"As the new and improved boss, I have a few simple rules for my lowly underlings"

'I swear... the second I am free of this-'

"No evil thoughts against the boss!"

With that proclamation, she yanked his tail back.

"I am to be addressed as Boss Navy by each and every underling present"(B.N)

While his mana or "Boss Navy" as she seemed to like to call herself rambled on, Ignavus was strewn across the ground wishing to be anywhere but here, wherever here was even.

'Wait... did she just read my mind?'

The smile that played on his mana's face answered his unspoken question.

Tagging on another's tail while they're already down for the count had to be illegal.

"I told you to call me Boss Navy! I'm not your mana! I am Boss Navy!!"(B.N)

Ignavus had quite a few choice words regarding that statement. The last time he checked, she very much was.

"What's gotten into you! How can you even call yourself that!?"(I)

Ignavus was more than a little pissed. The entity in front of him was merely just a part of him. One that should know better than anyone why he despises that name.

"Huh?! What do you mean?! As far as I can tell, that's our name!"(B.N)

Ignavus could only glare at... Navy with a look of disgust.

"Don't tell me you're still hang up about Ignavus?(B.N)

"Of course, I am! It's mine-our name!"(I)

Just because Ignavus didn't stop anyone from calling him Navy didn't mean he liked it. It just meant he was scar- cautious of the consequences that arose from it. Confronting them about the name was never worth it. In his hearts of hearts, he still believed in the name Ignavus. It was his and his alone. At least it should be. If parts of him start to reject the name...

Navy crouched down next to Ignavus' prone figure. A look full of pity mixed in with fake sympathy was wore on Navy's face. Her hands slowly started massaging the tail she had so viciously yanked not even moments ago.

"Ignavus is the name of an adult human male. A strong one who was greatly admired by everyone he met!"(B.N)

Navy took a dramatic pause while a mischievous grin sauntered its way into her smile.

"In what ways are you him? Huh, You're not human, an adult or even a male!"(B.N)

Ignavus didn't need to sit and listen to this garbage. It was information he was already acutely aware of. Any person who looked at it from a logical point of view would quickly come to the same conclusion. He was no longer Ignavus in any sense of the name. He had lost a lot... even the right to call himself a he.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

But.

Ignavus didn't care.

That name was his real last act of rebellion against everything. Everything that had happened to him. It didn't matter if he was deserving of the name. It was his.

"No, it's not! You have no right to call yourself that name!"(B.N)

"Get off me! What are-Don't you dare touch me!"(I)

Ignavus' confusion quickly morphed into fear at the realisation of Navy's intention.

"Call yourself whatever you want! See if I care! But you will not live in delusion!"(B.N)

The once playful and mischievous aura around Navy disappeared. In its place was one filled with frustration, anger and something else Ignavus couldn't pinpoint. Navy had pounced on Ignavus' prone figure and begun pulling up at the delicate white silk dress. Her hands moving with a vicious glee. As the dress climbed higher and higher, Ignavus' attempts to escape grew more panicked and harder. They were for naught though, his inability to swiftly recover from the trials before were his downfall.

"Look! Look at yourself-ourselves! There is no his or he, there is no Ignavus! You already accepted the death of that hero. Why, why can't you accept-"(B.N)

Navy stopped talking.

Something felt off.

Ignavus was tightly curled in on himself. Clutching the last articles of clothing Marie had picked out for him. His eyes clamped shut to block out the truth, to block out reality. He was hiding again.

"Give it back"(I)

A short phrase left Ignavus' mouth. A simple one, but one filled with burning malice.

Navy silently stared at his prone figure. Unwilling to comply.

"GIVE IT BACK!"(I)

It was only then that Navy noticed their sinister return.

The tears.

Gazing at the dress in hand then at Ignavus, she made a decision. Wordlessly dropping the item onto Ignavus, she watched as his hands blurred to grab it.

It was never her intention to hurt Ignavus like this.

Navy refocused her gaze onto the lovely red trees that dotted the landscape before getting up and disappearing into their embrace. With her own emotional dam full, she felt the gates finally let loose.

In a dazzling red twisted forest, a person could be seen.

Laid in their undergarments hoping to have never been.

Ignavus' hands were clutching onto a beautiful silk dress. Its lustrous design complemented its soft and vibrant feel. The clothing was admittedly the best Ignavus had ever wore in terms of quality, but despite that he didn't don on the fabric. Instead, he just held it close to his chest while blankly staring at the trees in front of him.

There was one sole word that perfectly described his current feelings.

Dejection.

He didn't know how long it had been since he started crying and Navy left, but he was thoroughly exhausted and sick of it. The tears had long since run dry, yet he was still curled on the floor just staring ahead. He didn't feel like getting up. He didn't feel like putting on the dress. He didn't feel like searching for Navy. He really didn't feel like doing much of anything. Just laying down felt too taxing.

The only thing he was doing was letting pointless thoughts float about in his head.

'Why am I even crying?'

What was there to cry about? The loss of his manhood? The loss of his power? Were such things something to really cry about?

'She's right...'

Ignavus had become delusional. Clinging onto things that don't exist was the hight of his madness.

'Why did I even come here?'

The simple goal of taming his mana had left him feeling a lot less than when he walked in here.

'Oh, Marie where are you...'

Ignavus found himself wishing someone was here with him. Just to embrace him for a short second. A respite from his own madness. Anyone would do... even the person who had caused this whole mess.

'What's gotten into me? Have I become so spoiled?'

A dry laugh broke out from his lips. He shouldn't and couldn't rely on anyone else to save him. That wouldn't help him.

Finally sitting up, Ignavus prepared himself for his most challenging conversation. A conversation with himself.

Scanning the tree line, Ignavus couldn't really tell where Navy had wondered off to, but it didn't really matter. He felt like he would find her if he just kept walking about.

After mustering his remaining strength to stand up, Ignavus begun his search. The dress still in his hands.

A conversation needed to be had.

One that was long overdue.