Hero of Harmony (Continued)

Chapter 311: Vanye & Lazuli

While Alexander helped to get Jasmine home, Lazuli, Vanye, Vanimo, and Talis remained behind at their encampment, near where they initially landed at the shore.
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"Tsk, four wasted days... When will Alex return?" Muttered Vanye in slight annoyance as she sat beside the campfire with folded arms, only for Vanimo to gently rub her shoulders.

"You've been asking the same questions every few hours, Vanye. You must miss Alex." Remarked Vanimo with a shake of his head as he looked at Vanye with a faint smirk, prompting her to nod.

"Yes... I-I mean no! I-I want him to return so w-we can leave!" Stated Vanye sternly with a slight blush while profusely shaking her head, causing Vanimo to smirk in amusement.

"Hehe, of course, Vanye. Whatever you say, though, I'm sure Alex would be happy to know you miss him; he'd probably return tomorrow if he knew." Said Vanimo with a playful smirk as he gazed downwards at Vanye, who scoffed while remaining silent.

"Alex is still quite a distance himself from us... He isn't returning." Added Lazli blandly as she glanced at Vanye, who groaned before plopping onto her back, causing Vanimo to chuckle.

"Ah, well, maybe he'll start returning tomorrow? Just keep your head up, Vanye, and when he returns, tell him how much you've been missing him; it'll make him really happy." Remarked Vanimo with a faint smile as he looked at Vanye, who clicked her tongue while averting her gaze.

"Tsk, I don't miss him! Stop saying that, Vanimo." Stated Vanye firmly as she eyed Vanimo, who quietly backed away with his arms in the air while slowly nodding.

"I understand, Vanye. You 'DON'T' miss, Alex. I got it." Said Vanimo with a knowing smirk as he repeatedly winked at Vanye, who grumbled under her breath.

Once my annoying brother finally left, I sighed and covered my eyes with my arm, doing nothing but resting for the next hour or so before standing up and deciding to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening training since I had nothing better to do.

"Where are you going, Vanye?" Asked Lazuli blandly as she opened a single eye while glancing at Vanye, who had just passed her.

I would've usually scoffed at her words or just plain ignored her, but as weird as it's been, she's been uncharacteristically nice to me, yet it's clear as day she still dislikes me, and I feel the same, yet it's confusing; however, in the end, I decided to withhold my witty remark.

"To train." "Hmm, I see... Can I watch?" Remarked Vanye and Lazuli, respectively, as the former unsheathed her sword while the latter curiously tapped her chin.

Freezing slightly at her question, I glanced at Lazuli in confusion, though after a few moments, I gave her a nod, causing her to stand up and follow me as I walked far across the shore, keeping a safe distance from our encampment as I planned to use mana.

Once Lazuli got to a safe distance, I brought my sword forward and slashed the air, going through a series of movements as fast as I possibly could, and any mistake I made would prompt me to go through it again until I got it perfect.

Eventually, I managed to perfect the movement and did it multiple times in a row without a single mistake, which prompted me to use my mana, which I had relatively poor control over, as I've really been able to train it, given how it destroyed everything it touches except for my sword. Even my limbs were only resistant to the destructive effects of my mana; as a matter of fact, I'll probably need new ones soon, which sucks because they're made entirely of pure gold.

'I can already see various wear... They won't last much longer.' Thought Vanye with an unsightly expression as she observed her heavily damaged limbs, only to sigh inwardly.