Ambient magic swirled inwards, entering the body of the trancing lupine. The input was slow and steady, fueling the existing Emission magic, and rekindling the small blue flames around his body. His head was throbbing, and he could feel his connection starting to sever, but this attempt endured far longer than his first few.

It had been about four days since Leoric had started Alex and Rhys’ lessons, and Alex has made plenty of progress since then. The measly seven minutes he could endure had improved to almost twenty minutes.

“Hey Fido.” A voice called out, along with a sharp whistle was sent his direction. Breaking his concentration on the blue flames, Alex glared outwards to see Rhys on the other side of the training hall. He was covered in sweat and barely able to stand.

“How… How are you able to do it for so long?” Rhys exasperated, heading towards the case of water bottles.

Alex shrugged, growing a cheeky grin. “Can’t tell ya. That’ll ruin the training.”

Rhys clicked his tongue, kicking the glass wall before chugging a bottle of water. Ever since he started, that was the answer Thomas would give him. He thought the mutt could give him an answer, but he was doing the same thing the Orc was. He had only gotten to ten minutes yesterday, but the person he started with, a kid his own age, was already at double that.

Cursing under his breath, he walked back over to his side of the room before meditating once more. Ambient magic was forcibly pulled from the air as it was used to create a blade in his hands. Both sides began to refocus, holding their magic again.

“Hey! How’s it going in here!?” Thomas yelled out, throwing the door into the practice room open.

The Emission magic being focused on shuttered, but still persisted as the two meditating shot a look at the newcomer. Thomas apologized, before sitting down to watch the two teens. Extending his will, but not absorbing any ambient magic, he inspected the two and their processes of maintaining their spells. Rhys’ will was greedy, grabbing any ambience nearby to be used to his discretion. Alex’s, however, was a more natural flow. His will was a drain, taking in a little bit from every side.

While both of their methods were viable when it came to taking in ambient magic, Alex’s was definitely more refined and preferred for this kind of training exercise. Thomas couldn’t tell if Rhys didn’t sense the way Alex was pulling in his ambient magic or if he was just being stubborn, but it did make him recall a text Gramps sent last night.

It sounds like Alex is making good progress. But I implore you to keep an eye on Rhys. He’s not like the other Heroes here.

Even after observing Rhys for ten minutes, Thomas still couldn’t understand what he meant. He thought that maybe Leoric was just too hasty, since he only saw Rhys train for an hour. But Gramps was a smart guy, so he didn’t think that was the case. With a determined huff, he rose from the floor.

“Alright kiddos! You’ve been doing some great work, but let's do something a bit more… practical.” Thomas instructed, creating a shield in one hand and a spear in another.

Though exhausted, the two training look up with a smile. They’ve been stationary for too long and appreciated the change of pace.

“I hope you’re both ready, I won’t be goin easy just because you’re both worn out. Now, give me your best shot!” Thomas goaded, taking a defensive position.

“If you say so.” Rhys muttered, stepping up while holding a hand back to keep Alex from moving forward.

Alex glared at the blonde, before pacing around Rhys and glaring at the Orc. His gait was that of a predator’s preparing to strike when an opening revealed itself.

A thin blade grew in Rhys’ right hand while a buckler with the Hero’s symbol appeared in the other. Much like a droplet of ink on paper, a golden membrane of armor spread through his body. With his magic prepared, he sprinted at full speed before thrusting the rapier towards Thomas’ face.

The Emissioned tower shield deflected the incoming rapier, emanating a dull clang. The grip holding the spear jerked towards the side, sweeping towards Rhys’ legs. The human leaped away from the lowered polearm, but the tower shield ahead swung outwards, throwing away the blade and pushing into the airborne blonde.

Thomas watched the wind be ripped from Rhys’ body as his back was shoved to the ground. He worried for a moment that he used too much force, but before he could ask Rhys if he was alright, he felt a black furred mass leap onto his back and bury its fangs into his shoulder.

Alex tasted the metallic liquid in his mouth as his jaw tightened down. The force was akin to the vice Leoric had Thomas in during the assessment, but with the added pain of the stained lupine teeth. Small blue flames ignited around Alex, heating everything nearby besides the conjurer, and his obsidian fur began to harden like stone with Transmutation.

“Nice one.” Thomas smiled through gritted teeth, “But that doesn’t really work on enemies more durable than you.”

Emission sparked a layer of electricity through Thomas’ back and shoulders, loosening Alex’s grip on him. The spear and shield began to dissipate from Thomas’ arms, which the recovered Rhys used as an opportunity to thrust with his rapier. The reach of the blade halted before reaching the gigantic chest, but the width and length began to grow from its spot.

The rapidly forming spear caught Thomas off guard, but he retaliated in time by grabbing the stunned Hellhound atop his back by the scruff. With both hands, he launched the wolf into the spear-bearing blonde like a sandbag, crashing his opponents to the floor.

Transmutation? No, that wasn’t listed in Rhys’ aptitudes. Then… was it Reconfiguration?

Reconfiguration could be performed with any aptitude, but usually with Emission. It involved taking a preexisting spell and changing the appearance and properties. Leoric told him about it after he learned Dissociative Dismissal, since that was what he was going to practice next, but it was a very advanced technique.

“How’d you learn something like that? Your combat technique doesn’t seem to match a skill that strong.” Thomas teased.

Rhys glared, shoving the stunned Alex off of him before creating a quarterstaff. He ran forward with the staff in both hands, but a few chains appeared, wrapping his exhausted body before pulling him towards the Orc.

Now restrained, a calloused green hand lifted him up by the chains to meet the tusked visage. Thomas’ head leaned down, and whispered something in Rhys’ ear. The blonde’s face was painted in distress before he was gently placed back down to the ground. The chains vanished and Thomas patted him on the back.

“You boys really are improving. Just keep at it and you’ll beat me in no time.” Thomas congratulated. “I’ve got something I need to take care of, but you two can stay here. Just make sure to rest up a bit.”

With a cheerful wave, he turned around and began to leave the training floor. Thomas looked a little frustrated, but shook it off with another smile. Given Rhys’ reaction, he’s fairly sure what Leoric meant now when he said Rhys wasn’t like the other Heroes.

Alex and Rhys sat in silence, with the lupine figure dusting himself off and the human standing as still as a statue. His fists were clenched tightly to the point of turning his knuckles white, and he began shaking and muttering to himself. After a few more moments of standing, he marched over to his old spot, before sitting back down.

“Shouldn’t you rest a bit? We kinda just got our asses kicked.” Alex asked, fixing the fur that was raised by the electricity.

“Not your damn business, mutt.” Rhys growled. “Just because you need a nap doesn’t mean I do.”

Alex looked over to the bruised and haggard figure of Rhys, who struggled to even take a proper breath. He walked over to the disheveled figure and handed him one of the water bottles from the front. Rhys glared, but swiped it without saying a word. The water was chugged in moments, before the empty container was thrown off to the side. Alex walked about ten feet away before sitting down in his own meditative state. He didn’t start Emission training like Rhys had, but just rested his eyes and recuperated for a few minutes. He opened his eyes later to see Rhys struggling to even keep a dagger active.

“What did Thomas say to you exactly? You got really pale after.” Alex wondered.

Rhys’ eyebrows scrunched. “Again, not your business. Now could you please shut up or leave? One of us still needs to figure out the trick.”

Alex wanted to retort, but he caught his words before they escaped. The person before him was now shaking violently, and the dagger was now flickering like a dying light. About ten seconds later, the dagger was fully gone, and Rhys held his head in an agonizing pain.

Alex sprang up and ran over to the shaking Rhys, placing a large hand on his shoulder. Willing magic into his palm, he started to mend the bruises and some of the mental anguish. Restoration could stop some of the headache caused by exertion of will, but it was used primarily for Rhys’ other injuries.

There was silence for a moment before Rhys threw off Alex’s arm. He looked away, almost gazing off into space. His look was something Alex knew too well after being a Hero for two years: defeat. Rhys shook slightly and his face checked out in complete resignation. Alex tried to reach his hand out once more before stopping and glancing towards the floor.

“It’s the draw.” Alex muttered.

“Wh-What?” Rhys queried with a raspy whisper.

“Try drawing in the ambient magic another way. For me, I pulled a little in from all sides.” Alex informed.

The distant look dissipated from Rhys’ gaze, as he stared at the towering Hellhound. He thanked him, but didn’t resume his training. Drained from all his energy, he a few feet away before laying down, trying to stop the world from spinning.

“You know the Heroic Rites that all the Heroes had to perform to go home?” Rhys called out.

Confused, Alex nodded and asked why he mentioned it. Some people liked to brag about their feats, but he didn’t seem to be in the bragging mood.

“I… cheated to complete mine.” Rhys muttered, choking on each of those words.

“Excuse me?” Alex’s eyes widened and ears perked.

“In the world I was sent to: Aritan. I was only there for a few months. Apparently I was summoned to defeat a tyrant. But in reality, I wasn’t needed. They already had powerful mages and enough soldiers to overwhelm them. To them, I was a figurehead to kill the tyrant and gain renown for their kingdom. My training was minimal, which is why this is all I have.”

Rhys reached into his pocket to reveal his ID and lanyard. It was the first time he had it out long enough for Alex to see the color: yellow. Yellow was the first color given to Heroes that weren’t deemed dangerous, but still considered the weakest.

The blonde looked away ashamed. This was the second time he’s told someone this, with The Hammer Marianne being the other. And even she was a special circumstance, as she grilled and even threatened him to tell the truth.

Alex scratched his fur awkwardly, sitting down and tapping the floor. “I understand how you feel.”

“Really!?” Rhys snapped, sitting upright with tears forming in his eyes. “You’re an actual Hero and even strong enough to get Green. I can’t even call or text my family. For all I know they still think I’m dead.”

“Well you’re not the only one whose family thinks they’re dead, so don’t think you're the only sad case here!” Alex snarled before taking another deep breath.

“My Grandma raised me.” Alex informed. “When I… went missing, apparently she didn’t take it too well. Her mental health slipped and she was put in a nursing home. She’s not well enough to understand I’m alive unless I see her in person.”

The tension vanished at that statement, with both giving looks of both understanding and pity. Rhys’ face was the first to snap back to a hardened glare, as he shakily stood back up.

“I don’t like you, mutt.” Rhys spat. “But I guess I respect your reasoning.”

Alex paused for a moment. “Same. Hate to admit that you work your ass off more than I do.”

They both smirked before snapping their attention to the clear door opening. Before them was an Elf. Wavy blonde hair draped down like curtains, and her eyes glistened like brilliant emeralds. She was in a modified version of the uniform the Violet colored Heroes wore, with thinned armor plates on the chest, arms, and legs. She walked over confidently after giving a slight wave.

“Hey you two! Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She teased.

“You’re not.” They said simultaneously. “So, who are you?” Alex peered at the Elf.

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard of me.” The Elf chuckled. “My name is Bella, but you may know me online as BellBell4.”

Bella looked annoyed at the lack of recognition on their faces before letting out a deep sigh.

“Anyways, who I am isn’t important for now. For now, I have a proposition for the both of you.” Bella reached into her pocket to reveal two obsidian beads, though dull in appearance, they gave off a glint of something… extra.

“And if you accept, you’ll be able to get way stronger. And even leave the base.”