Boar meat was something he was used to, seeing as Yullim was heavily populated by them and something Julius hunted quite often, being prepared by Treyna from tough meat into a savory meal.

However, when simply cooked over a flame without any seasoning or sauce, it was a far cry from what he was used to from Treyna’s cooking, though he didn’t mind.

I can’t wait to have Mother’s cooking again..He thought.

After he finished his meal, he began giving Melisande lessons, helping her expand her arsenal of magic from simple wind blasts to more versatile forms.

“Persistent through breaths of the skies, cover and seal, Gentle Gale!” Melisande invoked.

Manifesting from the invocation was a perpetual wind that latched onto the stone meant as her target, entrapping it in midair.

It was a spell meant to encapsulate the desired target, ensnaring it in the spot of impact with a swirl of constant wind to lock the object down.

“You did it. Good job,” he told her with a smile, standing aside to watch.

A smile formed on her lips, though she returned back to her serious expression, “Alright..Alright!”

Though Emilio wasn’t the biggest advocate for sticking to a single element, Melisande didn’t have that privilege, neither in time nor the adequate affinity for the other natural elements. Still, her talent for wind left him surprised each time.

She catches on quickly. Even without a grimoire in front of her and my half-baked lessons, she’s able to use it, he thought.

It wasn’t mastered quite yet, as “Gentle Gale” at a beginner level could only work to hold light objects or heavier objects for a brief time, but from there, she could practice on her own.

Next, Emilio guided her on a defensive usage of wind, which he knew was going to be a steeper learning curve.

“Alright, pay attention–I’ll show you the incantation and break it down for you,” he said, stepping forward.

Melisande nodded, watching intently, “Got it.”

Standing firmly, he held his hand out in front of him, invoking the necessary words, “Firm and unbreakable is Sylph’s gale. Stand strong and defend: Storm Wall!”

The air in front of him momentarily compressed then expanded, generating a breeze that spun blades of grass and leaves alike around him before becoming tangible in front of him. It took the form of an incorporeal shield in front of him, forged from winds that resembled fog.

“..A shield? I didn’t know you could make that with wind,” Melisande said in awe.

Emilio looked at her while holding the spell, “When using this, I imagine a strong shield in front of me. You can’t shy away from whatever is coming towards you. With everything you have, you need to trust that nothing can reach you–embody the sturdy essence of the spell and stand strong.”

“Alright..I think I’ve got it,” Melisande nodded.

Though once the girl tried it for herself, repeating the incantation, most of what she summoned were small walls of wind barely the size of her palm, or large barriers that protected her from nothing.

After trying it out a dozen times, Melisande gasped out, catching her breath, “This one is so much harder..!”

“I know,” Emilio chuckled, “How about we call it a night?”historical

Melisande shook her head, wiping the sweat from her chin, “You can, but I need to get this.”

Though he was hesitant to encourage the girl to push herself so hard, he chose to respect her resolve and nodded, giving her a thumbs-up before heading into the tent of leaves designated for him.

I understand that drive well, he thought.

Inside of the tent, he didn’t go to sleep right away, instead pulling out his tinkerer’s journal to begin studying again.

It wasn’t just the two practitioners of magic; Yuna cleaned her daggers and stood on the branch, practicing her footwork as if training against an imagination of Amon. Bolstering his strength, Everett committed to doing hundreds of push-ups throughout the night, clad in sweat while wearing his armor.

Even if the fight wasn’t won, it prompted them all to sharpen their fangs, readying for the next encounter with Amon or any beast that crossed their paths.

[Day Four of Seven]

The morning that came was unwelcome for him as he stayed up all night, though there was little choice as he received a light impact to his leg.

“Wha–” His eyes opened, blinking tiredly.

Standing outside of the leaf-made tent, the darkly-dressed demi-human had her arms crossed, “It’s morning already. Get up.”

Though it was a rude awakening, he appreciated the fact he was woken up at all as he responded, picking himself up with a yawn, “Alright, alright.”

Patting down his body and stretching, he was relieved to find he wasn’t incredibly sore from using stage three of his Dragonheart transformation.

I didn’t think about it before, but the Undying Blood really allows me to push myself, even with the strain of the Dragonheart..Maybe I’ll be able to conquer stage three soon, he thought.

It seemed Melisande woke up before him, or by the looks of it, was woken up by Yuna as she tiredly rubbed her eyes, sitting by the campfire where fish was being grilled.

“Morning,” he said, sitting beside her.

“Mornin’..” Melisande yawned.

The last to be woken up was Everett, who after not stifling his snores from a light kick, received a sharp boot to the side, jolting the man awake as he jumped to his feet.

“Who–? Wha–?! Where–?!” Everett looked around, on guard before seeing Yuna glaring down at him, “..Oh, it’s just you.”

As the shielder was about to lay back down, he sniffed the air, smelling the cooking fish before snapping awake with a smile.

“Breakfast?” Everett walked over, rubbing his hands together hungrily.

Though as he was about to pluck one of the fishes off of the stick above the flame, his hand was slapped swiftly by Yuna.

“Ow–what the heck was that for?!” Everett looked over.

The demi-human didn’t bother looking at him as her tail flicked behind her, twirling the sticks above the fire to properly cook the grilled fish, “It’s not done yet. You can eat when it’s ready.”

“Sheesh..Talk about cold-blooded,” the bumpkin muttered.

After the fish finished cooking and they all took their portions, Emilio watched as Yuna ate, nibbling on the fish like a cat while her tail swayed behind her. It was surprisingly adorable coming from the sharp-eyed woman with an even sharper arsenal of blades.

She really is like a cat. So cute, he thought.

“What’re you thinking, Emilio? You’ve got that weird look on your face again,” Melisande asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah..nothing,” he chuckled, focusing on the fish.

As they sat around the campfire, finishing up their fishy breakfast, Emilio noticed the cat woman staring at him quite frequently, and not shying away from it.

Finally, he gave in, “Is there something you want to say?”

Yuna looked at him a moment longer before nodding, “You don’t need to answer me, but I’d like to know just what that was last night. I’m not a mage myself, but I don’t believe spells exist that cover you in scales and grant you such strength.”

It wasn’t as though he was trying to hide it, but the Dragonheart System wasn’t something he quite knew how to explain, but there was no point in trying to avoid it, especially as Everett looked like a giddy child on this topic.

“It’s..well, not really a spell, per se. Let’s just say it’s a power unique to my bloodline, alright?” Emilio said, taking another bite of fish, “It’s my dragonblood–it gives me the abilities of a dragon.”

“Really?! You did somethin’ like that?! Man, that’s awesome!” Everett said happily.

Explaining it sounded embarrassing, like making up a playground ability, though it lightened him up to see the shielder so enthralled by the nebulous ability he possessed.

“Yeah, it seems to evolve as I fight..recently, I learned to do this,” Emilio said.

Showcasing the skill he was referring to, he raised his arm, manifesting a gauntlet of azure scales around his forearm for the others to see.

Again, Everett had sparkles in his eyes as he poked and touched the draconic scales like a child, murmuring about how he wished he had a skill like that, though decided his armor was better.

“Hey, how come you never told me this much?” Melisande pouted.

“You never asked,” he chuckled.

Yuna put her hand to her chin, nodding, “I see. That’s quite something. I’ve heard of some abilities like that–unique powers that evolve as the wielder’s fight.”

“Really? I’ve never met anybody else with a power like mine,” Emilio asked, leaning forward curiously.

It was true; in all the years he spent on Arcadius, he was still surprised he had yet to find another System wielder, or even another reincarnated person such as himself. Though he didn’t intentionally look, it was still shocking.

Yuna nodded to confirm, “I should add that it’s all just rumors, though. It’s undoubtedly a very rare talent. That means you should be careful–rarity means value, and value means drawing the avarice of those with less than good intentions.”

“Thanks, but I already figured that out a long time ago..” Emilio smiled wryly.