Chapter 3: Returning to Normal

When we arrived at work, the manager welcomed us with a huge smile.

News of my “heroic deed” did not take long to spread. My coworkers, men and women alike, surrounded me with excitement and cheered my name twice.

“Good morning, Lucio. I’m glad you’re all right. Aria told us what happened. It must have been horrible.”

The boss was not lying. Those words came from the bottom of his heart, not out of simple courtesy.

“Yes, it was a bad experience, but I’m here now and ready to work. They discharged me yesterday morning.”

“Can you perform your usual duties? If you feel bad because of your injuries, don’t hesitate to let us know. My employees’ safety always comes first.”

“Thank you very much for your concern, sir, but I’m fine. They didn’t discharge me until I was one hundred percent out of danger.”

Aria ran toward the changing room to put on her waitress uniform. I returned to the restaurant offices and reunited with the papers and invoices I needed to handle. To tell the truth, I had missed this job. Inside that room, outside sounds were barely audible, and we also worked with air conditioning.

During the first three hours of the morning, I took care of organizing material and ingredient orders. First, I started with the food, since it was the basic supply needed to keep the restaurant afloat. Then I moved on to soaps, electrical installations, and of course, social media management. Handling the restaurant’s social media was not my specialty, but doing it in a normal way was not difficult either. Sure, I could not generate much new content or innovative ideas like other businesses, but at least I tried to make it look presentable and answer customers’ questions.

Most of the comments were questions about where the restaurant was located, reservation prices, and photos with the waitresses. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“It’s time for lunch.”

The clock struck 11:00 AM. Like every morning, I set the papers aside and took out my lunch container.

We employees had a common room behind the kitchen, where we could eat lunch, rest for a few moments, and in times of need, also use it as a meeting place to discuss the future of the restaurant. At this hour, those of us in charge of invoices and cleaning had breakfast. The first group of waiters, where Aria was, ate earlier, and the second group had lunch at 12:00 PM.

“It’s good to have you back. To be honest, I almost screwed up several times,” Horacio commented. He was a coworker who had started working here only two days before I got injured. “It’s my first time doing this, so I’m still learning.”

“Once you get used to the accounts, the numbers, and the angry customers, everything gets easier.”

It had also been complicated for me to understand so many accounts and monthly earnings. A business had to file invoices with the authorities to keep operating. Otherwise, it would be considered illegal. Horacio was not wrong. It was common for newcomers to make mistakes with numbers and accounts that looked very similar. For example, the expense for soaps was very similar to the one for sanitary towels.

If someone accidentally swapped those expenses, the numbers would not add up correctly. And when it came time to report them, very annoying irregularities could appear. For that reason, rookies were not recommended to handle expense payroll or other boring paperwork.

“You say that with bloodshot eyes,” Horacio said mockingly. “Our restaurant has grown these past few days. Now there are male waiters too, and since the boss has a good eye, he knew how to target the female customers. More profit, more money!” he exclaimed.

“The boss is an expert businessman. He took advantage of an opportunity that didn’t exist in the city and made it his own. I’m sure this family restaurant will grow even more soon.”

“Besides, it’s good to see the star waitress happy again. Maybe she hasn’t told you, but until a few days ago, her smile looked way too forced. The customers noticed too.”

Horacio swallowed a piece of bread before continuing his story. Out of respect for his words, I stayed silent and let him continue once he drank from the glass of water sitting on the table.

“Are you sure you and Aria aren’t dating?”

“Completely,” I replied without going into detail.

“I-It’s just not normal.”

Horacio raised his right hand to get my attention. The black-haired guy looked much taller in that pose, especially since he was already 1.90 meters tall, a titan compared to me.

“I had never seen Aria smile the way she did today. When she entered the restaurant with you, she looked like a completely different person. No fakeness, no fear, just a girl with a joyful heart. Call me cheesy, but I think Aria is in love with you.”

Oh.

Those words made me blush.

Was I a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl, blushing like that?

Of course not!

“Whatever. Let’s get back to work.”

I did not want to talk about the subject anymore. Just thinking about it made my heart beat harder. Damn it. My luck in love was worse than a rhinoceros with wings—in other words, nonexistent. So why get my hopes up with false illusions?

I stood up and walked back toward my office. However, to get there, I had to pass through the hallway visible from the restaurant. There, Aria and I happened to meet each other’s eyes. She was carrying an empty tray and returning to the kitchen.

It was only for a moment, but when she saw me, Aria smiled.

And I unconsciously smiled back.

“Damn it, I’m getting my hopes up.”

I could not help it.

I really did like Aria.

With such a bright personality and such a happy smile, it was impossible not to fall in love with her.

I sighed deeply to keep myself from having such cheesy thoughts. I hated feeling this way. Besides, what Horacio said could not be true. I was only her friend, a confidant who knew her greatest secrets, not a boyfriend candidate. I was one thousand percent sure Aria would find a better match than me. Someone capable of understanding her completely and giving her the happiness she deserved so much.

A failure could never fill that role.

What else could I offer her?

I was not rich, nor a supermodel, nor a genius, and much less a sorcerer.

Aria gained absolutely nothing from me. Only the shame of living with such a useless man. I could not protect her when she needed me most, and to make matters worse, I had made her cry twice.

“I don’t deserve to have her as my girlfriend.”

To drive away those sad thoughts, I threw myself into work with even more effort.

I counted the numbers again and again until I was certain there were no errors in the administrative process. Then I moved on to social media and made a few images to promote the new menus, placing appetizing pictures of the dishes in them.

And without realizing it, the clock struck 4:00 PM.

My shift was over.

At the door stood the afternoon-night manager, a university student who studied in the morning and used this job to pay his tuition.

“The office is all yours.”

“Thanks. Congratulations on your return,” my coworker said.

“Thanks.”

Right away, Aria ran to the changing room to take off her waitress uniform.

“I’m coming! Wait just a little bit!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait here.”

The other waitresses said goodbye to sweet Aria with giggles full of excitement. It seemed unreal to think that her face showed nothing but that smile that had stolen my heart.

“I think Aria is in love with you.”

Enough with the cheap fantasies. Reality did not change according to my needs.

Was it a product of her divinity?

Or was Aria truly a charismatic person?

Maybe I would never know the answer. But it was enough for me that she was happy. She deserved it more than anyone else in the world.

Five minutes later, Aria came out of the changing room in her casual clothes: blue denim pants and a white blouse, matching her hair.

“Let’s go home! I’m hungry.”

“I left food prepared at home,” I said. “If we hurry, we’ll get there in less than ten minutes. We’re not far anyway.”

“See you tomorrow, guys!”

“See you tomorrow!” the evening shift members replied.

We walked quickly through the busy city streets. Unlike in the morning, cars passed by more frequently, and the number of pedestrians far exceeded our morning walk. Many office workers like us got out at exactly this hour, so it was only natural that traffic would be heavy.

“The advantages of not having a car.”

My comment made the young woman laugh. A few seconds later, she shook her head.

“What are you talking about? You’ve been saying for a while that you want a car.”

“Silence,” I whispered, blushing from embarrassment. “We still don’t have the budget to buy a car. But one day, we will! For now, imagine that you enjoy walking to work like simple mortals.”

“And when that day comes… I’ll be Aria, the white-haired driver!”

“J-Just don’t crash, please.”

After chatting a little more, we finally arrived home.

It did not take me even five minutes to heat the food while Aria prepared the table and the cutlery for us to eat. Today’s menu consisted of meat covered in natural tomato sauce, hot soup, and soda—the typical things we ate on normal days. Nothing too elaborate, but not too simple either.

“Hey, Lucio… Are we going to resume fencing lessons?”

Her sentence left me confused. Why should we keep training? The difference in power was enormous. Even if we dedicated our lives to the martial path, we would not be able to defeat him. She should have realized that after that one-sided battle.

“Why would we?” I answered her question with another, a gesture my adorable companion did not appreciate.

“To become stronger, of course. Last time, we couldn’t defeat Korn. We couldn’t even touch him…”

Aria lowered her face slightly so she would not show a fearful expression. However, I managed to see it in all its splendor.

“I don’t want us to get hurt again, Lucio. I was really scared. If I just sit around doing nothing, I’ll never be able to live in peace.”

“But Aria… It’s useless for us to train. No matter how strong we become, we’ll never beat him.”

“That’s true,” Aria admitted. “The difference in power won’t disappear just because we train for a few months. But I want to do the things we used to do again. I don’t want to be paralyzed by fear. If I had been more skilled back then, you wouldn’t have had to suffer such horrible injuries. I only needed to hold out for a few seconds until the agents arrived.”

My roommate paused, then sighed deeply.

“I’m not saying we should train to defeat him. I just want to feel safe on my own without having to depend on the agents.”

“All right. Then we’ll resume fencing lessons.”

I could not argue against that reasoning. Well, actually, I could have, and quite easily. But I did not want to make her angry.

“Excellent!” she exclaimed. “Let’s start now.”

“Very well. Put on sportswear and meet me in the yard.”

I did not know what kind of medicine the agents had used, but my body did not feel tired or weakened when I headed to the yard. To make sure, I did typical warm-up exercises, like jumping in place and stretching my joints. It was as if the attack had never happened in the first place.

Aria came soon after, dressed in blue sports pants and a white blouse that matched the color of her hair.

“Let’s see…”

I handed my companion a blunt metal saber, ideal for training with the weight of a real weapon without fear of cutting herself.

“Do you remember the basic concepts of my personal fencing style?”

“Of course,” she replied. “Always stay in motion, watch the opponent’s triangle, and always be ready for the unexpected.”

“Excellent. Now let’s move on to slightly more advanced lessons.”

I summoned another training saber. Then I bent my left leg backward and kept my right one firm. Afterward, I raised the tip of my saber right at the center, as if I were aiming at my opponent’s chest.

“What failed in that fight was your lack of instinct as a fighter. I’ve already taught you the technique and the theory. Now it’s time for you to test it in person. Attack me with everything you’ve got!”

“Let’s fight!”

Aria launched a diagonal slash toward my right shoulder. The technique was excellent and beautiful. The saber followed an almost perfect trajectory, worthy of an Olympic athlete.

Unfortunately…

This was not a sport!

All I needed to do was take one step back to evade the attack. Afterward, I launched a thrust toward Aria’s throat, stopping less than a millimeter away.

“U-Uh…” she whispered, surprised by the speed of my action.

“Prepare for the unexpected. Don’t attack unless you’re one thousand percent sure you’re going to hit me, or at least force me back without giving me a chance to counterattack. Again.”

Aria circled around me. This time, she made no move. She simply analyzed me and waited for the right moment to attack.

Grave mistake!

Without warning, I attacked Aria’s head with a vertical slash, but she managed to stop my attack with the blunt side of the saber. Immediately, the young woman tried to push my weapon to the right, with zero results.

A fighter of short height and low physical strength should never enter a direct confrontation against an opponent superior in those traits. The ideal thing for her would be to gain distance again and try to beat me with speed.

Again, what a mistake!

I pushed hard to the left. As I did, both sabers tilted in that direction, completely exposing Aria’s abdomen.

“You lose!”

My right fist stopped just millimeters from the pit of her stomach.

“I’m taller and stronger than you, Aria. Korn is too. If you get locked into a single clash, your opponent will overpower you in a direct confrontation, and therefore, you’ll lose.”

“Damn…”

A blow to the pit of the stomach could disable almost any opponent, except monsters like Korn. In Aria’s case, since her body was not used to pain, it would be enough to knock her out for several hours.

“Measure your abilities properly…”

“I have an idea. Get ready!”

And then, something curious happened.

Aria stepped back three times without lowering her guard. Then she raised her left hand toward the sky while keeping her right hand firmly holding the saber. Two seconds later, a sphere of green energy appeared in her palm, the same kind she had used during the battle against Korn.

Instinctively, I moved to the right.

Just in time, because the sphere grazed the spot where I had been standing a moment earlier. But the attack did not end there. Aria took a step forward and, without further delay, launched a thrust straight at my chest. If not for my sharp reflexes and combat instinct, the impact would have landed.

I had to repel her attack to the right. Then I stepped back twice, leaving our encounter at a stalemate.

“T-That technique…”

“That’s right, Lucio. It’s my divinity combined with the foundation of human sorcery. I can’t deny what I am. Instead of hiding my divinity, I want to master it together with my new humanity and create something different. You said it yourself. Maybe I’m no match for you or the agents using only fencing. But if I use this energy that only I possess, maybe I’ll be able to become a little stronger. Don’t you think?”

“That’s true. You’re Aria, the human with divine fragments. Not taking advantage of your gifts would be a real waste. How did I not think of it before? You aren’t meant to be a normal fencer. Quite the opposite… You’re a mage with a sword!” I exclaimed.

In video games, a magic swordsman was highly competent in both disciplines, but never fully mastered either one.

In other words, Aria would never become either of those things completely, but that had never truly been our goal.

All we needed was to survive and maximize efficiency.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

“Like those RPG characters I don’t like using,” Aria commented with a teasing smile.

“We’re going to redirect the training to another section. Instead of focusing only on fencing rules, we’ll add combinations with spells and supernatural power. I’ll do the same. I learned fencing because I didn’t want to remember my lack of talent. I turned my back on my origins and tried to become someone different. But not anymore. I have to accept myself as I am if I want to become stronger.”

“That’s the spirit!”

We changed the routine completely.

Aria focused on combining both the saber and divine sorcery. I did the same, but using my mediocre steel spells.

As such, we ended the training duel and started practicing our synchronization. In my case, it was not that complicated. I could cast spells and move with relative ease.

“Metal Spell: Silver Bullets!”

I shot a five-peso coin toward the wall. Then I rolled across the ground and rose with an upward slash.

It was not a bad combination, but I could not call it a masterful move either.

“Let’s try another combo… Metal Spell: Dazzling Edge!”

This spell was new. I had learned it while I was in the hospital and had nothing to do. The metal blade shone with a silver radiance that lit up the entire yard. Immediately, I launched a frontal thrust aimed at the neck of an imaginary opponent.

A simple combination, but a deadly one.

The shine blinded the opponent, and the thrust ended their life. A very simple move, lacking any glamour, but enough to defeat an unsuspecting enemy.

Aria, on the other hand, struggled with her new attacks.

I could understand it. Unlike me, Aria had never been formally instructed as a sorceress. All her knowledge was empirical and drawn from instinct.

Nor could I teach her anything beyond the basics, since I did not understand how her divinity worked, and Aria had zero talent for metal sorcery. In itself, she knew how to use object levitation, simple summoning, and formal alteration of matter.

Not to mention the divine spells that seemed to come almost out of nowhere.

“Damn it!”

Aria could not concentrate on the saber and sorcery at the same time. Apparently, she was trying to fill her weapon with a green radiance, but the moment she took a step, the enchantment vanished and the weapon stopped being supernatural. Aria spent two hours trying the same thing, but without any results.

Concentrating on energy currents, plus divinity, plus fencing technique, turned out to be too much for her. Even so, she kept trying until the moon visited us, as it did every night.

“Let’s stop training for today. We have to make dinner.”

“Okay. Looks like this won’t be easy at all. I can’t make the currents follow their path over my saber. When I try to move, my control disappears, and I have to start the entire process over again.”

Just as Aria took a step forward, her body swayed violently, to the point that she had to support herself on her right knee.

“A-Ah…”

“Hey, are you okay?”

I approached her carefully. The same thing had happened during the fight against Korn. After using her divine sorcery, her body had failed her and left her at the enemy’s mercy. Fortunately, this time we did not have to worry about an attack.

“Yes. My body still can’t withstand divinity. I need to control it better… In any case, I’ll never master this on an empty stomach. Let’s eat!”