Sever had completed his training for an entire week, keeping his secret hidden alongside the maid Elena from both his parents and everyone else. He pushed his body to endure for longer periods and get used to the pressure, and he managed to finish all levels of the water element before his rest period ended. After the week passed, Sever returned to train with his father, Elric.
In the training hall behind the castle, the two of them sat cross-legged on the ground, facing each other. At the center of the hall, they stared at one another while a light breeze gently brushed their faces.
In the middle of that silence, time was broken by a familiar voice:"So, Sever, you're currently drawn to the water element. I think it's best for you to finish all four levels this week, just to keep up with your fast learning pace—"
Sever cut him off, forming a ball of water in his palm, speaking with a proud tone:"I already did. It's best we move on to the next element."
Suddenly, Elric picked him up by the arms without warning, spun him in the air in a wide circle, and shouted:"This is my son!""Stop!"
Elric stopped and released Sever midair, letting him fall to the ground. His expression shifted from playful to serious."Listen to me now."Sever swallowed hard, listening closely."Y-Yes."
Despite how mature Sever's mind was, he couldn't bring himself to challenge the one who gave him life, who protected him during his weakest moments and cared for him. He believed that those who gave us everything, who became the reason we're alive now, deserve to be honored at the highest cost.
"Now then, which element do you want to train in next, since you've completed your first one?"
I need to choose something that complements water. The problem is, each element has its own difficulty. If I combine elements well, I think wind would be the best for mobility, speed, and even enhancing the reach of water attacks.
Sever stared at Elric, and the words slid out quietly:"I think I've decided.""Alright, which element will you train in next?""Wind."
Both Elric and Sever fell into brief silence.
It's a blessing to train under someone who's mastered all mana elements, even the forbidden black ones that require a noble seal. I was lucky to be born into House Valtorin.
"…So, the violet element, wind. A good choice, and a strong complement to water. But this time, I won't be training you."
Sever raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in tone."What do you mean?""This time, you'll train with your cousin.""What? You're joking, right?"
A voice came from behind him:"So this is the cousin they call Sever?" — in a cheerful tone."…Father…""Yes?""…I want to run away." — he said, voice trembling.
Sever began sneaking slowly toward the door, trying to mute his steps. But unfortunately for him, Elric caught him before he got far."Get back here and greet your cousin."
Sever turned around to face her… Long silver hair, wide and cheerful violet eyes.Even though our bloodline shares the same hair and eye color, it's definitely her.
"Lily."
In my previous life, when my uncle and his wife would deny me dinner, Lily would sneak into my room at night and share half of hers. She never feared being scolded, despite how strict and arrogant her parents were. Thankfully, she was always around. Had she not been, my life with those two would've been far worse.
Her parents used to warn her about me, feeding her lies and rumors they invented. But she never believed them—she just kept supporting me.
"…"
But Lily does have one problem: she jokes around too much and is overly energetic. Sometimes I'd even avoid her. Still… a king does not betray the hand that reaches out to him. That's why I'll entrust my life to her in this new beginning.
Lily stepped forward and extended her hand to him."Hi, I'm Lily. I'm six years old… Nice to meet you."
Sever shook her hand and replied:"Hello, I'm Sever. I'm three years old. Nice to meet you too."
Lily glanced toward Elric, still shaking Sever's hand, her other hand covering a small smirk."Uncle Elric… your son is well-mannered."
Like I said before—she hasn't changed, and she never will.
Elric stepped forward and hugged both of them with his arms."Alright, Lily, Sever… shall we begin our training?""Let go, Uncle—""Elric, don't do that… I'm losing air—"
After that family moment, Elric began training Sever and Lily that afternoon, just before the sun would set.
In my past life, Lily had already mastered both the wind and healing elements at this age. So I believe it would benefit both of us to share knowledge and grow stronger together. I should ask her, just to confirm that my absence hasn't changed her timeline.
We climbed to the roof of the training hall, up the long staircase leading there. The goal: to absorb the mana floating in the air to help us during training.
Before we began taking the proper mana stances, I asked her:"Lily, I want to ask you something."She turned to me:"Big words from such a tiny boy.""We're all kids!"
Sever sighed."What elements have you mastered?""Hehe… Don't freak out, my dear cousin.""Just tell me.""I've mastered two elements in two years." — she said with a smug tone full of pride."That's all?"
It's a relief she's still mastered two elements even without my help… Now I can rest easy. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud of her.
"What do you mean 'that's all?!' You talk like you could do it!"
I can appreciate her pride. She's the second member of House Valtorin to master two elements that quickly—right after the founder himself. So yeah, she's earned the right to be proud. But don't get cocky, Lily. I'll be the fastest to ever master the elements in this family.
"That's amazing, Lily. How could I not admire such talent?"
She lifted her head and stared at me with a smug glare."Glad you realized that, little one."
I bit my tongue while staring back at her.Don't lose your cool, Sever. She's just a bratty little girl.
Elric appeared behind us, stood in front, and began pulling our ears—both mine and Lily's."Time for training. Training time is not for playing around.""Kya—!""Okay, okay! We get it, Elric!"
He let us go, and we immediately started rubbing our ears.
This time, I'll try to master the wind element in a single week, just like I did with water. Then I'll shift my focus to both elements, aiming to at least reach the intermediate level… before the day Elric and Maria are killed. I have to protect them.