One round. Two rounds. Three rounds. Four rounds. Alnea kept Forging his Spirit, completely disregarding the pain he was suffering. No, not disregarding. Rather, he enjoyed the pain. He relished all the strange sensations coursing through his Spirit. And he drowned in the ecstasy of his Spirit recovering from all its injuries. Maybe Forging his Spirit might really help him deal with the problem of his Spirit…
“Let’s go.”
Alnea opened his eyes with a Serene Heart, and left the cave with Yuri. Not to practise his Martial Styles, or sword. And not to run into the depths of canyon either. Counting the time that he had spent Forging his Spirit, and meditating, only around a couple of hours had passed since he had woken up. Roughly around seven to eight hours since they had come back with the fox.
Even if they did not consider their fatigue, they could not ignore their training. Only by constantly improving themselves could they keep fighting stronger enemies. And only by fighting stronger enemies, could they prepare themselves to fight the Heterodox Wanderers coming for him. Only if they were strong enough, could they fight against the curse of his fate.
“We need to discuss a few things,” Yuri said, after calling in Cecilia to sit in a circle in front of the cave. “First, we need to consider how we are going to move forward.”
“Haven’t we already decided what we are going to do?” Cecilia said, looking at Yuri in confusion. “Fight Oren Beasts, and discover our deficiencies.”
“And what are you going to do after finding those deficiencies?”
“Fill them up.”
“And how exactly are you going to do that?”
“…By fighting Oren Beasts.”
“That is why we need to discuss what we are going to do next,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “First, let us talk about our deficiencies. Fighting three advanced phase Oren Beasts one after another should have given you enough insights on your abilities, and what you are lacking in.”
“…The most glaring deficiency is that we have yet to set foot on the path of Scholars.”
“Forget about the path of Scholars for now, and focus only on the path of Arcanists, and Warriors for now. Or do you think that your Arcanas, and Martial Styles are infallible?”
While Alnea was still thinking of his deficiencies, while wondering what Yuri was up to, Cecilia clenched her fist, and said, “My Arcanas… They are too straightforward.”
“That is not a deficiency,” Yuri said, with Alnea nodding from the side. “At most, it is just a projection of your straightforward nature. It may, or may not change over time, but there is no need to worry about your Arcanas being too straightforward. Rather, most of the strongest Arcanas are often straightforward.”
“…What I meant to say was that my Arcanas are too linear. Although I can use ‘Dark Blades’ to support from the side, but in the end, it is an offensive Arcana. It is not the best when it comes to controlling our enemies. And my other Arcanas… they focus just on me. In a fight, they are pretty much useless.”
“…That is indeed a point to consider. How are you are planning on addressing the fault in your Arcanas though?”
“I… I should create more Arcanas.”
“What Arcanas are you going to create then?”
“…Ones that can control our enemies.”
“But Alnea already has such Arcanas. And I can achieve the same effect with my Glyphs. Even the Arcana that I used today… It can restrict our enemies to a certain extent. So, if you create such Arcanas, will it truly benefit our team?”
“…No,” Cecilia said a bit meekly, lowering her head to hide her flushed cheeks. “I—
“Stop sulking,” Alnea said, poking Cecilia’s cheeks with his fingers. “Since you think that your Arcanas are lacking… then just create more offensive Arcanas. Yuri and I will tie down our enemies, while you will finish them. That is how a team is supposed to work anyways.”
“…But then—
“He is not wrong, you know?” Yuri said, interrupting Cecilia before she could object to his idea. “Like I said, you cannot change your nature. And no matter what Arcana you create, it is bound to be affected by you on a subconscious level. Forcibly trying to create an Arcana that does not suit you will only decrease its Grade, and make it more dangerous to use. Like Alnea’s Nightmare Arrow.”
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“…The circumstances were different, back then. I—
“Just because it was your first Arcana, you wanted to create one that could impress big sis Nyssa. And so, you incorporated the strongest point of the Mystery into your Arcana. But you never once thought of the consequences of directly exposing your Spirit to the Mysteries related to psychological illusions. Am I right?”
“…I learned my lesson, didn’t I? None of my other Arcanas have such great defects. They even complement each other to some extent.”
“Which is why I did not mention your other Arcanas,” Yuri said, before turning back to Cecilia. “We discussed earlier about how we have to work as a team, and have abilities that can help us deal with all kinds of situations. But panicking just because your Arcanas were not able to play much role in a single fight is not the right solution. And neither is forcing yourself to create Arcanas which you do not like, just because you want to prove yourself to us.”
“…I don’t like being weak, and helpless.”
“You are not weak, Cecilia—
“Then why did you have to risk your life to save me?”
“…We have already discussed this,” Alnea said, scratching his head in frustration. “I did it because I wanted to save you myself.”
“And I don’t want you to risk your life for me,” Cecilia said, looking at him with her stubborn gaze, before turning back to Yuri. “I want to be strong enough to not hold back the team.”
“Then why think about creating Arcanas that will only make our abilities overlap with each other’s?”
“…Then what should I do?”
“That, you have to decide for yourself.”
After all, Cecilia was a proper Wanderer. Even if she was just at the False Rank, that would still not change anything. Only she could decide her path. And she knew that fact. So, she did not grumble, or complain. Like a proper Wanderer, she closed her eyes, and thought for herself. Only after she had come to a decision, did she open her eyes in determination.
“My Arcanas… I will gear them towards direct attacks… and scouting. Whether it is the lineage of Good Fortune, or the lineage of Night, both of them have plenty of Mysteries focussing on exploration. I can even create Arcanas that can divine how our luck is going to be. This is the only way I can contribute to the team in my own rights.”
“…You don’t have to sacrifice yourself, Ce—
“You think I would do something so foolish as sacrificing my future?” Cecilia said with a snort. “Don’t underestimate the lineage of Good Fortune. All those who can comprehend Mysteries of Good Fortune have countless means, and reverse battles in the blink of an eye. Or have you forgotten my Fortune Flip?”
“…That’s a very dangerous Arcana.”
“Only because the Arcana is of the Low Grade. And the Mystery it embodies is of the Initial Stage of False Rank. How strong can such an Arcana be?”
“…I did not mean to push you into a decision right away. You can take your time to decide—
“I have already decided.”
“…To create new Arcanas, you will have to comprehend new Mysteries first. And Mysteries of the lineage of Fortune are too esoteric. Comprehending them is not going to be easy. And even if you comprehend them, controlling them is going to be just as difficult. Creating Arcanas…
“At the very least, it should take you around a month to create Arcanas from the lineage of Fortune. Why don’t you observe your fighting style more in this period of time, and then come to a decision? Besides, your Arcanas should complement not just us, but even your Martial Styles. After all, you should be planning to focus on the path of Warriors, right?”
“…Am I that obvious?”
“…You keep screaming about the pride of Serpians all day long,” Alnea said with a mocking smile. “Not to mention how your fighting style is inclined towards facing your enemies head on. Only fools will not be able to guess your choice of path.”
“…I guess I should learn to control myself a little.”
“You are fine just as you are,” Alne said, this time with a smile from the bottom of his Heart. “What’s wrong with being a little headstrong? Warriors are supposed to be a little tough anyways. More importantly, I like you the way you are, so don’t change.”
“…Stupid,” Cecilia mumbled, expressing her dissatisfaction, but the smile on her face revealed her true thoughts. “I will listen to you, and keep my options open. But for now, I have decided to become the main scout of the team, and be responsible for the offensive Arcanas. The kind which will take out our enemies in one blow.”
“…That’s good enough for now,” Yuri said. “What about your Martial Styles?”
“…Most of the Martial Styles of my clan focus on close quarter combat, and dealing fatal blows to my enemies. There is not much I can do about them, except match them with my Aspects as best as I can. Only after I reach the Fourth Stage of the True Rank can I begin creating my Martial Styles.”
“…At least, you should have a rough idea about what kind of Martial Styles you like best, and the direction you want to develop in?”
“…The kind that can kill my enemies in one blow.”
One girl kept thinking about destroying everything, while the other kept teasing him. His friends… Alnea did not know what to think of them. He was not much better though. He never left any chance that he got to tease the girls, and was even crazier than Cecilia, daring to create his own Martial Style. It may have been plagiarised at first, but the Oathkeeper Style had gone a complete transformation in the past year. It was still not ready to be used in real fights though. So, he kept it tucked away in his Heart, ready to be transformed once again.