The problem, apparently, was not in the grass sucking his blood. No matter how much blood it sucked, his master would heal him anyway. But when these abominable grasses sucked his blood, they did so through their abnormally sharp mouth. Every single time he slipped up in his meditation, drifting towards the land of his dreams, he would be woken up by a sharp sting on his back, hands, and even his face.
It was as if someone kept sneaking up to him, only to stab him whenever he slept. Even if the wounds were just skin deep, they still hurt. Especially the cuts on his face. Thankfully, his hair was left largely untouched. It had barely been a month since Yuri had last trimmed it, so it had not grown much. At least not enough for the grasses to grab them, and tear them off of his head.
…Maybe the grasses were not as horrible was he was making them out to be, but they surely were annoying. They did not let him sleep for even a few moments, breaking through his defences the moment he let his guard down. And before he knew it, it was already dawn. Or so his master said. It was hard to tell the time of the day in the darkness of the Night Canyons.
“So? How was your experience last night?”
“I don’t know about replacing sleep with meditation,” Alnea said, feeling a little groggy, and annoyed. “But if things continue as they did last night, then I am sure that very soon, I will shudder at even the thought of sleeping.”
“…That could also be a way,” his master said, looking at him with an earnest, and sincere expression. “Losing sleep entirely, before filling up the empty space with meditation.”
“…I feel that I should start getting worried right about now.”
Seeing his pout, his master let out small chuckles, and pinched his cheeks, before saying, “Alright, I will stop teasing you now.”
Though her smile was not enough to completely wash away his sour mood, Alnea decided to forgive his master for the moment.
“…How much time am I going to need to get used to this… new schedule, master?”
“That will have to depend on your own capabilities,” his master said. “Or rather, on your determination, and will. If you try your best, without holding back anything, you might not even need a couple of weeks. If you get annoyed, and slack off though, then even a year would not be enough.”
“…I will try my best.”
“I know you will,” his master said, with a slight hint of guilt flashing in her eyes. “I hope you can understand why I am doing this. Though you did not train much yesterday, you should have gotten an inkling of how busy your schedule is going to be. You truly do not have the leisure to be spending hours that you could be using to train other things, to just sit down and meditate.”
“…I know, master,” Alnea said. “I remember my Oath… and the Rising Wanderer Trials.”
“Good,” his master said, nodding at him in satisfaction. “Then shall we begin with your day’s training?”
“…Can we start after a while, master?”
“Why?”
“I…”
“What are you hesitating so much for?”
“I… need to take care of some personal chores, master.”
“…There is no harm in waiting for a while.”
“I will be back in flash, master!” Alnea said, as he picked up his bag, and rushed off into the darkness. Let alone the urges coming from his stomach, and the bad smell coming from his mouth, even his head was feeling a bit groggy. He needed to take a dip in the cold waters of the canyon.
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Thankfully, they were not far from the stream. Putting his bag down by the stream, Alnea entered his Spirit State to ensure that there were no Oren Beasts creeping up towards him, or laying in ambush, before he took out his toothbrush, and the tooth spices. A while, and a short trip to the bushes nearby, later, he came by the stream once again, ready to jump into the water.
However, recalling how the Razorback Black Water Turtle had jumped at him the day before, he decided to change his mind, and just cupped up the water in his hand, splashing it on his face to freshen up. The fact that his master was nearby, and would definitely be able to see him naked if he jumped into the water, may, or may not have been one of the other reasons behind the change of his mind. In any case, he just needed to freshen up. What was the need to risk both his life, and his dignity as a man, to jump into the water for something that could be completed by just splashing water on his face?
Feeling much more refreshed, and awake than before, Alnea picked up his bag, and returned to his master, ready to begin his training. Ready to start Forging his Spirit with a new, False Ranked Spirit Forging Art. But it looked like his master had other plans. Instead of giving him the new Spirit Forging Art, she reached out with her hand, and touched his head.
“Last night must have been tough on you.”
“…It was alright.”
“Sometimes, I forget that you are still just a little boy, who has spent only a year in his training,” his master said, ruffling through his hair with a warm smile on her face. A smile that Alnea liked. Her words though, struck a nerve inside of him.
“I am not little…” Alnea said, turning his face away from his master, which only prompted her to chuckle at his antics.
“Make sure to remind me to go easy on you when you find things difficult, alright?”
“…It was not that difficult,” Alnea mumbled. “I could handle it with ease.”
“Right,” his master said, giving a rough shake to his hair, before placing her hand over his forehead. “Just close your eyes, and relax.”
“…What do you mean, master?”
“Just do as I am saying.”
“…Yes, master,” Alnea said, and closed his eyes, as his master had demanded. Relaxing though, was a different matter altogether. There was so much for him to do… so much to prepare, and so little time. Just a little over a year and a half, before he would have to return to Anneve, and participate in the Rising Wanderer Trials. Before he would have to face the Lotus clan once again.
Alnea never had any doubts whether he could complete the conditions of the Lotus clan or not. Whether it was in Anneve, or in Evenfall, he should not have any rivals amongst his peers. But he could never underestimate the Lotus clan. He had seen how shameless, and cunning they could be. If he wished to keep his Oath, then as his master had said, it would be best for him to reach the Advanced Stage of the False Rank. Only then, could he be confident of his victory.
Still, there was at least over a year and a half before he would have to face the Lotus clan. The Heterodox Wanderers though… His special training with his master should not last for long. In at most a month, or month and a half, he would have to venture into the depths of the Night Canyons with Yuri, and Cecilia, and develop as a team, preparing to fight the Heterodox Wanderers. To kill the Heterodox Wanderers…
Relax… He could not do that. Not yet. Besides, even if there had been no such constraints on him, with how his head was aching, he did not think that he could have relaxed anyways. Relaxation was only for those—
A warm, and gentle breeze seeped into his body, making its way into his veins, and from there, into every other part of his body, bringing him a strange sense of peace, safety, and… relaxation. The headache… it was gone. As were all his worries. Only a warm, and fuzzy feeling remained, extending to the tips of his extremities, before even that faded away, leaving just an extremely refreshed, and exuberant Alnea.
“What did you do, master?” Alnea said as he opened his eyes, and looked at his master. “All my fatigue… and headache, they are all gone.”
“There is no need to be so surprised,” his master said. “You have witnessed many more fantastical sights to be so shocked from the effects of just a mere Arcana.”
“That’s different, master,” Alnea said. “Those were all barbaric usage of the Mysteries. Yours is so fine, and sharp… You are omnipotent, master!”
“You cheeky disciple,” his master said, laughing out at his antics, as she pinched his nose. “Stop trying to tease your master.”
“I was not teasing you, master,” Alnea said, rubbing his nose, looking at his master with an earnest expression. “I was merely telling the truth.”
“…Sometimes, I wonder how your affinity with the lineage of Lies, and Trickeries is.”
“…How can you think like that, master? I am an honest, and hardworking man, who only ever speaks the truth.”
“Alright, my hardworking disciple, shall we get back to your training now?”
“I am really hardworking…”
“We will see about that very soon,” his master said, smiling in amusement, before opening her ‘Dimensional Pocket’ to retrieve a scroll, and handing it over to him. “This is your new Spirit Forging Art.”