-Blam!!!

A single bullet rapidly made its way toward Cindy and Theodore. The elderly man was thrown off by the duo's dangerous plan, causing him to hesitate ever slightly. Unwilling to risk injury to the half-elf, Theodore stood his ground. The bullet penetrated straight through Cindy's mechanical arm, then hit Theodore directly in his stomach, leaving just a minor bruise on the old man.

"Hm, incredible. Truly incredible. You young'uns really are the future!" Theodore said, as he stood proudly, virtually unscathed. "That was a close one though! You two really were trying to kill me! A valiant effort indeed, bravo!"

"W-what the fuck! How are you still standing?" Kai said, lowering his gun. "Just what the hell are you, old man?"

"Oh, I'm just that, Sir Kai. Just an old man that had a lucky break, I swear!" Theodore said.

"Bullshit! Kai said. "Cindy, a-are you alright? Can you move your arm?"

"Y-yeah, a little bit. Definitely gonna need some repairs on it though, heh," Cindy said as she dropped to her knees, hanging her head down low. "We lost again...,"

"Dammit, Cindy, I knew this wasn't a good idea! Now your arm's all busted up and this bastard's still unscathed!" Kai said.

"I know... I'm sorry Kai. I failed. I just... I just wanted to get closer. But, it looks like that's impossible now!" Cindy said, staring at Kai, with tears forming in her eyes. "I always fail!"

"Cindy... Ah, don't cry! Look, we both gotta get stronger, so don't beat yourself up. This guy's just a goddamn cheat code! It's so not fair. So, don't blame yourself, girl cause... cause we both gotta get stronger!!" Kai said enthusiastically.

"Oh, you two are just adorable! You're going to make an old man cry again, aren't you? -Sniff" said Theodore.

"Oh, shut up!" Cindy and Kai said in unison.

"Please, just tell us, Theodore," Cindy said. "How could we ever even get close to your level?! And if we can't even get close... then what's the point of this stupid training, dammit?!" she screamed, punching her left fist into the ground.

"C-cindy, calm down. Don't let it get to you! You're just a bit tired is a-," Kai said, not able to finish his sentence. "CIndy...what the fuck!"

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" the half-elf screamed as she continued to punch the floor. "Why can't I get stronger?!"

"Madam Cindy," Theodore said, grabbing the enraged girl's arm. "You certainly have."

"H-huh?!" Cindy said, as she looked down on where her fist was planted just a moment ago. "Did I do this?" she said with a dumbfounded look on her face.

When the half-elf finally calmed herself down, she noticed a massive dent in the ground, that was left behind by her punch.

"Eek! Oh no, I'm a monster now! Oh, wait, I'm already a half-elf! Ahaha!" Cindy said deliriously.

"Cindy... you gotta cool it with these dark jokes," Kai said. "Anyways, holy shit! How'd you do that???"

"I-I don't know, but I don't think I like it very much!" Cindy said.

"What the hell are you talking about? Didn't you wanna get stronger?" Kai asked.

"Not this strong! Now I'll never find a boyfriend! What guy would wanna go out with a roided up half-elf, huh? Huuuh?" Cindy yelled, while crying.

"Jeez, calm down! I don't give a damn about your love life, Cindy. I just wanna know how you punched a freakin hole in the ground!" Kai said.

"Mmmm, jerk!" Cindy said, folding her arms.

"Yeah, we gotta get back on a normal sleep schedule soon," Kai said. "So, Theodore. Care to explain now? How the hell aren't we dead from this ridiculous training, why aren't all of our bones aching like hell in the morning, and how come Cindy can suddenly punch fuckin holes in the ground?!"

"Ohohoho! Please, calm down you two," Theodore said, laughing. "We'll wrap it up early on the training tonight, and I'll explain to you... about your awakened Auras!"

"Huuuh!?" The puzzled duo shouted, before passing out again.