11 Training

Robert and Ella ran on the tracks breathing heavily while Eric ran ahead of them. "Why are we running on the train tracks!?" Robert asked almost gagging. It was early morning and the dawn was beautifully decorated by the chirping of the birds and the faint light of the sun as it slowly rose its glory. "Because its more inspiring," Eric replied as he slowed down to come alongside the other two.

"But isn't this dangerous? What if a train comes this way?" Ella asked as she ran along with the other two. "What if?" Eric said mockingly as he started laughing. "As a matter of fact one will, you guys should hurry if you don't want to turn into a mush," he said as he hurried into the distance while the other two were left with hanging jaws. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Robert screamed stopping midway, "Can you believe this?" he continued as turned to face Ella just to notice a pale expression on her face.

Turning around Robert's own face turned pale as he noticed a bright light heading towards them. It was a train! Running with all their might, the two barely escaped their deaths as they jumped onto the station right before the train zoomed past them.

"Great work, but there is still a lot to improve on!" Eric remarked while standing idly next to the two. By now Robert was puking his guts out while Ella was on all fours trying to catch her breath. "YOU ALMOST KILLED US!" Robert screamed while still on the ground. "But you are still alive, all well and good. Alright, enough chit chat! Time for the next exercise!" Eric said clapping his hands.

Wasn't this enough already!? Ella couldn't help but scream inward as she saw a sinister look in Eric's eyes. It was the devil itself, no not even a devil… It was even worse. Before she could even collect herself, she was sucked into a portal that sent her thirty thousand feet above the ground. As she started falling down and accelerate more, she couldn't help but scream. "I don't want to die yet!" She said with tears in her eyes as she fell down. Looking next to her, she noticed Robert in the same condition as her but he looked calm.

What calmness! Truly befitting of a great senior! Ella admired Robert as neither he screamed nor panicked and it gave her a lot of confidence until she noticed his eyes. There was underlying happiness in them… They were the eyes of a man who has come in terms with his death. He no longer believed any other option was left and as the ground seemed to get closer and closer, Ella couldn't help but scream more.

"If you guys want to live, jump onto the next portal I make. Make sure not to miss!" Eric ended with a laugh. "WHY!" both of them screamed collectively as they kept falling. Suddenly a portal opens towards her diagonal right, not thinking any more, she changed her direction and tried to approach the portal but misses. Looking back at Robert she noticed that he missed as well.

Another portal opens towards her far right and Ella fails to approach it as well while Robert was able to make it. Similarly, portals kept opening until the ground was barely a hundred feet away and as she noticed it, Ella's eyes changed into the ones that Robert had while falling down.

'I don't regret anything, life is just a lie, truth is salvation' as thoughts such as these ran through her mind she snapped out of the panic and calmed herself and it was then that she noticed a portal opening towards the far right on the ground. It was on the ground, and if she missed it, she was sure to die. Releasing a deep breath and trying to manoeuvre in mid-air, Ella makes it into the portal.

Happy to have finally survived Ella was relieved until she noticed that the portal threw her back up and she seems to still have the speed she had when she stepped onto the portal. "Alright phase two people, now you will be a lot faster, get used to entering the portals from any direction or the consequences are clear!" Eric said as now the two of them were being tossed around from one portal to another.

Robert seems to have already gotten used to the pace and momentum of the exercise and could easily manoeuvre to enter the portal never missing one. Ella was still struggling, she missed every now and then but was able to catch a few. The extreme force of flying in such speeds was also a factor in her struggling to keep her senses intact.

Finally, after hours of torture, the two were let down out, collapsed on the green grass both of them simply laid down with their eyes closed and a gust of wind passed them, they finally noticed that they were now somewhere completely different. "Where are we?" Ella asked slowly standing up.

"Take a look for yourself," Eric said and as Ella slowly saw what she failed to notice, her eyes glittered. They were currently on a large plain that seems to be endless. It was like a green ocean with green luscious grass everywhere. The terrain was in such a way that in the middle of the place was a huge depression full of flowers. The flowers themselves were enough to captivate someone's mind alone. Their refined beauty was something one can never forget and they seem to be emitting divine energy.

"Isn't this…" Robert paused unable to believe his eyes. "The Black Bee Garden" Eric finished Robert's sentence as he idly stretched. "But isn't this the divine place that even the empress of the empire cannot come to? How are we here?" Robert asked. "We flew here…" Ella replied still gazing the beautiful grasslands. "But what about the black bee?" Robert questioned as he sat down on the grass.

"She doesn't seem to be here I guess. I have been coming to this place for a long time now and I never saw any bees. Robert was left speechless and a bead of sweat ran across his forehead. "What happened senior?" Ella asked him. "Huh!? Nothing! It's nothing… The place caught me off-guard, so we flew here huh…" Robert replied.

"And this also concludes today's training! Now you people can react to my portals without much trouble can decide which option is the best to take and also not lose your senses in the extreme conditions." Eric said turning around to the two. "Your reaction timings have increased and now you should also be able to remain calm and collected in situations where your life might be in danger. This will help us during the test to keep ourselves collected and not panic." He continued.

Ella now noticed how much this training actually meant and was not mindless torture for the sole purpose of amusing himself. At this moment, Ella found new respect for Eric and saw him in a completely new light. "And it was fun to watch you people scream and flail in air as well" Eric laughed.

There it was, the devil himself. Ella and Robert laughed as well and together the three started training again. They worked on team synergy, learned more about each other and the dynamics of their powers, learned how each of them can fit in a role and how they can help each other. Most of the training so far was simple coordination training and by the end of the week, the three were in perfect coordination with each other.

"This should be good enough for the first battle." Eric sighed as he sat on the gym bench. With him were Ella and Robert who were panting heavily and had pale faces. "I thought I was a goner," Robert commented clutching his chest right above his heart. "I never knew such terrible beings existed…" Ella commented as she tried to calm herself. "Those were just some low-level demonic beings. How can you get so scared? Looks like we need more training," Eric said stroking his chin.

"Anything but that please!" Both Ella and Robert spoke in sync as they knelt down and begged Eric. "It is decided then!" Eric said in response to which Ella and Robert only held back their tears. "The Grand War Games are getting near as well, maybe we should go for some actual combat training," Eric said as he leaned back on the bench.

"Combat training?" Ella questioned looking at Robert to which Robert just shrugged and replied: "Don't know". "How will we do that?" Ella asked to which Eric simply replied with a nefarious smile. "This doesn't seem good…" Robert sighed as Ella began imagining the dangers she will be put to again.

Meanwhile on a medium sized shipping boat floating over the sea with no land anywhere near to be seen black sat on a sofa idly sipping on some tea. In-front of her was the man who was gravely injured and right now missed an arm. "I am sorry I failed, and in my current condition I can be of no use to you my lord…" he said in a deep voice with sadness clear in his tone. "Plyanthus, your loyalty pleases me and for such, you should be praised." She said as she clicked her fingers.

As the click reverberated through the surroundings almost sounding like a thunderstorm, Plyanthus's arm started regrowing and in seconds it was back. Although now it had a black tint to it and was not normal, it still was better than not having an arm. "I will never forget this debt my lady," he said kneeling once again. "It was but a result of your labour, now go and complete your duty."

"Yes my lady!" Plyanthus said with another deep bow before vanishing while black opened her paper fan again to cover her mouth and vanished from the place again.