The Martial Unity

Rui opened his eyes.

Barely.

He woke up, but the pleasure that enveloped his body was deep.

He wanted to close them again.

"Hmm…" He heard a sleepy moan.

He glanced down.

Senior Xanarn was asleep next to him, resting her head on his bare chest.

For a moment something felt off.

Something was deeply off.

Yet before he could even consider it, a wave of deep serenity and satisfaction washed over him, soothing his mind.

He glanced around the room.

('This… This is my room in the Quarrier Orphanage,')

Suddenly, another pang of uncertainty struck his heart.

Something was wrong.

Yet his mind relaxed before he felt the need to investigate further.

"Mmm… You woke up?" Senior Xanarn murmured sleepily.

"Did I wake you up…?"

"The change in your heartbeat did," She murmured sleepily.

She opened her eyes, staring straight at him. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Rui tried recalling what he dreamed.

"Just now… I was in the first round of the Virodha Martial Contest," Rui murmured. "You know, the one that I won and became the champion of to secure your treatment all those years ago?"

"No? I don't remember that," She said with a hint of mischief. "Are you talking about the one that you told me about more than a hundred times until I became deaf in addition to being blind? That one?"

"Funny,"

She giggled as she hugged him sleepily. "Did you have a dream about that?"

"…Dream?" Rui murmured.

deep flash of fear

Something was off.

at him with concern as she detected the change in his heartbeat, embracing him closer. "Are

soft skin of her body pressed against his as she wrapped her body against

like

don't the two of you come for breakfast?" A voice

of his surroundings again, recalling where

of the kitchen and meals, and she often

murmured sleepily as she untangled herself from

as he got up, putting on

was one that was burned in his mind.

them, receiving an equally enthusiastic wish

yet?" Lashara asked,

little tired

gone at it

at night, you know,"

BANG!

fist on both their

"Ow!"

"What was that for?!"

tact," Rui

have to hit us that

Squire Realm and recently gotten Martial Bodies, you should be able to handle this

He froze.

uneasiness

Something was off.

Julian drew away his attention with an

they are

a pointed

course, they're your children before they're Martial Artists," Rui

mama to the

he took a

Artist presence in

around for years," Alice remarked. "You were the one that hired them to protect us from Chairman Deacon all those years ago, remember? Honestly, you should

Rui froze.

surge of uneasiness washed

matter, dear?" Lashara asked with

managed to sense his emotions even without

a testament to

His uneasiness washed away.

was just thinking

still feeling guilty for what happened back then?" Lashara sighed, asking with a concerned expression. "We've all told you, haven't we? We've long forgiven you for that. You left us in order

beat heavier as the