Shadow Slave

«Well done…»

Rain had just killed an Awakened Demon, but hearing her teacher's praise was strangely just as validating. Or rather, it made the act of slaying the Huntsman feel more meaningful… in any case, it was a nice feeling.

Too exhausted to move and hurt all over, she simply lay in the mud and rested. Her gaze was directed at the sky, which was as empty as her mind. Feeling too lazy to think, Rain simply stayed still and savored the moment, unbothered by the encroaching cold.

By then, the ghostly flames had been mostly extinguished, with only a few small tongues of fire dancing here and there above the ravaged swamp.

While she was spacing out, her teacher disappeared somewhere. Soon, he emerged from the shadows, carrying her bow, backpack, and other things she had left on the outskirts of the forest.

Placing most of it on the ground, her teacher then walked over and carefully covered her with her winter coat.

«Here, don't catch a cold.»

Rain smiled faintly, enjoying the warmth.

Her teacher, meanwhile, approached the corpse of the Huntsman, looked at it curiously, and gave it a little kick. Then, he circled it slowly, mumbling some nonsense in a hushed tone:

«Chalice Knights… Chalice Knights… wait, don't tell me. Were these the poor bastards who drank Jade Queen's nectar? Soon, there was nothing but bestial need left… huh, they might be. What fools! Even my little sister knows not to drink everything given to her by shady characters…»

«It's you… you're the shady character!»

Rain wanted to scoff, but then decided against it.

Instead, she asked:

«Teacher… can I Awaken now?»

She knew the answer, of course, but hearing it again would give her confidence.

He smiled.

«Well. You've already made great progress and learned how to sense your essence. I'm pretty sure that absorbing the soul shards of this demon will be the final straw and serve as a catalyst to make your essence Awaken. Of course, that alone won't make you an Awakened.»

Her teacher looked at the mud with a finicky expression, then reached into the shadows and pulled out an opulent wooden chair out of them. Placing it on the ground, he sat down and let out a satisfied sight.

«The problem is that there will be no vessel to store your essence, and no bridge between your soul and your body… at least that is how I understand it. However, you will be able to control your essence — and by controlling it, you will be able to create such a vessel, which is itself the bridge. A soul core. It will require time and effort, but with your level of enlightenment, I am sure that you will manage splendidly. When you do form a soul core… that is when you'll undergo a rebirth and become Awakened.»

Rain listened to his voice silently, then sighed.

«…How long will it take?»

Her teacher chuckled.

«I have no idea. That wholly depends on you… but, from what I am told, learning to control essence is the hard part. Forming a soul core is relatively easy, albeit tedious. So… a few months? A year? We'll have to wait and see.»

«I bet I can do it in a day.»

Rain didn't voice her defiant thoughts and smiled.

«What comes next?»

Sitting comfortably on his luxurious chair, her teacher smiled.

«Ascension is a step of rising above one's mortal nature. You will have to accumulate power by improving the quality of both your soul essence and your body. That can be achieved naturally, by slowly refining the essence, or by slaying powerful enemies. Once your essence reaches a qualitative change, the last step is to reform your soul core. That's… a bit tricky.»

He shook his head.

the knowledge of a soul refining technique. In the

Rain raised an eyebrow.

what? I can't Ascend? Should I just go and

furrowed

Of course, you can Ascend! The fact that no one else has a soul refining technique doesn't mean that I don't, or that I can't invent a

head and stared at

he have one, or

really matter to her now. She was not even an Awakened yet, so Ascension seemed distant enough to not

Even the Awakening…

Rain sighed.

want to

she wouldn't, but that didn't prevent her

stared at her

«What? Why?»

She pursed her lips.

can form a soul core and Awaken! But will i really be an Awakened? What kind of Awakened doesn't have an Aspect? Not to mention… not to mention that I won't be able to receive any Memories from the Spell! All those Awakened in Ravenheart

Spell. Rain was willing to accept that finding her Aspect and Flaw would take her a long time, perhaps even longer than

simply not having to launder her clothes would be

Her teacher suddenly laughed.

what it's

glared at him for a few moments, then gestured weakly to

like you might not care, but look at me… soot, ash, sweat, swamp water, mud, blood, and gods know what else! This is what I have to deal with after each hunt. There are no washing machines in Ravenheart, either! I'll need to wash it all by hand or pay a laundress… that's after I pay the healer to patch me up. And speaking

shook his head,

and mystical powers

her

«That's not true!»

He smiled crookedly.

«It's not?»

Rain gritted her teeth.

don't want to carry all that weight

leaned back and laughed

«Unbelievable…»

around, he picked up a piece of charred wood and scribbled something on it

wood

in satisfaction and tossed the

«Here, catch.»

wood, then hissed

«Ouch…»

strange gift to her face, Rain studied the

They read:

have received

She frowned.

«What's this?»

shrugged

as a Memory coupon. What, did you think that only the Spell could reward people with Memories? Well, wrong! Your teacher is awesome, so he can make Memories just fine. Let's see… you killed an

Rain blinked.

«You can make Memories?»

his chair and

powerful weapons, enchanted armor, and mystical tools? There are so many mundane things that would make for an amazing Memory! That bodysuit of yours? I'll Memorize it, no problem. Do you want a pillow that is always cold or a magical toothbrush? Your teacher can make that

at her with a smug

even make a roll of toilet paper into a Memory. If you don't go overboard, it will

is that bastard

teacher for a while, then blinked a couple