Kana soon found herself inside a volcano with a pool of glowing bluish violet magma flowing within. Small bubbles would form on its surface and pop, releasing superheated air that could easily melt a human's skin right off. The old lady who had brought Kana here, hovered over the pool and smiled as she waved her hand while cheerfully saying. "In you go!"
Kana had no way to stop herself as she was sent hurtling into the pool of magma. "Ahh!"
Kana who finally got her ability to move and speak back after she was tossed into the magma, cried out in pain. Her clothes were instantly incinerated, leaving her with no protection from the intense heat of the pool. Not that the clothes she had on would have helped.
"Haha, you didn't melt. That is good. You are not allowed to come out until your body has sucked in every last drop of this magma. Do not worry about food. It will be delivered to you daily. I have locked away your ability to use any skills, so your two little friends will also not be able to come out. While on this floor, you will do nothing but train. You will become the embodiment of each weapon you will train in. Only when you are a master can you leave. I will explain more when and if you are able to survive! Haha!"
"Wait!" Kana yelled out, but the old lady ignored her and flew off. "It's so hot!" Kana cried out. Kana, who thought she was immune to flames and heat, actually felt as if her skin would melt off at any time.
She moved towards the edge of the pool and went to reach out to put her hands on the shoreline to pull herself out, but as her hands touched the ground, a great force slammed into her tossing her back into the pool. "Ahh!"
[HP]: 100000> 40000/100000
Blood dripped from the side of Kana's mouth as she looked at her [HP]. "Sixty thousand damage… So it seems that no matter what, I can not leave this pool." Kana let out a sigh as she swam over to the shoreline again. This time she did not try to climb out. Instead, she found a spot where she could sit down and lean against the side wall. Only then did she close her eyes and try to ignore the searing pain on her skin. Although it hurt and hurt badly she found that her skin was not actually burning. It seemed more as if the magma was slowly penetrating her skin, reforging it.
High above the sky, the six old ladies looked down at Kana, each one giving an approving nod. "She calmed down quick."
"That she did."
"I figured she would try a few more times."
"If she did, she would be dead."
"Deader than dead can be."
"We will need to wait and see how it goes now."
---
"You must be wondering why I gathered you two here." Dean Williams looked at Kiliffia and the panda girl next to her. "With Miss Kana gone, for the past year, there has been large movements with our enemies, especially the Yuthia Theocracy. There also seems to be a rebel group forming in what used to be the Botus Empire. While the king has been making preparations, he asked me to send two of my most promising students to do an investigation in the Elurean Kingdom. Your task will be to gather intelligence and see if there are any large forces gathering around the borders. To complete this task, you will be given rings of Illusion to make you look like humans. These are newly made and should not be easy to detect or counter."
"Dean, why us?" Kiliffia asked. She found it strange that out of everyone in the capital, she and her friend were the ones picked for this mission.
"Because you two are fast. Faster than any of the other students. If things go wrong, you have the highest chance of escaping than the others." Dean Williams replied. He did not wish to send his own students, but the king's people were already hard pressed with the other areas.
"Then we will do our best to fulfill this mission!" Kiliffia was actually excited. This was her first chance to prove herself and a step towards reaching her goal of being closer to her goddess. She just wished her goddess would return home soon...
"You two will set out tomorrow. A carriage will take you to Firminsalos, and from there, you will come in contact with Dev. She will help you cross the border. Go back to your dorms and rest for the night. I have already excused you from your other classes." With Dean Williams sending them away, Kiliffia and the panda girl both left and headed towards the dorms.
"Kili, do you think we can do this? I feel a bit nervous." The panda girl asked. The expression on her face showed just how worried she was.
"Tia, we have no choice but to try and do our best." Kiliffia did not know how well she could complete this task, but she would do everything she could to complete it.
"Then I will follow your lead." The panda girl, Tia, said. She still felt worried about their mission. But seeing how Kiliffia was still calm and composed, she felt that maybe they would be able to at least come back home safe.
When the next morning rolled around, Kiliffia and Tia boarded the carriage and began their journey to the border. It had been a long time since Kiliffia had been home. She was actually hoping she had time to visit her father. She had only been able to send a few letters back and forth since she came to the academy. "Kili, what are you smiling about?" Tia asked.
"I was just thinking that maybe, just maybe, I will be able to speak to my father for a bit. I haven't seen him in a year." Kiliffia answered. She really couldn't hide the smile she had on when thinking about it.
"That's right too. You came from Firmingsalos. Your father is a human right?" Tia asked.
"Mm… Luckily my father is one of the good humans. But to other humans, he is seen as a traitor. So I hope he is okay. He was injured during the war when the church attacked. He wrote and said he has a few friends looking after him, but I am not sure if the words are true or not. He would never write to me saying anything bad in order to not worry me." Kiliffia's expression shifted a bit as she felt a bud of worry well up inside her.
"We will know when we get there, and if anything is wrong, we can do something about it." Tia did her best to try to comfort Kiliffia.
Kiliffia smiled and leaned her head on Tia's shoulder as she said: "Thank you."