Miyamoto knelt beside Lucy, his palm pressed against her neck as faint traces of Renshi flickered from his fingertips.
"Your five senses are still locked away from your Renshi… Let's change that," he muttered.
With a deep breath, Miyamoto channeled his own Renshi into her veins. His power flowed like burning rivers, searching, forcing, and pulling at Lucy's dormant Renshi. At first, nothing happened—her body trembled violently, her face twisted in pain. But after long minutes, a pulse answered.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her Renshi flared in reaction to his, tearing violently at the inner seal.
Cracks split through the spiritual lock inside her. A blinding aura surged upward—half dark, half light—and exploded outward in a torrent. The very air split apart.
BOOM!
The roof of Miyamoto's house blasted into the sky, wooden planks scattering like feathers. A luminous pillar of aura shot straight into the heavens, shaking the earth beneath them.
Miyamoto's eyes sharpened. "Too much!"
From his storage chain, he whipped out a sealing tag and slapped it against Lucy's neck. The talisman burned with blue inscriptions as the overwhelming aura was forced back into her body.
"Haaah…" Lucy collapsed to the floor, panting, drenched in sweat.
Miyamoto exhaled, smiling faintly. "Just as I expected from the master's children. Weakness doesn't run in your blood. Though…" He glanced at the hole in his roof and chuckled. "Seems I'll need a new one."
His gaze shifted. "Amanda, you're next."
Lucy groaned, dragging herself onto a wooden chair by the wall, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "That… felt like dying and waking up again…"
Amanda stepped forward silently, her eyes steady. Miyamoto pressed his palm against her neck and once again transferred his Renshi.
The reaction was instant.
A roar of dark Renshi ripped through her body like a beast unleashed from a cage. The pressure shook the entire house. The wooden beams creaked, cracked—then shattered.
BOOOOM!
The entire roof disintegrated this time, and Amanda stood engulfed in a monstrous aura three times denser than Lucy's. Her black and crimson Renshi surged upward like a storm threatening to swallow the heavens.
Miyamoto's expression darkened. "This is bad…!"
He slapped one sealing tag—then another—onto her neck. Both burned with force before the raging aura was suppressed, collapsing into silence.
Amanda blinked in confusion, sweat dripping down her chin. "Master… what's wrong? You look worried."
Miyamoto forced a smile. "No, nothing. Just thinking about something. You should be excited—you'll finally touch your Renshi."
But inside, his thoughts were heavy. Why has this child's Renshi fallen to such darkness? What has she been holding inside all this time…?
He turned away before Amanda could press further. "Come. Outside. It's time you both learn to command it."
---
The two sisters followed him toward the training hall behind the building. Lucy leaned close to Amanda.
"Big sis… don't you think Master's hiding something?"
Amanda's gaze stayed forward. "I don't know, Lu. But if there's a problem… it's with me."
Lucy frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"I said I think. I'm not sure yet. But something is off…" Amanda whispered, her eyes narrowing. "We'll find out sooner or later."
---
Miyamoto stood before them, his arms crossed. "The basics of Renshi use are simple, but merciless. To draw it out, you must force it through the five senses. Sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Master one, and the rest will follow."
He raised his hand, demonstrating. His Renshi crackled visibly, surrounding his palm in a shimmering haze.
"For beginners, focus on touch. Feel the flow within. Drag it out. Force it to obey."
The sisters clenched their fists, eyes closed. Days passed in sweat and exhaustion. Lucy and Amanda struggled to synchronize their senses with their inner Renshi, each failure leaving them breathless on the floor.
But they refused to quit.
By the second week, sparks of Renshi began escaping their skin, faint but steady.
A month later, they could both sheath their swords in raw Renshi. Their duels became frequent—sparks lighting up the training ground, steel clashing with steel, bursts of Renshi exploding with every strike. Miyamoto often sat back, arms folded, letting them tear at each other to gain experience.
The sisters sharpened day by day. By the third month, they were no longer beginners. Their swords moved with precision, their bodies infused with power. They were full-fledged swordswomen now—Shinras in all but name.
---
One afternoon, Miyamoto finally declared, "It's time you see a real battlefield."
Their eyes widened.
He led them across plains, mountains, and rivers, traveling on foot for weeks. Until finally, the gates of the Kingdom of Scale rose before them—an empire known for its endless missions and dangerous requests.
The town of Unbalance awaited. In this era, its streets thrived with life, not yet cursed by the swarm of rogue Shinras it would later suffer. Requests from villages, kingdoms, and small towns across the land filled its mission board. Each parchment bore a reward, each reward a chance for Shinras to survive.
Miyamoto, Amanda, and Lucy arrived at the heart of the crowd. The open street buzzed with chaos—tall buildings looming, shops ringing with bells, and the giant mission billboard towering over everything.
Amanda squinted. "How are we supposed to get close in this madness?"
"Wait here," Miyamoto said calmly.
Before they could respond, his body blurred—then vanished.
SWOOSH!
He reappeared at the front of the board instantly.
Lucy's jaw dropped. "H-He disappeared! Amanda, did you see that?!"
Amanda crossed her arms, though her eyes betrayed awe. "It's probably just another technique we'll learn. Don't act so amazed."
The sisters walked toward a street chair at the corner, sitting down to wait. Lucy leaned closer.
"Sis… you've been acting weird lately. Something's bothering you, isn't it?"
Amanda's gaze flicked away. "Nothing, Lucy."
But deep in her chest, the dark aura that had erupted earlier whispered otherwise.