Earlier, around the same time Lexa and Amber had just begun their own training, Vexion and Elric were doing the same.
The morning sun hung high above the mountains, bathing the rocky landscape in golden light. Yet despite the bright day, the terrain itself was filled with deep shadows.
Large cliffs, towering boulders, and uneven mountain walls created countless hiding places. For an assassin, it was almost the perfect battlefield.
Elric stood opposite Vexion, his eyes carefully observing every movement she made. Unfortunately, the more he looked, the less confident he became.
He wasn't stupid. From the brief demonstration earlier he already understood that Lady Vexion manipulated some form of vectors or invisible forces. She could fly, walk on air, redirect herself instantly and accelerate at frightening speeds. But that was all he knew.
How far could those vectors reach? Could they change direction? Could they pull? Could they push? Could they crush? Could they defend automatically? The more questions he asked himself, the heavier his hesitation became.
Vexion noticed immediately.
She smiled inwardly. 'Master was right.'
She could almost hear Dante's lazy voice inside her head.
"Ehh, you can say that. It's fine to be worried. Especially after your opponent reveals something about themselve. But don't play pussy because of that."
She almost laughed remembering it.
"You fell for the exact same trap when you fought me. You knew I had Spatial Manipulation, so your brain started making up fifty abilities before I even attacked. That's normal. But instead of thinking, 'How much don't I know?' think, 'How much more can I make them reveal?' Go on the offensive. Force them to answer you. Today, my dear Vexion, I'll beat that stupid habit out of you."
She still remembered how many bruises that lesson had left behind. Master really had beaten that habit out of her.
Elric inhaled quietly. 'Lady Vexion wants me to attack. Then I attack.'
Without another thought, his body disappeared into the shadows beneath him.
Shadow Meld.
His body immediately began sinking into the darkness.
He intended to reposition before launching his first strike.
Unfortunately, his thought never finished.
BOOM!!
A violent force exploded directly into the side of his face. It didn't feel like being punched.
It felt as though an invisible mountain had suddenly decided to ram into him. His body spun uncontrollably through the air.
Rock shattered beneath him before he bounced several more times across the uneven ground.
Only after finally stopping did he realize he couldn't even see Vexion. His heartbeat accelerated violently.
'What... Where is she? Is she already behind me?'
His instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation he thrust his hand into his own shadow.
The darkness expanded and second Elric climbed from it. Shadow clone. The clone immediately scanned every direction while Elric once again attempted to sink into the mountain's shadow.
Hide first. Regain control. Then counterattack—
CRACK!!
Another invisible impact erupted before his body had even completely disappeared. His shoulder exploded with pain. His body was thrown sideways again. Blood burst from his mouth. His vision blurred. His left arm hung limply.
Before he could even stabilize himself, a calm voice reached his ears.
"Elric. You're still too slow."
He froze. Vexion casually stood beside him, hands folded beneath her chest, looking almost disappointed.
"Do I need to reduce myself to forty percent?"
Elric's eyes widened. His first thought wasn't embarrassment.
It was disbelief.
'Forty...? No. Impossible. She's lying. She has to be.'
His broken jaw throbbed painfully.
His shoulder in extreme pain, to add to that his vision still spun. There was absolutely no way she was only using half her strength. He refused to believe it.
Vexion gently patted his shoulder before walking past him.
"You should heal first."
Elric silently swallowed a healing pill. Several uncomfortable seconds later, bones slowly relocated themselves. His jaw clicked back into place. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the rocky ground before finally looking toward her.
"...Lady Vexion."
She tilted her head.
"Hm?"
"You're lying, aren't you? You're using more then 40 percent."
Vexion looked genuinely confused.
"No. I was. If anything, I slightly overestimated how much I needed." She shrugged. "I can tell roughly how much output I'm using. So, no, I'm not lying."
Elric wanted to argue. He truly did. But there was no point. Lexa had fought him while suppressing herself.
Vexion had trained Lexa. Naturally, Vexion should require even less effort. His stomach sank.
'Master. What kind of monster did you create...?'
Vexion smiled.
"I'll lower it dependng on your growth. In the end, you're here to learn." She pointed at him. "So — from that first exchange, what did you learn?"
Elric took a long breath.
"I hesitated."
Vexion nodded immediately.
"Good. Old habits. Exactly what I wanted you to notice."
"I knew what I should've done—" He frowned. "—but my instincts overruled my thoughts. I knew I should attack. But I convinced myself that disappearing into the shadows first counted as attacking."
Vexion smiled.
"Exactly. You redefined your own instructions. You obeyed them, while secretly breaking them."
Elric sighed.
"...Yeah."
Vexion continued.
"And after that?"
He thought carefully. Then another realization appeared.
"I assumed — because Lady Lexa waited for me before, you would also wait. I expected the same response."
Vexion elegantly clapped her hands together.
"Excellent. That's the answer I wanted."
She slowly walked around him.
"To be honest, there is no blueprint for victory. There never will be. You can create the most perfect battle plan imaginable. And then—" She smiled. "—your opponent does something so unbelievably stupid that your plan falls apart anyway."
Elric couldn't help but laugh. Vexion nodded.
"Master says that battle is simply solving unexpected problems faster than your opponent. Experience helps. But—" She raised a finger. "—experience becomes a weakness when you assume every opponent solves problems the same way. You expected me to behave like Lexa. I'm not Lexa. If Master fought you, he wouldn't fight like either of us. If Amber fought you, she wouldn't either. Everyone has different habits. So don't throw away experience. Build upon it. Let it guide you. Never let it blind you."
Elric slowly nodded. That actually made sense.
He looked toward the fading shadow clone.
"What about summoning my clone? Was that wrong?"
Vexion immediately shook her head.
"Not at all. In fact, I liked it. It was unexpected. If someone shows their trump card that early, it often forces their opponent to hesitate." She smiled. "Unfortunately, you ruined it immediately afterwards."
Elric frowned.
"...How?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
"What did you do after summoning the clone?"
He replayed everything. The answer came almost instantly.
"...I tried hiding."
Vexion shook her head.
"No. You ran. You got hit. You panicked. You ran."
She deliberately emphasized every word. Each one landed like another invisible punch. Elric lowered his head. She was right. He hadn't repositioned. He hadn't gathered information. He hadn't baited her. He hadn't counterattacked. He had simply run.
His embarrassment slowly disappeared. Instead, determination replaced it. He raised his head.
"I understand. I know what I need to fix."
He took a deep breath.
"Again."
Vexion's smile became noticeably warmer. Indeed. Master was right. Experienced fighters really are easier to teach. Unlike Lexa back when she had been, in Master's words, "A complete noob," Elric wasn't trying to defend his mistakes. He wasn't making excuses. The moment he understood something, he wanted to test it. He wanted another exchange. Another opportunity. Another lesson.
Vexion couldn't help smiling proudly.
Master. Your Shadow is growing exactly as you hoped he would.