Page 72

“Hey, kid.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Why are you here?”

“To help out.”

“That’s not a good reason.”

“I… think it is.”

Syrus had a lot to think about because of yesterday. What she did not plan to deal with was the boy from yesterday. The boy had found her when she went to the outskirts to train Eva. Together with the small brown pup by his leg, he walked up to them during their exploration to find a good training area.

[I guess this isn’t too bad.] Syrus didn’t mind the predicament, as it meant a possible delay in training Eva.

[It shouldn’t be a problem if he watches us train, right? Especially, if we just focus on Manipulation.] (Eva)

[Yeah, I guess.] (Syrus)

Eva could feel the strands of unease and hesitation from Syrus; Eva had been feeling those emotions from her for a while, but she wasn’t sure why.

Syrus sighed. “Well, I’m just going to do some stretches and exercise, so I don’t really need your help.”

“Okay.” The boy nodded.

[Sigh… okay. Before we do any actual training,. I’m going to do a series of stretches, and once I am done, I want you to do them all on your own.] (Syrus)

[Why will that help me?] Eva asked. If Syrus limbered them up, they would already be ready to train.

[It’s a mental, or, I guess, soul thing? I just want you to be aware of your range of motion.] (Syrus)

[Okay.] Eva understood that logic. Even if you know the theoretics, you still need to practise if you want to do the practical.

Syrus began with a bunch of wide and deep stretches, definitely not something a beginner should do, but Eva did share the same body so the only restraint would be her mind.

Syrus wasn’t going to make this easy and continued for a solid ten minutes.

[I’ll remind you what stretches you need if you forget.] (Syrus)

[Glup… yeah… I got it.] Eva realised this was going to be more difficult than expected. She nodded, [Let’s do it.]

Eva began her thirty-minute stretching exercise session.

Syrus had completely backed off, letting Eva handle all the motions. Which led to Eva learning how much more difficult it was. Her legs were unstable; she was internally worried about hurting herself and the tinges of pain were way scarier when she caused them rather than when Syrus did.

[Huu… haa… I did it.] Eva celebrated internally. Physically, she felt fine, but the process was still a bit much.

[Good, you will be doing this again in the future. And next time, I won’t be starting it.] (Syrus)

[You… want me to do the daily exercises?] (Eva)

Syrus always exercised every day, it helped her feel good, but now she wanted Eva to do it.

[Yes, but not every day, just thrice a week. Luna can do it once.] (Syrus)

[Thanks.] Luna did enjoy doing the exercise, not as much as Syrus, but she did take the initiative on certain days.

Now that was done, the important part was to come.

[...Okay. There is a lot to go over if you want to learn how to fight. Judging distance, motion, physical condition, and reach. However, we ain’t going over any of those today in great detail. Because step one will be learning how to use your weapon, and you’ll learn about those as we progress.] (Syrus)

[Okay…] Eva touched the two bands with string wrapped around them on her arms. This was Eva’s weapon. Chosen by her to make full use of her Manipulation. There were multiple options, but stuff like puppets and trap-making didn’t fit when working with the three of them. Flying weapons would be a very good choice as they wouldn’t interfere with whatever Syrus or Luna did, but it was much easier for Eva to manipulate something she was touching.

[Ideally for combat, metal wire will be better, but it is safer to practise and train with string.] (Syrus)

Of course, Syrus didn’t know how to use string or wire in combat, but she understood the benefits of using a long-range whip-like weapon and being able to tie up someone from a distance.

[We will do a few motions, then you’ll return them back to holders, then we will repeat.] (Syrus)

[I’ll return them?] (Eva)

[Yes, it would always be best to retract the weapon. Leaving it out could mean someone could grab or tangle it. Of course, using it as a constant threat is a good idea but I’d rather you do that after you get the basics down.] (Syrus)

They went over how to use the motions of their arms, and then body, to support the motion of the string. She adjusted how much control she had over the string, allowing her to control the whole thing or just keep it stiff and floating.

Eva, at Syrus’ command, launched both strings and tried many different motions with them. Day one was going over a lot of motions Syrus figured would be good, but anything they tried and Syrus deemed not a good idea, she would let that be known and she would suggest a new method.

During one of the breathers. “If you are going to keep staring, you better start explaining why you are actually here. Better yet, start with your name.” Syrus gave a side-eye glare to the boy while Eva retracted the string.

The boy walked closer with the pup in tow, and he finally spilled the beans. “My… name is Ethan.”

Apparently, the pup was the child of the family dog and a local wolf. The mother died soon after birth, and the kid had been trying to take care of the pup all this time. His family couldn’t do much to help as they were strapped for cash, but they let Ethan try. After weeks of keeping the pup a secret, because the blue fur was a massive concern for the family, the pup went into the woods looking for family, and the kid went along as well to keep the dog safe, but that was a decision made from delusion and overconfidence. They weren’t even sure if they found the pup’s dad, but the pack of wolves that clearly resembled the pup attacked them.

Syrus asked, “Backstory aside, why were you looking for me?”

“I… wanted to thank you.”

“Thanks.” Syrus still felt something was up. “Anything else?”

“...Can you train me how to fight?” He looked around him. “And… Can you help me hide Cobalt..?”

“That’s a lot, and I’m quite busy.”

“...My family was really worried about someone stealing Cobalt, and you didn’t do anything…”

“Your barrier to trust is very low.” Syrus didn’t hear or see anyone else around. “Why do you need me to help hide him?”

“I… want to be strong enough to protect him… you were strong and helpful, and... my family is worried someone ratted about Cobalt’s rare colours..."

[It appears they don’t know the significance of Cobalt’s colours besides the fact that it’s rare.] (Luna)

[In a way, not knowing is an even bigger danger.] (Syrus)

“Why do you care so much about the pup?”

Ethan said confidently, “He’s family.”

[Fuck.] Syrus groaned.

“Sigh.. fine. I’ll help you hide the dog for a little bit, on the one condition that you help me sometime in the future.”

His eyes brightened, “Sweet.”

Syrus asked, “How long?”

The boy looked up for a moment, trying to remember. “...Umm… five days.”

[Is that alright with you two?] (Syrus)

[Yes.] (Luna)

[I’ve never seen a mythic creature before… It will be a good learning experience!] (Eva)

“As for training; I’ll throw something together, but do you know your attribute?”

Ethan nodded. “Wind.”

“Good enough.” Then Syrus asked again, “Okay, as I said earlier, do you agree to my terms?” There was no point asking for money from a family that found it difficult to pay for a pup's food, so a favour was their best bet.

He vigorously nodded.

“You got a deal, boy.”

[Now we have to see if we gave ourselves more trouble than it was worth.] (Luna)

[...] (Eva)

[We can always blame Syrus if it does?] (Eva)

[Hey! It was a unanimous agreement.] (Syrus)