The Author's Viewpoint

"You know…" Aura said. "You could stay at the palace. It'd make everything easier. What do you think?"

Tave turned to Aura, brow furrowed as he absorbed her unexpected question.

"Does that mean I'll be able to meet Princess Vanya more easily if I do?"

Aura's lips curved into a calm, knowing smile. "Not exactly. It means you'll receive more luxurious treatment there. Nothing more."

Tave glanced at Lily, then back to Aura. "You know there are two things I'm chasing out here," he said firmly. "First, the World Tree. And now… getting Lily's strength back."

He cleared his throat, his voice steady. "And of course, the archery training. That rare opportunity you're giving me. If I stay here, it won't change whether I can see Vanya. So… I'll stay out here."

Aura nodded, accepting his decision with quiet grace.

It was an answer he could live with, for now.

Once Lily completed the Bloodline Override, she could finally begin focusing on reclaiming her strength, something she'd undeniably lost after months of barely being able to use her right hand properly.

Though she had still fought with it, her combat had suffered, and she would need time to readjust. Fortunately, this island offered the perfect environment to train. Both for her, and for Tave.

Because as grueling and merciless as Aura's training sessions had been, the progress he'd made in the last week was undeniable. Painful? Absolutely. Worth it? Without question.

Another week or two, he could manage that.

Especially because a part of him was genuinely curious. Curious to see how far Aura intended to take this. How deeply she would dig into the potential she claimed to see in him. Not just with his elemental affinities, but with archery.

Not that Tave didn't have ideas of his own. He did. Plenty. But there was something about learning it from her that made him want to keep going.

He wanted to see what she saw.

After four long hours, spanning afternoon sunlight fading into evening, Lily's eyes finally fluttered open. Tave rose immediately, returning to her side as Aura stood quietly nearby, watching.

"Lil, how do you feel?" Tave asked gently.

Lily turned to him, a broad, radiant smile on her face. He exhaled, relief sweeping through him, usually, after performing a Bloodline Override, he passed out.

"I feel incredible," she said, voice trembling with excitement.

She removed the glove from her right hand, raised her arm, and spread her fingers. For a moment she held still, then giggled with delight.

"I got my hand back… hahaha!"

Suddenly, she launched herself at Tave and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Tave, thank you! I have my hand again. I'm so happy!"

She stepped back, her bright gaze turning to Aura, who returned her smile with warmth and pride.

They stood together in silence for a moment, anticipating Lily's next words.

"Look…" she said, pointing beneath her left eye, just outside her cheekbone. There it was: the faint curve of a glowing sigil.

Tave leaned in, studying the mark. It glimmered in soft blue light, its shape reminiscent of the jellyfish. Though he preferred the water-drop form from before.

"What does it do, Lily?" he asked.

With determination, Lily focused. The sigil pulsed. A stream of elemental particles enveloped her, and then extended outward, arcing like a tether to both Tave and Aura.

Lily closed her eyes and released a shimmering wave that flowed toward Tave's arm, he felt a gentle warmth pulse through him. The faint afterglow rapidly faded.

"I can heal others," she said, voice filled with awe. "And I can boost their attacks, infusing them with extra elemental force."

"Oh… that's truly amazing," Tave whispered.

Tave sank into a deep, contented sigh, one he hadn't felt in a long time. Relief and pride washed over him in gentle waves. He'd made things right. Lily had not only regained her right hand, she'd been elevated. Her sigil eclipsed its former form; it carried new purpose.

"I don't know what other upgrades I got, but… for now, this sigil, and my hand, it's already enough," Lily said, her voice brimming with satisfaction.

Tave offered her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Lily. Want to try heading into the water? Who knows, you might be able to swim without holding your breath now."

Lily gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously?"

Tave chuckled, warmth filling his chest. Before he could answer, Aura's voice floated in, smooth and encouraging: "I think you must be curious to test your new upgrade, Lily."

What followed was inevitable. Lily couldn't wait, her excitement flaring as she prepared to head off with Sylara for a test eager to challenge her newfound abilities.

And Tave found himself gently steered into another training session, with Aura, of course. Another round of archery, more elemental refinement.

***

Tave spent nearly every waking moment on Vensalor Island training with Aura, rising before dawn and rarely sleeping more than two or three hours each day. She pushed him hard: Tier 4 monsters were the baseline, and on occasion, he faced Tier 5 beasts. Every session required full commitment, no Gaia Wings to escape; he either evaded, fought back, or ended the monster entirely.

Week two was agony. He fought for every breath, every step, every arrow. By the end, his body felt like a ruin, but his resolve had never been stronger.

In week three, the challenge level climbed again.

For the first time, he could use his Gaia Wings, but only because this training demanded more: one bridging aerial combat, elemental control, and precision archery.

He and Aura hovered above the floating island, wind whistling beneath their feet. Aura stood beside him as dozens of magic circles materialized around them.

She raised her hand. "So, Tave, your task is simple. Dodge the incoming enchantments and destroy each magic circle with your arrows. We don't stop until every single one is gone."

Tave's heart thumped as he surveyed the spiraling runes. "Seriously?"

Aura tilted her head. "No breaks until it's finished."

And then, they came to life.

Arrows of pure elemental force shot from the circles, hissing through the air, seeking him out.

Tave inhaled. Gaia Wings unfurled beneath him as he ascended into the storm of runes, ready to prove he had grown strong enough for anything.

Tave pushed through the night, body aching, breath shallow, his grip on the bow barely steady, yet he didn't stop.

The magic arrows shot at him in relentless waves, faster than he could anticipate. Every attempt to draw and aim was interrupted by another volley forcing him into evasive dives and mid-air rolls. The magic circles didn't move, but he had to, constantly, to avoid being hit while lining up each shot.

He missed often. Took hits, too. Sharp pulses of magical force slammed against his side, his shoulder, nearly ripping his balance away mid-flight. Every hit hurt, not deadly, but jarring enough to keep his heart racing and his limbs trembling.

And worst of all? He wasn't allowed to land. Aura's rule was simple: survive, aim, shoot, repeat. No Gaia Core skills. Just him, his bow, and the wind.

He finished it, barely, just as the sky began to pale with morning light. And the moment his last arrow shattered the final circle, Tave let his body fall through the air, catching himself only seconds before hitting the treetops below.

But that wasn't the end.

Aura had him repeat the same training. Day after day. For an entire week.

One week of pain. Of exhaustion. Of flying until his vision blurred and muscles gave in.

But also… one week of progress he could feel. One week that proved he was no longer just surviving.

He was changing.

By the fourth week, there was still no word from the palace. And as Tave had predicted, he'd likely be waiting at least a month.

Training ramped up again.

This time the lesson was similar, but far more challenging. The magic circles now moved unpredictably through the air, constantly shifting positions, vanishing and reappearing across the sky. Hitting a stationary target was hard. Hitting each one in motion felt nearly impossible.

On the first day he tried, and failed. Repeatedly. He soared above the floating island, bow trembling in hand, trying to track every moving circle as the wind buffeted him off-balance. By the end, he'd spent himself dry, stamina gone, limbs empty, and finally collapsed toward the earth.

He was moments from a brutal impact when Aura caught him, arms strong and steady, preventing a shattering fall.

She just laughed at him.

For the next week, he trained every night without pause. Each session was brutal, strategic, relentless.

By the end of the week, he was finishing each session faster and cleaner. Where he'd once needed the entire night, now he would complete it in half, especially on the final nights when the moving targets were no longer a mystery, but a mastered rhythm.

By dawn, exactly one month after stepping onto Vensalor Island, Tave lay sprawled on the forest floor, exhausted and spent from another brutal night of training. Aura sat quietly beside him, watching with a calm intensity.

"Do you know what you've been waiting for?" she asked softly.

Tave groaned, pushing himself up and turning toward her.

"I think… you mean…" he began.

She nodded, her expression serene. "Yes. You should prepare. The palace has summoned you."

Tave blinked, letting the words settle. He'd been bracing for this moment, and somehow, it still felt surreal.

"Really?" he whispered.

Aura offered him her gentle smile. "It's time."