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 him

"Uh… Sunny?"

blinked a couple

"Yeah. Sorry. So…"

guess it's true what they say,

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

with dignity really comparable to Neph's passionate, immolating obsession? Would he really

a lot

Rain, and then

combat can be divided into two aspects. Mastery of the body, and 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 — truly grasp it with your very core — then you will have enough clarity

***

the fundamental laws of combat — at least to the extent that he himself understood them — to Rain. In the end, he wasn't sure that she really grasped the knowledge he wanted to share with her, but it was

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 centurion for him to reach the

and Sunny certainly

now, this was going to have

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

body could be trained… of course, Rain was

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

were the great equalizer. The purpose of a weapon was to reduce the amount of force one needed to apply to deliver a lethal blow. Unless one planned to beat their enemy to

Saint's battle style could make that inherent disadvantage

be sufficiently exhausted, and pushing further would not do her any good. He gestured for her to stop

with sweat. Noticing the beautiful glass

that a

tilted his

are

grabbed the Endless Spring and studied it from

never seen a real Memory up close before.

at

is real. What are you talking

glanced at him with scorn, drank the water greedily, and then handed the

it after defeating

for a moment, and then