Forging the Vessel

"My body feels hot…."

The medical officer who had examined Corporal Hanna reported it in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Lieutenant. If her awakening is to be completed safely… she'll need to enter the mana spring several more times."

At those words, Hanna's face drained to ghostly white. The medical officer studied her pale expression for a moment, then turned toward me.

"However, simply repeating it without preparation would be dangerous. Corporal Hanna's body is not yet ready to withstand a sudden influx of mana."

She added in a clipped tone.

"First, ample rest — and before anything else, her body must be trained to endure the mana. A weak vessel shatters before it can hold its contents."

"Understood."

I gave a short reply and led Hanna out of the infirmary.

The next morning, I took her to a small clearing on one side of the facility — a packed-dirt yard, something like a makeshift parade ground.

"You heard what the medical officer said. Mana control demands not just mental discipline but a strong body as well. If your body is the vessel for mana, then we start by forging that vessel."

From that day on, I put her through basic conditioning. Push-ups, sit-ups, bodyweight squats — the most fundamental exercises there were.

"Your form's collapsing, Corporal. Straighten your back more."

I knelt, holding her ankles steady as she did her sit-ups. Within my palms, I could feel her ankles trembling faintly.

"Hnngh… hnngh…."

Drenched in sweat, wet hair plastered to her cheeks, she looked up at me. Drops of perspiration fell from her chin, dotting the ground below.

"One… two…."

Each time she rose with the count, her face came within inches of mine. Her heated breath carried the scent of her sweat-dampened body, washing over me in a wave. Perhaps it was the mana beginning to transform her — beneath it all lingered a faintly sweet fragrance.

Every time she lifted her torso, the front of her uniform jacket sagged downward. Through the loosened gap between buttons, the outline of her undershirt clung to her skin by sweat, and the pale flesh beneath it peeked through. The soft curves of her collarbone and the valley of her chest slid into my view, then vanished, over and over.

She knew exactly where my eyes were wandering. Each time she raised her upper body, her gaze had met mine — but gradually it began darting anxiously between her own chest and my eyes.

Having checked her status window, I gave the order.

"Your eyes are wandering, Corporal. Focus."

Her shoulders flinched. She kept moving desperately for a while longer, but her limit came soon enough. At some point, Hanna's concentration broke and the strength in her abdominal muscles drained away all at once. Her upper body toppled backward onto the ground.

"Haah… haah…!"

Gasping for air, her chest heaved dramatically. Through her sweat-soaked uniform, the outline of her nipples stood out plainly.

This training continued for several days. We conditioned her body in the mornings, and at lunch and dinner we ate alone together in the empty mess hall. Little by little, we grew accustomed to the routine. She had spent the first days flinching and shrinking away, but as time passed, she worked through the training in silent, steadfast endurance.

And at last, the day came for her to enter the spring again. I led her back to that same cold cavern as before. A thick haze of mana still shimmered around the emerald lake.

Hanna hesitated at the water's edge. As if the memory of last time had surfaced, her cheeks flushed crimson, and though she was still in uniform, she hunched her body as if she were already naked. She stole glances at me, her lips wavering, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground.

"L-Lieutenant… do I really… have to take everything off?"

"…It can't be helped. That's the rule."

At my answer, Hanna bit her lip. Out of some measure of consideration, I turned my back. For a long while, the rustle of fabric sounded behind me. Then, finally, came Hanna's voice.

"…I'm going in."

There came the splash of water. I glanced back at once — last time had been a dangerous situation, so I had no choice. Hanna was already submerged to her neck, both arms wrapped over her chest. Her face above the waterline was stiff as stone.

Before long, the spring's mana began to respond to her.

"Nngh…! Ugh…!"

Better than last time, but she still writhed in pain. I offered her every bit of fundamental advice I could.

"Your breathing's slipping! Concentrate, again!"

"Don't force the power down. You're not damming a river — think of it as opening a channel for the water to flow!"

Hanna followed my instructions as faithfully as she could. Perhaps because of it, she never lost consciousness the way she had before. When she finally staggered out of the water, I — still keeping my back turned — handed a towel behind me. She hesitated for a moment, then accepted it gingerly.

Time passed this way at the mana spring facility. And soon the day arrived for her third immersion.

By then, even the cold cavern and the emerald lake had begun to feel familiar. Hanna no longer asked for my permission.

Instead, she glanced at me and hid herself behind a large boulder.

I stared at the rock she'd vanished behind. The rustle of cloth, the scrape of a buckle, the small sound of a held breath — they all worked mercilessly on my imagination. A moment later, she cautiously emerged from behind the rock.

She was naked. She had one arm wrapped over both breasts, her other hand cupped over the cleft between her legs — a desperate attempt to cover the most sensitive parts. But the gesture only served to accentuate every other curve of her body: the cinched waist, the gentle swell of her hips, the smooth line of her thighs.

Unable to meet my gaze head-on, head bowed, she hurried over in small, quick steps. Every inch of that walk radiated overwhelming shame.

Status Analysis.

She pressed her toes into the mana spring first. Shrugging her shoulders at the chill of the water for a moment, she soon lowered her whole body in and let out a sigh of relief. The water shielded her.

And so the third time passed as well.

The change became unmistakable from the fourth onward.

By then, even the air inside the cavern felt familiar. Standing before the spring, Hanna took a deep breath, turned her back to me, and began unbuttoning her uniform herself.

I didn't look away. The smooth curve of her back, the narrow waist, the firm hips carved by training — all of it entered my view unfiltered. Her combat fatigues and then her stark white cotton undergarments fell to the ground one after another. When her bare form stood fully revealed, she glanced back at me over her shoulder.

Our eyes met.

Her pupils trembled as though an earthquake had struck. In an instant, her cheeks burned scarlet. She turned her head away with a start — but she did not flee into the water.

Instead, she consciously straightened her hunched shoulders and walked into the spring — slowly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but with her head held high.

That day, she endured the mana far longer than she ever had before.

They say it's a common thing, for the body to change under mana's influence.

Perhaps that was why the Hanna who had accepted the mana was transforming by the day. Skin that had always been smooth now took on a luster like polished gemstone, and in eyes that had once flickered with constant anxiety, confidence began to settle.

Our relationship changed too — or rather, it deepened. The mana spring facility offered only the barest of amenities, and that very austerity left the two of us with more time together than either of us quite knew what to do with.

That evening as well, we sat across from each other in silence at the empty mess hall. I happened to look up, and at the sight of Hanna across the table, my spoon paused midair. It was something beyond merely improved skin. The line of her jaw had sharpened ever so subtly, her features grown crisper and more defined. Her figure had become far more striking as well.

She was a beauty to begin with — and now she was growing even more beautiful? I was still entertaining that thought when Hanna set down her spoon and opened her lips hesitantly.

"L-Lieutenant… something's been wrong with my body lately."

"What is it?"

"I always feel feverish… and at night ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I can hardly sleep. It's like something is boiling up from inside me…."

Status Analysis.

I answered based on the Status Analysis.

"It's a natural phenomenon. These are the growing pains of your body accepting the mana and completing itself as a vessel. You're nearly finished — just bear with it a little longer."

"Yes…."

Hanna nodded. A peculiar flush had bloomed across her face.