“You look so stupid right now!” Tsuki laughed.
“Hey now...” His voice ascended into flirty heights without him even realizing.
“Well, I look forward to your answer tomorrow, Mr. Detective.” Tsuki imitated his previous impression, showing the Phantom just how foolish he looked. The two joined in unanimous chuckling.
Tsuki had decided she had tasted enough laughter for now. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
“Anyways, that’s not why I brought you here with me. I brought you here to begin our training,” Tsuki stated sternly.
Ten laps around Boreal after all. Dusk chuckled to himself as he thought back to his adolescent days when he was neck deep in sports. He used to be capable of ten mile runs in the real world. Now, he'd be lucky if he could run one. Good thing this wasn't the real world.
“I figured as much. So, how are you going to train me?”
“Various ways, but for now...” Tsuki unsheathed her glistening sword as she spoke. “We’ll start with this.”
Dusk had thought his method of training would be different. In the end, he should’ve expected that dueling would be the primary method. No better way to learn combat than the true hands on experience, after all.
“So, you want us to duel? That’s the training?”
Tsuki slashed gracefully at the air with her blade. “You’d be surprised at the amount of information you can learn from dueling. This isn’t just for you. By crossing blades with you, I too can learn what kind of person you are.”
Dusk withdrew both of his swords from their sheaths, reciprocating the gesture.
“Well, in a way, I’m glad you want to duel me again so soon. It’ll give me a chance to beat you.”
Tsuki’s posture seemed relaxed but focused. Dusk took offense at her loosened stance.
So, she doesn’t consider me a threat, is that it? I have to beat her and show her I’m not someone to be taken lightly.
The two went through the usual motions of challenging and accepting the duel requests.
Several duels later, Dusk found himself face to face with his silver haired opponent once more—both of his blades pressing against her single blade—both struggling to gain the upper hand.
Dusk managed to win the struggle of strength, the power of his push throwing Tsuki off balance. He took this opportunity to swing both swords at her torso. She used her free hand to chill him with a blast of ice, hitting him square in the chest, causing him to stumble backward. She quickly recovered from her staggered state, swinging her blade straight at her new pupil’s throat. He ducked backwards instinctively, avoiding the deadly snow sword in the nick of time. Not willing to give her even a moment to follow up, he sliced his charcoal blade at her hip. Tsuki turned her blade with mach speed in order to stop his advance, kicking him in the stomach not even a second later, sending him reeling backwards as the air left his body. Before Dusk could recover, Tsuki drove her sword straight through his chest, withdrawing the blade as swiftly as she had stabbed him with it, causing him to fall backwards onto the snow. He closed his eyes tightly in agony as his body crunched against the snow. When he next opened those eyes, he found Tsuki standing over him, his blood tainting the purity of her blade as she pointed it at his throat.
Neither of them said a word, they didn’t need to. The situation spoke for itself. Tsuki was the victor.
The snow princess withdrew the tip of her sword from his throat, placing it back in its sheath. She stared down at the defeated Dusk, who seemed like he was programmed to only feel anger. He stared up at the silver woman, who possessed visible sympathy behind those eyes for the broken contraption who lay in a crumpled heap at her feet. She extended her hand towards him, silently beckoning him to take hold so that she could lift him up off the snowy depths. She began to understand a little better now what kind of person the Black Death was. He was too caught up in his own pride to take her hand, instead pushing himself up with his own power. Tsuki withdrew her hand, disappointed in the headstrong fool in front of her. Truly teaching this man might take longer than she originally anticipated.
“Why are you so angry?”
“Why do you think? I just fought you in ten duels and lost every single one.”
Tsuki was silent for a moment as she took a moment to ponder over Dusk’s words carefully.
“So, it’s pride then that has you so upset? What a pointless emotion. You don’t take losing very well.”
“I’m not used to losing at anything in the online world. I’ve spent so much time mastering my craft... and yet, you came along out of nowhere and beat me easily. You probably don’t understand since I doubt you ever lose with that level of skill.”
“That’s not true. I have lost to people in things before, and when I do, I don’t get angry like you are now. Instead of getting angry, one needs to think clearly and logically. They must look within themselves and ask what they did wrong. If one loses focus, then they’ve already lost the fight.”
“So, what do you suggest I do, teacher?”
Tsuki simply ignored her pupil’s immaturity and proceeded with her lecture.
“Think. Think back to these ten duels and ask yourself what you could have done differently. Ask yourself what I did and what you could have done to counter me.”
“As if I could remember every move in the heat of battle.”
“Try.” Tsuki paused for a moment, staring at Dusk intensely. “Also, one more thing... The biggest reason you lose to me, is because you are not whole.”
The enraged Phantom took a moment to look at his body to mock her wordlessly, portraying the sarcastic vibe of, looks like I'm whole to me. “What are you talking about, Tsuki?”
She paid no heed to his cynical mannerisms. She refused to entertain his childish behaviors. Instead she responded to his question neutrally, unshaken.
“I am saying you second guess yourself. There is inner conflict within your being. If you want to be truly strong, there can be no uncertainty. I am absolutely certain of my actions. That is why I defeat you every time. I also control my emotions; I don’t let them control me.”
“Letting rage drive me has always caused me to be stronger, always allowed me to defeat an opponent that I couldn’t defeat before.”
“Has that worked for you this time?”
You arrogant little... “No need to rub salt in the wound, Tsuki. I get it, you beat me every time. You probably think you’re so much better than me now, right,” Dusk growled angrily.
That pride of his burned as brightly as the sun, and he had been staring straight into the face of it for God knows how long. Tsuki gasped, amazed at how much her new student’s pride was blinding him. One could even say he was consumed by it.
“I don’t think that at all, what’s wrong with you?”
“Everyone else who’s managed to beat me in something online always gloats about it, are you trying to tell me you’re any different?”
“That is correct; don’t paint me with the same brush as everyone else, please. I exist to end competition, not fuel it.”
Her student was staring at her with the face of a doubting Thomas, obviously not convinced of her words.
“These duels are for learning, not for one person to assert superiority over another.”
He simply couldn’t understand this woman. She was an enigma wrapped in silver. Did she truly believe what she was saying to him?
“What are you talking about, Tsuki? Isn’t the entire point of player vs. player games for competition and proving who’s better?”
She could not blame him for thinking it was so. It was true that nearly everyone played PvP for such purposes, most of them losing sight of what really mattered.
“That is why in every previous game I played I made every effort I could to end that competitive mindset. I played those games to achieve that, and so that I myself could learn more in the process.”
“By crushing the competition, right?”
“That
is correct. It was a necessary step in attempting to dissolve that competitive mindset. Again, dueling with another player should be for learning, not for competition for its own sake.”
Dusk stared at the person before him in deep reflection. The motivations of people were always what interested him. He found that most people were simple to understand, and what they wanted out of life was nothing new to him—he thought he had heard it all. This woman, she was different. This was like stepping into another universe. He wanted to know more. It was like staring at a black hole, wondering what mysteries lie within the unfathomable depths, unable to get close lest he be crushed. Somewhere deep down, he even felt like her words resonated with a part of him. But at the same time, he saw this female enigma as a rival. An obstacle he needed to overcome. A fierce dichotomy raged inside him.
“If that is truly the way you think, Tsuki, then I haven’t met anyone else who thinks the way you do.”
“You never will meet anyone else like me, either. That is the first thing you need to realize about me if you want to have any hope of understanding me.”
The Sword Mage gazed expectantly at him, waiting for a reply. Realizing he had nothing more to say, she decided to touch on another important point.
“If you noticed, Dusk, the more duels we did, the worse you became, do you know why that is?”
I know why you're going to say it is. “It is because I let my anger control me, right?”
“Yes, letting anger fuel you in a duel is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you focus that anger instead of letting it control you.”
Despite the passive aggression that had been flowing through him, he couldn't deny his rage had taken control of him. A certain amount of anger could benefit, but too much of it and one would charge without thinking, which is exactly what he started doing during those last duels. Fury was not an easy thing to control.
“How does one do that, exactly?” He needed to know.
“Well, the best way to explain it would be using it to heighten your adrenaline, or heighten your senses. Picture it like augmented reflexes. Instead of charging blindly with your anger, you use it to make yourself hyperaware, that way you can move and perceive things faster.”
“Very interesting. So, do you want to duel again, and maybe I can try using this harnessed anger that you spoke of?”
“No, that’s enough for today. Your anger is currently clouding your judgment. We’ll resume this tomorrow when you’ve mellowed out a little.”
Dusk squeezed his fists, kicking the snow like a child throwing a tantrum.
In the end, I couldn’t even beat her once. I wanted to prove that I was her equal and I failed miserably. So shameful... damn it! But why... why do I care so much about proving that to her? What is this currently unending interest that is circling in my mind?
“Are you ready to go, Dusk?” Tsuki’s voice snapped him out of his miserable trance. “The others are calling for us back at camp.”
This whole experience was like a brutal wake up call. Before this, he had become complacent in his online endeavors, always coming out on top in any game he played. Even with Kevlar, he suspected the traitorous killer had cheated to rise to level 50 that quickly. Yet here, Tsuki destroyed him again and again on an equal playing field. He could summon no excuse for losing to her time and time again. A paralyzing concept slithered into his brain. One that he had not considered before now.
Maybe I'm not as special as I thought.
“Yeah, sure... let’s go.” Dusk replied meekly, feeling uncharacteristically humbled.
Tsuki walked up to him, gently putting her hand on his shoulder. Though her form looked ice cold, her hand radiated gentle warmth.
Just like that, they were back at the camp among their comrades.
“Hey, welcome back you two!” Omni greeted them warmly.
“So, how was it?” Reaper queried, showing a tiny spark of interest.
“Hmm?” Tsuki wanted further specification of what he was talking about.
“The training... how was it?”
“It was... interesting,” She replied, attempting to dress up a mud caked event in elegant clothing.
“So in other words, no progress,” Scarlet interjected bluntly, shredding all of the garments Tsuki had used, leaving the event stark bare in its grim reality.
“Not yet.”
“Hey,” Dusk called out. He hated the way Scarlet was treating him like a second class citizen. “I’m right here you know. You don’t have to talk as if I’m not.”
“You haven’t made any progress yet, and you want me to speak directly to you as opposed to your teacher?” Scarlet laughed heartily. “If you want me to speak directly to you, prove to me that you’re worth the time. Stop being so damn weak. I’m not even talking about physically; I’m talking about your emotions. You get riled up so easily.”
“Stop talking as if you know me, because you don’t. You don’t know me at all, or what I’ve had to go through.”
“Oh, poor baby, woe is me!” Scarlet cooed mockingly.
“That’s it...” Dusk wanted nothing more than to beat Scarlet in a duel and then rub it in her face. Unfortunately, after his recent humiliations, he lacked the confidence to follow through with that fantasy.
“See, this is exactly what I mean,” Scarlet retorted smugly. “It doesn’t matter what your reason is, you’re proving my point. Look at how angry you are right now, all over the comments I made. It was so damn easy too; I didn’t even have to try. If I can do this to you, imagine what your enemies can do. Do you think it helps us or yourself to have such an easily exploitable weakness?!”
Scarlet’s words glued Dusk’s mouth shut with their verbal adhesive. She was right. He always had fallen prey to anger easily. Ever since he was a kid, people had always exploited this weakness. He had never gotten over it, but then again he never really made an effort to control that rage to begin with.
“You may not like how she presents it, but the message rings true, Dusk,” Omni spoke up, inserting his nugget of truth into the conversation. “You see, us earth humans have 100% control over our consciousness and our emotions. You being angered so easily is a conscious decision on your part. Just as you choose to be angry, you can also make a conscious decision to be calm and peaceful. Anger is a negative value, along with jealousy, hatred, insecurity, pride, and impatience. The evolved earth human will have no need for such petty emotions.”
“The evolved earth human? What is that?”
“That is all you will hear for now. The rest will be told to you when the time is right.”
Dusk let his annoyance be heard and seen. He wanted them to know how miffed he was. Every time this Omni speaks, he raises more questions in my mind than answers. He touches on concepts I’ve not heard of, and then leaves them unanswered saying it is not yet time for me to know. I hate cliffhanger statements like that. If you’re gonna introduce a concept to me elaborate on that concept and answer it, damn it.
“Now then, it is time. We press on to another dungeon,” Omni stated with authority.
A shiver crawled up Dusk’s spine, escaping from his lips in a whisper of terror.
Scarlet was disturbed by his display of weakness. He reminded her of a scared little pussy cat; except cats were cuter.
“Hey, you! What is it with you and dungeons anyway? Why are you so scared of them?”
Dusk glanced down at the ground in a feeble attempt to hide his shame.
“I... don’t want to say.”
Scarlet closed the gap between them, getting right in his face. She abandoned all notions of camaraderie as her voice became emboldened with hostility.
“Listen, I don’t give a damn why you’re so scared of these dungeons. I only care about one thing. Can you get over this fear? We’re going to do things that are way more dangerous than these dungeons. If you can’t even do these simple dungeons, you better leave now and save us all the trouble.”
“I can do it. I need to do it. I need to become stronger no matter what,” Dusk stated with unwavering certainty in his voice.
“Well, that’s the first thing you’ve said that I’ve liked since you’ve gotten here.”
He was glad that he and Scarlet could agree on something for once.
“So...” Dusk spoke as he sidestepped Scarlet to regain his personal space, “I don’t suppose I could fight with you guys on this one, huh?”
“I mean... if you wanna get one shot and killed, sure,” Tsuki quipped.
“Right... forget I asked.”
The group completed this dungeon as well as the following ones flawlessly. It was as though they had been doing this their entire life—like they were made for this very purpose. Dusk had obtained two pieces of gear from the journey. A new sword and chest piece, which couldn’t be equipped until he was level 50. The group had made their way back to camp, exhausted from the events of the day.
“It's getting late, time to call it a day. Would you mind showing Dusk around, Tsuki?”
“Sure.”
Dusk being visibly confused spoke to Tsuki, seeking answers.
“What are you going to show me?”
Tsuki smiled fondly at the clueless warrior. “I’m going to show you our guild house. Come.”
“You guys have a house already?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t we? We’ve been level 50 for a month now.”
“A month... I don’t know why I’m even surprised,” he mumbled to himself.
“Hmm? You say something?”
“No.”
“Okay then, follow me, I shall show you our home.”
Dusk nodded and followed behind the silver haired swordswoman until they reached their destination. He couldn’t even picture what kind of house they would have; an alien spaceship perhaps? These four had strayed so far off the path of what society considered to be normal that he wouldn’t be surprised if it was a portal to another world entirely—a world where black was red and blue was yellow. He decided the best motto when it came to this guild was to expect the unexpected.
“Whoa...” Dusk’s mouth and eyes were wide open in amazement at the sight before him. He pictured a normal colonial style house at best, but nothing could’ve prepared him for what he saw. His eyes took in a veritable feast of architecture.
The Virtual Realm (War Of The Elements Book 1) Page 23
