“…Yuri?” Alnea said, as he tried to force himself up from the ground, only for Yuri to place her hand on his shoulders, and push him back into a lying position. “When did you come?”

“Keep still,” Yuri said, looking at him with a stern gaze. “In your condition… It is best if you don’t move.”

“…It’s fine,” Alnea said, ignoring the fire coursing in his veins, or the ants crawling on his skin. “These injuries will fade away as soon as we leave the Mirror World.”

“…That does not change the fact that you are injured,” Yuri said, and paused for a few moments, before continuing in a low, subdued voice. “I am sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Alnea said, shaking his head with a wry smile. “I am sure you must have had your reason. Besides, it is not as if I did not gain anything from the fight. At least I learned a lesson.”

“Oh? Someone as stupid as you can learn something from a fight?”

“Shut up, Evi,” Alnea said, before focussing back on Yuri. “Were you watching the fight from the beginning, or did you come towards the end?”

“…I was watching from the beginning.”

“Why did I not see you then?”

“…It’s just another use of the Mirror World.”

“…Evi…”

“…It’s not my fault. Unlike you, she has already gained Fae’s approval. It is only right for her to have greater permissions over our powers.”

“…Do you have any powers that can give you physical form?”

“I already have a physical form.”

“I meant human form.”

“…Maybe there will be such powers in the future. Maybe not. The only way for you to know is to gain my approval.”

“…This arrogant little…”

Alnea gasped from gritting his teeth with too much force, prompting Yuri to look at him with worry once again.

“Are you really alright?” she said. “If you don’t feel good, then we can talk again after you have had some rest…”

“…It’s alright,” Alnea said, trying to ignore the salty, metallic taste in his mouth, and the numbness spreading across his body. “I am used to the pain… More importantly, is there really a way to control our Concepts with just our bodies?”

“…Technically, we can indeed use our Concepts with just our bodies. But that is easier said than done. Even using them with our Aspects is not easy, let alone using them on their own. Only with the aid of Martial Styles can we have greater chance of channelling our Concepts. And even then, it takes years of practice… Still, as long as we can use our Aspects with just our bodies, the benefits would far outstrip the cost.”

“…What sorts of benefits?”

“Mostly in the flow of your moves, and incorporating the Concept in your Heart, the latter of which is necessary to create a core of your Aspects, and create your own Martial Style. It can even help in the breakthrough of the state of Heart.”

“…All that, just by using Concepts directly with our bodies?”

“…Not exactly. Using Concepts with our bodies will be just the first step. Incorporating them into our Heart will take a few more steps, and so will creating a core of your Aspects, and your Martial Style… Though you have already begun doing the latter without the aid of Concepts…”

“…It was just a fluke,” Alnea said with an awkward smile on his face. “And you already know the reason why I can create my Martial Style without the help of Concepts…”

“Still, that does not make what you have done any less impressive.”

“…Let’s focus on Concepts now. You still haven’t told me how to how to use my Concepts.”

“…There really is no one particular way to use your Concepts,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “Generally, it depends on everyone’s preferences, and the Concepts they hold, but there can be exceptions. You do not have to worry about those exceptions though. For now, all you have to do is to practice. Preferably under extreme pressure.”

“…Is that why you asked Evi to increase the difficulty of my battle?”

“…I guess you can say that.”

“…I will try my best.”

“…Just don’t be so reckless. It is fine in the Mirror World, but if you were to do the same in the real world…”

“…It is precisely because this is the Mirror World that I can afford to be a little reckless.”

“Still… If you always fight so recklessly, it may get inculcated into your habits.”

“…I will try to be more careful,” Alnea said, enjoying the numbness brought about by losing most of his blood.

“…Why do I get the feeling that I should not believe you?”

“…It’s just your imagination,” Alnea said, hurriedly shaking his head, before quickly changing the topic. “I should get going now, or I will really have to taste how death feels like.”

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“…You should indeed get some rest,” Yuri said, nodding with a solemn face. “And by rest, I mean rest, not Forging your Spirit, or meditating. You have suffered a fatal wound. Even if it is only in the Mirror World, you will still have to bear some impact… Be prepared for one of your worst headaches.”

“…See you in a couple of hours then,” Alnea said, before closing his eyes, and imagining himself stepping out of a mirror. Moments later, his Aspects, the Mysteries that he had comprehended, and his connection with the Origin Sea, everything returned to him. And with them came the headache that Yuri was talking about.

“…Tion’s beard,” Alnea cursed, pinching his head with a frown on his face. Like Yuri had said, he really was in no condition to Forge his Spirit. After all, unlike Arcanas, which raised Spirit Power by resonating Spirits with Mysteries, the Art of Spirit Rebirth worked on the principle of repeatedly mutilating and restoring his Spirit, thus giving it a rebirth of sorts, making it more resilient and tough, while also increasing his Spirit Power.

Though with nearly two years’ worth of experience of Forging his Spirit, he should not have had any problems Forging his Spirit regardless of his condition, with how severe his headache was, he was not sure if he could concentrate enough to control the entire Cycle of the Art of Spirit Rebirth. Especially since he was still not very familiar with the Third Cycle. A higher Stage Mystery than he was normally used to, along with a greater reserve of Spirit Power…

It would be fine if he just lost control of the Oren threads. Worst case scenario, he would just have to bear a little more pain. But if he were to summon the incorrect Mysteries… Alnea shook his head, as he thought about the consequences. It was not that he was afraid, but that he was not as reckless as he used to be. Rather than putting himself through some needles risk just to prove himself that he was not afraid of death, it was better to heed Yuri’s words, and relax a little.

Not completely, of course. Even if he could not Forge his Spirit, there were other things he could do. Like meditating. Or practicing his Glyphs. Neither of the two things were too dangerous. Unless he used Oren while practicing his Glyph. But he was not that stupid. In any case, even if he did not Forge his Spirit, he could not just sit still. After all, he had his Oath to keep. To keep moving forward, no matter the circumstances…

Two hours later, Alnea pushed himself up from the ground, and stretched out his limbs, while glancing at the faint blue light in the sky outside the window. His headache had receded to a manageable degree, enough for him to not accidentally summon some unknown Mysteries, but he did not continue with his training. Swiftly dealing with his daily chores, he walked out of his room, and down the stairs, into the main hall of the mansion, before taking his seat, and closing his eyes in meditation, waiting for the rest of the Star Seekers. A wait which lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour.

“Since everyone is here, let us begin with where we left last night,” Alnea said, glancing at his teammates. “You have all had a day to calm down, and digest your gains in the Fortune Springs. If you still have any questions, you can bring them up. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. But like I said to Karl, beware of what you ask. There are some things that are better left unknown until it is the right time for you to know about them.”

“…This is too complicated,” Ralph said, scratching his head, with a frustrated expression on his face. “Should we ask our doubts, or should we just bury them in our Heart?”

“…That’s up to you to decide.”

“…It is because I cannot decide that I am asking you…”

“What are you whining about?” Norren said, slapping Ralph’s back, laughing without any care in the world. “Stop thinking so much, and just follow your Heart.”

“…That’s one way to put it,” Alnea said, nodding at Norren’s words. “As long as you do not regret your actions, everything can be made up for in time.”

“…The Fortune Spring,” Fran said after some hesitation. “Was it really an opportunity to break through the Grand Rank, like Vestia had said?”

“…It was, but only if you met all the right conditions,” Alnea said. “Without accumulation of hundreds, or even thousands of years, the most that the Fortune Spring could do, was plant a seed of that breakthrough. Which, in a sense, all of us received in one way or another. It was just that some of those seeds are more apparent. But you do not have to be jealous of anyone. As long as you keep working hard, you should also have a chance to break through to the Grand Rank.”

“…Provided that you reach the peak of the Mystic Rank first,” Vestia added. “Do not think that just because you experienced one Fortune Spring, your path ahead will be without any obstacles.”

“…Let’s reach the True Rank, before talking about the Mystic Rank,” Aren said to Vestia, before turning towards Alnea. “The seeds that you said, they are the Concepts that we understood in the Fortune Spring, right?”

“…You can say that.”

“…What if the Concepts that I understood is on the opposite spectrum of all my Aspects, and the Martial Styles that I have learned? What should I do then?”

“…That should not be possible,” Zain said, frowning at Arren’s words, only for the latter to give him a blank look.

“And yet, it is exactly what has happened with me.”

“…Maybe you misunderstood your Concept,” Zain said. “That can happen at times… When you have little to no understanding of your Concepts.”

“…Although you are right about misunderstanding our Concepts, I am afraid that is not the case with Aren,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “Misunderstandings about our Concepts happen when we try to understand the Concepts on our own. The Fortune Spring practically gifted our Concepts to us. And it gave us the Concepts that were most in line with our Hearts, leaving no possibility of misunderstandings.”

“…That is why I want to ask, what should I do?”

Concepts diametrically opposite to his Aspects and Martial Styles…

“Let me ask you a question first,” Alnea said after some thought. “Are all your Aspects in conflict with your Concepts?”

“…Almost all of them.”

“So, there are some Aspects which are in line with your Concepts?”

“…Only a few.”

“And when did you tame these Aspects?”

“…In the past few months.”

“…Do you see the pattern?”

“…I guess.”

“…What are you two talking about?” Zain said. “What pattern did you see?”

“The pattern of conflict between his Aspects,” Yuri said with a sigh. “It is not that his Concept is in opposition to his Aspect, but that his Heart itself has undergone a change.”

“…A change in Heart?”

“One of the things that Wanderers are most afraid of,” Vestia said, staring at Aren with a solemn face. “Do you understand the dangers of your current situation?”

“…I know. But there is nothing I can do. How my Heart transforms is not up to me.”

“That is just an excuse,” Cecilia said. “The strong always have control over their Hearts.”

…Of all the people in the hall, probably only Yuri had the right to say something like that. Though, on second thought, Cecilia too had overcome a change in her Heart, so she could barely be counted. And so could Vestia and Karl. Still, that was not the way to handle someone facing the possibility of being backlashed by the Origin Sea, by their own Aspects.

“It’s alright. Things have not developed to an irreversible situation just yet,” Alnea said, giving Aren a reassuring smile. “Since you have discovered your problem before anything happened, you still have a chance to smooth out the conflicts in your Heart.”

“…But the conflicts in my Heart… The answers I am seeking… They can be found only in the inner city.”

“Then we will just have to go to the inner city before the conflict in your Heart erupts, won’t we?” Alnea said, flashing a confident grin. “Now, who is ready to go conquer some Trials of the Lost City?”