Chapter 773: Shadow Meadow
Chapter 773: Shadow Meadow
Arthur watched the young woman eat her meal as he took a bit of his own. The taste was still the same: nothing. If he ate meat, it would taste like a piece of plastic. If he ate soup, it would taste like hot water.
Little Yin seemed to have calmed down as she ate the stew that Arthur had given her. He kept some food in his subspace whenever he visited the inn so he was prepared for a few nights in the wilderness.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, watching her gulp down her food before staring at it. Then, to Arthur's surprise, she shook her head in refusal. "Are you fine with what you saw?"
"Do you mean the thing about using my powers?" asked Yin, to which Arthur nodded. "The last time I was pursued, I was saved thanks to you. You could have thrown me at Babo and left with the reward, but you did not. If I grow strong, I will repay that debt."
"I didn't do it out of feelings," admitted Arthur, since he felt guilty about letting her fool herself. "I did it because I wanted it, that's all."
"I know that, and that's what's different about you. Old Babo and Lin Xue are stuck with me, so I felt like a burden whatever they did. You had no reason to protect me, but you did, not to mention telling me that I had potential."
"You do," affirmed Arthur. "You have the potential to do great things."
"Like take down this empire?" she asked, and Arthur nodded. "I never thought about it before."
"It must be done," said Arthur while staring at the crackling fire. "This empire is bleeding through its citizens, and one day it will collapse. A selfish ruler is unfit to lead and must be removed."
Little Yin was silent before she placed the bowel down and rose from her seat. She sat beside Arthur on the stack of bamboo he gathered to create a bed. She was still wearing his blanket, with nothing underneath.
"And how do you know the next one will be different?" asked Little Yin beside him. "Is it your responsibility to decide who rules who?"
"I don't know who will be the next ruler, but I know that things cannot remain the same," said Arthur without turning his head. "I was given this power for a purpose. If not for goodness, then for what?"
"Do you wish to be a hero, Arthur?" asked Little Yin as she turned toward him.
"A hero?" laughed Arthur in response while shaking his head. "I never cared how others viewed me. I do this because it's what I want, not what it would make me. If tomorrow I woke up and decided this empire was rotten, I could become its villain."
"You are a complex person, Arthur. It sounds like you deny what you want to do because something is stopping you. You seek these elaborate ways to say that you want to do good."
Arthur was silent in response as he stared at the fire. It was hard to swallow, but her words were the truth. He never wanted to be the savior because it was what his father wanted. However, what do you do when what you wish to do is what you don't want?
"Regardless of what you do," said Little Yin as she bumped her shoulder into his, "you are a good person."
"Does that mean you trust me now?" asked Arthur with a smile as he turned toward her. Little Yin smiled as well before turning toward him. They stared into each other's eyes as the dancing flames flickered in their reflection.
Arthur could feel her leaning forward toward him, and his heart bumped. It wasn't that he was excited or scared of what might happen, but how rejection would hurt her. Thus, he leaned away, and she noticed.
"You know that I don't feel this way," said Arthur awkwardly as he turned away toward the fire. "You should get dressed before it gets too cold. We still have some time before it turns dark to start training."
Little Yin seemed disappointed but nodded nonetheless. She rose from her seat and went to wear her clothes, and Arthur turned away. It wasn't that Arthur didn't feel tempted, but he could never forget the girl who died for his sake before.
"What are we doing, master?" asked Little Yin while patting her flexed biceps. Arthur smiled before he rose as well and retrieved the camping supplies.
"Other Yin, as I like to call her, said that you wouldn't endure the horrors that come with her powers. If we improve your mental fortitude, your powers should naturally awaken."
"Are you saying this is why I have yet to awaken?"
"As I said before, late awakenings sometimes are a good thing. Our bodies need time to mature before our abilities can be used. I awakened when I was eighteen."
"When is your birthday?" asked Little Yin, taking Arthur by surprise. The notion of a birthday has long faded after their financial state went downhill, becoming a second matter in the endless machine.
"31st of December," said Arthur while scratching his head. "I turn twenty in two months."
"The last day of this year," muttered Little Yin before nodding with a smile. "If I'm around, we can make a birthday cake together."
Arthur was silent but nodded nonetheless. It was the first time that someone had asked him something personal. Even though Diana was the closest person to him, knowing his whole story, she never wanted to pry on things he left out.
"What are we going to do first?"
"A mental fortitude is hard to improve, as it comes naturally with the more experiences that someone goes through. However, I can think of three methods to tackle this."
"Three?" asked Little Yin with surprise. "Have you trained someone before?"
"I trained a group of knights," said Arthur. "Anyway, the first method is spiritual training. This is the safest method, but it takes a long time. The second method is harnessing battle experience; we can do that here, but it's dangerous. As for the third, it would be our last resort."
"What is it?"
"I would create illusions that would work as a terrorizing agent, increasing your resistance to the effects of those powers. However, I will ensure that it will be slow progress and nothing that can harm your mentality. Although fast, this method can be dangerous."
"You are in a hurry, right? We should start with the third method from the get-go and increase our chances," Little Yin raised her hands into fists while walking toward him. Arthur smiled and patted her head while shaking his.
"Although a fast method can be tempting, harming you is not worth it. We will take our time and see how it goes. For now, let's seek a few opponents."
Little Yin nodded, and Arthur led the way down the stream. This place was called Shadow Meadow for the creatures that lived beside it. This stream had a few places where mana was around, and looking into the waters would create clones from the reflection.
Arthur found the spot, which had mana overflowing around it. He raised his hand for Little Yin to wait a distance away as he tried this method. As he approached the waters, Arthur could feel the mana surrounding him.
His reflection in the mana was cloudy, and he waited for the fog to clear from it. Arthur could feel the mana seep into the waters as his face grew more defined. At some point, his reflection smiled, although Arthur did not.
"Creepy," muttered Arthur before his reflection jumped and came out of the water, appearing before Arthur as a perfect replica of himself.
The clone landed opposite Arthur, looking around the world as if admiring it. Then, it turned toward Arthur before grinning at him.
"The rules are simple," said the clone with Arthur's exact voice. "If I kill you, then I have a chance to take over your body. If you kill me, you have a chance of understanding yourself."
"And who made these rules?"
"I did," said the clone as it pointed toward itself. "This risk and reward are a part of a spiritual contract. If you agree, then I get to take over if I win. If you win, then I use my ability for your sake. What is your answer?"
"I agree to this contract," said Arthur, and he felt something lock inside his heart. The clone grinned and nodded before it bolted toward Arthur. Its arms turned into flames before it struck him, mimicking the same ability that Arthur exhibited.
Arthur teleported away, letting the attack strike the bamboo forest and burn it crisp. His frown deepened when he witnessed the destruction unbefitting of an illusion.
"You are not an illusion but a materialized clone," muttered Arthur as he stared at the clone made of flames. It turned toward him with a smile before teleporting, appearing behind Arthur.
"I am you."