Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 172. Everyone Does Need To Train

Cubie hovered lazily beside Frain, who was groaning loudly as she tried to pick a weapon to train with. She was unable to decide for herself. In her defence, there were over ten varieties of weapons to choose from — a Halberd, spear, battle axe, warhammer, and zweihänder to name a few.

“Sister Frain, have you decided yet?” Cubie asked, getting visibly impatient.

“Hey, you two,” Aurelia suddenly poked her head into the armoury, waving her hand.

“Mama, Sister Frain has been taking forever to pick her weapon,” Cubie whined.

“Hehe, what’s troubling you so much, Frain?” Aurelia asked, running her hands over the weapon racks, their gleaming edges reflecting her youthful face.

“I just want to pick one that really matters. One that will not fail us,” Frain replied softly. And one that will not disappoint Lupy like last time, she thought to herself. It was a guilt of inadequacy, a feeling of weakness.

“Come on, just pick one already.” Cubie rotated smoothly. “What’s the difference? All of them are in mint condition and sharp! Therefore, they’re all the same. What’s so special about one above the other?” Cubie grumbled.

Despite her pouting, Frain didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to search through the weapons.

“Not so, Cubie! Each one has its own advantages over the others, excelling in either slashing, piercing, or blunt force," Aurelia corrected firmly. "What's more, these aren’t just regular weapons. They are forged by expert smiths and enchanted by Renaissance mages. These are valuable imports from the Aethia continent, you know!”

Cubie froze visibly, processing the new information. In the background, she was searching through a library in the Arc comm.

“Cubie, are you okay?” Aurelia asked out of concern.

“Oh! I understand now!” Cubie chirped. “The arcane imbuement!”

“That’s the term,” Aurelia beamed. “Walk with me, Cubie. Frain, take your time,” Aurelia instructed. She paused and pondered, "Not like Cubie could physically walk, right?"

“Okay… How come you don’t use any Arc tools, Aurelia?” Cubie probed, and they both strode away, leaving Frain some privacy.

“Because I don’t need excess slots like most mages,” Aurelia replied with a knowing grin.

“Oh, oh!” Cubie nodded by moving up and down. “Even Zetius used Arc boots when he hurried to find Sister Frain,” Cubie recalled.

“Well, that’s a bit different. Some Arc tools are used for utility, and not for warmongering,” Aurelia explained, her voice even. “Zetius might use Arc boots for travelling a great distance and even an Arc coat for its enhanced durability and comfort.”

“I see. I never realised that until now. I just don't think I could ever use Arc tools effectively,” Cubie said.

As they walked along the edge of the wall, “Last time, you managed to create a wall out of thin air, right?” Aurelia probed, lacing her hands behind her back.

“Yes… I did. Hmmmm… A fluke, more like. Now that I've tried, it's a struggle to materialise a rigid structure, let alone a functional Armatus suit. Despite knowing all of its composition, alloy properties, tensile strength, Poisson’s ratio, forging process, and so on…” Cubie clarified, her tone becoming sombre, “Practically, I am useless without an Armatus suit.”

“No, you’re not! Cubie, don’t say that.” Aurelia objected firmly, “Hmm… I can relate to that. I felt the same when I studied the essence of Domoklasis under Lunarius Canis,” She continued as she inspected her palm.

“Lunarius Canis? The wolf-man singer?” Cubie gasped.

“Wait? You’ve met him?” Aurelia’s lips parted in surprise. They both giggled, thinking of his solemn, nonsensical music.

After a while, an idea sparked in Aurelia's mind.

“How about I show you? I might not be a great Renaissance mage, but I can show you what works for me.”

“You will?” Cubie asked, unsure.

“Affirmative,” Aurelia nodded with her eyes closed.

“We’ll start with the apple principle,” Aurelia said, grinning.

“Apple principle?” Cubie tilted to the side in puzzlement.

“It’s named after the method of visualisation we form in our mind using an apple. This is a way to initially gauge how well a person can imagine.

Let’s say we have people picture the apple — some won’t be able to visualise it at all, some will see a black and white one, a flat 2D one, and the best result is a realistic apple with colour and shadow,” Aurelia explained.

“Aha!” Cubie exclaimed in glee. “Wait, what?”

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That was short-lived once she actually thought about it.

“That’s fine, I’ll show you. Now focus with me. Picture a metal sheet!” Aurelia instructed eagerly, raising her palm forward.

“Now, we are going to imagine it in our minds,” Aurelia continued, shutting her eyes.

“Can you even close your eyes?” she asked Cubie and frowned.

“Hmm… I can disconnect my visual sensors,” Cubie replied.

“Good!” Aurelia exclaimed. “Now, what do you see?” she asked.

“I see darkness,” Cubie answered factually.

“I mean, can you see the metal sheet?”

“I do when I imagine it.”

“Describe it to me,” Aurelia commanded. “In detail, please.”

“I can see its outline, a square shape.”

“Now, try to shade it. Make it into a 3D object in your mind,” Aurelia continued, her fingers humming with mana.

“Done! I now see it like a realistic object in our physical world,” Cubie confirmed promptly.

“Combine it with the knowledge of the metal! Then letting your mana flow,” Aurelia muttered softly.

“Okay!”

Seeing Cubie’s glow intensify, Aurelia instructed, “Now you must invoke the essence. In my case, I’ll say… Domoklasis!” A surge of energy focused on her fingertips, and Aurelia crouched down to tap the ground. Faint orange lines began to take shape before a shiny metal sheet manifested out of thin air.

“Wow!” Cubie exclaimed with awe.

Aurelia grinned, resting both hands on her hips. “Now, you try.”

“Right away!” Cubie said, following Aurelia’s steps. Once everything was aligned, she chanted, “Cubie!” A blue line of energy shot from her into the empty space.

Eventually, a metal sheet, glowing blue, formed in mid-air and dropped to the ground with a loud clank. Surely, her essence wasn’t Domoklasis, so the material wasn't permanent like Aurelia's. However, this marked a major breakthrough for Cubie.

“You did it!” Aurelia exclaimed with joy. “Attagirl!”

“Yay!” Cubie jumped happily.

“Once you’ve done it enough times, it’ll come naturally!” Aurelia praised her with a gentle pat.

“The apple principle rules!” Cubie exclaimed, zipping around Aurelia.

“Yes, and it's a way to assist your imagination and eventually your creativity, which is one of the core principles of the arcane,” Aurelia explained with a nerdy lift of her finger.

“Right, right!” Cubie celebrated, then she attempted a few more materialisations for good measure. To Aurelia’s surprise, Cubie was performing the task more consistently now.

Just then, Cubie caught a glimpse of Frain heading out of the armoury, empty-handed.

“What’s wrong, Sister Frain?” Cubie asked, worried.

“It’s just…” Frain paused, a pang of disappointment in her voice. “I was focusing on the wrong thing. I thought choosing the right weapon would be the answer. But the reality is, it's my own strength that matters. No powerful weapon can compensate for my own weakness,” she said, her voice heavy.

They both looked at Frain, speechless.

Frain stared at her fist with a newfound conviction. “I’ll keep practising with my bare hands first before relying on a weapon! Hmph!” She huffed, straightening herself.

Aurelia and Cubie exchanged a knowing nod. “Well, Frain, I believe you have the right mindset. We haven’t made a real fighter out of you yet!” Aurelia announced with a toothy grin.

“Sister Frain, I’ll try harder, too! Let’s make Zetius proud!” Cubie interjected.

A warm smile touched Frain's lips. Aurelia stepped forward and took Frain’s hand, cupping it gently in her own. Cubie then perched on top of their joined hands.

They shared a moment of silent camaraderie, a non-verbal gesture that ran deep between them.

With a shared nod, they moved. Frain found her answer not on the weapon rack, but on the weight rack. The cold, textured iron of a barbell felt more honest, more real. She didn’t need an enchanted battle axe. She needed to become the weapon herself. With a sharp exhale, she began her deadlifts, her form still raw but her intent absolute.

She lifted, and she lifted. Metal clanked against the rubber floor.

The burn in her shoulders and the strain in her back were a welcome punishment, a way to atone for the weakness she felt. In the periphery, she could hear Aurelia’s cheerful voice coaching Cubie. Flashes of blue light caught her eye, signs of her small friend attempting a magic far beyond Frain's own comprehension.

But Frain blocked it out. Her world was the weight, the floor, and the voice in her head telling her to push for one more repetition. This was not merely lifting weights. Rather, she was lifting the guilt from her shoulders. A small, determined smile adorned her sweat-dripping face as she completed the set, her body trembling with exhaustion and a new, powerful sense of resolve.

***

The heavy metal ball arched into the air and slammed onto the ground, tenderising the dirt and creating a crater among many.

Frain was drenched in her own sweat, her blonde hair clinging damply to her face. Her arms strained, veins protruding visibly from the exertion she was putting her body through.

The lion Wildren walked calmly towards the metal ball, which was roughly one metre in diameter. Her palms were red, and white calluses had begun to form around the base of her fingers.

Once she reached the ball, she bent her knees and clenched her arms around the steel, lifting it upwards. Her limbs felt heavy, but she pushed through.

“YAAA!” Frain screamed, hurling it with all her strength.

Thanks to her essence of Leontokratía, she possessed innate physical strength and durability. Yet, even that wasn’t enough to overcome her foe.

According to a passage from Zetius’s Arcane 101, one method to train such an essence was to push it beyond its limits.

BAMMM! A loud, muffled thud followed as the ball collided with the ground.

Soon, two figures emerged from the far side of the training section. Cubie levitated slowly beside Aurelia, humming to herself.

“Frain!” Cubie called out after spotting her.

Frain wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned. “What’s it?”

“Cubie and I just finished our session. We’re going to head over to see Zetius!” Aurelia said with a bright smile.

“Wanna come with?”

Without hesitation, Frain shook her head.

“No, I’ll continue to train more… if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine! Come find us once you’re done, ok?” Aurelia replied, and Cubie nodded in acknowledgement. Without words, they both admired Frain’s determination and drive.

After a beat, Frain was left to her solitude. The loud impacts echoed again and again as she continued her physical training.