Shadow Slave

Rain looked at him with a serious expression, thinking.

Inwardly, Sunny sighed.

He still didn't know how to change her mentality and make her vicious enough to survive the Dream Realm. He didn't even know if he wanted to, and if that was the right thing to do.

At least she seemed to understand a little bit more about the truth of the world after surviving the Gate opening. For now, that was going to have to be enough.

And this conversation was his attempt to make the lesson stick.

After a while, Rain said with uncertainty:

"Survival?"

Sunny raised an eyebrow, looking at her with surprise.

What were the chances that, despite their different life experiences, his sister would answer the question the same way he had, all that time ago, in the desolate hell of the Forgotten Shore?

He remained silent for a while, remembering those terrible, wonderful days. Then, he shook his head.

"No. The essence of combat is murder."

Rain shivered slightly.

"M—murder?"

Sunny nodded.

"Of course. What else would it be? You have to kill your enemy, or die. Either way, someone ends up murdered, and someone ends up as the murderer. So, the purpose of combat training is to make sure that you're the murderer. It is really that simple."

He paused, and then added:

"Survival is important, of course… but that can't be your primary goal. Such a goal is a terrible one to have. Even in life, it is not enough. You have to survive to continue living, but if you only live to survive, then what is even the point? More than that, if you don't strive for something bigger, something better, then you will only ever do what is required and nothing else. Which will make you weaker than those who want and dare to do more, and that weakness will cost you your life…"

voice trailed off, and Sunny suddenly fell silent. Rain looked at him

"Uh… Sunny?"

blinked a couple of

"Yeah. Sorry. So…"

what they say, the best way to learn is to

impart some wisdom, little as he had, on his attentive student, Sunny had accidentally stumbled on a truth about his own desperate desire to grow stronger. Everything Sunny had told Rain could be applied to himself.

his desire to live free and with dignity really comparable to Neph's passionate, immolating obsession? Would he really be able to surpass her while being driven by such

gave Sunny a

Rain, and then

of the mind. Your body can be trained through exercise, but your mind… is much more tricky. If you can understand the true essence of combat, however — truly grasp

***

at least to the extent that he himself understood them — to Rain. In the end, he wasn't sure that she really grasped

Nephis after surviving the First Nightmare and several days of fighting for his life

certainly

now, this was going to have

Rain a few basic stances and katas of Saint's style, and watch her struggle to replicate them. The progress was slow, but

body could be trained… of course, Rain

Caster or Master Roan in terms of physical might. However, this could be mitigated by Aspect Abilities, absorbing

to apply to deliver a lethal blow. Unless one

could make that inherent

good. He gestured for her

glistening with sweat. Noticing the beautiful glass

that

tilted his head a

why are you

studied it from all sides, then cautiously took a

a real Memory up

at her

is real. What are

water greedily, and then handed the

it after defeating some terrible

for a moment, and then