" Lenna reprimanded him.

Ignoring them, Morpheus spoke up, "For your first lesson, we'll be testing different weapons to see which best suit your personalities."

"That's right. We'll be handing you various weapons to see how they react to you. This will help us identify your weapon," Aether added.

"Wait, so according to you, these weapons will be the ones choosing us?" Haven asked. I followed her chain of thought and said, "You make it sound as if they have minds of their own!" The looks the gods and goddesses gave us made me feel as if we had just asked a very obvious question. But then again, after everything, living weapons did not seem out of the ordinary.

"Okay then! Let's start with spears," Aether called out after a moment of awkward silence. Immediately, spears appeared in front of us. Haven glanced at me before reaching out to grab one.

As soon as we did, the room lit up, and the wind picked up. It was a magical moment until everything settled and the objects the wind had picked up dropped on top of us.

"Never mind! It never happens on the first try!" Morpheus consoled us. "Let's move on to bows and arrows." Farris snapped his fingers, and a set appeared for each of us along with targets. "Alright, whenever you both are ready!" Aether called out.

Together, we took our positions. At the count of three, we released our arrows. However, instead of hitting the target, they burst into flames and turned to ash before reaching it.

I stared in bewilderment at the ash heap and then at Haven, who also seemed at a loss for words. "I guess archery doesn't suit your personalities. No worries. Let's move on to swordsmanship," Morpheus introduced the next activity.

Farris brought out swords for us and handed one to each of us. They were heavy, and I struggled to hold mine up. Poor Haven almost fell over due to the weight of hers.

Haven's POV

Okay, this is what I've encountered so far: gods and goddesses, magical lands, magical animals, and living, thinking weapons. And not to mention handsome men. I wouldn't have met Felix if I hadn't been caught in all this. But then again, Felix is nothing compared to Brandon.

With his seductive black eyes, pale skin, and unruly black hair that glints in the sunlight when he runs his veiny hands through it. I'm not saying Felix is bad. He's rich, handsome, and athletic. A cover of black lashes frames his ocean-green eyes. Both are literal gods, but I would choose Brandon any day.

My thoughts scattered as Farris handed us each a sword. I almost fell over due to its weight. With a snap of Farris's fingers, multiple figureheads appeared before us. "Your task is to overcome the challenges and get to the other end," Aether explained. Morpheus started the countdown without giving us a chance to process anything.

Felix and I looked at each other. "I'll protect you," he teased.

"Then I'll give you the honor of winning," I smiled.

At the end of the countdown, Felix and I started to run, desperately holding onto our gigantic swords. Felix used some maneuvers here and there, but I could see he was also struggling to keep the weapon from falling.

However, as we progressed, wielding the swords became easier. We were able to swing and land some blows on the figureheads. Soon, we were almost at the finish line. Suddenly, I felt a shift in the air. I couldn't quite describe it.

Out of nowhere, a crazy humanoid figure charged at me. I thought I could tackle it, but one blow had me shaking to the core. My sword went crashing to the other side. The humanoid was supposed to stop once my sword landed on the floor—that's what Morpheus had said.

But the bot took another swing at me. I covered my face with my hands, hoping they would at least lessen the impact. I braced myself for the blow, which never came.

A pair of hands took hold of my waist and pulled me out of danger's way. I heard shouting and clanging. After a moment, I dared to open my eyes. The crazy machine lay disintegrated on the floor.

Suddenly aware of the arm wrapped around me, I glanced up, expecting to see either Felix or one of the gods. However, what I saw completely threw me off guard.

Ruby-red eyes, full of concern, were examining me from head to toe.