"Can you believe that fucking asshole?" Olicia walked the busy streets side by side with Rael. Her arms were crossed under her chest and she held a scowl on her face as she slightly nodded her head. "All he had to do was say that from the beginning..."
"The two of you are always bickering back and forth anymore... Sheesh, one of you could let it go." Rael gave a short, stifled laugh as she rolled her eyes, hoping at some point that Olicia would stop talking about Bif. However, she decided to be the solution to that issue. "Anyways!... I'm looking forward to learning what Georgie can teach us!"
"Oh yeah. I'm feeling swell about what a drunken old man can teach us." Olicia continued to brood as she waltzed forward... Suddenly, it seemed as if a random spurt of gravity was sending her hurdling to the floor. In a split second, Olicia's hands, elbows, and face made contact with the cold road below her.
"Oh gee!... Olicia, you really gotta watch where you're stepping!" Rael placed her hands over her cheeks as she bent over to gawk at her. Olicia rubbed the side of her face as she lifted her face up to meet Rael's eyes. "You tripped right over my foot."
"Okay... I get it. That sort of just slipped out. I'm sorry." Olicia averted her eyes away as she continued to massage the afflicted area of her head. Satisfied with that response, Rael offered out her hand to which Olicia accepted.
"There we go. I accept your apology." Rael gave one of her signature beaming smiles before turning back towards the way ahead.
"So, how much further?" Olicia dusted herself off as she waited for an answer from her friend.
"Should be this place right... Here!" Rael scurried over a few feet down the street, prompting Olicia to hasten her process and follow behind. When the two of them stopped, Olicia froze in place. She had let out a small sigh of defeat as a single eyelid twitched.
"Here we are! Georgie should be right inside!" Rael presented the place with outreached arms and a big smile.
"And it's a bar... Of course it is..." Olicia felt the sting of her own hand as she tried to compose herself to head inside. However, as her hand peeled away from her face, she caught a glimpse of Rael. Her smile was still plastered to her face like always, but the look in her eyes seemed to demonstrate a will for violence. "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"
"Exactly!... So, let's go!" Rael began her march forward but was stopped by a tugging force on her arm.
"Hold it! I don't even think it's okay for us to go in there. We're only sixteen."
"Huh? What do you mean?..." Rael pulled her lips to the right corner of her mouth as she put on a frumpy face. Then, she saw an old, white as snow, bald man exit the bar. Her classic smile returned as she removed Olicia's hand. "Here. Watch. Hey mister! Is it okay for us to go inside?"
"Say what?" The wrinkled senior whipped around and glared at the two girls. He stared for a moment before chuckling under his breath and waving off. "Sure! Why not? Go right ahead, little ladies!"
"See?" Rael turned back to Olicia and pointed her thumb back towards the old man with a smug grin on her face.
"Rael, I-I don't think that geezer serves as a good point of reference." Olicia closed her eyes as she rubbed her temples, knowing that trying to convince Rael of anything was a losing battle most of the time.
"So? It'll be a quick thing. In and out. Come on!" Rael nearly pulled Olicia off her feet as she dragged her reluctant friend into the bar.
As they passed through the entrance, the harsh, thick smell of alcohol and sweat pierced their nostrils. Olicia was overcome with a repulsion similar to seeing rotten food or a decaying corpse as she felt pressure building up from her stomach that climbed to her throat. She covered her mouth as she retched, trying her best to not make a mess that would only add to the awful aroma permeating the air. Still, Rael hadn't even stopped. Olicia stumbled forward as her friend kept pulling her along. She managed to catch a glimpse of her... Olicia was nearly just as disgusted with the smell as she was with Rael's nose-blindness. The red-head hardly seemed to even care or notice. However, Olicia managed to adjust. She caught her breath, her chest rising and lowering at a heightened rate as she reluctantly pulled her hand away from her mouth. Regaining her sense of self and her surroundings, Rael had led them both up to a table where there were five people sitting around playing cards.
None of them really stood out to Olicia or Rael. George was a bald, very tanned old man. The five of them didn't resemble that in the slightest. Rather, they all wore very plain, brown leather chest pieces with pants and boots to match. The tanned armor set was fairly beaten on all of them, with bits of damaged and makeshift repairs all but outright telling of their battle experience. Overtop of their shoulders, wrapped around their collar, and raping down their back was a dark green cape. They were all tattered in dissimilar manners. As they took note of Rael and Olicia, they brought their card game to a halt.
"Oy... What's a couple of pretty little things like ya doing over here?" The middle one sat his cards down flat on the table. As he spoke, a couple of the others whistled with a quiet tone. Rael seemed quite unbothered, but Olicia's face grew red as she shot her glance away.
"We're looking for George! I don't see him anywhere though... Is he here?" Rael planted her hands on the open end of the table, leaning over to put her face closer to the center of it as she darted her eyes around at the five of them.
"Whoa whoa, missy... You're looking for the head honcho himself?" The man's eyes went side to side as a sort of silent agreement was reached between the other men at the table. The lot of them got big, toothy grins on their faces as the one who took charge cleared his throat. "Look, toots. That's some important info. It's secretive. I can't just give that out to anyone... But... If you can out-drink me, I'll fess up."
"Rael... You aren't seriously-..." Olicia turned back towards her friend as she slowly shook her head. The man grabbed a couple of empty shot-glasses. He also reached down by his leg and pulled up an unmarked bottle filled with an orange-brown liquid. He wasted no time in filling the two glasses. "Whoa! Rael! Don't agree to this. That could be poisoned-It is poison! Alcohol is a poison."
"Hey! C'mon now. We're not savages! Ain't no way we'd do anything like that." The man grabbed his glass and raised it. The other four men booed at Olicia.
"Sure. Let's go." Rael grabbed the other glass with zero hesitation, only emboldened by Olicia's unwillingness to play along. Olicia felt her eyelid twitch as she abstained from talking any further.
"Down the hatch!" The man raised the glass up a little further, nodding his head. Then, in the blink of an eye, he opened his mouth and dumped the shot straight down his throat. It happened so quickly... The man let out a lively sigh as he flashed a toothy grin. "What are ya waiting for?"
"Right." Rael had watched close to see what he had done. It didn't seem like there was any sort of trick to it. There was the slightest bit of curiosity in her about what drinking was like. This would be her first time... Without another moment of hesitation she followed in suit and downed the entire shot... As the liquid passed through her throat and fell into her stomach, there was a lingering aftertaste that coated her mouth and throat. It consisted of heat and the flavor of the drink itself, and it was enough to make her instinctively gag. Rael's eyes sealed shut as she tried to wriggle herself free of that sensation and bad taste.
"Aye! How about that?" The man couldn't contain himself any longer as he burst out laughing along with the rest of the table. Olicia crossed her arms under her chest and closed her eyes, not wanting to see this go any further.
"That was nasty! Bleh!" Rael's face puckered and recoiled as she felt like she could regain control of her actions from the sheer aftertaste. She put the shot-glass back on the table as she wrapped her other arm overtop of her stomach. It was a new sensation for her, having the alcohol sit in her stomach with it feeling like a heavy weight at the bottom of it.
"Oh lord... Ya give up?" As the man settled back down, something about the way the five of them shot each other knowing glances seemed to tug at Rael. They all looked so smug, as if they just pulled a fast one on her.
"Hell no! I'm not a quitter!" Rael shot her arm back to her side, the other one nabbing the shot-glass once more. "Fill it up!"
----------------------------------------
"So... I don't imagine that's it though. Right?" George sprouted a small, calm flame from his fingertip. Igniting the tip of his cigar, he took a deep breath in and let out a puff of smoke that filled the room.
"To make amends was on the list of things to do. It just so happens that I also have information you might find useful." In his tattered rags and set of scratched and beat up armor, Yuval leaned forward in his seat and held his hands together on the tabletop.
The two of them were in a small room. While the sounds of men and women alike laughing and shouting could be heard outside of the door... The private room still muffled it just enough to make them audible to each other and to keep their conversation secretive.
"You regain your freedom and use it to come find me? I'm flattered." George pulled the cigar out of his mouth and took a drink from his bottle. "I knew something was wrong when I came across your village and it was ransacked... Bring me to speed on what you know, Yuval."
"There's a lot of pieces being put in place. It's easy to speculate, but we're on the precipice of something huge. Ozix Cultists... I've spotted them moving west... But otherwise, I'm unsure of what their goals or motives are. They've been devastated since that staged attack."
"Staged attack?" George brought the cigar up to his lips and let loose another bundle of smoke. "Was Zen actually onto something?"
"Mhm. I was still bound by Temptation's magic. I witnessed the entire deal go down. Make no mistake, it was all planned in return for information... Temptation provided bodies and, in return, the one representing the Ozix Cult gave out the whereabouts of one who was just like her."
"Rael... So, that explains why there was a cultist attempting to track her down..." George narrowed his gaze. A gut-wrenching feeling of betrayal floated up the core of his being to his head. Zen might have been paranoid... But he was most certainly speaking the truth. Only someone from within the Academy could verify and give out that information.
"Along with that, the Forsaken are moving forward with a meeting. They aren't exactly direct allies, or direct enemies... But, "coincidentally", this meeting takes place an exact month before the Spring Festival. And, if you don't remember, that festival kicks off the Contract Competition." Yuval's eyes dropped towards his clasped hands on the table.
"Don't they usually do that anyways?" George furrowed his brow as he took another puff, followed by another drink. "It's a tragic thing, but it's well-known they like to go on purging sprees during that time."
"Our mutual is going." Yuval locked eyes with George. It took but a moment for the gravity of that sentence to hit George. "Because of that, I have reason to suspect it will include all of their flock, not just a small portion..."
"Shit. Dyzin must intend to run a full campaign..." George put two fingers to his head as he froze. "It's been a long while since I've had to even think about that guy."
"And lastly, while under her spell, I managed to learn a lot about Temptation. Currently, she's been entrapped in a village way south by The General. There hasn't been much word about any of that changing, so it seems that activity from the Woe Cult should be at a minimum."
"God... That psychopath?... I'm surprised he hasn't tried to raze it to the ground yet." George shook his head as he turned his face away. "How did you even learn about that?"
"I saw it for myself. Personally, I was going to go try and kill her myself... But after seeing the silent siege going on, I backed off. It's not like The General to hesitate on a job... But I figure it's one of two things. Either his job is to actually just stall and keep her there, or he's being extremely careful as to not allow her to escape in a moment of chaos. However, I wouldn't be surprised if her hound were chasing me or the girl down right now."
"Hound?"
"A right hand-woman... There on her own volition. Temptation affectionately referred to her as "Kataline Kovar"... Come to think of it..." Yuval put his hand under his chin as he stared off into space.
"That gives me way more questions than answers..." George gritted his teeth as he clenched his bottle of alcohol... "And here I thought we were finally in a moment of peace... What do you make of all this?"
"With Temptation out of the picture for now... And the Ozix Cult seemingly running around like a chicken with its head cut off... I think two things are going to happen. First, that ritual is gonna kick off. I know you're just about impartial to it as I am...But it's the second thing that bothers me... I think Dyzin is going to take advantage of the ritual to void Flow, and the Forsaken are going to go on a murder rampage."
"It's definitely plausible... I guess the question at that point... Is what do we do?" George finished off his bottle and firmly planted it onto the table. "Personally, I think we stick to targeting the cults. Without Flow, The General is useless... Same for a few other members of the Forsaken. But a majority, including Dyzin himself, will still be some of the most powerful people alive. And it's never been our job to police or target them when they share the same hatred for the cults as us."
"You think that'll be the end of it?" Yuval stood up from the table and planted his palms on the top. "Dyzin is a madman. Who's to say his slaughter doesn't end at Lancers?"
"I think you misunderstand the man and what the Forsaken are. His slaughter will end with Lancers and Cultists... But the rest of the Forsaken?... They'll explode and turn on him the moment they smell blood in the water." George stood up in tandem as he put his cigar out on the table, rubbing down the embers into ashes... "At least if we wipe out the cults once and for all before that happens, we'll be ready for the possibility of rabid dogs without leashes..."
"I see... Then I supp-" Yuval turned himself away from the table and was about to exit when he heard rapturous cheering and yelling from outside the door. That was, way more than he had previously heard.
"I better get them to quiet down. My daughter should be showing up soon..." George sighed, knowing that his men were probably causing trouble for the other people at this bar. He stepped past Yuval and threw the door open.
"Daughter?... At a bar?..." Yuval followed him out with heightened curiosity.
"Alright alright! Settle down! Fucking hoolig-..." George had been overcome by a small bout of annoyance that he almost missed that eye-catching scarlet hair straight ahead. It was a mixture of sheer disappointment, anger, and surprise that stayed his tongue for another moment as he watched the sight ahead.
"That small girl drunk him under the goddamn table!"
"Ha-ha! Holy shit!"
"She's not even fazed! Look at her!"
The man who had been in a contest with Rael was slumped over with his head face-down on the table. He tried to murmur out any sort of sentence that made sense, but it all came out as drunken gibberish.
Rael, on the other hand, appeared to be unaffected entirely. She sat there with the shot-glass in her hand and her head tilted to the side. She sat the glass down and scratched her head.
"Gee... I mean, it tastes bad for sure. Why would anyone do this for fun?" Rael felt a tinge of queasiness as the alcohol felt like solid weights at the bottom of her gut. But overall, she was just fine. "I really don't get the appeal..."
"Can you... Please... Just tell us where George is?...-Oh." Olicia took a deep breath and lifted her head to see the man still face down. She was ready to just give up and go back to the Academy. This was a waste of time, and she figured there could be other people to learn from. But that was when she saw that familiar man straight ahead. And beside him, another familiar person. "That guy too..."
"Oh? Those kids?" Yuval raised an eyebrow, wondering why exactly they were here. However, nothing would be left to the imagination as George stormed forward over to the drunken man.
"I don't know what you're playing at here!" George lifted the man's head back by his hair and slammed his face into the table, shattering the wooden surface and sending the man down onto the ground. He could hardly even recompose himself, too dizzy and in a great amount of pain now... " But you better consider yourself lucky that this is all I'm doing to you!... When you sober up, you better have a damn good reason for doing what you did!"
"Georgie!... It was just a game." Rael put a finger to her lip, feigning innocence. She felt guilty over what George did to the man, but couldn't deny that she wanted to try drinking.
"A game? My ass! Who the hell takes it as some kind of "game" to challenge my daughter to a fucking drinking contest?"
"Ay, George! Your daughter here is a natural! Just like you! Way to go, man!" One of the other men clapped and cheered on. George shot him a stare that looked as if it could have killed an ordinary man from witnessing it alone. The man hushed his tone instantaneously. "Sorry."
"C'mon!" George grabbed and crushed Rael's wrist with his sheer grip strength and began pulling her to the room Yuval and him were in. As he threw her down into one of the seats, Olicia walked up to Yuval's side and shook her head.
"Ow..." Rael rubbed her wrist as she gave off sad puppy eyes to George. "Georgie!... That hurt..."
"I can't believe this... That's your daughter?" Yuval crossed his arms as he felt a bit of anger rise up from the bottom of his being.
"I hope it's not too much of a shock to you, Yuval... I-" George sat himself down beside Rael. But, Yuval threw his hand up in the man's face as he sat opposite of him. Olicia joined in, sitting down beside Yuval, but not before closing the door.
"First off. She looks nothing like you. Second off, I met her about a week ago. Third off, you mean to tell me that you were always harboring one of the witches?" Yuval pounded his fist onto the table, the slamming noise drowning out the chance for any response among the other three. "No wonder you didn't want to hunt for the others... You didn't want it to come back down on her. But because of that...-Because of that!..."
"Georgie..." Rael's lips were slightly parted as she waited for the man to make any sort of response. The playful demeanor she just held a minute ago was completely gone, replaced only by a sense of guilt and sorrow.
"I suppose... It was just a bout of selfishness." George tilted his face downward, refusing to face anyone. "I can apologize as much as you want me to, but I can't change what happened."
"I only wish you had told me before I left on that hunt... Or even told Velix..."
"Velix knew as well..."
"God...Damn it... Neither you nor the noble told me... I guess it doesn't matter now..." Yuval had his hands overtop of his covered face as he tried to make sense of all of it.
"Yuvie..." Remorse was apparent on Rael's face, despite there being no reason for her to feel that way. She had done nothing wrong, yet felt implicated.
"I do not resent you, Rael." Yuval pulled his hands away from his face with lazy eyes showing through. "Now. I suppose none of this further involves me?"
"Actually. I could use your help." George glanced up at the man. After a brief silence and unwavering stare between them... Yuval nodded. With that, George turned his attention to Rael. "How did you drink so much without getting drunk?..."
"Witch body..." Yuval leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Temptation had mentioned it before... But their bodies were made special. A combination of magical engineering and this "receptacle" thing makes them immune to any and all toxins."
"Oh... That's why I didn't feel anything besides being sick..." Rael rested the side of her face on the palm of her hand, feeling disappointed that she didn't get to experience anything fun. "That sucks..."
"At least it means you won't be able to follow in his footsteps." Olicia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms on the table and laying her head on them.
"Whoa!
"Hey! C'mon!"
"Hmph... Nice." Yuval gave Olicia an affirmative pat on the back.
"Rael doesn't seem so surprised by being called a "witch"... Is it true? What exactly does she know? She's never told us about any of it..." Olicia pushed her chest forward and pulled herself up a little as she stretched her back and cracked it. Without missing a beat, she then turned to Yuval. "Feels strange to see you again... I never introduced myself to you before you nearly killed me. My name is-"
"Olicia Yulva. I'm well aware of who you are. I used to be one of your father's slaves. I was given freedom when you were still only a mere infant. But I can recognize those eyes and that mark from anywhere. Though you were much too young to remember me."
"The mask and wrappings don't really help either." Olicia lowered herself back down to her resting position. Yuval gave out a chuckle, appreciating the girl's sarcasm.
"Anyways... It's my understanding that you two want to learn something... Right?... Well, I have a few ideas..."
----------------------------------------
For the few who are inducted and given the secrets of the Cult Hunters, a new path opens up within the city of Palmenae and near the cliff-sides outside of the city down below. A network of cave tunnels that started in the city within obscure spots, and at the previously mentioned cliff-sides, all met together at an unnatural formation several hundred feet below. This unnatural formation took the shape of an open area, lit up by those initiated and given the rights to work within these boundaries.
This open area spanned a great distance, spanning farther than most could ever have imagined for something like this. The air was frigid and damp. Breaths taken were exhaled in a puff of frost. Though there were fires, they seemed to emit only light, not heat. A move done so that the structural integrity of this cavern wouldn't be undermined. Not only that, but so the city above wouldn't have the chance to cave in on itself. The ceiling and floors had stalagmites and stalactites alike. Curiously enough, the walls also seemed to have similarly shaped rocks protruding outwards, contrary to any known formation and contrary to gravity.
Structure aside, heaps and loads of wooden crates and chests were piled around with armaments strewn about those piles. Translucent blue gems poked out of the ground and ceiling occasionally while sometimes being littered about on the ground. They seemed to exude a soft light that aided in the visual aspect of the cave. But, arguably, the most eye-catching part of the cavern was the humongous and ever-stretching chalk circle in the absolute middle of the cavern. As if to contrast the sort of disorganized mess the rest of the cave was, there were no blemishes, piles of items, or any other sort of distractions found inside of the circle. It was kept completely clear...
"Wow... Has this always just been... Sitting here?" Rael was starting to get dizzy with the way she kept turning in circles to take everything in.
"Mhm. Used to be one of the many gem mines." George bent over and picked up one of the loose blue crystals. "All that's left here are these... They're basically worthless... Tobias used to say this was owned by the second Magi before he bought it from the government. 'Course, now it's owned by my guild. A gift from that legend himself..."
"Worthless? They look kinda pretty." Olicia got close and eyed the gem in George's hand. He sneered at her comment and threw the gem across the cavern before scoffing.
"Don't say that too loudly. They'll try to repossess this place and sell those damn things." George shook his head as he continued to lead the other three to the center of the cavern.
"So... What are we doing then?" Olicia put her hands on her waist as she followed behind closely. Rael held her arms behind her back with one hand holding the other.
"There's nothing I can outright teach you two... Well, maybe I could afford to teach Rael some things..." George stopped and looked back at his adoptive daughter. She furrowed her brow and frowned as she stopped in place. "The truth is, both of you are fairly well-rounded. It's not like I'm particularly stronger than either of you two as is..."
"Huh?..." Rael let go of her hands and let her arms sway back to her sides.
"It's not power that necessarily creates a gap between you and the strongest Lancers. It's experience, tricks, and wit too... Viewing powerful feats outright can be deceptive when you're a novice. There's a massive power gap between a newbie and a regular Lancer. But now that you're a lot further along... That becomes less of the case. It then becomes a matter of how you project that power onto the world. Yuval... Could you show them?" George pointed his finger over at a pile of rocks and boulders off to the right. With a simple nod, Yuval obliged. He tilted his head over in that direction, and in a single moment, a pressurized burst of air sprang forth and collided with the pile. Upon impact, Olicia and Rael watched as each individual stone was split into a multitude of pieces that more resembled a dust cloud than shards of rock.
"Are you trying to say that what he did there is actually simple?" Olicia leaned her weight to one side as she raised an eyebrow and still held her hands on her waist.
"Correct, madam." Yuval crossed his arms and met Olicia's skeptical gaze. His tone remained still and unmoved as he explained his method. "An ability I was born with. It merely bundles up Air magic into pressurized force that I can expel at will. Given a Destruction-based flare, it crumbles solid stone to dust instantly. It is actually pretty simple."
"Everyone has a different way to project their power unto the world. The thing is, your view can be skewed when comparing-... Say, myself to Velix Felsta. There is no competition there. He is way more powerful than I. And while we could go over a million different ways for the two of you to better utilize your tools... Something clicked in my head. Why not help you gain a power advantage?" George shrugged as he stepped ahead of the group.
"If you were meant to fight other Lancers, learning a bunch of different things would serve you well. But, out there?... You're going to encounter freaks... Dastardly people who get their strength in twisted and demented ways. I'm sure you're no stranger to that..." Yuval kept his unwavering gaze on Olicia. There was a moment of understanding that someone like Patchwork could exist anywhere else...
"As far as latent potential goes... The two of you are full of it. More-so than any of the others in your class and the other class." George stopped as his foot straddled the edge of the gigantic chalk circle. He turned his body around and looked at the purple-haired girl. "Olicia. You bear the Demon Sigil. A powerful omen whose rarity is equivalent to someone being able to weave Primordial Magic. Something like that is like a one in one-hundred chance that can only occur during a Blood Moon. That ain't to say that's what it takes, it's just the best way to put it."
"And to have lived this long with it..." Yuval waltzed his way up to George's side. Olicia didn't seem fazed by the build-up George gave to her power. She knew what she was. George then turned his attention to Rael.
"Rael. You hold a potential that was created for Woe herself to inherit." George clenched his fist. Olicia darted her eyes over to her friend. Rael let her face fall towards the floor as she held her arms together over her lower torso.
"So that "witch" thing then-... It wasn't an exaggeration or joke..." Olicia reached her hand out, stopping midway as she wondered if it would really be okay... She wasn't the most aware person when it came to sensitivities, but Olicia recognized instantly that Rael hated the words that left George's mouth. Whatever it meant to Rael, Olicia needed to assert herself. She reached out the rest of the way and placed her hand on Rael's shoulder. Rael flinched with momentary confusion. She ducked her head and swiveled it to meet her friend's eyes. Something about the way Rael's expression appeared to her threw Olicia off.
"However, both of those come with a condition. Should you indulge in those powers too much, they will consume your entire being. But I wouldn't bring this all up if there wasn't a point to it." George turned to the side and gestured to the absolute center of the chalk circle. His gaze fell to the floor for a moment, giving thought to whether or not something like this was really a good idea... "It's very fortunate Yuval is willing to help as he knows more about it than I do. Yuval, if you will."
"Do you mean-?..." Yuval glanced at George. Without looking back at him, George gave a simple nod. "The Principle of Arbor. It's a kind of power that can allow you to fully leverage the power of your soul... In that, it grants total control. By using your dominant personality, you can project your ego as a strong force."
"That means to say, someone with a more confident personality or solid emotions can turn those concepts into real power. Both as a sort of aura, and as a way to refine a Shade." George crossed his arms and looked at the two girls.
"The Principle of Arbor deals mostly in using Flow to do these things. Flow naturally latches on and clings to those who have powerful and volatile emotional states. The destructive power and expenditure of Flow is similar to suddenly shifting from one feeling to another within a moment. You're merely taking full control of this process to use it to your advantage. By incorporating Flow with ego and control, you utilize Arbor."
"So... What does that have to do with the things you mentioned about us?" Olicia rolled her eyes and sighed, still holding onto Rael.
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"Both the receptacle and the sigil are tied to your souls. Despite being bodily features and alterations, they are interwoven with your being. If my theory on Arbor is right... It would be fully possible for both of you to take advantage of those powers without triggering the aspects of it that would make you lose yourselves." George uncrossed his arms and held his hand on his chin.
"Undergoing The Principle of Arbor would put your soul in sync with these powers. Therefore, opening yourself up to them. Learning how to use Arbor would give you control over them. However, you would have to be ready for how these powers might manifest themselves." Yuval stepped back into the chalk circle.
"You're making it sound very dangerous... I don't know if I want this... What if I do lose control?" Rael stepped forward, letting Olicia's hand slide off of her shoulder.
"What exactly is the catch? Stop skirting around it. Saying that we have to be ready for it is too vague." Olicia matched Rael's movement, standing by her side once more.
"Having undergone the process before with it done by your father..." Yuval locked eyes with Olicia as he continued to step backwards. However, he stopped in place once his feet were firmly set inside of a small circle within the chalk circle. "The Principle of Arbor is unlike either of the other two. It can only be practiced and achieved through ritualistic efforts with multiple people involved."
"Ritual... You mean to say that's what this entire circle is for? Has it always just been sitting down here?" Olicia broke away from Rael and straddled the outside of the chalk lines.
"This is something I drew up down here when I got ownership of it. I've had it set up this way for a while. I underwent this ritual myself along with a few others..." George waltzed over across from where Yuval stood and found himself standing inside another similarly shaped circle within the chalk. "I don't really know much of the ins and outs of this whole thing other than the setup."
"George and I will act as stabilizers to whoever takes part in the ritual. When you stand in the center and we begin, you'll be plunged into a meditative state. To me, it felt like a lucid dream of some sort. There, you will have to understand the measure and nature of your ego and soul. Then, you will have to subdue and conquer it. It might sound simple, but there are lots of variables." Yuval got down and sat on the ground. Crossing his legs, Yuval began to build up his Mana. As he did so, the half of the chalk circle he resided in began to glow with a soft blue hue. "You must have a strong enough spirit in order to begin the process, but it can't be too overwhelming. Think of it like a fire. If it is like a small ember, it cannot maintain itself and no power can be pulled from it. But, if it is like a roaring flame of destruction, you cannot possibly contain it."
"I think I get it. Someone like Avures probably couldn't do this..." Olicia held the vision in her head of an Avures sitting in the middle of the circle with a pitifully small campfire in front of him. The kind of campfire that burns out within seconds of it being lit. The boy's face dropped at the disappearance of the warmth.
"And someone like Bif definitely couldn't do it..." Rael let her imagination carry her off to a similar prophecy. Her imaginary Bif kept tossing bundles of sticks in repetition without end, cackling and screaming as he pounded his chest with each increase in the size of the flame. Then, that flame engulfed him completely, causing him to flail his arms around and drop to the floor as he rolled around.
"That's a fair assessment. This should be doable for the two of you... If not a little challenging for you, Rael." George copied Yuval's posture and position, sitting straight across from him. Without much more delay, his half of the chalk circle lit up with that blue color. "But I promise you... We won't let you lose control..."
"I don't know. Are you sure we can't just-" Rael backpedaled away from the circle, but was stopped by Olicia grabbing her wrist.
"Hey. It was your idea to bring me along. You can't just back out." Olicia held onto the girl's wrist with a delicate ease. Rael's tone had indicated some sort of fear, but her face seemed to show sternness instead. Olicia tried her best to give a reassuring smile to her friend. "How about I go first? That way you can see that it's safe."
"Would that be okay?" Rael pulled away from Olicia's grip as she gazed over at George.
"Why not? In fact, you can help too. The more of us around, the easier it is to make sure nothing goes wrong." George gave a simple shrug as he awaited for one of them to walk forward.
"Oh... Okay!" Rael's downtrodden mood completed a one-hundred eighty degree turnaround as her face glowed with a bright smile and a fire in her eyes.
"Wow..." Olicia blinked multiple times in succession at her friend. Though not wanting to put her down, stayed her mouth and quips as she trotted over to the center of the chalk outline. "So... What do I need to do?"
"Sit in the center and relax... Don't move, and don't think too much." Yuval gestured his head towards the absolute middle of the ritual circle. Olicia strutted over and unceremoniously plopped down on her behind. She pulled her hair back and fluffed it behind her. Then, she shifted around, trying to get comfortable. And finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath...
Rael stared on as the chalk outline that glowed blue began to shimmer with particles floating upward. The drawing of the circle around Olicia lit up brighter than the rest of the shape. Any sort of noise or pretense of life ceased among the three of them with the process now underway.
Olicia felt the tenseness of her body ooze away as all of her senses seemed to numb to an absolute nothingness. The experience gave her the feeling of being weightless, like she was floating in a black void. There was nothing. She tried to peel her eyes open... But there was still nothing. But she also couldn't tell if she had opened her eyes at all. Olicia tried to recreate the motion of bringing her hands to her face... However, there was simply no feeling whatsoever...
"It's actually convenient that we have you on standby..." Yuval exhaled and stood himself up. George followed in the same motion. Rael was confused, thinking they had to continue sitting there. But, the ritual still seemed to be draining their Mana somehow. Yuval turned his head towards Rael. "In rare cases like these... Where a dwelling power or entity lies in waiting behind someone... This ritual can take a nasty turn."
"Huh?!" Rael's demeanor dropped as she felt her chest tighten up with anxiety.
"Should Olicia not immediately bring the essence of her Demon Sigil to heel on the inside... It might end up taking control of her on the outside. However it is personified, it can take the reins of her body if she proves to be unable to overpower it with her own will." Yuval focused his attention back on the girl in the center. Though the initiation was the hardest part and was concluded, the rest of the ritual still remained. Constant Mana would be needed in order to maintain it. "If this happens, you'll have to step in and knock her out. While George and I could just handle that ourselves, we would have to stop the ritual to do so. It's much easier to have you do it instead so that Olicia has as much uninterrupted time as needed in order to succeed."
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Floating through an empty space, Olicia experienced no feeling. No pain, no pleasure... Absolute nothingness. It was an eerie calmness despite the inability to discern anything around her. All she could figure was that this was meant to separate her active consciousness from the restraints and habits of her body. In that, she was made to be able to diagnose and explore her subconscious and ego. If that were the case, Olicia considered it clever. The one thing she understood about the Principles outside of what she had learned today... Was each state inhibited the others? By cutting off the natural processing of her mind, and separating the feelings of her physical form, all that was left was her soul...
With that understanding, she needed to figure out a way to bring forth her being in a visualization. She just needed to think of something familiar...
Lights danced to life around her as surroundings burst forth from her once empty vision. Familiarity poured out and stretched to fit the first place that came to mind... Her dorm room. What sprung to life in a mere moment gave a sense of belonging. It seemed like she had just been teleported back to the Academy. However, she was aware that this was simply a much-needed base for moving forward. The floating around ceased as Olicia's feet made contact with the ground. Like a raindrop forming up with a puddle, an evenly spaced ripple rode outwards from the contact of her foot. Though it all had the appearance of her space, this effect served to be a reminder of where she truly was.
Olicia meandered over to the window of her room. Pulling aside the curtains, she peered out into a vast emptiness that took the form of a sky blue with waves of shimmering orange and yellow which passed through intermittently. Seeing how far her amalgamation reached, Olicia strutted over to the door of the room and swung it open... The same sight as outside of the window instead of any hallway. The door shut without any resistance opposing Olicia. Sending ripples out as she walked back to the center of the room, Olicia found herself at a loss of how to proceed...
"Need help?" Olicia's ears perked up at the voice she learned to recognize over all this time here. She turned around to face Ventrix sitting on his bed as he shined his sword.
"I could use some help... Though I'm not really sure what to make of you..." Olicia scratched the back of head as she wondered if her own mind had simply summoned Ventrix here... Or if this was the effect of some external stimuli.
"That is so like you. Relying on others." What had been Ventrix's smooth, calming voice turned to a mocking tone. Olicia's eyes had blinked, and in a moment, the visage of Ventrix was replaced by Bif. "How lame."
"Eh? What?" Olicia clenched her fist as she took a single step forward. Bif hopped off the bed and crossed his arms.
"I just don't know what your insistence on relying on others is for. You seek their validation for acceptance, and rely on them to dictate your beliefs for right and wrong." Avures replaced the image of Bif and stepped forward until he was face to face with Olicia.
"Is it so wrong for me to want them to like me?" Olicia rolled her eyes and turned away from the apparition.
"Oh no... But ya can't play the high-ground like that when ya live in fear..." The familiar voice and grip of Lylas latched onto her shoulder from behind.
"In fear of what? You? Don't make me laugh." Olicia sighed and closed her eyes, allowing the entity to further the conversation.
"Oh. I know you don't fear me. It's why you're not hesitant to call upon me." Rael skipped out in front of Olicia, flashing an uncanny version of the red-head's usual smile.
"Then go ahead. Elaborate to me." Olicia planted her hands on her hips as she tilted her head to the side.
"To call upon me is simple. But to truly indulge me... That is what you fear." The appearance of Rael began to shift and morph, taking the form of a humanoid outline with the filling and coloring of the space outside of the room... Soon, features came into place along with a solid shape. Purple eyes... Purple hair... Olicia made no mistake in assuming that this being was taking the shape of herself. Only it was the version of herself that came out when she utilized the Demon Sigil. The monstrous looks and qualities she gained from that power. "You fear the process of becoming me. You fear losing everything to this."
"Well... You're right. I don't want you to take control." Olicia locked eyes with herself.
"Oh. You misunderstand. I am no separate person or thing. I'm the personification of you. I am you. I am what you can be if you just let go. The only person taking control would be you."
"You lie..." Olicia shoved the entity taking her shape away from her. The clone of her stumbled backwards and tripped over the bed, falling down onto it... But, instead of landing on it, the apparition of her fell through and sank into the room. The only trace left of this being was waves being sent across the illusory floor.
"You don't understand the situation..." Her voice echoed throughout the room. Olicia darted her head around, failing to find any discernible origin of the voice that would allow her to respond. Suddenly, silver, purple, and gold chains alike shot out from every surface. Olicia hardly had a moment to respond as her own weapons attached to her, wrapping around her limbs and body entirely. The chains pulled back, suspending her in the air and straining her body as she was forced towards every single direction at once. It felt as though the entirety of her body was on fire as the strain of her muscles trying to fight back began to set in.
"W-What do you mean!...?" Olicia gritted her teeth as she tried to summon up the strength to break free. The visage of herself arose from the floor below her and put it's face to hers.
"This is a forced call to compromise. You've figured everything else correctly thus far, so don't play dumb with me now. Deep down, you had to know this was coming. The ritual to grant you Arbor comes with the stipulation that any circumstance like ours must end with an ultimatum. A final decision..." The clone of Olicia put its hand on the back of her neck, directly overtop of the Demon Sigil. The sigil began to emit a dark purple light... "Arbor cannot be achieved until either you take full control of the sigil... Or the sigil takes full control of you..."
"Being you, I understand how you feel... Olicia Yulva is afraid of losing control. But more than that, she's afraid of losing the respect and friendship she's gained from others. She's afraid of being put down like a feral dog by the very people she just wants to spend time with." The copy of Olicia sprang up in the air and landed directly onto Olicia's stomach. The copy plopped down onto her and leaned over, planting its hands onto her shoulders as it leaned its face in. "But Olicia Yulva has put herself at the mercy of these people in order to feel valued in the first place. You resort to pure restraint and hold fear of it slipping... And for what? Validation? Friendship? If your life is in the hands of others out of desperation... It's not comradery. It's pity."
"What else-"
"Shut up. God... I fucking hate you so much." The copy of Olicia slapped her across the face, stopping her mid-sentence. The clone then pushed itself up and resigned itself to sitting on top of her. "Acting all calm and collected here while also trying to act dumb or surprised... We both know there's no point to this charade. You have three choices. You can refuse to change and simply leave... You can give in and throw away your inhibitions by letting the sigil loose... Or, you can take full control and purify it with your will. Of course, you already knew that."
"I just want-"
"You want everyone to like you and take you seriously... Not just in a non-comical sort of way, but in the way of being able to have your own independence. The disregard of your sigil overriding you... Yet you won't even take yourself seriously in that way..." The visage hopped off of Olicia's torso and meandered over to the bed once more, taking a seat as it rested it's face in it's hand. "Do what you want. You don't need to convince me of anything. You just need to be able to muster the will to take hold of me without any fear..."
"But if I do that..." Olicia fell to the ground as every chain around her unraveled and gave way, freeing her from the restraints of her own weapon. "Then I will become you... Won't I?"
"Who's to say? I think your inhibition is valid. We don't hate ourselves because of the hesitation... We hate ourselves because of the risk... Do or don't. I'll be waiting... Will you take control of who you are? Or will you allow your circumstances to determine that?"
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"Oh... Hey... Heh..." Rael put her hands up beside her face as she gave off an uneasy smile.
"Huh?..." Olicia tilted her head to the side as she gave a weird look to Rael.
"Olicia... Do you think you can put me down? I said I was sorry for tripping you earlier... He-Heh..." Rael managed to squeak a bit of noise from out of her clasped throat. Olicia shook her head, readjusting to her new surroundings that seemed to just reappear. Her hand was firmly clasped around Rael's neck as she held the girl up in the air. Her face had a few bruises and a scratch on her left cheek.
"Oh!... I'm sorry..." Olicia carefully lowered her friend to their feet and released them. She went to take a step back, but felt cold metal against the back of her neck. "Huh?"
"Are you back?" Yuval kept his blade pressed against the sigil on Olicia's neck. She nodded her head with a bit of uncertainty, but convincingly enough for Yuval to pull his blade away. "Whew..."
"You didn't seem to lose control for long... So I'm glad for that." George sighed and walked to his daughter's side. "Do you feel any different?"
"Hm..." Olicia looked down at her hands and flexed them. At the same time, she channeled her Mana and a bit of Flow throughout her body as she looked for any indication of success... "I'm not sure. I feel the same."
"The sigil seems to be the same too, and I see no aura… I suppose nothing transpired then. Oh well." Yuval twirled his sword around and slid it back into its sheath.
"If it's all the same to you all... I think I'll refrain from doing that again." Olicia shifted her gaze to her feet, walking out of the circle.
"Are you sure? This might be the only chance you get to obtain Arbor." Yuval watched the girl exit the circle and keep her back turned towards the three of them.
"Yeah. If I need it... I'll try to get it on my own... Somehow… Otherwise..." Olicia turned around and faced them. "I'll stick around to help Rael out..."
"Yay! Alright!" Rael bent at her knees as she beamed with excitement and hopped in the air. "I definitely feel a little better about doing this now! Olicia can hold me back pretty easy with her chain thingies! I just hope I don't lose it like she did..."
"If anything, it'll probably be worse than that..." George dusted off his daughter of whatever dirt or grime she accumulated and stepped away. He shot a look over at Olicia. "If you're gonna do it, you better be willing to do whatever it takes to restrain her. Rael's ritual will be a lot more volatile than yours."
"Assuming it goes well... You'll be able to tap into that power without becoming like them." Yuval crossed his arms and stared at Rael.
"I'm really nervous... Scared even if I'm being honest..." Rael's smile seemed to falter a tiny bit as she looked over at Olicia. "But Olicia's wasn't so bad... And I trust her to look after me so... I think I'll try it."
"I'm glad to hear it... You're nothing like that witch. It gives me some hope to see a kind heart where evil was meant to reside." Yuval stepped away from Rael and placed himself back inside of his small circle.
"Olicia, are you ready?" George sat himself down in the small circle once more, channeling his Mana towards the chalk.
"One sec..." Olicia pulled off each of her three chains and dropped them onto the ground. Like usual, they slithered and burrowed into the ground. Without delay, they burst from the ground and shot into the ceiling above. Each color chain helped create a cage-like structure around the ritual area. If her own position was any sort of indicator, Olicia would restrain Rael the moment she moved in accordance with the idea that she might not be in control. "Whenever you're ready!"
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"Whoa..." The last few seconds she remembered being in the cave morphed into a blur as Rael found herself standing in an open field of flowers. A beautiful plateau of red, blue, and yellow plants scattered the area. The girl could only wonder if this was what Olicia herself had experienced. Though, from what she understood, the ritual was supposed to be some sort of insightful thing... Her immediate thought was that this place was her soul. Rael delighted in the idea that the inside of her spirit was a gorgeous prairie of flowers and grass. So, she stuck with that idea.
Seeing nothing or no one else around, Rael took this moment to frolic around. Feeling a cool breeze brush past her face as she hopped along, there was a wave of curiosity brimming forth. A small trail was imprinted behind in trampled blades of grass and crushed flowers. Yet, the path ahead seemed to mirror the familiarity of the path behind her, just without the evidence of Rael having danced overtop of the fauna. The girl scratched her head as wind fluttered the bangs of her hair to the side. This place had come across as an unlimited expanse at first, but seemed to follow a repetition at further inspection.
"Huh. Gosh. My soul sure is pretty. Hmph. It must mean I'm a good person!" Rael crossed her arms and flashed a grin as she tilted her chin up. "But... I bet if I were to tell Avures that he wouldn't believe it for a second. He'd probably get a little snarky about it."
Rael dropped her act of pride for a moment and swiveled her head around. Her studious gaze confirmed that this place seemed to be an infinite expanse. All she could see was grass, flowers, and sky... She felt a stinging sensation on her cheeks with herself being the perpetrator as she needed to focus. From what Yuval had explained, Rael knew she needed to conquer herself... Whatever that meant. But it was odd. Despite how she examined the expanse around her... It seemed that this was just it. Rael had expected the receptacle to take shape in some way... Unless it wasn't something that would serve as an obstacle for achieving Arbor...
However, her curiosity wouldn't last for much longer...
"Excuse me. You seem to be lost." A voice which soothed like drops of honey in a warm tea danced along the wind that caressed Rael's ear. A voice within the realm of zero certainty and knowledge, but held the reassurance of a close friend called out to Rael.
"Kinda..." The excitement that had been held within Rael gave way to her true feelings of confusion as she spun around to greet the origin of the sweet voice.
"Well... Why don't you take a seat with me and talk?" A woman with soft, lavender hair whose bangs covered over one of her eyes while the length touched her shoulders. The shape of her sharp eyes contrasted against the way her bright yellow irises gave a soft, inviting look. She had a small button nose, and an assuring smile. This was all visible underneath a gray veil which accompanied the lavender dress she wore. The dress had full sleeves that hung inches below her arms with the size of them. The outfit left her collarbone exposed and accentuated the sheer size of her chest. However, past that, the rest of the dress seemed fairly modest as it came all the way down to her ankles. The woman patted her hand overtop of a red flower beside her as she sat overtop of her own bent legs.
"Oh, sure..." Rael found the appearance of the woman to be familiar. Like someone she had met at least once before a long time ago. Her mind began to run with a mad amount of theories as to who this person was and why they seemed familiar. It was concerning... Yet, this woman had an allure that Rael found inviting. She obliged and eased herself down onto her behind next to the woman.
"You have very gorgeous eyes, young lady." The woman's eyelids hang with a delicate laziness overtop of the upper half of her eyes.
"Thank you!..." Rael's heart fluttered as she giggled, having a portion of her nerves instantly put to rest. However, she couldn't deny that there was something off about the woman. She continued to stare at Rael... "Are you-... Are you me?... Or something like that?"
"Hm? No, dear. I am a mere observer... A guide." The woman flashed a gleeful smile as she shut her eyes... But, the corners of her lips dropped in a single moment. Rael's own smile followed suit too. The both of them experienced a chilled tickling sensation across the bare skin of their face. The woman's eyes peeled open with an indication of discontent. Her eyes shifted focus and traced a line of vision that Rael copied. "But she is..."
Heavy footsteps crushing the stems of the dream-like world encroached closer, leaving colorless gray remains in its place. The very color and essence of light was drained away as lifelessness was left behind a lumbering figure. The very march that this being undertook was an act of destruction which acted in opposition of the purity it lurched towards. The gray desolation left behind offered no warmth or haven. The grass and flowers which once stood in vibrant solidarity became embalmed and mummified in a coating of frost.
From the bottom to the top, the appearance of this entity mirrored the fiery red-head. But where the signs of life and joy rang true on her normal appearance, this thing only emanated an ominous aura of entropy. Its sunset eyes lacked any sort of glimmer that would notion hope. The crimson locks resting on its head were dull. The lips of the visage were cracked and faded. And its skin even paler than the original, truly living up to the idea of a "pale imitation". With beaten up armor, and lead-laden steps... Rael stood to her feet as this other version of her stopped a mere two feet away.
"You're-..." Rael found her brow furrowing as her lips formed into a frown. When she did so, this copy of her seemed to take some form of joy in her displeasure as it took up a menacing grin of its own.
"Oh my... I was hoping for a chance to talk to this side of you alone..." The woman swept off blades of grass from the lower parts of her dress as she stood in accordance with the other two.
"So... This is what's vying for control of me..." Rael took a step back as the unease rose higher up within her.
"Vying? I am in control." The other Rael stepped forward, matching the original's retreat-step. "I'm wreaking havoc outside of here... If you want it to stop, I suggest you give in to me and forget about trying to contain me."
"No! You can't be-"
"Relax." The lavender woman moved herself closer to Rael's side as she patted the girl on her shoulder. "There is no such thing as "control" between either of you. Even if your body on the outside is being piloted by this thing, it doesn't have "true" control over anything."
"H-huh?... What do you mean? This is the receptacle, right? It wants to take over..."
"This is not the receptacle. This is the nature hiding inside of the receptacle. Your other half." The woman's hand slid off of Rael's shoulder as she took this moment to walk in between the two of them to the other side of Rael. Rael's dismay turned to a face of confusion. The clone's face matched her own. "Its ultimate goal is to get you to merge with it. Even without the device activating, it still lives and waits for you. There is no one-sided control…"
"Say... Have you ever wondered what Georgie's entrails would look like?" The other Rael tilted her face downward with a sinister grin stretching from ear to ear. "You're gonna get a close up view when you return unless you give in right now..."
"Wait. This isn't making sense to me. Doesn't the receptacle need to activate in the first place in order for us to merge?" Rael's question lingered in the air for a moment as the lavender woman and the visage of herself stared into her eyes. The query itself rang out from a point of desperation. Although she tried to ignore the words of her lookalike, it had set some panic in her head. It took a few more moments of silence... But when it clicked in Rael's head, the copy of her dropped their expression into a full scowl. "It does... That's the point. And the only way that can happen is-..."
"Flow. Correct. Despite the fact that your other nature has half control of your body for now during this ritual, it is at your mercy." The lavender woman turned her back to the two Raels. "Were it not for your Shade, it would have activated the receptacle itself and forced you to fuse with it. A catastrophe of immense proportions aligned directly against your will."
"Just whose fucking side are you on anyways?" The Rael construct lurched forward and grabbed the lavender woman by her throat with a sickly crunch. The step forward caused another section of flowers and grass to lose their vibrant colors and become encased in frost.
"I am a mere imprint using my best judgment for the future." Despite the throat of the lavender woman being crushed, her voice still bellowed forth around them without her mouth even moving. Even with her windpipe unusable, her words took a drowning and ringing form in the space all around them.
"I trust Olicia to keep you from doing anything dangerous on the outside... So, all that's left to do is to take command of you." Rael closed the small gap between her and her copy. Their faces were now only a few inches away. But, despite the proximity, Rael felt no heat. Only sheer cold seemed to emanate from it... "You've been trying to intimidate me into letting you have your way. That's not gonna happen. Instead, you're going to give me that power..."
"Pf... What do you even want it for anyways?"
"It should be obvious... To protect my friends."
"Ha! If they knew about the disaster just waiting to happen inside of you, they'd plot to kill you!" The clone of Rael nearly doubled over in laughter. The copy let go of the lavender woman as she leaned on the original Rael and put her mouth up to her ear. "Using this power will also make you more vulnerable to receptacle activation too... One slip up while doing so... One small bit of Flow gets in..."
"It won't..." Rael thrust the palm of her hand into the face of her copy. In a swift motion, she pressed downward and followed through as she took her to the ground. A solid impact rang out as the clone let out a guttural and pained yelp. Laying in the field with Rael now knelt down overtop of her, the clone grimaced.
"He'll be the first one to target you too... He'll kill you if he can..."
"If it comes to that, I hope he does."
"You'll be alone again. Eventually, you'll find yourself depleted again of acquaintances. Only this time it will be through tragedy or betrayal. And when your time comes, no one will cry for you. No one will mourn your fate. You're a monster... He will shed no tears at your final breath." The corners of the apparition's mouth crept out from under Rael's hand in a sickly smile. The cold, blank stare of eternity stared through her as her opposite gave no resistance.
"None of that is going to come to pass."
"All things are an eventuality. Despite how you might think you're in control now... You will wane. Just as happiness offsets anger and sadness, such is true conversely. When you are at your lowest, your weakest, we will become one. Your resistance will give in and you will accept me. There will be no going back. Then, we will show the world the wrath of your mania..."
"Tch..." Rael's hand twitched in tandem with an uncomfortable chill running up her spine. Her fingers and palm slid down the still face of her visage with an uneasiness as the dead-like cold of its skin made her experience true dread. The other Rael's top eyelids relaxed down over the top half of her eye.
"Oh? What happened to your resolve? You've already won. What's with the fearful expression?..." The copy sighed with a victorious expression drawn upon their face. They cast their glance away, refusing to look at Rael anymore. "I only told you what you already believed. Take hold of the power... I'll be patiently awaiting the day we join together..."
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"Eh-?!" Rael's eyes shot open as she was thrust onto her back with the complete inability to move. Cold metal tightened and coiled around her further than the moment it had already been so when she reawakened. Rael shifted herself around, trying to gain some sort of freedom. "Hey! Let me go!"
"Huh? Rael? Are you-... Are you normal now?" Olicia entered Rael's vision, towering over the red-head with a wide-eyed glare. Olicia rested her hands on her knees, catching her breath where she could.
"Of course I am! How am I not normal? What does that mean?" Rael gritted her teeth as she shuffled further with greater effort.
"Okay... Let her go..." George buried his face in his hands as he rested on one knee. Olicia nodded and outstretched her arm to the side. Each chain unraveled down the length of Rael's body. Purple, silver, and gold links retracted from overtop of her and sank back into the earth. They then popped out again to heed Olicia, dangling on her arm.
"God..." Rael rolled over and pushed herself off of the ground, coming to her feet with wavering balance as a wave of soreness traveled through her legs. She swiveled around and greeted Yuval sitting in front of George with his shield guarding the both of them. "What exactly happened?"
"Don't worry about it, sweetheart..." George let his arms fall to his side as he stood upright. "Well... Did it work? Or was this a waste of time?"
"It depends. Rael. Do you have a Shade?" Yuval took a deep breath and released as he stood up and reattached his shield to himself.
"I-... Yes." Rael gave a sheepish look to Yuval, but not before she tried to look George in the eyes. She couldn't help but feel as if he was avoiding looking at her.
"Then you understand how that sort of power feels, like you're expanding out a power from your very soul. So, instead of trying to do that... Try to emulate the feeling of your soul expanding out into the world and create that feeling in reality." Yuval brought his hands up to his chest as he took a deep breath in. Then, he released and allowed his arms to fall to his side as he gazed upward. "If the ritual was a success, your soul should create an aura that bundles Flow and consolidates the raw power into sheer control and will projection."
"Huh?" Rael tilted her head to the side with a raised eyebrow. Yuval gave off a sigh, realizing that she wasn't going to understand an explanation like that.
"Just do as I said, but let me show you what it'll look like." Yuval curled both his hands into tightly bound fists as he brought his breathing into a steady rhythm.
The other three watched on as Yuval began his demonstration. A small amount of concentration was all it took for something to surface. At first, it seemed that his being was shimmering with a bright light. But then, that ever-changing light bubbled outwards. Expanding inch by inch, the light took more of a rising flame appearance with a pure white color. Everything past that visual demonstration was slightly obscured except for Yuval himself.
"This is an aura manifested by Arbor. It can expand or contract upon my needs and provides precise control over my Shade and other abilities within its reach. If you were successful, you should be able to do this as well." Yuval let his aura shred away into tiny pieces, evaporating entirely in the span of a few seconds.
"Okay..." Rael took a few deep breaths, trying to focus solely on what her Shade felt like. Full Body Xplosion... A Shade that already primarily focused on worldly projection, rather than running Flow through her soul. When she thought about it, utilizing Arbor didn't seem like it would be vastly different at all. It was what she was already doing, just in a different fashion...
Rael focused, straining her all of her body's muscles all at once. Full Body Xplosion worked by way of outward expansion. There was a certain limit on the radius where she could burn away and explode Flow. When using it, she had to focus enough for the Shade to reach outwards to her target. It was like manifesting an invisible line at high speeds. If thinking about it in that way, relative to her soul, it was creating the same feeling without activating her Shade.
Rael grunted. Her entire body trembled. Her expression turned into a pained look as her lips formed a frown, showing off her gritted teeth. Despite how easy the idea of it formed in her head, calling forth this method into reality was pushing her to her limits... And then, she collapsed. She fell face first towards the ground, only catching herself with her hands last second. Rael felt her lungs cry out for air as her body burned with rejection. Something had stirred within her... But it wasn't quite there yet.
This made Rael come to a realization. Normally, she purged away Flow with her Shade which gave it no chance to influence her at all. Granted, that was always precautionary. The reason she wasn't able to utilize Arbor was because it inherently needed Flow in the first place. Despite her focus, she wasn't allowing her being to come into contact with it. It was a certain fear of allowing it to be near her that worried her. Though she knew that, by itself, Flow wouldn't ruin her. It took some sort of effort of the power entering her in a large quantity that would cause it...
"Maybe... Maybe if I just let go... It can work." Rael pushed her body up and thrust her feet underneath where her head was, springing her up with an energized bounce. She threw her arms about with loose to no control, allowing any sort of stress to leave her body. Without any more hesitation, Rael let go of her inhibition for a moment. In a way, it was easy for her to do with Yuval and George around. But more importantly, without knowing what happened, Olicia seemed to be able to hold her back just fine. Olicia gave her the confidence to try this in the first place, her reassurance being key to this whole process.
With the trust in her friend, Rael tightened her body and mustered all the focus she could. Rather than ignoring and rejecting Flow, she allowed her soul to tolerate its presence. It wasn't a major change at first, but Rael began to feel a sort of fluttering in the air around her. It wasn't quite there yet, but she could tell that she was moving in the right direction. The fact that she could recognize this different sensation made her believe she was only a single step away. And that final step was to project her ego...
The sheer, utter confidence that she exhibited from time to time... To the overpowering joy and whimsy Rael was known for... It was nothing special to her. It was just being herself.
Rael's body relaxed as she eased on her tension and allowed herself to indulge in an earned calmness. But the truth was, despite the peace and tranquility surrounding her that she tried to take in, she was anything but any of that. Rael felt giddy. She stopped to bring her hands to her face. Her palms were trembling and she couldn't make it stop. A tremendous sensation of overpowering glee made it feel as if she could walk on air, that the very world could bend to her whim. It was the greatest high.
At first it started with a soft enveloping, like pulling a blanket over oneself for warmth on a cold night. A very thin, translucent and orange aura had erupted over Rael. It hardly stretched out more than a few inches past her being. The aura itself gave off the notion of being stagnant as it remained slow and controlled.
Then, it whirred to life with more passion. The orange color had darkened over the course of a few seconds and resembled a red color closer to her own hair. With that, the aura seemed to cycle and swirl with vibrance and purpose.
And finally, the aura burst into a more lively version of itself. The motions grew faster and larger as it expanded several feet outward. Its encroachment mirrored the speed and ferocity of a tidal wave pouring out, drowning out everything else in its reach and vicinity. The overpowering nature of Rael's Arbor aura made the air around the other three grow thick and unbearable to stand in. It threatened to swallow them whole. While George and Yuval had prepared themselves to witness such a thing, Olicia had not. She fell to her knees, caught off guard by the sheer pressure Rael emitted.
Then, in a single moment, it fell apart and dissipated.
"Huh? What? That's it?" Rael wasn't sure whether she felt angry or disappointed. She knew she succeeded, but it only left her wanting more.
"You didn't expect to just get that all in one go, did you?" Yuval crossed his arms and chuckled. "It's a process. You might be able to do it, but you need to practice."
"Pf... I guess it makes sense..." Rael pouted, crossing her arms in return and casting her glance aside.
"Well... Hey, we have almost a week until the next contract. Maybe you'll get it by then." Olicia rubbed her head as she regained her composure. At the words of her friend, Rael perked up and smiled. Olicia was right. They had the time to improve. And so, the two of them resolved to spend the rest of their time off in training...