Chapter 6: Not one but two?!

"What a day." Philomina sighed heavily and went inside of her room. She placed her bag on the floor and threw herself to her bed, she turned and stared at her ceiling.

"I still have to do some readings." Philomina sighed once again and then her thoughts are drifted back at the café. She chuckled lightly remembering Yen's rant about her mentor, then slowly her thoughts are going to another person; rather a demon.

"There's no way that Yen's speculations about my mentors' moves towards me are something more than what we are right now." She said to herself while thinking back all of the things that Paimon did to her for the past few weeks.

"Anyway, I'll just continue to do my training tomorrow and just ignore it. So, for now I'll just give my self a break." Philomina shrugged to herself and plopped herself onto the bed, sinking herself on her soft and comfy comforter and pillows. Gradually, her eyelids are starting to get heavy and slowly closes it and enters to dreamland.

-NEXT DAY-

"Today you will be having a trial against each other." Hyodo announced to the students at the gifted mortals class and everyone in the room were astounded to hear the announcement. All mentors are present and none of them seemed to be surprise as well, maybe this is what they have discussed yesterday.

"This won't affect your wizard exam however this is a good opportunity to test the skills you have gained from training with your mentors." Hyodo continued to give his speech to the students while they remained quiet.

"The trial will take place after this week. So, work hard and train hard. As for the trial, it will be a one - on - one timed battle. There is a time limit of forty - five minutes, if both students are able to withstand each other passing the time limit, that will serves as a tie. The time will only stop only if one of the students won't be able to continue the battle." Vian raised her hand catching the attention of Hyodo, he nod his head towards her and let her speak to the class,

"Sir, I'm just wondering who will be up against each other. Since the number of students in this class is not even."

"Very good question Vian. Well, for the line up of the trial, it will be announced on the day itself. May I also remind you that this trial will be live broad cast throughout the UMDA. So, if I were you I will start training now." Everyone in the room gulped silently as they watch Hyodo give his final statement before he left the classroom. Mentors are now starting to go to their trainees and Philomina is still not moving from her seat and is staring at an empty space.

"I see that you are still astound from the announcement." Paimon's voice came making the girl flinch from her seat and looked at her mentor.

"Y - Yeah... I have to train harder. Please continue to train me sir Paimon." Philomina stood up from her seat and bowed lightly to her mentor. Paimon nodded his head and gave a head pat to Philomina.

"That's more I like it. Let us now go to the training field. There will be a lot on our plate today."

-At the Training Field-

"Since you just gave me your assignment report when I was gone yesterday. We will be focusing on a different element this time. But as a warm - up, let's see if you can keep up with me." Paimon grinned and Philomina took her position, lightly bending her knees and her arms are buckled up. Paimon snapped his fingers and five small magic circles appeared behind him, fire balls are going out from the magic circles at a high speed. Philomina reacted quickly from his attacks by evading it faster than the fire balls charging towards her, she opened her right hand and appeared a white and green ball of gale and she released it going towards her mentor. Paimon moved his right hand in front of himself and then one of the magic circles went there as well and the ball of gale disappeared as it reached the magic circle.

"Not bad. You're getting faster and faster everyday Philomina." He commented while looking at his student, still in her position. Philomina charged towards her mentor once again but suddenly she jumped backwards and released a green magic circle releasing a huge tornado in the field, cancelling out Paimon's magic circles.

"That's a surprise. You keep on surprising me, Philomina." Paimon muttered to himself while looking at his student, he brought both of his hands in front and then silently he is muttering an incantation,

"Columnas de flamma, et in ore exíbit gládius acútus vocationem venire: a supergreditur terræ." A crackling sound coming from the ground and Philomina, shockingly looked down on the ground and it was starting to crack and pillars of flame bristling up from the ground, losing her footing she went from offensive to defensive mode.

"You're losing your focus Philomina." Paimon said and then he snapped his fingers again but this time more magic circles are appearing and disappearing from one place to another.

"Tsk. Damn it." She muttered under her breath while looking at her surroundings. Pillars of flame and magic circles have filled her vision of her mentor.

"You haven't landed a at least one blow on me." Paimon taunting his student, thinking that it would prove her to attacking him recklessly. Philomina clicked her tongue while observing her surroundings, looking for an opening to strike at mentor. She raised both of her arms at the side and a wind barrier surrounded her whole body and now she went through the side where there are only a few flames spouted out from the ground.

Finally, after going through those flames while dodging his fire balls as well, Philomina noticed a silhouette from a nearby distance. She positioned herself into attacking her mentor, charging towards the silhouette. Disappointingly, it was merely a shadow of her mentor, she took noticed of this immediately and quickly turn around only to see a bunch of fire balls going towards her direction. Philomina stood there frozen like a statue and her eyes are wide like saucers. Without her noticing it, her hands are glowing from pale green to light blue and small white gales are going around her hands.

'Its over.' She thought to herself and closed her eyes as she is ready for the impact of her mentors' attack, But nothing came to her, she didn't feel her body burning from the fire balls, instead she felt a hard flick on her forehead and she opened her eyes only to see her mentor looking down on her with a disappointed expression plastered on his face. She looked around and noticed that everything went back to normal.

"Wha-" She stuttered as she looked back at her mentor, still having his disapproving look on his face.

"You're still naïve Philomina. Moreover, you were easily fooled by a simple illusion." He stated seriously to his student.

"Illusion? You mean the pillars of flame are just an illusion?" She replied back astonished from what Paimon said to her.

"Also another thing that I am disappointed of you, Philomina, is that you wasted a great chance. Have you noticed your hand?" He said and pointed at her hand. Philomina raised both of her hands in front of her and its faintly glowing blue with small gales surrounding it.

"W - Why is it like this?" She stuttered once more, slowly she is hyperventilating while looking at her pale blue hands. Paimon put a hand on Philomina's shoulder, trying to calm down her nerves and she looked at her mentor worryingly and scared.

"Remember that you wanted to learn the different elements other than of your persona? This is a sign Philomina. You are slowly growing even your persona is close to evolution as well." He said to Philomina calmly and showing a soft smile to her.

"But my hands... Not only they are like this but it feels so cold."

"Khione, a goddess that has rule over the element of ice, is the evolution of your main persona Zephyr. Personas that are evolving aren't going anywhere, like they are still there with you, its just that Khione will join you as well, and you are the one who is evolving." He explained to Philomina then grabbing both of her hands gently and softly, like he is holding a very special object or should I say a very fragile object.

"Zephyr, a goddess of the gentle winds of the west, and Khione, a goddess of the snow, both goddesses shows both a powerful yet gentle nature. No wonder they became a part of you, Philomina." Paimon stated while looking at Philomina's eyes deeply making the girl feel conscious of herself and she's trying to look around instead of the man in front her.

"H - How can you say that?" She stuttered once more trying not to get distracted by the looks of her mentor.

"You are great listener to your friends, gentle towards them as well and yet during our training you have shown proof as to why you are descendant of Zephyr. You have brought honor to both Zephyr and Khione. And you should be proud of yourself for that." Paimon slowly brought his right hand on top of Philomina's head and gently pat her head. Philomina is still looking at her mentor and slowly small tears are forming on her eyes and she showed her best smile to him.

"Thank you so much, sir Paimon." Paimon nodded his head and continue to pat her head while looking at Philomina with loving eyes and there it came to him that he is feeling something within him that he shouldn't.

'No. She is my student. I can't be having these kinds of feelings.' He thought to himself and slowly he removed his hands and moved a little backward from his student.

"Ahem. Well that's enough break for now. Let us continue with your training but this time we will try to unlock that potential of yours to control the ice element, Khione's element." Paimon cleared his throat and Philomina caught off guard from Paimon's actions and she lightly cleared her throat as well.

'It can't be, right?' She silently thought to herself and slightly nodded her head in response to Paimon's statement.

From a distance, a silhouette is watching the mentor and the student from the very beginning. Staying there for a couple of more minutes and muttered under his breath,

"Well isn't this getting interesting. Paimon, leader of the Seven deadly sins, going soft to a human and a gifted one at that." After saying those words, the silhouette slowly disappeared from the air leaving the mentor and the student clueless that they are being watched.