With the two reaching level 8, they took some time to celebrate their level up. After they finished their celebration they partnered up for a sparring match, one the others watched with great enthusiasm.
Morthios & Euphemia were watching, attempting to learn anything from the two level 8s sparring with each other. While they weren't able to tell, they were actively learning far more than they thought, picking up moves as if on instinct, moves which resonated within their very souls.
Bell & Zaria were excitedly cheering them on in their own childish way. Occasionally imitating the movements, and growing into their own despite not having a falna. Though they had extremely healthy bodies thanks to the absolutely amazing meals Ceraunius cooked… meals that were so good, it was hard to imagine what could possibly improve them. Both of them had begun to show signs of healthy development, it was clear they were born with immense talent. Each was a borderline match for Morthios or Euphemia.
Ceraunius and Gamelia's match had finally reached the point where they could kick it up a notch. In other words, it was the point they had grown used to their new level. From then on… Even Hera and Zeus had trouble keeping track of their movements. And then, they stopped.
"Huh?" Morthios uttered.
"Hey big sister, why did you stop?" Euphemia asked.
"Well, that's easy, it's your turn. Come down here and prove to us you have what it takes to defend your gods on your journey." Gamelia said.
"Morthios, you're going to come here, and face me. Euphemia, you'll face Gamelia." Ceraunius said with a serious tone. "To pass this test you must tag us. Meaning you must land a serious blow on us. Serious for you, that is."
Morthios and Euphemia gulped at the challenge, a few beads of sweat dripped down their brows. And then a nervous smirk crawled onto their faces. Jumping down the two level 1s stood before their teachers, their older siblings by direct relation to the gods.
Morthios drew his sword knowing full well no matter what he did, it would never even leave a mark on Ceraunius, this was a test to see just how far he had come. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath… He heard a voice in his mind, one he felt supported him, and gave him strength… He opened his eyes and settled into his stance.
"You who failed before, with a will to bend death, reborn to stand, to rise, and fight again… Maxim is your name, no more, you stand anew, breathing, once more… MAXIMIZE!" Morthios chanted his spell with heart, he was now amped far beyond your average level 2, he was inching so close to level 3, it was clear that he was borderline somewhere near that. "Get ready big brother, here I come."
Ceraunius smiled, with a nod. "Then come."
Similarly a little bit away, Euphemia stood before Gamelia, drawing her twin swords. She gulped once more, a little jealous about the beauty she hoped she would one day have herself. However, she held the deepest of respect for Gamelia, and knew she would really need to try, to really go all out. She felt a sensation overcome her mind, closing her eyes, she smiled hearing the tone of a voice she didn't know, yet felt so familiar. Opening her eyes, she twirled her body around in a little dance to amp herself up before…
"You who fell, the crown broken, the will unbroken, and bent death to your whim, a desire to rule, Royalty… not a Queen, but an Empress. It's time to draw forth and rise again, once more to breathe anew… CORONATION!" Euphemia chanted, she was now under a severe amp on par with the one Morthios had, only she had the crown of a ruling Empress appear on her head. One flickering in the light and made of magic. "Get ready big sister, when I tag you you're going to tell me how to get big boobs like yours!"
Gamelia smiled, with a slight giggle. "Then come. Earn your reward."
What happened was a long, drawn out pair of matches which ultimately saw Morthios and Euphemia tire out rather quickly. However, they continued to press on, and after 6 hours of continuous fighting they finally managed to land a decent attack on Ceraunius and Gamelia. Euphemia pulled it off first…
"AHAHAHA!!!! I did it! I completed the task before you did Morthios! I win! Teehee!" Euphemia got a big head about it, and no, she would never let Morthios live that down.
"Seriously, you only did it by 15 seconds! And that's not even right, you hadn't started your fight for 30 seconds after mine began! Which means I won by 15 seconds, not you!" Morthios would never let her claim that victory, his pride was on the line.
"Give it up Morthios, you're definitely the stronger one." Ceraunius said with a chuckle.
"That's right, if the opponents were different the time gap would have been larger." Gamelia added.
"Awe, but big sister?" Euphemia pleaded through the thick layer of sweat.
"Shh, it's alright I'm going to teach you how to get a beautiful body."
Euphemia stopped complaining and started listening. "Well what are we waiting for?"
"Pfft, your funny, little sister. I'm confident you can protect Mother Hera now."
"Huh?"
"Does that mean you're leaving now?" Morthios asked.
"Yeah, it's been a little longer than a month." Ceraunius nodded, walking over to Bell and Zaria. "Plus I think these two should get their falna really soon." He added. "So, we will plan on leaving the village in a week to prepare a proper goodbye."
"I had a feeling this would happen." Zeus sighed. "We left your status ready for transition."
"Sister Zaria." Euphemia said standing proudly, pointing.
"Hmm?"
"When you get to Orario, keep your brother safe from all the bad women. If no good women are there for him, you stay by his side."
"Pfft, I'm sure I don't need you to tell me what I'm going to do. I was already going to do that. Only the absolute best for my brother. Nothing less would be satisfactory."
Zeus felt that Ceraunius and Gamelia were about to leave for somewhere. "Leaving now?"
"No, but we're going to find something worthy of a level up. There's plenty of dragons in that place. It'll be easier to do it now, than to do it later."
"If you can…"
"We will retrieve anything else we can."
…