Night returned back to the cave, like usually, Sylvia laid by the wall wiping her sword.
Her black hair and eyes seemed dull and hazy, but it only made him what to know more about her.
She felt hollow more than usual. It seemed like each day that passed, took away a piece of her.
She rarely smiled, and when she did, it was always short and forgettable .
Since the very day he met her, he always knew there was something she was hiding, but he knew asking would only make things worse, yet, seeing her like this. A feeling rose in his chest and it said
"Something bad was going to happen ".
Still he didn't ask no he couldn't, all that echoed in his mind at that moment was fear.
But, looking back to all she had done for him, he felt selfish, since the first time he met her.
Not once has she ever asked for something in return.
He as walking inside, but stopped suddenly. Without thinking, he asked:
"What is it that caused you to become like this?."
Sylvia stopped what she was doing and stared at him, pressure built around him instantly.
"Leave!"
That single word made it clear that if he made a single mistake, disciple or not, she would kill him.
"You helped me to relieve my pain, you've helped me so much, yet, i never returned the favour.
All i can do is listen. What ever your keeping in your heart, is simply pushing you further, you need to let it go."
"Shut up"
The pressure grew to the extent he could barely breathe, all he could do is prepare for the worst. He knew he shouldn't have, but, leaving her like this would only push her into the abyss.
A wild idea popped up in his head, he didn't think twice before saying it with the last breath in his body
"If i beat you, will you tell me"
The pressure reduced slightly
Hoping that she would agree, she stood up.
"If you lose then, leave and never come back. You will no longer be my disciple ".
She walked out, and with her, the pressure vanished too.
---
Night went deep into the cave, where the guardian's body was, he'd come a few times for its scales, but, its soul core and remaining precious parts were still there.
Night got to the hole and jumped down. The flesh had long rotened so he prepared a nose mask before hand.
But still, the immense stench easily entered his nostrils. With regretful eyes, he started.
He got, eighty-four scales which were in perfect condition, two fangs and twenty four useable bones. And lastly, he got the four enlightened rank soul cores buried in the rotten mass of flesh.
They were more than enough to craft weapons and utensils. But, the problem was transportation.
Each scale was heavy and large, if he were to create too many things, it would be impossible to carry around.
Still that was a problem with a simple solution.
Night activated the trait
[Shadow Manipulation]
The flow was simpler and easier now he had aen. The scale dissolved into shadow, it folded into a sphere, he tried to compress it as small as he could, but it had a limit, instantly resisting the moment it reached the size of his fist.
Still he tried to compress it.
Without his consent, black flames surged from his palm. Night instantly tried to dismiss the flame. When he did, the flame had already done something.
The sphere didn't break and the hex didn't say he refined it. So he thought nothing happened.
He tried to manipulate it again, and this time, there was no resistance. It got as small as the pearl then stopped.
Night felt something else inside the orb, but he just continued, repeating the process. The second time, he tried it, the hex brought up runes asking if he wanted to refine it, but he refused. That was only the case when he allowed the flame to last more than five seconds.
Night repeated the process until he fully used up all the materials. Then he moved on to making weapons, one long sword, two short swords and a katana.
He wasn't skilled enough to make them look magnificent, but it was crude and sloppy but confident in strength and durability.
Ren's voice echoed in night's head
"Master, why do you want to fight her"
Night tried to think for a reason but he couldn't nothing he did made sense to him.
Night didnt think for a possible explanation. He just asked ren
"Do you trust me"
Ren felt puzzled but said without hesitation
"Always, master"
Everything was set except the soul cores, since he never really refined more than one and each time he did, he felt like the flame grew a little weaker.
Still, he couldn't image beating her without it, so he refined them. When he was done, he felt exhausted, his mental prowess were drained beyond control.
Using aen was easier but still required immense concentration at his level.
Still everything was finally in place. All that remained now was the fight itself.
---
As dusk rose, night followed with it, Sylvia never came back that day but he knew where she would be.
Just like he thought, she was at the beach staring at the ocean, just like she always did.
"Do you really want to do this, night?".
Her voice was cold, it held no empathy, it felt like she had become truly hollow.
"Yes"
She stood up, her sword already drawn.
"Then,"
She lunged at him, appearing in front of him in an instant.
"I will show you no sympathy! ".
Night blocked the attack, with all he had. He knew he couldn't fully block the shock, so he redirected it into his legs, jumping back as fast as he could.
He draped two short swords preparing to dual wield.
Everything changed in an instant.
The pressure, her power and even herself. It was like what was locking her true power away just broke.
Night felt a feeling build up in his chest as he realized something .
"She had never once used a drop of her full power"
Yet, he felt like, the true fight had never truly begun.