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.

flash of fear struck

Something was off.

at him with concern as she detected the change in his heartbeat, embracing

skin of her body pressed against his as

something like that,"

come for

surroundings again, recalling where

charge of the kitchen and meals, and she often

sleepily as

nodded as he got up, putting on some clothes

leading to the main staircase was one that was burned in his mind. It was exactly how it always

everybody," Rui wished them, receiving an equally enthusiastic

Lashara asked, pulling Rui

a little tired and sleepy,"

two must have gone

hear you two at night, you know," Mana

BANG!

a fist on

"Ow!"

"What was that for?!"

Rui

to hit us that

Rui tutted. "You've broken through to the Squire Realm and recently gotten Martial Bodies, you should be able to handle this

He froze.

wave of uneasiness washed over

Something was off.

Rui," Julian drew away his attention

Artists before they are

pointed gaze

before they're

to the

defeat as he took a

he sensed Martial Artist presence in the vicinity. "…So

from Chairman Deacon all those years ago, remember? Honestly, you should get rid of

Rui froze.

surge of uneasiness washed

the matter, dear?" Lashara asked

sense his emotions even without the super

testament to how

His uneasiness washed away.

was just thinking

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 to protect us. How could

heart beat heavier as the profound