“The sleeping beauty is finally awake.”
Alnea heard a voice from behind him, and immediately recognised it as Cecilia’s. He turned around, and found her sitting on the floor, flashing a grin at him. His first friend… A true friend, not the fake kind. Sitting by her side, facing his master, was Yuri, his second true friend, though in a sense, she could also be considered to be his first friend. Everything good that had happened to him after his father’s death, had all stemmed from her, and her alone. If not for her… One day, he would surely repay her, and help her change the fate of her clan.
Yuri, at the moment, was meditating, as usual. And as usual, was also wearing her white robe. Unlike the white robe of his master though, hers was plain, through and through. No pattern, or any extra added detail. Just a simple, plain white robe. Yet, of all the people he had ever met, if he had to pick whose dress matched perfectly with them, Alnea would have to pick her every time. If his master was a personification of calmness, then Yuri was a perfect example of harmony, her white robes almost seemingly merging into her white skin, and hair, bringing out the best of her crystal clear blue eyes.
Cecilia, on the other hand, was a mass of excitement, and mischievousness. She never let any chance of teasing him pass by her, even when she was meditating. In a way, the green robe that she wore, with golden patterns of snake around its hems, was a perfect match for her mischievous green eyes.
“Still not comfortable with the hard floor for meditation?” Alnea said, replying to Cecilia with a grin of his own.
“This is not mediation, this is torture,” Cecilia said with a snort. “What happened to your clothes? Got injured again?”
Alnea blinked, before looking down on himself. The green shirt that he had been wearing earlier had been ruined in his fight, burnt into ashes. As such, when he had walked into the cabin earlier, he had been half naked, with his chest burnt beyond recognition. Yet, at the moment, not only did he not feel any pain, or discomfort from his chest, but was also wearing a pristine white shirt. Even his trousers had been changed into a pair of pristine white trousers, matching the robes of his master, and Yuri.
“Something like that,” Alnea said to Cecilia, hoping that his master had not changed his clothes in front of the girls. As for his master herself, with the injuries he suffered on a daily basis, he had long gotten used to her changing his clothes in his sleep.
“What was it this time? Ice? Fire? Lightning? Or just some physical injuries?”
Before Alnea could respond to her question, Yuri, sitting by their side, woke up from her meditation, and shook her head, as she looked at Cecilia with a wry smile.
“Rather than asking him such meaningless questions for your entertainment, you should be focussing on your meditation, Cecilia,” she said, causing Cecilia’s face to flush slightly, dyeing it with a shade of pinkish red. “Even Alnea has gotten used to the hard floor by now.”
Instead of reflecting on herself though, Cecilia glared at Alnea, and said, “Why are you comparing me with this freak here? He is the kind of guy who learns from being beaten around. The more he suffers, the more he learns. I, on the other hand, learn from comfort. The more comfortable I am, the more I learn.”
“I am not a freak.”
“Are you sure?” Cecilia said, giving him a weird look. “I have seen the look you have on your face when you Forge your Spirit. How can someone smile with a fire raging inside their Spirit?”
“...I was thinking of something funny to distract myself from the pain.”
“Do you think I’ll believe that? I have been with you long enough to know the difference between the face you make while enjoying yourself, and the one you make when you are laughing at something.”
“…Maybe you saw incorrectly. No, before that, what were you doing sneaking around during your training anyway? You were supposed to go to your own clearing, and train your Spirit!”
“Don’t change the topic,” Cecilia said, hurriedly covering her slip up. “Alright, let us assume that you are right, and forget about Spirit Forging for now. What about the present you gave Yuri, the day before yesterday, on her birthday? That suicidal attack that hurts yourself just as much as it hurts your enemy… Only a freak like you who trains his Spirit through Forging his Spirit can use it.”
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“I didn’t have anything else…” Alnea mumbled, as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. On his own birthday, Yuri had let him experience what Wandering the Origin Sea felt like. Though he had not really entered the Origin Sea, it was still an incomparably precious present. Especially since she took him to experience Wandering the Origin Sea every week ever since, just so that he could get used to the Origin Sea, and temper his Heart. Under the supervision, and protection of his master, of course.
After their dreadful first experience of Wandering the Origin Sea, where Yuri was almost devoured by the Origin Sea on multiple occasions, one of which had also resulted in Alnea himself losing all his Spirit Power, his master could not rest assured with them Wandering the Origin Sea on their own. So, whenever Yuri took Alnea to experience Wandering the Origin Sea, his master would always stay by their side to ensure that nothing untoward would happen to them. Especially considering that curse on his fate…
Maybe, that was what had caused Yuri to be encounter manifestation of two Mysteries on just her first Wandering, with one of it being right at the entrance of her Domain, and that too, when she was returning from her Wandering with an almost completely exhausted Spirit. If not for his master’s Thorns, her Roots, then Yuri might really have…
Of course, neither Yuri, nor his master had blamed him for it. And even after she had learned of the curse of his fate, Yuri had still insisted on taking him to experience Wandering the Origin Sea. And that had increased the preciousness of her present to him even more than before. Despite his curse, despite his faults, she was still willing to stay with him… That was the most precious gift he could ever get.
On the other hand, when it was his turn to give her a present, all that he had given her was the Soul Piercing Needle. Though the method was unique, and had an element of surprise to it, it could never compare in preciousness to any of the gifts that he had received. Yet it was also the most precious thing he had on himself that he could call as his own. He could have asked for something from his master, but then it would not have been a present from himself. So, even though it was nothing precious, he had still given her the Soul Piercing Needle as his present. And it looked like Yuri had liked it as well.
“Don’t listen to her, Alnea,” Yuri said. “I like the present very much. I have already used it a couple of times in these two days, and it has proven very useful. Especially when used at critical times, it can turn the tables around, allowing me to shift from a disadvantageous position to an advantageous position. Though it is a little hard to use… After a couple of times, I easily got used to it. It is quite a nifty method of supporting my other attacks. Thank you for the present, Alnea.”
“…Are you sure that it did not make you a sitting target for the Oren Beasts?”
“Stop teasing him, Cecilia. It’s been two days already. When are you going to let it go?”
“…Don’t make me recall that.”
“…I should be the one saying that line,” Alnea said, recalling the day he had given his present to Yuri in the form of a scroll. Cecilia, curious as she was, had taken the scroll from his hand before he could give it Yuri. And despite his best efforts, he had not been able to snatch the scroll back from her hands before she could read its contents. In the end, she ended up ‘volunteering’ to test the authenticity of the method, before allowing Yuri to use it herself. After that…
When Cecilia recovered from the pain, she had chased him throughout the mansion, giving him a bloodied nose, before her anger, and indignation had thawed a little. Still, even when more than a day had passed since the incident, her snarky attitude had not.
“What are you mumbling about? I was the one who had to suffer from the needle.”
“The fault for that lies with you, not him. You used the Spirit Piercing Needle without learning of its effects first. Stop being so mean to him.”
“…I just wanted to make sure that it was safe for you to use,” Cecilia grumbled.
“Do you think I need your protection, when I am already at the False Rank?”
“...You have changed too much, Yuri. You used to be so calm, and listen to everything I used to say. But now… You are clearly favouring him over me. This is not fair. I came first. You met him later. You should be on my side.”
“I am on neither of your side. I only side with the right.”
Although Yuri said that, Alnea could still see her lips curl up ever so slightly, as Cecilia mentioned her being on his side. That inevitably made him smile as well. However, before he could revel in that little bit of happiness of being treated as someone special, his master finally opened her eyes, and interrupted their conversation.
“I did not know that meditation involved bickering with each other like some cats,” his master said, glaring at all three of them. “Go back to your meditation. You will have plenty of time to talk after that. You too, Alnea. Of the three, your progress may have been the greatest in terms of the state of your Heart, but that does not give you the right to become complacent. Though your Heart has attained its Serenity, it was mostly due to external influences, and not because of your own hard work, and tempering.
“Consequently, the Serenity that you have gained is not true Serenity, but a conditional one. Your Heart is still in a very fragile, vulnerable, and unstable state. As such, of the three, it is also you who has to work the hardest, so that you can make up for your weakness. Do not get caught up with their flow, and forget what you need to do. Temper your Heart, your thoughts, and bring your Heart back under your control. Attain True Serenity. Only then will you be qualified enough to begin your Wanderings.”
“…I understand, master.”
“…Go, clam your Heart. We will begin your day’s lesson after you are done with your meditation.”
“Yes, master.”