POV: Elior
The next few days were brutal.
Not in the usual sense.
I wasn't getting beaten to a pulp or sent flying through walls every morning.
Well…
Not every morning.
Gramps had completely changed the way Laxus and I trained.
Before this, most of our training had been about getting stronger.
More speed.
More power.
Better techniques.
More difficult opponents.
Now Gramps seemed determined to make us hate the concept of wasted magic.
"Again."
I stared at the tiny sphere of Light floating above my palm.
It was barely larger than a marble.
"Gramps, I've been holding this thing for twenty minutes."
"Then you should be very good at it by now."
"That's not how training works."
"It is today."
I sighed.
Beside me, Laxus was having his own problems.
He was standing inside a circle drawn into the ground, lightning continuously running through his body.
"Don't increase your output," Makarov told him.
"I'm not."
"You just did."
Laxus frowned.
"No, I didn't."
"You did."
"…Fine."
I laughed.
Laxus looked at me.
"Don't laugh."
"I'm sorry."
I wasn't.
Gramps had been right about one thing.
We both had plenty of power.
What we lacked was refinement.
For me, the biggest problem was efficiency.
My Light Magic was absurdly powerful, but because my reserves were enormous, I had developed a bad habit.
If something required ten units of magic, I sometimes used twenty simply because I could.
Gramps wanted that habit gone.
For Laxus, the problem was control.
His Lightning Magic was incredibly destructive, and he often relied on overwhelming an opponent rather than controlling every part of his output.
Neither of us liked hearing it.
Both of us knew he was right.
After another hour, Gramps finally released us.
I immediately collapsed onto the grass.
"I'm starving."
Laxus sat beside me.
"You say that after every training session."
"Because I am."
"You eat more than anyone I know."
"Growing boy."
"You ate three plates of pudding yesterday."
"Growing boy."
Laxus shook his head.
Gramps walked toward us.
"You two are improving."
I sat up.
"Really?"
"Yes."
That was enough to make me smile.
Then he continued.
"But you've reached another problem."
I blinked.
"What problem?"
"Your training environment."
I looked around.
We were standing in an open field outside Magnolia.
There was nothing wrong with it.
At least, I thought there wasn't.
Gramps crossed his arms.
"Your bodies are adapting too quickly."
I looked at Laxus.
He looked back at me.
"And that's bad?"
"It means ordinary physical training will eventually stop providing enough resistance."
Gramps turned toward me.
"Elior, your body is already stronger and faster than most mages several times your age."
Then toward Laxus.
"And your Dragon Slayer Lacrima has greatly enhanced your physical capabilities as well."
I noticed Laxus become slightly quieter at the mention of the Lacrima.
I didn't say anything.
Gramps continued.
"If I keep increasing the difficulty normally, we'll eventually reach a point where the surrounding environment becomes the limitation."
I scratched my head.
"So what do we do?"
Gramps smiled.
"We create a new environment."
I stared at him.
"That sounds ominous."
"It is."
The following afternoon, Gramps brought us to the villa.
Irene was sitting in the garden with Erza and Cana when we arrived.
Luna was sleeping in Erza's lap.
Erza looked up immediately.
"El ni-san!"
She waved.
Cana waved too.
"You're back early."
"We need Mom."
Irene raised an eyebrow.
"That usually means trouble."
"Not trouble."
I pointed at Gramps.
"His idea."
Irene looked at Makarov.
"What did you do?"
Makarov chuckled.
"I need your help with a project."
Irene narrowed her eyes.
"That sounds even more like trouble."
Makarov explained our training problem.
When he finished, Irene was silent for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"You want a gravity chamber."
Gramps nodded.
"Exactly."
I blinked.
"A what?"
Irene looked at me.
"A chamber capable of artificially increasing the gravitational force inside it."
My eyes widened.
"That's possible?"
"Of course."
Irene looked almost offended.
"I'm a master enchanter."
Gramps laughed.
"I knew you'd understand."
"So basically," I said slowly, "you want to make us heavier?"
"Not exactly."
Irene raised one finger.
"The gravity itself would increase. Your bodies would have to work harder simply to move."
I imagined it.
Running while everything felt heavier.
Swinging my sword under increased resistance.
Casting magic while maintaining control.
It sounded…
Amazing.
"I want one."
Laxus nodded immediately.
"Me too."
Irene laughed.
"Of course you do."
Erza looked curious.
"Can I train in it too?"
Irene glanced at her.
"Eventually."
Erza's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Once you're ready."
Erza nodded seriously.
"I'll be ready."
Cana leaned against the chair.
"Everyone in this family is insane."
"You're included," I said.
"I'm aware."
Irene stood.
"How much gravity?"
Makarov thought for a moment.
"We should start conservatively."
"How conservative?"
"Two times normal gravity."
I immediately raised my hand.
"Can we start higher?"
"No."
"But—"
"No."
I lowered my hand.
"Fine."
Irene began walking toward the villa.
"Then I'll need to prepare the chamber, reinforce the structure, create a stable magical field, and design a control system."
I followed her.
"How long?"
"Several days."
"Can I help?"
She smiled.
"You can stay out of my way."
"That's basically helping."
"No."
Laxus laughed.
Even Gramps smiled.
Over the next several days, the room beside the villa's training area slowly transformed.
Irene reinforced the walls with layered enchantments.
Makarov added his own magical seals to stabilize the chamber.
The floor was strengthened.
The ceiling was reinforced.
Magical regulators were installed along the walls.
I watched everything with increasing excitement.
This wasn't just some simple training room.
It was a magical machine capable of altering the environment itself.
Eventually, Irene stepped back.
"Done."
I stared through the doorway.
The chamber looked surprisingly simple from the outside.
Inside, however, magical symbols covered the walls.
A control panel sat beside the entrance.
I walked inside.
Nothing happened.
I looked at Irene.
"How do we activate it?"
She pointed toward the control panel.
"Start at two times gravity."
I pressed the button.
For half a second, nothing happened.
Then—
BOOM!
My knees buckled.
The floor seemed to become a hundred times heavier.
My entire body suddenly felt as though someone had placed an enormous weight on my shoulders.
I gritted my teeth.
"Whoa…"
Laxus stepped inside.
He immediately stumbled.
"What the hell?"
I laughed.
"You look ridiculous."
"So do you."
"I look majestic."
"You look like you're dying."
"I can look majestic while dying."
Makarov laughed from outside.
"Enough fooling around."
We both straightened ourselves.
The pressure was intense.
Yet neither of us wanted to leave.
I could already feel my muscles adapting.
My breathing became heavier.
Even maintaining my balance required concentration.
My Light Magic felt different too.
The increased physical strain made every movement more deliberate.
Laxus clenched his fists.
"How long are we staying?"
Makarov smiled.
"Until I say so."
I looked at Laxus.
He looked at me.
Then we both grinned.
"Race you."
"You're going to lose."
Even under twice the normal gravity, our rivalry hadn't changed.
If anything, it had just found a new battlefield.
As I took my first step forward, I realized something.
The path ahead was going to be much harder.
And I couldn't wait.