AETHER BEASTS

Zirani hadn't been joking when she'd said that the training would be grueling.

After our emotional talk, we'd decided to take a break and head to sleep, but that didn't last long, and what must have been around two hours later, Zirani was waking me up with a large smile on her face.

"It's still night," I said, letting out a yawn.

"You're at the third level, an hour would be enough, you've had two." She pulled me up to my feet and then gave me a deep kiss which most definitely woke me up, though I didn't get to savor it for long as she was already waking over to Misty and Sandra.

I stretched as Zirani woke up Misty and Sandra who both seemed just as surprised though none made any protest and soon all three of us were facing my bonded nature beast who had a grin plastered on her face and her hands on her hips. "The three of you wanted harder training and for me to push you as hard as I could, well, while you three were sleeping I did some planning."

There was an ominous tone to her voice.

"You might not have noticed but behind are three wide holes I dug and each is currently filled with water mixed with a few different elixirs which are going to make the previous baths seems like gentle massages in comparison. I want all three of you to spend an hour in each and I want you to be practicing the exercise I gave for basic aether changing while attempting to form the patterns from the sets I taught you. I will be watching all three of us while I continue to plan and if you make three mistakes in a row then I'm going to punish you."

"Oh no," Sandra muttered, her gaze wandering over Zirnai's shoulder and to the three pits full of dark greenish liquid that were quite literally bubbling. They looked quite ominous in the darkness and if not for the sunlight orbs close by, they would have just looked like three pitch-black holes.

"Oh yes," Zirnai said. "And once you're done with that, we're going to be moving onto physical training as we head towards the border with training weights of course, and some limiters which I will explain after you've… cleaned up."

Despite how awful it all sounded I made no complaints and even Sandra, who was muttering under her breath, undressed and walked over to one of the pits.

Once I was out of my clothes, I dipped a foot in and almost immediately winced at the searing pain, though I didn't pull it back out, and slowly but surely I lowered my entire body up to my neck into the liquid. It felt awful and the muffled scream from Sandra told me she was feeling the same thing. Even Misty seemed in shock as her eyes were wide and her fangs showing as she grit her teeth against the pain. It was like I was burning and being frozen at the same time while being slowly pulled in all directions. It was like being torn apart and then put back together only for it to repeat again and again.

Even so, it was nothing compared to what had happened in the tower, and I made no sounds or screams as I lay there. It wasn't that I didn't feel or acknowledge the pain, just that it didn't compare and if I could get through what she'd done to me then I could sure as hell get through this, as many times as it took.

"Ok, now get to forming those patterns."

Sandra opened her mouth, probably to protest the insanity of what Zirani was asking, but only a grunt came out before she hung her head and began to form patterns. I did the same and I had to agree with Sandra. It was extremely difficult not just because of the pain, but because it was as though my body was rejecting my control and I quickly learned what Zirani meant by punishment.,

I cured as I failed for the third time on the first pattern and then a stinging pain blossomed on my head as something small hit me. I was able to catch a glimpse of the projectile before it dispersed. It was a seed similar to the impact seed though a lot smaller and clearly not as deadly. I was curious about it as I was with most of Zirani's techniques, but I didn't get long to think about it as Zirnai hit me with another seed.

"Keep your mind on training."

I sighed and got back to work.

"Ow!"

Sandra shook her head and glared at Zirani who just shrugged. "You three asked for this. You can quit anytime you want."

"As if," Misty ground out.

"I'm… with y-you… two," Sandra added slowly, barely managing to get the words out

None of us took the bait and we continued on through the hour, enduring the pain and attempting to form aether patterns. It took a while and by the end of the hour I was only able to form a few, but it was still progress and if I could do it while feeling this pain then when I was injured in a fight or under a lot of stress, I could do it then too. I understood what she was trying to do.

Both Misty and Sandra collapsed to their knees the moment they pulled themselves out of the pits and I almost joined them, but I managed to keep myself standing, though just barely. My body and legs wanted nothing more than to rest, but Zirani's voice erased any possibility of that.

"Get dressed, if you are not ready in the next two minutes then you're going to wish you were." Her voice was back in that familiar teacher mode as it had been in the tower when we'd been training, though it was far colder this time and the look in her eyes told me she wasnt joking or playing around, not that I would have it any other way. After all, I'd asked for this.

Sandra and Misty must have come to the same conclusion as they quickly got dressed and ready.

"Good." Zirani smiled. "Now, I have created a set of training weights for each of you to be strapped onto your bodies. I want each of you to wear them for the entire day and only take them off if I say so and when it comes time for baths, understand?"

We nodded.

"Good." She nodded and produced and motioned to three boxes full of what I assumed were the weights. "I made these while out three were sleeping. They are basic, but I will increase the weight and add new effects as you improve and get used to these ones. Get them on and get ready for a whole of lot physical activity. I want the three of you to be in a constant state of training as we move, and pushing yourselves to the limits."

We dragged ourselves over and I inspected the first weight I picked up. It looked thin but weighed a ton and was somehow elastic, not to mention the intricate carvings. It was most likely something she made by caching her aether. There were twelve in total and they went around all parts of the body and the first step I took informed me of just how difficult things were going to be. Sandra and Misty seemed to have it just as bad which was a surprise, not for Sandra but for Misty, considering she had the most physical strength and durability. It was then that I realized Zirani must have accounted for that and either increase the weight or added more of them.

We were all able to remain standing and walk back over to Zirnai, though it was less of a walk and more of a stumble. She had been understating how heavy these things were. We were all at the third level which made us very superhuman and yet these wights barely allowed us to move half normally.

"You want us to train in these?" Sandra asked in disbelief. "I think I'll fall over if I try and run."

"No," Zirani shook her head. "I want you to train in those and with limiters."

"Limiters?" I asked.

"Yes, you see when you feed aether into the weights, they will begin to push against you whenever you try and do anything with your aether, even pulling it becomes a task," She explained. "It's a form of training that is very popular and well know in my lands and is that improves control and just like the baths, gets you used to manipulating your aether under pressure. These will also be on for the majority of the day. The weights and limiters will cover both the physical side and the arcane side of your training. Of course, that's only the passive training."

Sandra's groan echoed through the dark forest.