A Fake Familiar Reborn

Chapter 14: Training Part 1

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness

Longest chapter by far, 14k words. So, it should have been a doubt update with To Love a Sword but that chapter ain't quite done yet. So by tomorrow it should be good to go.

.

.

.

-???-

He'd been striving toward that hill his whole life. It was from atop that hill he'd be able to gaze out and see all that he'd ever accomplished along with how this all came to be. With an indifferent face he recalled the ever-expanding hellish field of fire and death, a cataclysmic genesis. 

Whether it had been the deepest layer of the Underworld or the pits of Tartarus, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that it fit the truest definition of Hell itself. Yet amidst this infernal chaos, he held out against the agony surrounding him, propelled by sheer perseverance and an unwavering determination to avoid sharing the same fate as the tormented souls whose burnt out husks continued to writhe in the fiery abyss.

All of this he lived through, again and again like a broken record. A nightmare that he did not crawl out from, but was instead rescued when found by the one who gave him a purpose where there had existed none — a dream that haunted him to the very end of his journey.

There, on top of the hill, he gazed outward and remembered all those he had helped. As someone who always lived for the sake of helping others, could he ask for anything more? Certain of his path, he’d never looked back. Certain that so long as he could make it to the peak of that hill, he'd die with a smile on his face. She wondered what it represented being there, the achievement of his goals obviously, though a part of her knew that wasn't the case. 

Born with little talent or power, just a tireless focus on his goals. The miracles he achieved were formed not because they had been ordained by some higher entity, but from his own sweat and blood, nothing else.

But to achieve his miracle, he did. Just like the miracle that had been that smile that saved him from the fire all those years ago. Some memories just wouldn't fade away, serving as the foundation for the entity known as E***a **i**u. A goal stemming from a simple promise made under the twinkling moonlight between a broken man and a child who idolized his father. 

'That was the moment he strived to become a hero, the promise he made to become the one who saves others.' Quite innocent, right? She wanted to believe so, at least, hoping so was the best that could be done. Regardless, in the end, that goal was clearly reached at one point or another — creating the steel eyed silver tongued smartass who she grew to love without even realizing until she was far past that point. 

'Because I wanted to forge a world in which no one had cause to cry, I spent my life doing everything in my power to save everyone — that's what he said that time.'

He achieved that dream by never giving up, right? It suited him, despite only knowing him for a short while, she knew how stubborn he could be at all times. Regardless of his flaws and weaknesses, he endlessly strived to work harder and harder. Breaking his body if necessary and endlessly pushing to his limits just to one day save someone. Unafraid of death… no, rather… he had no care for his own wellbeing in the first place. 

But since he’d accomplished his goal, he had to be happy, right? Otherwise, what was the point? As someone who'd lived for saving others, he should be at least as happy as those he'd saved. 

Then again, the person she spoke about the dream of becoming a hero was far too different from the optimistic boy before her. It was odd, that much she noticed, the changes were too drastic, maybe she missed something. He never liked to talk about his past in much detail, always giving her a rudimentary resume in most cases. Even now, she felt he still hid the full ability of his magecraft.