As Kane woke up the next morning, he went through his regular routine, attending to his personal hygiene with a quick bath and then heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. Afterward, he proceeded directly to the Wilderness Survival class, eager to continue his training. Kane met Sunny just as he was about to enter the classroom, and offered a friendly greeting. "Good morning, Sunny," Kane said, his tone casual and amiable.
Sunny, equally cordial, replied, "Good morning, Kane."
Both of them then entered the classroom, where they were greeted by Teacher Julius. The class, as it had become customary, was incredibly demanding. Sunless and Kane were driven to their core, pushed to their limits by Julius's boundless enthusiasm and seemingly inexhaustible energy. The sheer volume of knowledge they were expected to absorb left them feeling both mentally and physically fatigued. The information they were learning, while basic to most Sleepers who had undergone the Nightmare trial, was presented in a unique way. This class insisted on exploring the "why" behind survival techniques, rather than simply focusing on the "what." This approach, though challenging, gave Kane a much deeper and more profound understanding of fundamental survival instincts, the underlying principles that governed their actions in the wilderness.
As the class finally drew to a close by sunset, both Kane and Sunless emerged from the classroom feeling utterly exhausted and battered, having once again been forced to skip both lunch and dinner due to the relentless pace of the instruction. As they walked away from the classroom, Kane, his mind still grappling with the revelations of the previous day, posed a question to his companion. "Hey, Sunny. Do you happen to know who Nephis is, exactly? I overheard some of the Legacies calling her 'Lady.' Is she someone important, a big shot or something?"
Sunny, his expression thoughtful, replied, "Yeah, she is. She's the heir of the Immortal Flame Clan, the daughter of Broken Sword. In a sense, she's practically royalty. If you ask me, they should be addressing her as 'Princess,' given her lineage and status."
Upon hearing Sunny's answer, Kane was stunned into silence. He stopped walking abruptly, his mind reeling from the implications of this information. The bottled-up rage that had been simmering within him since the death of his parents, the memories of the tortures he had endured in the outskirts, the knowledge that the clan responsible for the destruction of his life had a survivor, and that her father was the very murderer he despised - all of these thoughts collided within his mind, threatening to erupt in a violent outburst. He felt an overwhelming urge to lash out, to shout in fury, but his gaze fell on Sunny, who had stopped and was looking at him with a slight concern.
Sunny, sensing the sudden change in Kane's demeanor, stopped in his tracks and asked, "What happened?"
Kane, struggling to regain control of his emotions, replied, his voice strained, "No, it's nothing. I was just… shocked. I thought the Immortal Flame Clan was extinct, wiped out completely."
Sunny, his expression solemn, replied, "She is the sole survivor, the last remnant of a once-powerful clan."
After this brief but emotionally charged conversation, Kane, unable to bear the weight of his thoughts any longer, immediately turned and walked away from Sunny, heading straight back to his room without a word. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Kane's carefully constructed facade of composure shattered. He let out a primal scream, a cry of anguish and fury, and began to punch the mirror on his wall with all his might, his fists impacting the glass with brutal force until his hand was broken, the shards cutting into his flesh, and blood started to gush out, staining the once pristine surface a dark and crimson red.
After shattering the mirror completely, reducing it to a pile of jagged fragments, Kane collapsed onto the floor, his body trembling, his expression a mixture of profound sadness and bitter resentment. He sat there for a long time, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his mind consumed by a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse and weary, "What should I do now? If I want to find justice for my parents, to avenge their deaths and bring their dead killers to account, there is a high chance that she, Nephis, will meddle in my business, either intentionally or unintentionally. Thus, spoiling my peace.my mother's promise to have my peaceful life, my chance to live a life free from the shadows of the past. There is also the distinct possibility that she might already know about me, about my existence and my intentions. And from what I've heard, she seems to be incredibly strong, far beyond my current capabilities. Fuck the Immortal Flame Clan, and fuck you, Broken Sword, you bastard shit."
Kane, realizing the futility of his outburst, and the need to address his injuries, switched to his divine form, allowing the healing properties of his Aspect to mend his broken hand,thanks to his body enhancement, the divine form emanating from his body knitting the shattered bones and closing the open wounds. As the pain subsided, Kane began to calm his mind, attempting to regain some semblance of rational thought.
He thought, 'Now, I need to put Nephis aside, at least for the time being. If she crosses paths with me, if she poses a direct threat to my goals, then I will deal with her. But for now, my priority must be to get stronger, and to do so as quickly as possible. Nephis might be stronger than me, at least based on what I've heard, but that gap in power can be bridged with dedicated training and unwavering determination. I need to focus on honing my skills, mastering the art of combat, and learning to control this damned flaw of mine, in addition to my meditation practices. But how should I begin this training? Where should I start?'
As Kane pondered this question, a somewhat unorthodox, even crazy, idea began to form in his mind. He immediately set about implementing his plan. He carefully cleaned up the shattered glass shards that littered the room, his divine form making the task swift and efficient, and then settled into a meditative pose in the center of the now-clean space. He delved deep into his soul sea, venturing into the magnificent temple that resided within, his inner sanctuary. He focused his attention on the glowing runes that adorned the temple walls, the inscriptions that held the memories and skills of those he had defeated. Kane said to himself, "Last time, when I read these runes, I was able to experience the skillset and the memories of the life they lived. Now, I need to read the runes of a skilled warrior, someone whose expertise lies in swordsmanship, to learn their techniques and incorporate them into my own style. I need to find the strongest swordsman I can, the one whose knowledge will be most beneficial to me."
He proceeded to search through the memories, his consciousness sifting through the countless lives recorded on the temple walls, until he found the warrior he sought: Azarax, the Plague of Steel. As soon as he focused on Azarax's runes, a torrent of information flooded his brain, a chaotic mix of memories, techniques, and fighting styles, all interwoven with the incessant ravings of his flaw. Kane, his mind reeling from the onslaught, immediately withdrew from his soul sea, the overwhelming sensory input threatening to overwhelm his sanity.
Back in the physical world, Kane sat still, his brow furrowed in concentration. He focused his will, attempting to sort through the jumbled information in his head, to filter out the noise and extract the valuable knowledge. He meticulously analyzed the information, categorizing the memories, deciphering the techniques, and piecing together a coherent understanding of Azarax's fighting style.
After hours of intense mental effort, Kane finally began to grasp the essence of Azarax's swordsmanship. He thought, "Azarax's fighting style revolved around precision and speed. He tended to focus on identifying moments of weakness in his opponent's stance, exploiting those vulnerabilities with swift and decisive strikes. He was incredibly agile, changing his attacks at the last moment, making his movements unpredictable and difficult to defend against. He was also exceptionally good at reading his opponents, anticipating their moves and countering them effectively. Luckily, these memories also show how he practiced, the drills he used to hone his skills, starting from the very basics."
Armed with this newfound knowledge, Kane immediately summoned [The Ultimate Defiance], the sword he had acquired during his trial, and began to practice the basics, diligently repeating the fundamental movements and techniques that Azarax had mastered. He swung the sword thousands of times, his muscles burning, his body aching, but his determination unwavering.
Days turned into weeks, and a new routine began to take shape in Kane's life. The morning hours were dedicated to the Wilderness Survival class, where he and Sunless diligently absorbed the knowledge imparted by Teacher Julius. The evenings, however, were reserved for Kane's personal training. He would spend countless hours honing his swordsmanship, practicing Azarax's techniques, experimenting with his Aspect abilities, and attempting to control the relentless ravings of his flaw through rigorous mental exercises. The days were long and arduous, pushing him to his physical and mental limits, but Kane persevered, driven by an unyielding desire to become stronger, to be prepared for whatever challenges lay ahead.
And then, finally, the day arrived. The day that marked the culmination of weeks of preparation, the day that would test his newfound skills and resolve: the Winter Solstice.