Chapter 111
In the morning, Michelle waited for Anastasia in the training grounds once again, but unlike the day before, she didn’t even think about improving her control over her soul energy and Soul Leash, the Binding Chains. Instead, she just stood motionlessly in the middle, her eyes lightly closed, as she listened to all the sounds that could reach her. And just as she was expecting, soon she heard the light footsteps of Anastasia approaching.
The moment Anastasia set foot in the training grounds, Michelle, using only her hearing to navigate, conjured a chain in her hand and whipped it at Anastasia, who instantly dodged to the side in surprise. She didn’t expect Michelle to strike at her without even saying anything.
Understanding that the training had started, Anastasia began dodging as Michelle kept whipping at her with a long, black chain. She tried to conjure up her soul energy, but because she couldn’t concentrate, she always failed.
After a good half hour, Michelle opened her eyes and let the chain disappear, looking at Anastasia, who was panting and barely able to stand from having to constantly run around. "See?" Michelle said as she noticed the scattered soul energy in the air. "Without training, you can’t use your soul energy, no matter how good or powerful it is, because you need to concentrate while using it. What I want is for you to be able to use your soul energy even if you are nearly unconscious."
Nodding a bit, Anastasia sat down on the ground. "Did you have to completely exhaust me just to prove your point?" she asked, feeling aggrieved.
"Yes!" Michelle said simply. "I need you to be completely spent to start the training," she added with a shrug.
"Eeh-?" Anastasia felt like complaining, but knowing that Michelle was helping her, she kept her mouth shut and stood up. "So, what now?" she asked, in exhaustion.
"First..." Michelle glanced around the training field. "You could run at least ten laps. Or more, if you wish."
Barely withholding a curse, Anastasia started running, even though she hated it and was exhausted. The training field was huge, so the ten laps took her another half an hour, and when she was done, she collapsed on the ground in front of Michelle, her breathing hard and quick.