There was fire, an intense, all-consuming, flame. Its heat brought neither warmth nor illumination to the world around it. Instead, it encroached upon everything without mercy, consuming things that previously brought joy and inviting darkness to descend upon a once-vibrant world.
Whenever Anak closed her eyes and descended into the now-familiar darkness, the flames were always the first thing that came to mind. Immediately after that, she could feel intense pain in her chest, her lungs straining due to the lack of oxygen, the smoke charring her lungs and making it feel as though her body was being cooked from the inside.
Despite the intense and excruciating pain, Anak no longer cried out in her nightmares, accustomed to the sensation after many long years. At one point, she even started looking forward to the pain, welcoming the darkness that once frightened her just for the chance to see what lay beyond…
—
Peeling open her eyes, Anak was preparing to wipe away the evidence of her night terrors before freezing in place when she realized her current position. Her face was nestled into something much softer than her pillow, a sensation accompanied by a sweet aroma that tickled the nose…
Turning her head up, Anak found a pair of gentle blue eyes staring back at her, compassion visible within their depths as the owner asked, "How are you feeling…?"
As was customary when she wasn't arguing with someone, Anak didn't immediately respond to the question that had been asked of her. Instead, she stared blankly at the woman tenderly embracing her, the previous night's events replaying in her mind. She could vaguely remember Phae hugging her body and encouraging her cry while lightly patting her back. After that, she couldn't recall what happened, only that she felt warm and safe up until the moment her nightmares returned…
Seeing the confusion visible in Anak's eyes, Phae's expression softened further as she gently stroked the girl's back and said, "It's still early. I'll send a message to Gandr to bring us breakfast so you can go back to sleep if you're still feeling tired…"
Though she hadn't yet found her voice, Anak managed to shake her head in response to Phae's offer. Then, even though she was enjoying the warmth of another person, she managed to wiggle out of the woman's grasp before rolling over and facing away from her, tailed curled up between her legs as she defaulted to a fetal-like position.
Suppressing a sigh, Phae decided to give Anak a moment to think, raising her tired body before alighting from the bed and stretching. She had stayed awake all night tending to Anak and her night terrors, lightly caressing the girl's back despite the fact her body was being squeezed hard enough to indent steel.
Anak had a tremendous amount of power despite her small size, and, though her durability was quite high, Phae wouldn't have been able to escape without some serious bruising if she had been a normal person.
After stretching her body for a bit, Phae noticed her pajama-clad figure within the standing mirror she had previously gifted Anak. It might be a little narcissistic, but she, or, more specifically, Vahn, couldn't help but admire their handiwork. She might not be able to directly compare to someone like Da Vinci, but, in many ways, her aura, appearance, and figure combined to create what many would describe as a Masterpiece…
Amused by her own thoughts, Phae smiled at the version of herself within the mirror before taking a seat at the nearby vanity to style her hair and apply a very light coat of makeup. Vahn had learned quite a bit about both in order to properly pamper and attend his women, so, while it was far more difficult to self-style, Phae was quite proficient at it. The only reason she allowed part of her bangs to flow freely is that it helped accent the confident look she was going for while also allowing her to comb them aside whenever she wanted to lower someone's guard.
People, in general, relied heavily on social cues and body language when they were trying to gauge a person's interest. So long as you could convince the other party you were interested in what they had to say, people could be very open. This was especially true when it concerned members of the opposite sex, as, even if the other person was far beyond your reach, it was borderline instinctual to ingratiate yourself to them the moment they showed even a small level of interest.
Truth be told, Vahn, and, by proxy, Phae, and Gandr, didn't really enjoy deceiving people. However, when it concerned any kind of intimate relationship, be it platonic or sexual, each and every single one of them relied on some level of deceit. It was important for people to have secrets, and, though you might not do it with malicious intent, it was common to lie when you wanted to pacify another person. This could be as simple as telling them you were okay while you were actually feeling sick or something as major as promising them you would return before heading off to a battlefield.
In the end, what truly mattered was the intent that went into the deception, so, while it made them a little uncomfortable, Vahn, and his derivative forms, had all come to accept that deception was an intrinsic part of interpersonal relationships. There were even times when it bled over into the realm of the intrapersonal, something he, personally, was guilty of. After all, there were times when it was necessary to deceive oneself, a truth even the Gods were unable to escape…
With her hair fixed the way she liked it, Phae smiled back at herself once more before turning her head to face the girl observing her from the bed. This caused Anak to immediately after her eyes, an action Phae found quite adorable. This time, however, she restrained herself, her smile softening as she asked, "Will you be okay on your own? I'll only be gone long enough to grab you something to eat, but, if you want me to, I can wait until you're ready so we can go together. It is important to eat a balanced diet if you-"
Before Phae could finish her statement, her smile blossomed like a radiant flower in response to the loud rumbling of Anak's stomach. This caused the girl in question's face to turn a vigorous shade of red, temporarily replacing the green coloration of her skin.
Doing her best to restrain her laughter, Phae rose to her feet and simply stated, "I'll be waiting out in the hall. If you intend to come with me, I'll be waiting for around ten minutes. If you don't appear before then, I'll assume you wanted to sleep in for a bit. If that's the case, I'll have Gandr bring your breakfast so you can apologize to him for the previous night. Remember, even if the two of us are just an extension of the Sage Dragon Emperor, we are still the people we present ourselves as. You don't have to trust us completely, but know we will never do anything to harm you…"
With her words finished, Phae surprised Anak quite a bit by activating her own [REquip] system to change back into her smithing attire. She was quite fond of the outfit, and, though it took quite a bit of getting used to, wearing a dress was actually pretty comfortable. The way the fabric breathed was rather pleasant, and, though she could never quite get used to wearing panties, they no longer gave her the impression she was doing something wrong just by wearing them…
—
While Phae was eating an early breakfast alongside Anak, the two of them sitting alone within the commissary, Gandr could be found in one of the Resort's many training rooms. Across from him, wearing vaguely oriental attire, Hatsu could be seen breathing heavily, his sword trembling slightly within his hands from the strain of blocking several heavy blows.
A stark contrast to his opponent, Gandr had a relaxed expression on his face as he wielded the sealed form of Laev-tan in a relaxed stance. This had previously annoyed Hatsu, as he believed Gandr wasn't taking him seriously, but, after several exchanges, he was forced to admit that he simply wasn't at a level that required his skills to be taken seriously.
Truth be told, it wasn't that Gandr wasn't taking Hatsu seriously, his form was simply without form. He had tried to explain this to the young man, even using Shinsu to reinforce the idea that attacks show flow naturally yet powerfully, just like the current of a river. Unfortunately, Hatsu was far from the level where he could fully comprehend such nuance, at least for the time being…
After taking several deep breaths, Hatsu gradually loosened his grip before holding his katana to the side in a two-handed fashion and saying, "I'm coming…" in a resolute tone. Immediately after that, a watery pulse could be seen around his feet as he moved at more than double his previous max speed.
Having yet to take a single step their entire spar, Gandr wasn't about to move from his position just because Hatsu had empowered himself with Shinsu. Instead, he casually raised his sword using his right hand, the tip of his blade drawing a watery arc through the air. Then, as if he had just cut open the side of a balloon or a high-pressure container, a massive volume of 'water' erupted from within the thin line, crashing into Hatsu's body and causing him to slide backward several tens of meters.
Seeing Gandr's demonstration of Shinsu control, both Hatsu and everyone viewing the battle from the side had incredulous looks on their faces. They had only recently made their contracts with the Floor Guardians, so, while a few of the more prodigious among them had been able to perform a feat similar to Hatsu, none were even close to being able to create a literal torrent of Shinsu with a simple sword stroke…
Without taking his eyes away from the downed Hatsu, Gandr let Laev-tan rest on his shoulder as he said, "We should stop this pretty soon. We still have class later today and there is no need to push yourself in your current state. You are still struggling with the fact that your techniques aren't really suited for combat within a Shinsu environment. If you want to make tangible progress, you'll need to focus less on your techniques and more on mastering yourself. As you are now, your power will be reduced by more than 90% the moment you lose your sword. A true Master can even wield their hands and fingers as blades…come…"
With Laev-tan still resting on his shoulder, Gandr casually raised his left hand, extending nothing more than his index finger. This caused Hatsu to adopt an extremely sullen expression, but, after a few seconds had passed, he managed to catch his breath enough to perform one final charge, this time leaping into the air to strengthen his downward cutting force.
Having already made up his mind, Gandr focused his sword intent into his index finger, raising it to meet Hatsu's blade without a moment's hesitation. This was a ridiculous notion to those observing the match from the side, but, compared to them, Hatsu's shock was several times greater. He felt a familiar sensation when the edge of his blade impacted the tip of Gandr's finger, identical to metal striking metal. Immediately thereafter, a thin crack appeared at the point where Gandr's nail made contact with his blade's edge, severing his katana cleanly before the resultant shockwave pushed him back to his original position…
Staring at the location where the final 1/3rd of his blade had been, it took all of Hatsu's remaining willpower not to give in to the urge to just fall down. He suddenly felt like all his efforts to master his clan's sword arts had been a complete waste of time, Gandr's words resonating within his mind like a record on repeat.
Seeing the light of determination fading from Hatsu's eyes, Gandr appeared soundlessly in front of the boy, flicking him on the forehead and saying, "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Your mind is filled with doubt yet you want to master the sword? There is a reason most masters spend their time meditating rather than swinging their swords. If you truly wish to reach the pinnacle, you need to clear your mind of doubt and focus on becoming one with the blade. Once you reach that point, the only time your sword will shatter is when you, yourself, break…"
Since Hatsu had been knocked to the ground as a result of the previous head flick, Gandr extended his hand towards the young man, adding, "I once encountered a man who could even cut through the concept of immortality using a twig. The pinnacle of swordsmanship is far higher than any of us can ever truly know. Rather than aiming for it, we will get a lot further just mastering ourselves and completely ignoring the concept of limits. Now, are you just going to continue sitting there on your ass or are you going to take my hand?"
Though he was still in the midst of processing Gandr's words, Hatsu had enough sense to accept the hand that had been offered to him. Gandr's skill was so far beyond his own that he didn't really have any ground to stand on if he wanted to refute the boy's claims. This filled him with a moderate sense of indignation, but, more than anything else, a resolution to surpass his previous limits began to take root in his mind as he said, "I'll do it…I will see what lays beyond the concept of limits…"
Offering a toothy smile in response to the man's convictions, Gandr pulled Hatsu to his feet before patting the youth on his back and saying, "Now you're starting to sound like a swordsman…"
With an uncharacteristic smile spreading across his face, Hatsu was about to thank Gandr for the lesson when a sudden shrill noise sounded throughout the training room, exclaiming, "Teach me how to use Shinsu like that…!". Immediately thereafter, Endorsi closed the distance between herself and Gandr in an instant, her ghostly eyes shimmering with excitement as she grasped his hands and demanded he fights her next…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'When pain and loneliness are your closest companions, the warmth of others can be even more painful than third-degree burns…','Anak's Stomach: Top 10 Anime Betrayals','Slice through the Heavens with a single finger…!')
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