Mash wanted to start training immediately but was convinced to clean himself first. His siblings were not very keen on his appearance and seeing himself in the mirror now, he agreed. The change to his eyes was relatively minor, and he would need to change his mask a little to fit them. They both matched now, a combination of the two greater beings, and Priscilla’s eyes from before. His pupil was a narrow triangle, with parallel white lines spreading out from the edges. A faint glow shone from his snake like pupil, made more noticeable due to the blackness that surrounded it. That was the biggest change to his appearance, though it was not what his siblings were talking about.

He really did look like a mess, worse even than a beggar might. His clothes were obviously damp, his sweat having made it stick closely to his body. It was as if he had walked through a rainstorm. Though his clothing was only one problem. Streaks of blood rolled down his face, his eyes having bled during their transformation. Even now red marks marred his skin and clothing. Similarly, his hands were stained in blood, having used them to wipe his eyes earlier. He started to clean himself, spending a little longer in the bath than he needed. By the time he got out, the water had become thick with muck.

Once he was satisfied with his cleanliness, he left the bathroom putting on some training clothes. A simple grey colored shirt and pants, both made of a sturdy cotton. The servants were out and about already, the early morning preparations having started. So, it wasn’t hard for him to find someone to clean his mending clothes. With that out of the way, he made his way back to the training ground, ready to begin some drills with Priscilla. There was still training to be done, and they didn’t have morning training with Jack today. He was only available three times a week, and they decided it would be better to space the training out. He would need to go to the colosseum later, but still had plenty of time.

The training grounds were empty now, his siblings having gone to sleep. They had been staying up for his sake, and only just got the opportunity to relax.

“Let’s try it now Priscilla.”

The most exciting thing he had gained from his transformation was his lightning affinity, and he was eager to see how it performed. The fastest way he could learn to do it himself, was to let Priscilla use his body then imitate it. It had worked for most things thus far, and now his connection was even stronger.

“Finally, I am able to use my magic again.”

She was excited, too much so. She was so different from what she had been like, seeming to adopt more of his personality. There was a small worry in the back of his head that she would change completely, lose her identity because of his actions. He knew the importance of freedom and didn’t want to take that away from her. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her condition, but relinquished control of his body to become an observer for this next part.

Priscilla eagerly took control of his body, and she seemed better at using it after the fusion. Unable to do anything but watch, he couldn’t help but be awed by her control of his energy. She was far better than she had been, and he knew that he paled in comparison. Although, the fact that he could observe what she was doing now, he believed he could imitate her to some extent. Shifting his attention to the energy itself, he watched as it started vibrating, crashing against itself rapidly. It kept speeding up, and he didn’t understand what this was meant to accomplish.

Then it happened, and for the briefest moment, a flash of light erupted between some of his energy, a strangely quiet blast of thunder following it. It filled Priscilla with excitement, and he could see more flashes of light starting to sprout around him. It kept expanding, the lines of light growing bigger and branching off like real lightning as it moved further away from him. He was left with the image of his body standing amidst a tempest of lightning, all the while smiling pleasantly.

Mash’s curiosity got the better of him, and he took back control of his body from Priscilla, trying to mimic what she had done before. Priscilla relented, eager to watch him repeat her actions. At first, he started failing, but that changed as Priscilla guided him. He was still in charge of his body, and even the energy itself, but he was able to let himself be guided by her intentions. She was controlling his energy, through guiding his mind like a second brain. Following her instructions was easy, and before long the tempest of lightning was under his control, and he felt himself grow more excited. The energy swirling around him seemed to be influencing his own thought process, the earrings kicked in though, and he felt a soothing force roll across his mind. With the little control he managed to regain, he tried manipulating the lightning separate from how Priscilla was guiding him.

Slowly the tempest grew smaller, until it became more like a coating for his body. Then he raised his palm forward, aiming across the training grounds. Lightning launched outwards. He expected a straight line, a singular flash of light. What he got instead was a branching tree of lightning that merely originated from his palm. The flash of light was much brighter this time, and the subsequent thunder shook the ground beneath him. Laughing giddily, he couldn’t believe what he was doing right now. It was actual lightning magic, and with no class for it.

“More, there is more to be done.”

Relieved to hear Priscilla’s voice sounding more normal, he followed her new instructions. He called them instructions, but they felt more like guidelines that he could see. As he copied her intentions, he realized that this was what they wanted the whole time. He was able to follow her instructions without delay, with perfection, while still being in control of his body. It still took up a significant amount of his concentration, but that would hopefully change with practice. It was what they wanted; he could replicate Priscilla’s greater mana control. Now he just needed to perfect it.

He followed the next set of instructions he received, growing a wooden replica of Priscilla above him, connected by wood to his back. It happened far faster than he could’ve managed on his own, but Priscilla wasn’t done there. That was too simple, and he was made to vibrate the mana within the wooden creation. She had made a space within the creature for this express purpose. He watched as the flash of light erupted within the wooden casing, bits of wood cracking like glass when lightning branched through it. Finally, he opened the mouth of the wooden replica, and lightning launched outwards branching everywhere in front of it. Pieces of rubble and dirt, the weapons against the wall in the distance, and Mash himself were struck by bolts of lightning. Pain shot through his back, but he was able to ignore it, far to excited at what he had just done. That was Priscilla’s attack, the one she used to devastate their fight before. The power was a lot lower now, but it was the same attack.

Mash thought that he would kiss Priscilla if that was possible but settled for laughing like a maniac. Priscilla scoffed at his thoughts, the gesture coming from her like a message would. It was a human gesture, far more than anything she had done before.

“What’s happening to you? Why are you more… human?”

He couldn’t hide his fears from her anymore, so she was aware of what he meant by his question.

“Do not worry. During the fusion, I was suffused with your memories and emotions, they flooded my mind altering it. It should have been the same for you, but you prevented it somehow. “

Priscilla didn’t sound the least bit bothered by what had happened, if anything, she seemed happy with the changes.

“It was the earrings. I think they stopped your memories and emotions from altering my mind.”

Even as he responded, he realized why she was so excited. They were more of a singular being now. Before there had been the possibility of his betrayal. Mash could’ve killed Priscilla for levels, or another reason, but now it would do a significant amount of damage to his mana core and mind if he did that. However, he had gained more control over their connection in the process, not to mention the greater changes that Priscilla had experienced. She was more human now, which was reassuring to Mash, especially since it happened due to his thoughts and memories. Mash continued with his practice, trying to form larger bolts of lightning, this time he made sure to avoid his back.

Feeling something enter his mana territory, he stepped to the side and dodged what looked to be a book. The pages flapping wildly as they flew past him. Turning his head, he saw his brother standing there with everyone else. Their faces told Mash that they were conflicted about something, though he couldn’t figure out what.

“What are you doing?”

Arthur spoke for the group, and they all seemed to fall behind him slightly.

“Lightning magic. Here let me-“

Mash started speaking proudly, excited to share his findings with them.

“Why?”

His brother interrupted Mash, and Mash believed that it was out of surprise.

“Well, Priscilla can show…”

He started explaining how he was doing the magic but trailed off as he processed Arthur’s question. He wasn’t left in silence though, Luna picking up where his brother had left off.

“Look, Mash, I’m glad that you figured something out, but can’t it wait until the sun is up. I mean, how could you think it was a good idea to fire lightning off while everyone was still sleeping?”

Despite her words, she was smiling slightly, obviously happy for Mash. That made him feel a little worse, and he apologized to them profusely. Despite their reactions, they wanted to see him use lightning, and he gave them a demonstration firing a blast away from their group. His attacks didn’t seem to branch backwards, which he knew from his testing earlier.

They got bored relatively quickly, exhaustion having one out over excitement. He was beginning to feel it too, and the hunger he had managed to push of earlier was a much more pressing concern now. Mash stopped his training for the morning, gorging himself on whatever the butler could prepare, eating until he felt full. He ate quickly, wanting to get some sleep before heading to the colosseum. It wasn’t hard to fall asleep, and he quickly embraced its nothingness.

He woke up later than normal, several hours after everyone else. Unable to remember the last time he woke up so late, he rushed to get ready. It was past lunchtime now, so he ate a catch-up meal, before leaving for the colosseum. Jill and Luke joined him for the trip, they wanted to see what it was like too, though he was the only one planning on registering today. He was a little surprised when his brother didn’t protest the decision. Arthur warned him that it would be dangerous but told him that it should be fine considering his strength. With his brother’s permission, Mash openly strolled towards the arena. He was glad that he didn’t need to go against his siblings yet.

It wasn’t hard to find the Colosseum, its white walls stood out from all the other buildings. Not to mention it was several times larger than the surrounding structures. White pillars rose into the sky, each was connected by stone, making the structure look more like a circular fence than a building. Though he could make out windows and entrances that identified it as such, and knew that it was indeed the colosseum. It matched the description perfectly.

There was a surprising amount of people waiting to enter. He didn’t head to the main line though, having learned that there was a separate entrance for those who wanted to fight. This line was nonexistent, not a single person stood before what looked like a registration desk. That was surprising considering the beauty of the lady who stood behind it. It was obvious, that she was given the position for her charisma. Mash didn’t know what to think about that but approached the desk anyways. This was the path he was set on.