the the end of the last chapter, Sam had found his dad back and heard about his past. in this chapter he and his team are gonna train and study their Seishins to become strong enough to defeat Mercury
Sam: "i'm sorry can you say that again?"
Eryndor: "i used to train him a while back when he was about your age. said he wanted to become the strongest magic user in his school cause he always got picked on, but then one day i heard from his mother that he took someone's Seishin from battle, i believe it was that was a red one… after he told me that he just wanted to get more powerful from that point i decided to quit training him. having power is meant for self defense and protecting the weak, not to show off or get revenge"
Sam: "wait, but he had Zero already right?"
Zero: "yes, but i left him a while after he finished his training, i abandoned him because i knew his selfish and arrogant intents, but i should've known it before Eryndor started training him, because something already felt off back then."
Sam: "so Mercury manipulated dad into training him by lying about his motives… but chances are he has an Akki now so at that point you don't need training"
Eryndor heard the word "Akki" and was shocked
Eryndor: "Sam… if he possesses an Akki, don't fight him, it's not worth it…"
Sam: "why not?"
Eryndor: "Sam, an Akki has a mana multiplier even higher than your Zero, as long as he is in his wake you cannot stop him! even with your Seishin's Spirit Art you only have so much of a chance at victory. but then again, i only know a part of a black Seishin's Spirit Art. though amplified Seishins do exist, yours doesn't have any amplifications"
Sam: "wait, how can you tell?"
Eryndor: "that's easy, your Seishin doesn't have any stripes. an amplified Seishin has two stripes reaching from the top to the bottom of their form"
Sam: "what is the strongest amplification then?"
Eryndor: "for your Seishin that would be red"
Sam: "and for Elisa?"
Eryndor: "then it would be a black amplification"
Sam: "i see, so a Seishin can't have an amplification of it's own color…"
Eryndor: "nope! otherwise nothing is amplified!"
Sam: "then i know enough, dad… train all three of us to become stronger! so we can actually beat this villain!"
Eryndor: "very well then… i shall train all three of you"
he pointed at Kaede
Eryndor: "you, come with me first, i sense weak mana coming from you. i have been working on a new class of Seishin higher than red, and lower than black, designed to bridge the strength gap between the two. a purple Seishin! with a Spirit Art called "Waltz of Cyanide" it can temporarily cancel the Art of an opponent if they get in the master's range, this also works on the weaponforme ability that Akkis have"
Kaede: "ooh! tell me more tell me more!"
Eryndor walked to a large room with Kaede to teach him basic magic skills, leaving Sam and Elisa alone with eachother
Sam: "Elisa, is something wrong?"
Elisa: "i don't know Sam… Mercury is still pretty strong, we can only do so much with our Seishins…"
Zero: "i get where she's coming from, she doesn't wanna lose her Seishin Maggie again"
Sam: "i don't think Mercury is after her Seishin anymore, if anything it's to weaken her mana"
Zero: "still.. Elisa is right, we must be careful and focused"
Sam moves closer to Elisa and hugs her
Sam: "no matter what… as long as i'm around i'll put my life on the line to make sure you're safe Elisa…"
Elisa: "d- don't say it like that… your life and wellbeing is important too…"
Sam: "and yet i value yours above mine..~"
Sam and Elisa moved even closer to each other, their faces getting closer, but right before anything happens, Eryndor and Kaede walk in
Eryndor: "Sam, let me introduce you to.. Kaede and his new Seishin: Serra Flaryn!"
Sam: "oh uhh.. cool! (you were interrupting something here tho…)"
Elisa is still blushing after what almost happened, but to avoid awkwardness, she asks Eryndor about the new Seishin's abilities
Elisa: "w- what does this Seishin do?"
Eryndor: "its mana multiplying level is exactly in the middle of red and black, also.. may i request that kaede stays here for a bit longer? i might be able to teach him a few useful things considering he only knows mind manipulation magic…"
Sam: "that's fine with me if it's fine with him"
Kaede: "th- that would be amazing! thank you sir!"
Eryndor: "oh it's nothing, just some old wisdom to share, but good wisdom that is!"
after gaining more knowledge about Seishins and the Art of the black Seishin, training with Eryndor's useful tools and having a snack afterwards, Sam and Elisa leave the lab
Eryndor: "come back any time son! and, daughter in law!"
Elisa blushes at Eryndor's comment as the two of them walk further
Sam: "i wonder if a girlfriend can count as daughter in law if she's not even engaged yet"
Elisa: "i'd say google it haha!"
they walked further, then suddenly Sam receives a call on his phone. he picks up the phone and hears Eryndor
Eryndor: "hey son, i wrote your number into my phonebook so i can call you if i need to inform you about anything! of course, you've got my phone number as well, so if you're stuck anywhere or generally need advice on something, i'm only a call away! good travel son, may luck be with you!"
Elisa laughed a bit and replied to Sam
Elisa: "well.. that sure might come in useful sometime!"
(LATER AT MERCURY'S BASE)
Mercury looks at his akki's live camera footage
Mercury: "looks like he's got his father's guidance now… let's hope he doesn't find out about the black Seishin's hidden potential"
Magno: "surely it's not more powerful than me, master Mercury… i have the power to create weapons as sharp as blancium, made of pure mana! what could possibly beat that?"
Mercury chuckles
Mercury: "i used to have his Seishin you know… before it stole a major amount of mana from me and ran away… do you know.. how much he took..?"
Mercury grows silent for a few seconds, before slamming the desk
Mercury: "HE TOOK… 80 PERCENT OF MY MANA! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO RECOVER IT ALL?! 4.. MONTHS!"
Magno: "rest at ease, Mercury my master~ he's foolish like that dad of his if he tried to fight me… sure gives him more information on my kind, but he'll never come close to winning~"
Mercury: "yes.. you are… right.. what am i to worry about when i have you?~"
Magno: "indeed…~ you've never had a friend like.. me~"
Mercury: "although i truly do feel it's gonna be… quite the effort.. to stop these two…"
Magno: "i just told you you have nothing to worry about! now.. let's focus on a new plan… let's say, we terrorize a town nearby with the mana we've already accumulated~"
(BACK AT SAM'S HERO PARTY)
Elisa: "Sam, what still has been lingering with me for quite some years… if none of your parents nor siblings are born with a weak mana level.. how come you were?"
Sam: "i don't know elisa… and honestly i'm not sure if i actually want to know…"
Eryndor calls, interrupting their conversation
Eryndor: "guys! be careful! there's a town up ahead, but my SS radar detects a dark mana presence around that area, if you want to go there, you will have to prepare yourself!"
Sam hesitates for a moment, then decides to ask the dangerous question
Sam: "dad! there is a question i need to ask! why was i born without-"
Elisa: "Sam! look out!"
Elisa pushes Sam down to avoid having him shot with a blazing arrow
Sam: "i'll have to call you back.. we need to keep our guards up like you told us…"
Sam hangs up and puts his phone in his pocket
Sam: "let's get this over with!~ Zero, let's cast some flares!"
Zero refuses
Zero: "that's too cliche and not really all that powerful… let me try something better~"
Sam held out his hand and Zero made the enemies float in the air, creating mana stalactites, piercing the monsters through their chest, pinning them down to the floor, before they vanish
Sam: "hey, that's a new one! let's call it… judgement of the sky! hmm.. no… that's too broad of a name… let's just call it judgement for now then…~"
Elisa: "they're respawning!"
Maggie: "let's destroy the problem from the source! red weed killer!"
Maggie stops the monsters from respawning permanently, while Sam Deals with the remaining few using his new move
Sam: "we did it! we saved the town!"
Mercury and Magno were watching through their live Akki cameras again
Mercury: "so… what purpose did that serve? now they just got the chance to play hero…"
Magno: "now now… you should be happy! after all… he has more to protect now, since he saved them once, he'll have to be more focused on this town, and then.. we attack another! then, we'll go right back to this one again~ they'll go back and forth, trying to remove a cobweb without getting enough time to remove the spider that weaves it~ after all, a man cannot have more than one girlfriend, or his attention and love will be divided… imagine what a man with a 100 girlfriends would have to go through to keep them all happy…"
Mercury: "...magno have you been watching anime again?"
Magno: "oh come on… that was a good show!
back at Sam's party, Sam calls Eryndor again
Sam: "dad, you there?"
Eryndor: "yes Sam, what was it that you wanted to ask-"
Sam: "why was i born magicless?! mom wasn't born with a low amount of mana, and you certainly haven't been born with any type of deficiency… so tell me, how come.. that i couldn't practice magic when i turned 8?"
Eryndor sighed and said
Eryndor: "come by later today.. i will explain everything to you…"
(TO BE CONTINUED)