Three weeks passed in the vast world of emptiness, Shion looked in the mirrior and the face that reflected was a complete stranger.
His body were still the same but his expression was cold and unrecognizable.
His eyes looked as if he didn't care for anyone or anything even himself.
"Ah, admiring the new you?" Hyacline's voice came behind him.
Shion didn't flinch...
He had learned not to...Found that emotion earned more of those sessions in the twisted training pocket dimensions.
I see differently," he said. His voice was hollow.
"You're stronger." She moved up behind him,resting her body on top of his. "What do you see when you look at that face?"
Shion knew what she was asking for, He'd completed all three weeks' worth of responses she required...Having a hard time with them had been.
"I see...Someone who won't fail again."
"Good." She smiled, and some wayward part of him was glad not to be scolded again.
"But before you can serve lord tsuyari out in the field," Hyacline declared, "you must show that you've outgrown your old weakness. You must show us that Shion Enther, the failure is dead."
No, The thought flashed through his head before he could suppress it. I'm not dead.
I'm alive. Shion looking up directly at hyacline's face
The floor of the arena shifted and the combat space rotated, ringed by step benches on which the reanimated disciples reclined.
Space distorted before Shion. A giant black hole emerged and someone walked out of it.
It was Itsuki...Not the real itsuki, but close enough...Same black hair...Same eyes.
"This is a construct that was derived from your memories," Hyacline told him. "It will fight with all the guile you remember your friend to have possessed...Overcome it, and show you've overcome weakness."
The fake Itsuki raised his hand...Shion felt the familiar ripple in the air that he feels whenever itsuki wants to unleash his ability.
For a moment, the vision stirred something deep in his chest. An intense need to say his friend's name.
Then Hyacline's fingers touched his chest. Her hand pushed through to his heart.
"He's not real," she whispered. "A memory, A flaw in a familiar face that must eliminate without thinking twice."
Shion wanted to believe... Had to believe, because if not, then the truth was what
she was demanding of him.
"Prove it," Hyacline commanded.
The construction reacted as exactly as Itsuki would react in a fight, it had the same fighting style and battle iq as the original. Perfect in every way but one, it was missing the warmth that made Itsuki who he was.
That alone would have been enough to make Shion hesitate.
"You're not him," he declared, calling on his talent.
The afterimages that manifested were more detailed than ever...More substantial...Pain and fear had sharpened them into tools of war.
The construct defended with elegance, employing its power to manipulate weight and velocity.
Causing attacks to miss or disperse.
But Shion had mastered new methods, How to make his echoes more than tricks.
When the construct evaded a sweeping ghost sword, Shion infused essence into the echo until it took on substance. The ghostly blade struck the fake Itsuki across the chest, ripping through robes and leaving a streak of blood.
"Wow, Impressive" hollered hyacline from her position.
But shion barely paid attention to her...
He was fighting like he was been controlled, Perfect movement and transitions, Slowly breaking into tier 2.
The construct fought fiercely, but it was limited by fighting like Itsuki would fight, Protecting others and unwilling to cause unnecessary harm.
But shion no longer had those inhibitions...Hyacline had trained that out of him.
He moved closer to the fake itsuki and pierced a spear though it's core, Just as it was about to fade away. It smiled.
Seeing itsuki smile bought hiim peace, that alone was enough for him.
"Well done," Hyacline descended from her perch. "How are you feeling?"
Shion looked on at the form dissolving. Saw the features blur and vanish until there was nothing there.
He searched for grief, Regret. For any remaining bit of the boy who had loved that friendship.
"I feel..." he fumbled, remembering what answer would save him. "Free."
It was a lie...
But lies were simpler than truth here...
He cleaned the blood from his blade, sitting in the world of emptiness, Hyacline circled him saying "Freedom is the first gift lord tsuyari gives to his disciples." She placed a cold hand on his shoulder. "Tomorrow, you'll receive your first assignment." Her smile widened. "And show them what becomes of such foolishness."
Shion nodded in agreement.
"Rest now," Hyacline said, dismissing him with a wave. "You'll need your strength."
Shion walked through the corridors alone, his footsteps echoing against stone. In his quarters, he sat on the edge of the bed and stared at his hands.
He tried to remember what Itsuki's laugh sounded like.
But nothing came.
The silence in his head was absolute, and for the first time, that terrified him more than any of Hyacline's punishments ever had.