The Seven Demon's Tamer

"I'll be taking you to your residence as well as giving you your training regimen now," Akira announced as she walked through the door of the hut, her voice carrying seriousness.

The others hurriedly followed behind. Actually, hurriedly was not a very accurate word, given Brok and Mara's current mode of locomotion.

Still unable to walk upright under the crushing atmospheric pressure, they crawled as fast as they could behind her, their dignity having been abandoned ever since they stepped into the Tian district.

"Hang in there, you two," Leo spoke in an encouraging tone towards the human puppies on the floor. "Everyone starts somewhere. Even I had to crawl before I could walk, literally speaking."

The puppies bit their lips, not responding.

The garden outside the hut was as beautiful as ever despite that it was nighttime.

The flowers in the garden seemed to glow with their own inner light like they were imbued with magic, and the trees that surrounded the landscape swayed without any wind. But Akira didn't pause to let them admire, nor did they want to admire it either given the energy in the air.

She walked with purpose past the garden to the very edge of the floating rock surface, stopping just at the point where they could see the ground far below.

"Hey, puppies," she said, squatting down to Mara and Brok's level with a mocking grin exposing her perfect white teeth. "Get ready to jump."

She ruffled their hair with the casual affection one might show to actual pets, completely ignoring their expressions on their faces—the expression of pure dread.

"This is just about a hundred meters from the ground," she added cheerfully, "so it shouldn't be much of a problem, right?"

The silence that followed this statement was so deep that their heartbeats became audible, their pounding heartbeats.

"Um," Mara began nervously, "when you say jump, you don't actually mean—"

*Vwoom*

Akira leaped from the floating residence to the ground below in a flash, her movement so smooth and effortless that it looked more like controlled falling than actual jumping because they would have sworn she fell later than she should have by several seconds.

She landed gently on the surface below, barely blowing dust, and immediately began walking toward their destination while talking to herself as if they were already there with her rather than still standing on the edge of what might as well have been a cliff, paralyzed in hesitation.

"The training ground is specifically designed to challenge your current limitations," her voice carried up to them, but a bit muffled due to the still-stretching distance.

"Every aspect of the environment has been carefully designed to push you just beyond your comfort zone without actually killing you."

Neither Ryder nor Leo showed much confidence as they watched from above, both hesitating as they tried to determine who should go first.

There was something deeply concerning about the fact that Ryder and Leo, who were faring considerably better than their companions under the oppressive force, were reluctant to jump.

The thought of what the two puppies might be experiencing as they analyzed this seemingly impossible leap they had to make was too much to bear.

"I can see her down there," Leo spoke, peering over the edge. "She's just... walking around, talking to herself like this is completely normal."

"Maybe for her it is," Ryder replied. "I mean, she's the supreme leader of the Tian district. For all we know, jumping off floating rocks is just part of her daily routine."

...

As much as they felt hesitant about literally throwing themselves off a floating rock, they had no other option—especially since Akira wasn't waiting for them.

She was already walking away, her voice carrying up to them as she continued her explanation as if they were walking right beside her instead of still standing on the edge of a cliff, paralyzed in hesitation.

"I got my suspicions confirmed," Brok muttered, his voice heavy with resignation as he sniffed in a way that made it seem like he might be fighting back tears. "That lady is definitely a witch."

"Witch or not," Ryder said, taking a deep breath and stepping to the very edge of the platform, "we don't have much choice. She's not coming back for us, we must get to her."

"Maybe she'll get lonely and come back?" Mara suggested hopefully, though even she didn't sound convinced by her own optimism.

Ryder shook his head and responded, "I don't think Akira is the type who gets lonely.

Besides, despite that training us was a decree Master Sung placed on her, I feel like she can choose whether or not to do so and still walk away with a light punishment."

Leo joined him at the edge, peering at the distant ground. "Let's jump on the count of three?"

"Make it five," Mara pleaded. "Please."

"Whether or not we count to three or five isn't going to make the ground any softer," Leo responded casually.

"One," Ryder began.

"You're counting to five, right?" Mara stubbornly questioned. "Please tell me you're counting to five."

"Two."

Ryder and Leo took their stance, allowing reality to dawn on both Brok and Mara in the most ruthless way.

"Three!"

*Thud!!!*

The ground shook as they all landed on the ground; all four of them.

"Not bad, right? We did it!" Ryder said with a reassuring smile.

He brushed dust off his clothes and hurriedly rushed toward Akira, who was still walking away from them without even glancing back as if people regularly fell from the sky in her vicinity.

Brok and Mara were both struck speechless as they watched Ryder go, their mouths hanging slightly open in expressions of confusion.

"What are you waiting for?" Leo called out, shaking his head and dusting the sand particles off his body before rushing forward himself, snapping Brok and Mara back to reality.

"Right!" they responded simultaneously and they joined the others, still crawling but moving with relief.

Akira, despite not turning back, was clearly aware of everything that had transpired. Her senses had undoubtedly detected the moment when Ryder, realizing that Brok and Mara would never survive the fall on their own, had grabbed them both—one in each hand—carrying them along and ensuring they all landed safely together.

As they got closer to their destination, the details of their new training ground became more clear and, honestly, more intimidating with each step.

The platform was a flat expanse of cracked, sun-baked surface that looked like it had been designed by someone with a particularly creative understanding of suffering and a deep appreciation for torturing living things.

The ground itself seemed to radiate heat even though it was nighttime. Strange symbols and patterns were carved into the surface resembling ruins, making it clear the ground had magic involvement.

"The surface temperature is maintained at precisely the level needed to cause great discomfort without causing any serious damage to whoever stays on it," Akira explained as she walked them onto the landscape, allowing them to feel it for themselves in the most direct way possible.

"Take off your shoes," Akira requested and they obeyed, reluctantly.

The moment they got in touch with the heated ground, Brok couldn't help but wince. It was like stepping onto a giant frying pan that had been left on medium heat—not quite hot enough to cause injury, but definitely hot enough to make standing still for any extended period extremely unpleasant.

"This is insane," Brok muttered, shifting his knees and palms in an awkward dance.

"Ohhh, doggy got some moves." Akira bent down to allow them to see her mocking grin before she burst out laughing.

"This is no training. You are torturing us!" Mara protested, not in much better condition than Brok. "Who designs such a thing and calls it a training ground?"

"Someone who understands that comfort is the enemy of growth," Akira replied cheerfully—an emotion no other could show there.

"Also, electric wind currents are timed to occur once every couple of hours, preventing you from adapting to a predictable pattern and ensuring that you feel the need to quicken your adaptation process."

"And those," she pointed upward at the four clouds floating ten feet above the surface, "are where you find peace and comfort. The goal is simple: develop the strength and control of gamma energy to reach those clouds."

"What if we can't make it?" Mara asked, with evidence of worry in her voice.

"Then you'll be very uncomfortable until you figure out how to make it," Akira replied with a shrug before she halted.

"Don't worry—the training ground won't kill you. It will just make you wish you were stronger, faster, and more capable. And eventually, if you are worthy, that wishing will motivate you to actually become those things."

"I'll check on your progress tomorrow," Akira said, already preparing to leave.

"Try not to die of embarrassment if I find you all still crawling around on the ground when I come back." She directed this to Mara and Brok before walking off, laughing like a maniac.

"Wait!" Brok called out desperately. "Don't you have any actual advice or some sort of training tips?"

Akira paused at the edge of the landscape and turned back with a grin that was both encouraging and terrifying.

"Sure," she said. "The secret to reaching the clouds is wanting to reach them more than you want to stay on the ground. That's all."

"That's... not very specific," Mara protested. "I mean, we already want to reach the clouds—they look clearly more comfortable than this heated torture surface you call a training ground.

"Yes, I agree," Brok interjected. "Wanting isn't the problem; it's the complete lack of ability to jump ten feet straight up while fighting against atmospheric pressure. Give us a specific tip."

"The best training is rarely specific," Akira replied. "Peculiar instructions sometimes weaken the greatness of your success in learning new things.

I'm giving you a goal and letting you figure out your own path to achieve it. Trust me, it's for the best.

Oh, and remember—no cheating. I saw you back there, helping those two puppies descend from my residence. Helping each other during the actual training defeats the entire purpose of it."

**Present moment...**

The sun was rising in the Tian district, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange that would have been a wonderful sight if only they weren't in such a situation.

Their situation was anything but normal, and it was difficult to appreciate natural beauty when they were in hell on earth.

"I really wish I could help you guys," Ryder admitted genuinely as they stared up at the two unclaimed clouds belonging to Mara and Brok. "But helping you won't actually help you, if that makes sense. Besides, I can't guide you through something I barely understand myself."

"I'll admit, I'm only able to reach the clouds because of my familiar's shared physical capabilities," he continued. "Without that supernatural enhancement, I'd probably be down there with you, slowly becoming a barbecue."

"I would have helped as well, but actually... I'm kinda cheating too," Leo admitted with a sheepish grin. "I'm using my life energy manipulation techniques to partially nullify the atmospheric pressure and give myself enough strength to make the jump. It's not exactly the right way to adapt."

"You both have over seventy techniques imbued in your heads thanks to Yuki's knowledge transfer," Leo continued. "Try to figure out something, will ya? There has to be at least one technique in that collection that could help with your current situation."

"Thanks for not helping, guys. I truly don't appreciate it," Brok shot back, causing Ryder and Leo to chuckle before hopping back to their clouds.