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…"

fell silent. Rain looked at

"Uh… Sunny?"

a

"Yeah. Sorry. So…"

know? I guess it's true what they say, the best way to

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. He had long ago abandoned his singular desire to survive at all cost,

passionate, immolating obsession?

Sunny a

glanced at Rain, and then

mastery 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 —

***

he himself understood them — to Rain. In

blame her. It was hard, or maybe even impossible, to really understand battle without experiencing it. He had met Nephis after surviving the First Nightmare and several days of fighting for his life on the Forgotten Shore. Even then, it had taken being nearly killed by a

carapace centurions around, and Sunny certainly wasn't going

this was

and watch her struggle to replicate them. The progress was slow, but she was really a talented kid.

One couldn't expect a teenage girl to be as strong as an Awakened. Her body could be trained… of course, Rain was never going to be as strong

Caster or Master Roan in terms of physical might. However,

needed to apply to deliver a lethal

make that inherent disadvantage even

girl seemed to be sufficiently exhausted, and pushing further would not do her any good. He gestured for her to stop and placed the practice weapons back on the stand, then summoned the Endless Spring

sweat. Noticing the beautiful glass

that

tilted his

why are

grabbed the Endless Spring and studied it from all sides, then cautiously took a

don't get it! I've never seen a real

stared at

is real. What are you talking

greedily, and then handed the Endless Spring

get it after defeating some terrible

hesitated for a moment,