No Mercy (5)
The walk with my master took us in a different direction than usual. Along a secluded path, climbing the hill behind the mansion, we soon arrived at our destination. A neat, well-maintained tombstone stood there. It bore the marks of time's passage yet retained its pristine form. Sunset light, reminiscent of her eyes, bathed it gently. Master's shadow stretched long, softly enveloping the stone.
"Dodo, she was a girl just like you."
A faint smile carried a flood of emotions. Something beyond mere longing weighed heavily on my chest. She caressed the engraved name with precious care, as tenderly as she stroked my head. The words just like you made my heart ache. What exactly was so similar? My devotion to Master? My swordsmanship? Or maybe just our faces?
"If she were still alive today, she'd be about your age."
She spoke matter-of-factly, but the weight of years gone by pierced my skin. Countless nights, she must have stood here, yearning.
"Such a kind, foolish child... One day, she even said she wanted to heal my curse."
"...Master."
"Yes, just like you before. She said that and left—and returned like this after just one year."
One year. The word crushed my heart. The seven months I'd spent with Master. In a little over half a year together, her first disciple had come to an eternal standstill. The weight of my own words, my casual promise to fix her curse... How must they have sounded to her back then?
"Child."
"Yes, Master."
"I never want to lose another disciple."
It was the first time. Master speaking such fragile words to me. Her image overlapped—vomiting blood yet smiling. Master wasn't made of steel. No, she was desperately thrashing about just to reassure me. My chest grew ice-cold. I gritted my teeth, igniting my resolve.
"I'll be different, Master."
I met Tia Master's eyes squarely. Her pupils, filling with sunset glow, brimmed with vibrant life. A soft smile curved her lips. I could feel how deeply she cherished me.
"I know. I know full well... how outstanding and reliable you are, Dodo."
Tia Master continued, her expression desperate.
"Dodo, child. Won't you stay here with me and live out the rest of your days?"
Her eyes pleaded earnestly as she smiled. She wrapped her persuasion in gentleness, as if to coax me. She feared that I, her second disciple, might shatter and vanish into the near future just like the first. Her calm words carried the tone of a plea.
"If you reach the pinnacle of mana control, you can live free from the curse's influence."
It was a sweet offer.
"You'd have to suppress the power within you... so your later years might feel a bit listless... but you could live happily."
A lifetime of training, then peaceful days in utopia with Master. Wiser than braving the death-filled outside world, perhaps. Of course, I couldn't accept.
"I want to break free from the curse. I want to help you do the same. So..."
"No."
Before I could finish, a cold word sliced through. Firm, leaving no room—unlike before.
"You still know nothing. That child was just as confident as you...! Malice devours resolve like yours without a care."
"But if things stay like this, Master will eventually..."
"Cease your worry for me."
She declared it absolutely.
"I am inherently an absolute being, an object of worship. This petty curse cannot extinguish this body's essence."
A momentary silence.
"But your case is different, child."
Her love was like iron chains. If I didn't struggle to escape, she'd protect me forever... heedless of her own well-being. Unlike me with my status window, she suffered even now. Master was fading away.
"Even so, I want to go."
"Child."
She'd anticipated my answer, her voice serene. But her eyes held no prior gentleness. They scanned me indifferently, looking down. The aura from our first meeting. Light gleamed in Master's eyes. The air grew heavy. After a long silence, she replied.
"Very well."
"..."
"Prove your will. If you wish to leave, wound this flesh of mine."
Words like erecting a wall. No arrogance here. She'd never broken a sweat against me. She blinked at speeds my eyes couldn't follow, unleashing invisible blades. A being beyond human. I'd grasped her tier from that single exchange before. Wound her?
"..."
"Do that, and I'll let you go."
A declaration to give up, essentially. Her intent was no different. My throat grew parched. I questioned myself. ...So you're scared?
"Fine. Let's give it a shot, damn it."
"..."
Not the answer she wanted—Master furrowed her brow.
"Are you truly..."
"I'll heal you, Master."
"..."
Maternal Love [B] activated. Target's protective instincts and affinity increase.
Maternal Love nullified.
Tia Master squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. As if she loathed me, refusing to show her face, she headed back to the mansion first. Watching her, I finally sensed it. Only now did I vaguely grasp the activation condition. She was consistently dishonest. Only now.
The same delicious meal as always. The same training. And after the usual routine, Master's trial awaited. Tia Master chin-nodded at me with cold eyes. The temperature drop was unbelievable from her warmth moments ago. As I took one step, she moved dozens of times over. Speed like light, a flash in an instant. By the time I noticed, her blade had already grazed my throat.
"...Let's go back and wash up, child."
After the trial, she reverted to her kind self. Like magic, a different person.
"Yes, Master."
A bitter smile tugged at my lips. Not acceptance of defeat, but submission. Exposed to that aura, I naturally shrank. She hoped I'd say I'd give up. No doubt. With her overwhelming skill gap, she aimed to crush any desire to leave her side. The emptiness was fleeting. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. Carving time from sleep, from meals, from time with her—I threw myself into it desperately.
The fiercer my efforts, the stricter her trials became. Ghostly eyes scattered, slashing from all directions. Each trial ended with the same question.
[Will you give up?]
I knew her intent behind those words, and it stung. I faced death daily. Unscathed each time, yet it stabbed like I'd been butchered. My heart did. Each time, I gritted my teeth. My callused palms burst open daily, I rolled across the ground hundreds of times, inching forward. Bend before breaking—that was my mindset. I toiled to death. Sword, spear, staff, bow, then blunt weapons. By any means, just to touch her once.
...One day, blocking a sword overextended my wrist. Agonizing pain dropped me to my knees. Master silently bandaged it. Her usual gentle touch. Guilt filled her eyes.
...Yet I couldn't stop. I knew the trials pained her more than me. Even knowing, I pressed on. Still, I couldn't reach. Powerlessness repeated, truly killing me. One day, emotions surged, and I sobbed.
"..."
Master turned from me, grinding her teeth. I swore never to cry over this again. Bare branches withered, then bloomed anew. Seasons turned several times. Before I knew it, I wielded the dual swords that bore my name, swinging them with mana's flow.
One sword couldn't surpass the superhuman Master. Spears were too readable. She excelled impossibly at distance control. Arrows never reached; I was cut before two shots. Blunt weapons... just don't. For cripples. Against absolute forms, all weapons were powerless. So I layered forms upon forms. Unpredictable, irregular dual forms. That alone was the answer, I believed. Sometimes beast-like, sharp as ramparts, fast, unexpected weapons. A mortal's conclusion to wound Master even once.
...
Maternal Love [B]: Stimulates protective instincts in older women.
Throwing [D-]: Increases accuracy and power on throws.
Light Resistance [C-]: Resists light exposure states.
Swordsmanship [A]: Increases proficiency and power with swords.
Spear Mastery [C]: Increases proficiency and power with spears.
Blunt Weapon Mastery [D+]: Increases proficiency and power with blunt weapons.
Archery [C-]: Increases proficiency and power with bows.
Mark of the Abandoned: HP continuously decreases when too far from protector.
Mark of Dependence: Death after 24 hours without protector.
Year by year, I'd shot up, so now Master had to look up at me.
"Child, let's begin."
Of course... she still treated me like a kid. The trial started. As always, the mood plummeted in an instant. Eerie eyes locked on me.
"Huuu...."
Hands on the sheaths at my waist, I unleashed a ferocious aura in kind.