Date: December 14, X770
Location: The Riverbank, Rosemary Village
Ages: Ren (5) | Erza (5)
The transition from autumn to winter was brutal. The air in Rosemary Village had turned into a wheezing gale that bit through thin rags and chilled the bone. For two five-year-olds living on the fringes, the cold was a deadlier enemy than any forest beast.
Ren stood by the half-frozen river, his chest bare despite the frost. His skin was flushed a deep, healthy red, and steam rose from his shoulders as if he were a boiling kettle.
« Notice: Internal body temperature is dropping. Please switch from 'Recovery Breathing' to 'Constant' to maintain blood flow. »
'I know, Sage,' Ren thought, his teeth gritting.
'Just a few more minutes. I need to make sure I can hold the heat even when I'm tired.'
He took a sharp, rhythmic breath. Suuu—haaa!
"Hinokami Kagura: Enbu!" (Dance of the Fire God: Waltz)
Ren swung his wooden sword—now reinforced with cured leather grips. The movement was a perfect circle. Though he couldn't manifest physical flames yet, the sheer speed and friction of his technique made the air around the blade shimmer with a hazy distortion.
"You're going to catch a cold and die, and then I'll have no one to spar with," a voice grumbled from the treeline.
Erza stepped out, wrapped in a thick, oversized wool shawl that Ren had traded three months' worth of medicinal herbs for. She looked like a grumpy scarlet-haired puffball.
Ren stopped his swing, the steam billowing around him. He gave her a cheeky, lopsided grin. "Don't worry, Erza-chan! If I get cold, I'll just have to huddle up next to you. Your hair is so bright, it must be warm, right?"
Erza's face turned a shade of red that rivaled her hair. "That's not how hair works, you dummy! And stop flirting! We're supposed to be practicing the 'Twin Moon' transition!"
The Moon Beneath The Ice
Ren laughed and tossed his wooden blade aside, picking up a second one and handing it to her. "Alright, alright. Show me your progress. The Sage—I mean, my intuition—says your footwork is getting sharper."
Erza took her stance. She closed her eyes, her breathing becoming slow, rhythmic, and hauntingly quiet. Unlike Ren's scorching heat, the air around Erza seemed to grow heavy and still.
"Getsuryū no Kokyū, Ni no Kata: Enban Kasuimoku!" (Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moonglow)
She moved. It was a flurry of three rapid strikes, her wooden blade tracing crescent arcs in the air. Each strike was placed with terrifying precision, aimed at the "gaps" Ren had taught her to find.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Ren parried them, but he felt the sting in his palms. 'She's getting faster,' he thought, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. 'Her Moon Breathing is starting to develop those tiny 'chaotic blades' of pressure.'
As they finished the sequence, Erza was panting, her breath forming small white clouds. Ren didn't pull away. Instead, he stepped in close and wrapped his warm, calloused hands around her freezing ones.
"Your hands are like ice, Erza," he murmured, his voice soft and uncharacteristically serious.
Erza blinked, her fierce combat gaze melting into something wide-eyed and vulnerable. "It's... it's just the weather. I'm fine."
"No," Ren said, bringing her hands up to his mouth and blowing his warm, "Sun-heated" breath onto her fingers. "You're my partner. If you freeze, I freeze. Remember?"
Erza watched him—this boy who looked like a miniature god of war with his red eyes and strange mark, yet treated her like she was the most precious thing in the world. She felt a strange ache in her chest that had nothing to do with the cold.
"Ren..." she whispered. "Why do you try so hard for me? You could probably live in a big city with your skills. You wouldn't have to hunt in the snow."
Ren looked up, his eyes locking onto hers.
"Because a sun with no moon to watch over is just a lonely light in a big empty sky. Besides," he added, his childish grin returning as he tweaked her nose, "who else is going to make you spicy curry when you're grumpy?"
A WARM HEARTH
They spent the evening huddled inside the shack. Ren had built a small, efficient fire in the center, and the smell of "Shikari Curry" (Hunter's Curry) filled the small space.
Ren sat behind Erza, untangling her long, messy red hair with a wooden comb he'd carved.
« Analysis: Subject 'Erza' is experiencing high levels of comfort. Suggestion: Continue social bonding to solidify the 'Protector' psychic link. »
'You don't have to tell me twice, Sage,' Ren thought.
"Hey, Erza-chan?" Ren said quietly as the snow began to patter against the roof.
"Yeah?" she replied, her eyes drooping with sleepiness.
"Next year, when we're six... let's try to find real steel. I want to see your Moon Breathing under the light of a real blade."
Erza leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes. "Only if you promise to keep making the curry. And... only if we stay together."
"Promise," Ren whispered, leaning his head atop hers.
Status Summary
Date: December 14, X770 (Early Winter)
Ages: 5 Years Old.
Ren's Progress:
Technique: Hinokami Kagura (Sun Breathing) - Body can now handle "Total Concentration: Constant" for 10 minutes.
Skill: High-tier temperature regulation via breathing.
Erza's Progress:
Technique: Getsuryū no Kokyū (Moon Breathing) - Mastered the 2nd Form.
Growth: Developing "The Knight" spatial awareness through sparring.
Relationship: "Indispensable." They are no longer just friends; they function as a single unit. Erza's reliance on Ren's warmth (both literal and emotional) is absolute.