Chapter 222 - Training Arcing

"You feel any different?" one witch asked another.

"Not really. Maybe it didn't work," the other muttered.

"Of course it worked," Vell snapped as he strode into the room. "I'm not some hack or an amateur. I know how spells work."

Despite his confidence, he made his way to the kitchen, his gaze locking onto the staff embedded in the wooden floor. He examined it carefully but didn't touch it—disturbing it now could unravel the spell. His own magic was too potent, though the girls weren't strong enough yet to cause any real disruption. Still, he made sure to warn them.

He called them all into the kitchen.

"Listen closely," he said. "Do not touch the staff. No matter what. And in general, stay a safe distance from it—just as a precaution."

His eyes lingered on the staff, a flicker of fondness crossing his face.

"I'm going to miss the sleek, smooth feel of you in my hands, my Firelight."

The witches exchanged confused glances.

One leaned toward another and whispered, "Is… is he talking to his staff?"

"I think so," the other murmured.

Vell ignored them, his fingers twitching as though resisting the urge to grab it. With a sigh, he turned back to the group. "The spell is working, whether you feel it or not. You'll notice soon enough."

A few of them exchanged skeptical looks, but no one spoke up. Instead, the alchemy witch, still full of curiosity, asked, "How will we know for sure?"

Vell smirked. "Give it a few hours. You'll get hungry much faster than you should. Your nails and hair will grow quicker. Your bodies will adjust in time, but the first day always feels strange."

"You've done this before?" 

"Enough with the questions. Anyway, you'll all adapt soon enough. In the meantime, we need to establish a routine."

He began pacing, his presence both commanding and casual. "You don't have the luxury of wasting time anymore. Months in here amount to mere days outside. So, here's how we're doing this."

He pointed at the alchemy witch. "After breakfast, you're with me. Alchemy is heavy on memorization, and we have a lot to cover."

She nodded eagerly.

He turned to the fire witch hopefully. "You need control more than anything. Burning things is easy—precision is hard. You'll train every morning before breakfast."

One by one, he assigned tasks, pairing some together, ensuring that every moment counted. When he finished, he clapped his hands together.

"Any questions?"

A girl in the back hesitated before raising a hand. "What about breaks?"

Vell blinked. "Breaks?" He scoffed. "This is your break. You get to study magic all day, every day. That's a privilege."

The girl visibly deflated.