Three years elapsed since Atria's arrival to Galdena.

"Keep running!" —Juna emitted a powerful shout in an authoritative tone of voice that slightly altered Nell's nerves.

Under Juna's gaze, a visibly very exhausted Atria continued to run around the barrack.

"The Captain need not be so strict with Atria-chan ..." —Nell murmured this with a look full of pity on Atria.

"Don't you ever tire of saying the same thing, Nell-nii?" —Nellya responded with some exasperation to her older brother's words.

Despite the lack of expressiveness on her face, Nellya was also worried about Atria.

"If only that eternal succubus were as strict when acting as captain, we wouldn't have as much trouble..." —Nellya added this angrily.

Both Nellya and Nell could remember how surprised they were to see Juna acting as Atria's teacher. Juna did not show the slightest complacency towards Atria and even struck her with a wooden sword every time the girl failed.

The image that both brothers had mentally constructed of Juna completely changed the day they saw her face as a demon coach.

Atria stumbled and Juna came forward to strike her with the wooden sword.

"I'll reduce the amount of meat on that eternal succubus food plate tonight…" —Nelly muttered this as she watched that scene.

The reason Nellya now called Juna's eternal succubus was simple. While she had grown a little in more ways than one, Juna had not changed even a little since the day she had joined the ninth battalion. Nellya knew the reason behind this phenomenon, prana.

Those who possess prana age slowly, and among these, those who are powerful even stop aging completely. Nellya did not know which of the two groups Juna belonged to.

Atria stood up and started running once more. Not long after that, she fell again and this time she could not get up. It was at that moment that Juna showed her true face. She ran and took Atria in her arms.

Juna ran into the barracks while constantly kissing Atria's forehead and apologizing.

"No, that eternal succubus doesn't need meat in its soup tonight…" —Nellya murmured this as she watched Juna kiss repeatedly the defenseless Atria's forehead.

Nell could only let out a long breath as he shook his head. All this had been a kind of morning ritual for the last three years.

After passing out, as usual, every day, Atria opened her blue eyes. It was another morning that she was brought to her room by Juna.

"Do you feel better?" —Juna who was holding Atria's hand and giving her water prana asked this question with a little relief when she saw her adorable apprentice awaken.

"Yes, Juna-sensei"

Juna let out a slight sigh of relief.

After three arduous years of training, Atria's physical capacity had undoubtedly increased, her sword skill was good, and not once did she complain about training. However, Atria's problem remained the same as originally, asthma.

Compared to three years ago when she started training, Atria could now withstand about five times more physical exertion before asthma brought her to the brink of losing consciousness because of shortness of breath.

“Atria-chan”

Heard Juna's sour tone of voice, Atria tensed, was her teacher finally trying to give up on her?

"With your current performance, you won't make it into the academy"

Atria lost her breath when she heard that.

"And if you focus your strengthening step over your lungs, you cannot graduate and you will end up being sent to some legion"

Atria clenched her little fists tightly in frustration. Was this her limit?

"Instead of going to the academy and ending up being sent somewhere you don't know, why don't you officially join the thirteenth legion?"

Atria wore the same gray uniform as the rest of the members of the thirteenth legion. She was considered a temporary recruit.

"I don't want to, I want to be a knight" —tears flowed from Atria's eyes.

After three years of training under Juna's tutelage, Atria had a clearer idea about the power of those she was trying to confront. In its current state, Atria was not even a mosquito above the Londells' window, and the only way to change this was to receive specialized training from one academy.

Atria liked the people of the thirteenth legion, here together with Juna she had found a home as warm and lively as the one that the Londells had taken from her, however, Atria felt that if she forgot her revenge and lived quietly in Galdena, she would turn her back on her mother and older sisters.

Besides, if she stayed here, what would prevent that tragedy from happening again? Could Atria protect her new home this time? The answer was a no, she was weak, she couldn't even run over ten laps around the barracks without feeling that she would faint at any moment.

Observing Atria's total reluctance to surrender, Juna let out a long breath.

"In that case, there is another possibility"

Hearing that, Atria stopped her tears and looked at Juna. Her sensei showed an expression of total seriousness, so without a doubt what she was about to say had some implications.

“Water prana has a natural affinity to life, speeds up physical and wound recovery, and therefore every Knights team must have at least one member who owns water prana. Ice prana is aggressive and harmful, those who have it must deal with the cold every time they use their prana”

Atria nodded, she fully understands this, every time she circulated her prana, a cold sensation flooded her body, although, with her low level of control, this cold was pleasant.

“However, ice prana can do something that water prana cannot, it can mitigate pain and even make it go away, although only by deception since the wounds do not heal but they get even worse”

This was the reason prana ice was considered an abnormal nature because despite being related to water prana, ice prana was destructive.

"If you use your ice prana on your lungs, this should prevent your condition from showing up while you train, however, once you stop sending prana to your lungs, you will feel pain many times greater than what you normally feel when asthma occurs”

Juna had trained Atria hard during these three years, hoping her prana would improve her body as of those who were born possessing prana. Unfortunately, this did not work completely, asthma continued to torment Atria.

"This method will also require you to focus your strengthening step on your physical condition, so you can better deal with the consequences"

Atria nodded at Juna's words as she wiped away the tears that lined her eyes. What did a little physical pain matter? Nothing could compare to the pain of losing her mother and all her older sisters just at the whim of a family at the peak of power.

From that day on Atria started two new training classes, about bringing her ice prana to her lungs while doing her regular training, and about the next step in prana control, strengthening, the latter focusing on improving her physical condition.

The days, weeks and months passed without significant events, pushed by her iron determination, Atria could finally train normally without worrying about her asthma, at least until when she stopped sending prana to her lungs because at that moment, an intense pain hit her chest and it was aggressive enough not to even allow she to pass out. At the moment Atria could deal with these thanks to Juna's prana water, but someday she would have to deal with it using only her will and determination.

"Have you lost your mind?!" —a furious Nellya slapped her hands against Juna's desk.

"It's decided" —Juna was not affected by Nellya's visible anger.

"This is a complete mistake, I will report it to Colonel Unsal" —Nellya's anger reached the point of threatening to go directly to the leader of the thirteenth legion.

"Do whatever you think is right"

"That is precisely what I will do!" —furious and outraged, Nellya left Juna's office after heavily slamming the door.

Juna could only let out a long heavy sigh. Her advances in Nellya were not improving but quite the opposite, and the reason for this was Atria.

Nellya was constantly protesting about the way Juna trained Atria, and this time, the topic had reached a point where Juna did not remember having seen Nellya ever so angry before.

"I lose my way on someone I might already take to my bed in favor of a long-term plan..." —even despite the bitterness in her tone, Juna's cheeks were slightly flushed.

Two hours after dealing with Nellya's vigorous protests, Juna assembled the ninth battalion to communicate their next mission, serving as support for the seventh battalion within two days. There was nothing to be surprised about in this. The ninth battalion carried out these missions about twice a month, what if no one expected, was that Juna will announce that this time, Atria would join the mission?

Atria was barely ten years old and Juna intended to take her out of the security of the Galdena walls. This caused Nellya's anger and Nell's bewilderment. These two twins had not left Galdena until they came of age. What did it matter if Atria could use prana? she was still just a little girl.

As she had threatened, Nellya went to Colonel Unsal, however to her greatest anger, Colonel Unsal stated that Juna was the captain of the ninth battalion and it was she who decided who to take or not to missions. Atria was a provisional recruit, so Juna could treat her like any other member of the ninth battalion.

Two days later, hours before dawn, all the members of the ninth battalion met with the seventh battalion in front of the heavy Galdena gate that led outside the city.