After sunrise, Sonya woke up to the noise of Carl and his colleagues training outside. She slowly sat up and walked out of the tent. As soon as her wolf saw her, he jumped up excitedly and approached. She stretched her hand and touched his head. Carl was completely flabbergasted by her beauty even though her hair was completely disheveled. When she turned and made eye contact with him, his heart instantly raced. He unconsciously looked away.
"You're finally up," Seiya said with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm not a morning person as you can see," Sonya smiled.
"I can see that you're a spoiled princess," Seiya teased.
"Not even close. My chaotic sisters wouldn't let me sleep in the morning even if I wanted," Sonya replied.

"Seems like I'm not the only one with annoying sisters," Seiya laughed.
"Tell me about it," Sonya laughed back. "So what are you guys up to?" She asked after she stopped laughing.
"I'm just showing them a few tricks," Seiya answered.
"That sounds like fun. Do you mind if I watch you guys?" Sonya asked.
"Of course not! If you have any suggestions, you can tell us since you are the most experienced here," Seiya responded.
"I don't deserve the praise, but sure," Sonya agreed.

She proceeded to sit on a rock behind them and watch as Seiya instructed them.
"It's not that hard. Just focus on the blade as you release your sil, and it will flow through the dagger," she said as she demonstrated. They all tried to do it, but kept failing.
"Just imagine the blade to be part of your body. That way, you can easily get your sil to flow through it," Sonya intervened. They all turned and looked at her after she said that.
"Yes, that's another way to do it," Seiya agreed.
"If you use that method, you can let your sil pass through almost anything," Sonya added.

After listening to Sonya's instructions, they gave it a try.
"Incredible, I'm doing it," Frayger said excitedly.
"Me too," Nat also announced.
"When you transfer your sil into objects, you can transform their sizes. And this will come in handy during battles," Sonya further explained.
"Wow! Can you please demonstrate it for us?" Seiya asked.
"I'm afraid I don't possess any sil,” Sonya replied.
“Then how do you know all these?” Frayger demanded.

“I used to live among very powerful gonts, and I'm smart to learn from what I see them do,” Sonya explained. They all turned and looked at each other after Sonya made that statement.
“You don't have to believe anything I say. I'm just trying to help you,” Sonya said.
“Of course we believe you. I'm just confused about how you're a Gont but you have no sil,” Frayger responded.
“You brick head, don't you know what Gulars are?” Sonya asked.
“This is the first time we heard about it,” Seiya replied.
“Well, Gulars are like Gonts, but they have no sil. They possess incredible strength and speed to compensate for their lack of sil,” Sonya explained.

“Wow! That explains a lot,” Frayger commented.
“Yeah,” Sonya replied.
"So, how do you use your sil to transform the size of objects?" Frayger asked.
"Well, it's a very complicated procedure that only the most advanced Gonts can handle. The first step is transferring you sil into the object, and it is the easiest step. The next step is using your internal energy to transform the object into the size you want. The greater your internal sil, the more freedom you have in making it the size you desire," Sonya explained.
"This sounds impossible. I have never heard of anything like that," Frayger replied.
"If she said it's possible, then I believe her," Carl replied.

"What are you saying? You can't even successfully transfer your sil into the dagger," Frayger criticized Carl.
"I know I'm pathetic. I have the weakest sil here. I'm probably never going to achieve that, but that doesn't mean she is wrong. She has done what none of us ever believed it's possible, so I trust her with my life on this one too," Carl replied.
"Look everyone!" Seiya called out excitedly. When they turned, they noticed her dagger fluctuating. She screamed happily with joy.

They all watched her surprisingly as she jumped around.
"You keep surprising me, I'm starting to doubt if you are as weak as you said," Nat complimented.
"You see, I told you it's possible," Carl said with a smile.
"Yeah, I was a fool for doubting her," Frayger replied.
"I can't wait to learn more from you," Seiya turned to Sonya.
"It's okay, just keep practicing. You've just gotten the hang of it. It's a lot more complex than you think," Sonya said.
"Yes, I know."

Carl tried and tried, but couldn't succeed in transferring his sil into the dagger.
"Fuck this," he said frustrated as he threw the dagger away. He matched away and headed into the woods looking very angry.
"Carl!" Seiya called out, but he ignored her and kept walking.
"Hey!" She said as she grabbed him by the shoulder. "Just take it easy. You don't need to go so hard on yourself."
"I'm just useless. I have always been the weakest no matter where I end up," Carl replied.
"Just keep practicing, I'm very sure you will get better. And we will always be there for you," she said, trying to calm him.

"I don't think I will ever succeed. That's why nobody cares for me," Carl said in frustration.
"Don't say that! We are your friends, and we will always be there for you," Seiya said.
"Yes, she is right. We are all losers that is why we ended up together. But with Sonya around, I believe we will get better by the time we get to the central city," Nat said. When they turned, they saw him approaching with Frayger alongside him.
"Yeah, we will always have your back," Frayger commented as he placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I'm so grateful to all of you. Thank you," Carl smiled.
"Come on, let's go back then," Seiya said.

They all headed back and found Sonya still sitting in the same position. She watched them as they resumed training. Suddenly, she got up and approached Carl. When he saw her coming, his heart started pounding.
"Let me have your hand," she requested.
"What?" Carl asked, looking surprised.
"I said let me have your hand," she repeated. Carl steadily stretched his right hand towards her. He looked into her eyes as he gave her his hand. She grabbed his hand and felt his pulse. The rest of the group stopped what their training and watched them.

After examining him for a few seconds, she finally looked up.
"Your cerella wasn't fully broken," Sonya announced.
"And what's that?" Carl asked.
"It's a layer surrounding your heart as a fetus. It prevents the flow of sil. It is usually broken a few days after a Gont is born," Sonya explained.
"Is that why his sil is so weak?" Seiya asked.
"Yes, that is one of the reasons."
"Is there a way I can get better?" Carl asked.
"Yes, I can get rid of the cerella, but there is a high possibility that you may die in the process," she cautioned.

Carl was silent for a moment. He looked into Sonya's eyes for a while. It was like she was consuming his soul at that moment.
"Just do it," Carl finally uttered.
"Do you understand that you will die if the process fails?"
"Yes, but I trust you with my life," Carl smiled.
"Don't be a fool Carl. It's better to be alive and weak than to be dead," Frayger advised.
"Yes he's right. You should think this through," Seiya commented.
"You know how much I've gone through in my life for being weak. I was even rejected by my own family. I don't care if I die in the process," Carl insisted.

The rest of them surrounded them to see how it would go down.
"Can I have your dagger?" She requested, and Carl handed it to her.
"This is going to be very painful, perhaps the most things you will ever experience," Sonya warned.
"Yes, I'm ready," Carl said with a bold face even though he was terrified.
"Okay I want you to take off your shirt and lie down flat on the ground with your face towards the sky," she instructed, and Carl lied down.

"Transfer as much sil as possible into this dagger," she said as she gave Seiya the dagger she was holding.
"Okay," Seiya said after receiving the dagger. She transferred her sil into it until it started glowing red. She gave it back to Sonya as soon as she was done.
"Hey sparkle, come and charge this," she called out, lifting the dagger into the air. The wolf matched closer to the and opened its mouth. He roared and a very bright lighting came out of his mouth and engulfed the dagger until it started glowing bright like the sun.

She slowly went down on her knees next to Carl. From the look in his eyes, she could tell he was scared.
"It's not too late to back down," Sonya said, noticing how terrified he was.
"I'm ready to go through hell if it will make me stronger," Carl said.
"Okay, can you please hold his hands?" Sonya asked as she looked up towards Seiya and Frayger.
"Yeah, sure," they agree. They held his hands and Sonya slowly moved the dagger towards his chest. She looked into eyes for a few seconds before piercing the dagger into his chest reaching his heart.

He screamed at the top of his voice, and his voice echoed throughout the forest. She then transferred all the energy stored in the dagger into his heart. It spread through his entire body, making him feel like it was molten lava running through his veins. She pulled out the dagger out of his chest and called on her wolf.
"Heal him," she instructed her wolf. He blew a white smoke around Carl that completely healed his chest. Because of the pain, he passed out on the spot.
"Is he okay?" Seiya asked anxiously.
"Yes, he's fine," Sonya replied as she got up. "Let him have some rest."

Frayger and Nat took him to the tent and laid him there. He slept there for hours until he finally woke up at noon. He was instantly stormed by the nice aroma coming from outside the tent. He put on his shirt and walked out of the tent. As soon as he got out, he found everyone sitting around deer getting roasted on fire. They talked and laughed as they ate. They all got up on their feet when they saw Carl. Only Sonya remained seated.
"How are you feeling now?" They asked anxiously.
"I'm feeling great, but I'm so starving," he replied. 
"Can we see what your sil looks like?" Frayger asked.
"Alright," Carl responded.

He spread his palm, and they were all shocked by the amount of sil he produced. All their jaws dropped from what they saw. As for Carl, he felt like it was happening in a dream. It was something he never imagined.
"This is unbelievable!" Frayger commented.
"Yeah, I never thought something like this was possible," Nat replied.
"Is this real?" Carl asked as tears started from his eyes.
"Oh please, don't cry on us," Seiya said encouraging him.

He pointed his hands towards the biggest tree in the place and released all his sil on it setting the entire tree on fire. He screamed at the top of his voice and started jumping around excitedly.
"I can't believe this," he announced happily.
"Is there a way you can make our sil more powerful?" Frayger asked Sonya desperately.
"Yeah I think I can help you refine your sil," Sonya replied.
"That's amazing! How can we do that?" Seiya asked, and they all surrounded her.
"Well, it's going to be extremely difficult," Sonya stated.
"We are ready to take the risk," Frayger insisted.

"I didn't say there is a risk involved, I said it's going to be extremely hard," Sonya replied.
"We are ready to go through hell if it means we will get stronger," Frayger said confidently.
"Why are you so desperate to get stronger?" Sonya asked curiously.
"You have no idea what all of us have gone through for being weak. We are considered outcasts and rejected by our families," Frayger asked.
"Okay, you will go through a very painful process. If you can endure it, it will surely make your sil stronger and more refined," Sonya announced.
"Okay, what are we waiting for?" Nat asked.

"You mean you want to do it now?" Sonya asked.
"Yes of course," they all responded excitedly.
"Then what about our journey? By the time we are done, you will be too weak to move," Sonya announced.
"We can start our journey tomorrow. We wanna get more powerful for now," Frayger said.
"It's not going to instantly transform you. The process is called loncing. It involves circulating a huge amount of  different sils around your body thereby widening your veins to increase the amount of sil coming out of your heart," she explained.
"And how are we going to do that?" Carl asked.

She instructed them to sit in a circle and then hold their hands firmly.
"I want you to release as much sil as you can into your partner's hands. Do not let go until I say so," Sonya instructed.
"Okay," they all agreed. And soon, they started doing as instructed. The energy started flowing through their bodies.
"Do not let go of your hands until I say so," Sonya repeated. Ten minutes into the exercise, their bodies started heating up. They started feeling like their bodies were being pierced with hundreds of needles.
"I'm going to let go," Nat announced.
"It's too soon," Sonya rejected.

They carried on for a few more minutes. And the pain increased as the time progressed. It got to a point where Nat could no longer endure the pain and released Seiya's hand. As soon as he let go, a huge explosion occurred that sent them flying in the air. It created a huge hole in their previous position. They all crashed into the ground with most of their clothes torn. Sonya remained seated in her position with Rudard sitting beside her. Sparkle was standing behind them.

Rudard got up from his position and started running towards them.
"Stop!" Sonya called out. "If you touch any of them in their current state, you will burn into Ashe," she warned. Rudard instantly stopped running when he heard her.
"That's why I warned you not to ever let go," Sonya said angrily as she stood up.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't handle the pain," Nat apologized.
"I've informed you of the consequences, and you told me you could handle it," she said as she majestically marched towards them.
"I didn't expect it to be this painful."

She instantly burst out of an evil laughter
"You're just at the early stage of the training. The deeper you go, the more painful it gets," she said after she stopped laughing.
"Seriously?" They all asked worriedly as they sat up.
"Yes, and now I want you to control your body. Don't let the energy you accumulated escape," she instructed.
"Yes, ma'am," Seiya replied. They sat up and fisted their hands. After a few minutes, their body finally cooled off.
"Alright, it's enough for today," Sonya announced.

They all got up with relief on their faces.
"I have a question for you," Frayger announced.
"What's your question?" Sonya asked.
"If you have no sil as you claim, then how do you expect us to know this will make us stronger?"
"You can find yourself another teacher," Sonya responded.
"Noo!" The rest of the group quickly interfered.
"Do not listen to him. We trust in your process," Carl said.
"Yes, we don't care if you have sil or not, we will follow your guidance to the last minute detail," Seiya affirmed.
"Good!" Sonya smiled.

Chapter 12
Razer and Reena walked for hours before arriving at the new hideout of the Vandid society. It was located inside a big cave within the largest mountain in the dark zone.
“Is this the place?” Razer asked his partner.
“Yeah, that's the place,” she answered. She walked to the mountain and placed her hand on it. Soon, she started chanting a spell. The mountain split at the base revealing a narrow passage that led to the hideout at the center of the mountain. There was a stairway that went downward to the center. They walked on the stairway and the mountain got sealed off as soon as they got into the hideout. There were mysterious crystals placed on both sides of the passage that illuminated the place.

After walking for about 10 minutes, they arrived at the center of the hideout. It was a huge cave extending as large as a football field. There were stairways leading to rooms on the upper parts of the cave. The crystals scattered around the cave lightened the place making it as bright as daylight. There was a small garden at the other end of the cave close to a small stream that flowed through the mountain. There were 5 members of the Vandid society sitting on rocks at the center of the cave. They laughed as they conversed with one another. Two of them were women, while the other 3 were men.

“Razer's team is finally here,” one of the women announced. Her name was Rae, and she was ranked as the 5th member of the Vandid society. She had blonde hair with a tattoo that covered the right side of her face. Everyone turned and looked at Razer and Reena.
“What took you so long?” came a voice from a room on the upper part of the cave. When they looked up, they noticed the leader of the Vandid society standing with his arms folded around his chest. He was an old man in his 60's with his head all covered in gray hair. He was wearing a long black robe with an eye patch covering his right eye.

“I'm so sorry sir, we encountered the black executioners on our way here,” Reena replied.
“And where is Marco?” the leader asked.
“I'm afraid we lost him,” Razer responded.
“Whaat?” the old man screamed. His voice sent a shockwave through the entire cave resulting in a power earthquake across the entire forest. The second woman, who was ranked second in the Vandid society, quickly placed her right hand on the ground and chanted a spell. A white light appeared on the ground, spreading around the mountain preventing it from crumbling.

“Come on, you know how hard it was for me to find and build a hideout like this,” Miu complained, looking up angrily at the old man. Out of fear, Razer dropped Elliet on the ground, and he fell on his knees alongside Reena.
“Please forgive us Master, we tried our best to protect him,” Reena said nervously.
“This is so embarrassing. Think of what the world would think if they find out the Vandid society lost to the common black executioners,” Rae said in disgust.
“Yeah, I feel like these two are two weak to be among us,” Hobo replied. His head was completely bald with a tattoo covering his entire face. He was ranked third in the Vandid society.

“I told you to leave Marco's training to me, but you insisted I was too strict with the boy. And now we've lost  our only chance to acquire the white sil,” Jowland uttered. He had a darker skin tone with dreadlocks. He had shark teeth tattooed around his mouth. He was ranked sixth in the Vandid society. At that moment, Elliet suddenly woke up. She quickly sat up and looked around in fear. From their appearance, she could sense the danger and power emitting from them. She remained on the ground not knowing how to react.

“And why the hell would you bring this girl here?” The old man demanded.
“I thought you would like her strength. She is unique, unlike anything I've ever seen,” Razer replied.
“What’s the color of her sil?” The leader of the Vandid society demanded.
“Reena said she couldn't sense energy from her, so I think she possesses no sil,” Razer replied.

Suddenly, the old man burst into a serious laughter.
“So you expect me to believe this girl could replace Marco?”
“Yes,” Razer said nervously.
“You're out of your damn mind,” the old man said angrily.
“You don't understand. Her strength is beyond anything I've ever seen,” Razer insisted.
“Of course you will be impressed. I wonder how we let you join us. You're just an embarrassment,”  Jowland commented.
“He is telling the truth. Even my red pearl spell had no effects on her,” Reena supported Razer.
“Silence. If she has no sil, then she is useless to me,” the old man said.

“I sincerely apologize for disappointing you,” Razer apologized.
“I'm giving you 1 chance to redeem yourself. In 3 months, I would like you to bring me a child with white sil,” the old man conditioned.
“But that's impossible, Master.”
“Yo