The Beginning after the end : Perfect Duo

Beast Glades

LILIA'S POV

"What's the next step?" I asked emphatically.

I can't really hide my excitement, can I?

I am about to become an adventurer and discover the Beast Glades with Tom and Arthur.

"We'll head on to the Beast Glades and find a mission to start with, after picking up your licenses," Jasmine said.

With that covered, we stood up and went to the door. The stairs were as huge as always, and I noticed a few torches hung up on the wall, which I didn't seem to notice at first.

Arthur was just behind me, and Tom was... He wasn't coming up; he was still there as if he was going to watch the other examiners.

"What are you still doing there?" I asked him.

"I just dropped something. I'll follow up once I find it," he said, putting a wide smile on his face.

Arthur followed Jasmine, leaving only the both of us behind.

"I can help you with that," I suggested.

"Don't bother yourself, I won't take long, okay?" he said, this time with his head under the seats.

"Then I'll just go," I said.

He always wants to take matters into his own hands. It's not like I am going to slow him down or anything.

Whatever, I can handle that part of him at least.

I continued on my path, and as I got through the door again, a new view unfolded in front of me.

The piles of adventurers entering the guild, the never-ending line of people applying for ranking, the tons of boards with missions written on them, and people yelling around for others to complete their numbers for a mission.

The place had small windows on each side of it, the doors carved from fine wood, and decorations all over the place. What really caught my eye was the absence of Jasmine and Arthur.

Shit, I am lost.

I passed through a hallway to the right, which led me into even more adventurers waiting in lines for missions.

A black cat was walking around those adventurers, probably someone's pet.

"There you are, Lilia, wasn't it? Jasmine's been looking for you. She's already picked up your license. I'll get you to her," the assistant who received us previously said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

Tom might get lost as well; I'll have to wait for him.

"There's also Tom; he might get lost as well. We'll have to wait for him," I said fiercely.

"Wait for who?" Tom yelled from the other side of the hallway.

"Now that you're all here," the assistant led us to Jasmine's place, going through some turns and long corridors.

"What were you looking for previously?" I asked.

"There's this chain that has Mom, Dad, and Ellie's faces on it. I couldn't leave without it," Tom said.

"Well, something like that can't just fall, right? You have to keep it somewhere more secure than wherever you hid it."

"To be honest, I put it in my pocket. Not a smart move, is it?" he responded.

"No, it doesn't seem like you at all, to not think about that," I said in awe.

"Sylvie's awake now," Arthur's voice reached me.

"Oh really?" Tom hurried in his direction.

Sylvie kept wandering around us until she sat on Arthur's shoulders.

"Guess it's time," Arthur said, signaling towards Jasmine, who was standing in front of a transportation portal.

"Come on," Jasmine told us to approach.

We entered the portal to the Beast Glades.

The earth shifted under my legs, and I felt like I was thrown away from the guild to the Beast Glades. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

The place in front of the guild was covered with green fields, and some people were chasing away small furry animals.

"Those creatures' fur can be used to heal some minor injuries, so there's always people chasing after them," Jasmine clarified.

The place was awesome. I have never been in this much of a green area before.

Sylvie was looking excited; this place is covered in way more mana than the casual Sapin environment.

"Look at Sylvie, she seems really happy, doesn't she?" I said happily.

"Yeah, she probably likes the excess mana," Arthur said.

I looked towards Tom, who seemed to switch off.

"Is something wrong, Tom?"

"I am just wondering what Aurora is doing right now," he answered.

"Oh yeah." There was nothing I could say about it that would make him feel better. Aurora just left him with no possible explanation, plus it's just a pet.

"We'll go somewhere where we can camp for tonight," Jasmine said.

She started running, and Arthur and Tom joined too, but Sylvie didn't accompany us. Arthur didn't seem to mind it, so the four of us just ran through hills and plains.

If it wasn't for my training with Arthur and Tom, I would probably not be able to keep up.

But that was one of the most intense things I have ever experienced.

The training started with Arthur, early in the morning, where I meditated in order to absorb more mana to purify my core. Then it got harder because I had to do it while moving. We started first with simple movements and then built on that.

The afternoon lessons weren't any easier. Arthur taught me how to boost my physical attributes. It was all that I had to focus on during these months of training.

Tom's training wasn't easy in the slightest. I had to empty all my mana and then reabsorb it again. It was painfully slow as well, and I also got to learn how to absorb mana directly from a crystal that Tom himself made for me. That was what allowed me to increase my physical stats in exponential ways that other mages can't, because they can't afford to waste that much mana when they can conjure long-range elemental spells.

I was told that I'll acquire my elemental affinity once I reach a certain level of core purity, but it changes from mage to mage, so I don't know yet.