Supernova

Ch. 4: Training

"What do you mean, we're staying with Draco and training there?" Lucy demanded, following Eltanin around the mansion with a suitcase in his hands.

"Exactly that!" Eltanin chirped before turning to Lucy. "Now, what size are you?" His eyes surveyed her figure, and Lucy's eyes began to twitch dangerously. "Hmm... We may need to buy you some clothes instead. As pretty as you are, princess, I don't like to share."

Lucy gaped at him. "What?" she said before shaking her head. "Look, Eltanin, I thought we were training here. You know, in your mansion?" She gestured wildly around her. "I didn't think you meant we'd be training in the Celestial World!"

"Ah-uh-uh-uh," Eltanin said, shaking his head. "Not the Celestial World. The Garden of Hesperides. My dear old pop's own little niche. There's a difference, you know." He tossed the suitcase in a random room, and Lucy winced when several bangs could be heard as it toppled against something.

"Well, what's the difference?" she asked huffily, having to run after him since he walked so quickly with his freakishly long legs. "Aren't they both technically the same, since Draco's also technically a Celestial Spirit?"

"For the most part, time," Eltanin replied, holding the large oaken doors open for Lucy. They walked down the numerous steps to Redguon as he explained, "Or, rather, the lack thereof. My pops, being the Guardian of the Celestial World and all, has to be in a state of constant vigilance in order to properly carry out his duties, so he bent a couple rules and made his own little realm to fulfill his conditions. Like the Celestial World to Celestial Spirit mages, the realm Pops resides in can be accessed by Spirits— with permission of that old geezer king, of course— and Celestial Spirit mages by way of the thirteen Zodiac keys, like we just did yesterday." He unlocked the gate, once again waiting for Lucy to pass through.

"Because there are practically no time constraints in the Garden, you can spend as much time as you need there training your ass off without wasting a single second in Earthland. That, and the Garden is an extension of the Celestial World, and its center revolves around Celestial Magic. Frankly, it's the best option for your training."

He turned to Lucy. "Plus, your Spirits could always come by and help you train. There's plenty of space in the Garden, you know. You can technically fit all thirteen Zodiacs in the Garden." When a couple of the townspeople waved at them, Eltanin waved back, a cheery smile on his face. "Any questions?" he asked Lucy, walking towards a particular boutique not far from where they stood.

"Yeah," Lucy said, her mind whirling."I don't understand how the Garden of Hesperides could have no time."

Eltanin pursed his lips. 'Damn humans,' he thought irritatedly. 'Always dependent on time.'

"You noticed that the sun was out in the Garden, right?" he finally asked. "As long as the light rules Earthland, the Garden of Hesperides would always be light."

"What's your point?"

"The point is," Eltanin said, his voice gaining a higher pitch, "as long as everything is good and perfect in Earthland, no time will pass in the Garden. It's when the balance is tipped to the dark's favor everything goes to hell."

"But then, what about Ragnarok? I thought he or whatever it is was already released."

"Yes. Yes, he is, but Ragnarok's still trapped by one more seal: finding a corporeal vessel strong enough to hold it." He turned to her. "Mind you, Ragnarok is very, very strong. Its power is so strong, that even an S-class mage from your world is unable to hold it for very long. Kinda like Lucifer, ya know what I'm saying?" He nudged her, a lopsided grin stretching over his face. "Damn, I love that show!"