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

Something was off.

detected the change in his heartbeat,

body pressed against his

something like that,"

come for breakfast?" A voice called

his surroundings again, recalling

charge of the kitchen and meals, and she often scolded the members of the orphanage for being late to

sleepily as she untangled herself from

he got up, putting on some clothes

main staircase was one that was burned

wished them, receiving an equally enthusiastic wish from the children and the

asked, pulling Rui into a

she's still a little tired and sleepy,"

have gone at it all night,"

hear you two at night, you know," Mana murmured,

BANG!

dropped a fist on

"Ow!"

"What was that for?!"

tact," Rui

didn't have to hit us that

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

He froze.

of uneasiness washed

Something was off.

not nice, Rui," Julian drew away his attention with an

Artists before they are

a pointed

course, they're your children before

mama to

he took a seat at the

narrowed as he sensed Martial Artist presence in the vicinity.

Alice remarked. "You were the one that hired them to protect us from Chairman Deacon all those years ago, remember? Honestly, you should get rid of them since you've

Rui froze.

of uneasiness washed

dear?" Lashara

emotions even without the

to how much she loved

His uneasiness washed away.

just

a concerned expression. "We've all told you, haven't we? We've long forgiven

the profound sense