The morning began quietly in the Cyclops village.
I slowly opened my eyes as sunlight filtered through the bedroom curtains. The cold wind coming from the mountains drifted gently through the open window, carrying the scent of damp earth and crops. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling, feeling my body lighter than before.
It had already been weeks since we started managing those lands.
And a lot had changed.
The crops were growing better.
The villagers seemed more cheerful.
The village buildings were being gradually renovated.
And above all... we were becoming stronger.
I slowly turned my head.
Scarlet was still sleeping beside me, hugging her pillow. Rai'kanna was near the window, already awake, silently watching the sky. Lyannis was reading a book while sitting in an armchair, and Liriel was organizing some folded clothes. Elara and Vespera were quietly talking near the door.
That routine had already started to feel natural.
I slowly got up.
"You all woke up early."
Elara smiled.
"You could say the same about yourself."
Lyannis slowly closed her book.
"Today everyone decided to train."
I looked at her.
"Everyone?"
Scarlet finally opened her eyes.
"You think you're the only one allowed to get stronger?"
I laughed softly while picking up my shirt.
After breakfast, we left the mansion together.
The atmosphere in the village was peaceful. Some villagers worked in the fields while others organized crates near the merchant wagons. Since we had started investing in that region, merchants from other areas had begun appearing frequently.
It was growing fast.
We headed to an open area near the forest where we usually trained.
The space was large, surrounded by tall rocks and ancient trees. The ground was marked with cuts, burn marks, and small craters from previous training sessions.
Scarlet was the first to step forward.
She spun her sword through her fingers and looked at me.
"Today I want to increase my endurance."
"Going to overdo it again?"
She smiled.
"Probably."
Before I could respond, Scarlet charged forward.
The impact of her sword against the ground opened a small crack in the earth. Immediately afterward, she began a rapid sequence of attacks, constantly moving her body. Unlike before, her movements were much more precise.
There was no wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Every attack seemed calculated.
I watched in silence as she continued training.
Sweat slowly began running down her face, but even so, Scarlet didn't slow down. She advanced, retreated, spun her sword, and continued striking as if she were fighting an invisible enemy.
After several minutes, she finally stopped and took a deep breath.
"Faster."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"And more durable too."
I slowly approached.
"You've improved a lot."
Scarlet smiled with satisfaction.
"Good to hear that from you."
While Scarlet rested, Liriel walked to the center of the field.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Soon after, small golden particles began appearing around her body.
Holy magic.
The energy spread through the area calmly and steadily. Unlike the draconic flames or Rai'kanna's magical pressure, Liriel's power conveyed tranquility.
But I knew how destructive it could be against demonic creatures.
Liriel raised her right hand.
Several magic circles appeared in the air.
The next instant, beams of light fired in succession toward rocks scattered throughout the field. The stones exploded immediately.
Incredible precision.
She took a deep breath and created another magic circle, even larger this time. A wave of holy energy then spread throughout the entire area.
Even the mana in the environment seemed cleaner.
Lyannis watched everything carefully.
"Her purification ability increased again."
Liriel slowly opened her eyes.
"It's still not enough."
"You're still thinking about that?"
She nodded.
"If the demon army really returns, I need to be able to protect everyone."
I remained silent for a few seconds.
She was right.
We were all training for the same reason.
Then it was Elara's turn.
She stepped forward while the wind slowly began circulating around her body.
Her hair swayed gently.
Then, without warning, Elara disappeared.
A gust shot across the field at incredible speed.
The next instant, she reappeared behind a distant tree, then appeared again somewhere else.
Movement magic.
Much faster than before.
She began launching small wind blades while running across the entire field. Trees were cut almost instantly.
"She got even faster."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"Her movements are hard even to follow."
Elara returned with a smile.
"My control improved a lot."
"And your mana too."
Lyannis observed every detail carefully.
"You finally stabilized your magical flow during movement."
Elara looked pleased by that.
Then came Vespera.
As always, she didn't say much.
She simply walked into the forest.
For a few seconds, everything was silent.
Then shadows began appearing among the trees.
Fast movements.
Almost impossible to follow.
Within seconds, dozens of marks appeared on tree trunks throughout the forest.
Clean cuts.
Precise.
Vespera silently reappeared behind me.
"You're still terrifying."
She gave a small smile.
"That's a good thing."
Before I could respond, Rai'kanna walked to the center of the field.
Her magical pressure emerged immediately.
The air became heavy.
Even while trying to control it, her draconic energy was naturally intimidating. Rai'kanna clenched her fists as scales partially appeared on her arms.
Then she punched the air.
The shockwave crossed the entire field.
The ground trembled.
Scarlet let out a low whistle.
"She's still ridiculous."
Rai'kanna ignored the comment and continued training.
Her attacks were direct and violent, but now there was far more control than before. Her strength wasn't being wasted.
She was refining her own power.
After a few minutes, Rai'kanna finally stopped.
"I'm getting better at controlling my draconic energy."
I looked at her.
"You improved quickly."
She looked away for a moment.
"So did you."
Lyannis was the last one.
She closed the book she was carrying and slowly walked to the center of the field.
Unlike the others, her training seemed quieter.
More complex.
Magic circles began appearing around her in multiple layers. Some rotated slowly while others constantly changed shape.
Magical analysis.
Advanced control.
She raised her hand.
Small spheres of mana began appearing in the air. Soon after, they started changing elements continuously.
Fire.
Water.
Wind.
Lightning.
Earth.
Everything shifting with perfect stability.
Even I was impressed.
Lyannis noticed my gaze.
"Elemental control improves when mana compression is refined."
"You say that as if it's simple."
She smiled faintly.
"For me, it is."
Scarlet snorted.
"Mages are annoying."
Elara laughed softly.
After that, we ended up training together for hours.
Each of them focused on improving something different.
Scarlet trained physical endurance.
Liriel strengthened her holy magic.
Elara increased speed and precision.
Vespera refined her stealth.
Lyannis deepened her magical theory.
Rai'kanna strengthened her draconic control.
And I watched all of it in silence.
For a moment, I realized something important.
None of them were falling behind.
All of us were evolving together.
When the sun began descending toward the horizon, we finally ended the training.
We slowly walked back to the mansion while the sky started turning orange.
The village was bustling.
Children ran through the streets.
Merchants closed their stalls.
The villagers greeted us as we passed.
It all felt... peaceful.
Very different from the days of war.
When we arrived at the mansion, the servants had already prepared dinner.
We sat together while discussing the training.
Scarlet complained that Rai'kanna was still too strong.
Elara said Vespera appeared out of nowhere.
Lyannis corrected everyone's magical mistakes.
Liriel simply laughed quietly while listening to the conversation.
For some reason, all of it felt comforting.
After dinner, I went up to the balcony alone.
The cold night wind slowly crossed the village fields. The lights from the houses shone in the distance while the sounds of insects filled the silence.
I rested my arms on the wooden railing and watched the crops.
A month ago, those lands had been nearly dead.
Now everything was changing.
And so were we.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Scarlet appeared first.
Then came Liriel, Elara, Vespera, Lyannis, and Rai'kanna.
None of them said anything.
They simply stood there with me, watching the quiet village below the hill.
I took a deep breath.
"We're getting stronger."
Rai'kanna nodded.
"We need to."
Lyannis closed her eyes for a moment.
"The world won't stay peaceful forever."
No one responded.
Because we all knew that.
I looked toward the dark horizon once more.
And at that moment, I realized something simple.
We finally had a place worth protecting.
And precisely because of that... we needed to keep evolving.