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…"

suddenly fell

"Uh… Sunny?"

a couple of

"Yeah. Sorry. So…"

it's true what

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

comparable to Neph's passionate, immolating obsession? Would he really be able to surpass her while being driven by such a

a

Rain, and then

body can be trained through exercise, but your mind… is much more

***

the extent that he himself understood them — to Rain. In the end,

battle without experiencing it. He had met Nephis after surviving the First Nightmare and several days of fighting for his

around, and Sunny certainly wasn't going to run her through

this was going to have to

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

be as strong as an Awakened. Her body could be trained…

to his low stature and lean build, he couldn't compete with people like Caster or Master

apply to deliver a lethal blow. Unless one planned to beat their enemy to death with

style could make that

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

glistening with sweat. Noticing the beautiful glass bottle, she

that

tilted his head a

why are you

studied it from all sides, then cautiously took a few

seen a real Memory up close before. It…

at

real. What are

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

it after defeating some terrible monster? Or

hesitated for a