The Martial Unity

2940  Growing Girl

A girl stood before a young tree with an expression of curiosity and determination, pulling her right leg back while her arms curled the other way to leverage the ensuing kick, before unleashing her strongest kick as hard as she could. BANG!

In one fell swoop, she cracked the young tree in half, causing it to collapse and fall sideways. Her blood-red eyes lit up with jubilation as a triumphant smile emerged on her face. Her long, flowing blood-red hair swayed with swift maneuver.

“Impressive.”

A voice behind her drew her attention as she turned around with delight to the man and woman standing several meters behind her. “How did I do?” she asked with ecstatic excitement.

“That was a brilliant kick,” Max smiled at her with a proud expression. “Your form was excellent. I can see that you have been practicing well, Arastia.”

Mana nodded in agreement. “You will surely become a great Martial Artist when you enter the Martial Academy.”

Arastia smiled with delight at the praise from her two mentors. “Do you think I can play with the other girls now?”

Max and Mana exchanged a knowing glance at each other, turning back to her with a melancholic expression. “Not yet, my dear.” Mana’s smile was bittersweet. Her eyes transitioned from delight to hurt disappointment. “But why not?!”

STEP Max knelt before her with a gentle smile as he patted her head with affection. “You’re too strong, dear Arastia. You can’t control it well enough yet. The other girls might get hurt.”

Arastia’s expression grew even more forlorn as her eyes grew teary. “B-But I won’t hurt them. I didn’t hurt them in the past!”

“We know you never hurt anybody,” Mana replied as she affectionately pulled the girl in for a warm, loving embrace. “After all, you are such a sweet, precious baby.”

“I’m not a baby!” Arastia complained. “The two of you are also super strong, but you get to play with the others.”

Max’s smile was amused. “That’s because we have complete mastery and control of our power. If you want to be like us, then you will have to learn to control your power perfectly.”

“But I can control my power,” she insisted with an adorably defiant expression. Max smirked. “Well, why don’t we put that to the test?” With a single breath, he manipulated a basket of eggs some distance away, bringing it to him as a single egg emerged from the basket.

“Catch,” Max tossed the egg at her slowly while Arastia’s hands poised themselves to catch the egg.

CRACK!

SPLAT!

The egg flattened to a thin sheet under the sheer force and pressure of her grabbing motion, while the egg white and yolk splattered across not only her body, but all around them like a jet spray.

“Ewww!” Arastia’s lips curled with disgust at the egg all over her body while Max simply laughed, earning a glare from Mana, who immediately helped the girl change into another set of the many clothes they had brought with them. “You still aren’t there yet,” Max calmly remarked. “You will need to gain better and deeper control.”

Arastia’s expression grew sad as she finished changing into fresh clothes. “So I can’t play with the others?”

Her eyes lit up with ecstasy. “Yes! I want to fly in the sky again!”

“Hehehe…” Max grinned. “Then flying it is. Today we’ll take you to a new place in the Kandrian Empire.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up as she held Max and Mana’s hands.

“Yep,” he smirked. “We can even have you play with the other girls like you if they’re there today.”

“Yay!” she leaped with joy, launching herself more than a dozen meters in the air. “I can’t wait to play with them!”

Max and Mana caught her before sky-walking away with Arastia, squealing with excitement.

WHOOSH

They elevated in the skies as Arastia gazed down at the vast expanse of the Quarrier City. Numerous skyscrapers could be spotted across the cityscape as what was once a small town had ballooned in size to qualify as its own city.

“It’s as big as always…” A faint murmur escaped her as they rose to the skies. Max smiled. “Would you believe me if I told you that, once upon a time, this massive city was just a small orphanage?”

“Eh?!” she jolted with surprise at Max, staring at him with her widened blood-red eyes. “Really?!”

“It was truly a long, long time ago,” Mana remarked with a nostalgic expression. “We were kids back then, just like you are now.”

Arastia gazed at them with a shocked expression. “How could a small orphanage become such a large city?!”

The two of them directed a profound smile at her.

“It’s all thanks to big brother Rui.”

Arastia’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

There it was again.

It was a name that she had heard countless times growing up, in one fashion or another. After hearing about this fellow her entire life, even she was now brimming with interest and curiosity.

“Well, technically,” Max scratched his head. “He’s not quite a big brother to us anymore.”

Mana stiffened. “…Don’t bring that up. Manifold time doesn’t count.”

“What was the Prince like?” Arastia directed a curious gaze at the two of them.

Max grinned with a hint of childish excitement.

“He’s the best.”

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of doubt in his voice.

Mana nodded with absolute certainty. “Nobody is greater than him in this whole wide world.”

Arastia’s blood-red eyes twinkled with blood-red eyes as her imagination flew wild at their words. She wondered just what extraordinary kind of man the one touted as the Dawnbringer was to make even Max and Mana, whom she had looked up to her entire life, speak so highly of him. “Where is he now?” she asked with a curious expression.

Max grinned. “He’s kick the butts of monsters and beasts in the Beast Domain. When he returns after fixing the Beast Incursion, you will get to meet him.”

Arastia’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I can’t wait!”