"Why is she so interested?" I asked, unconvinced.
"She wants to fight you."
"Straightforward. But she can solve one of our problems."
"What?"
"I don't have a Dream Realm anchor, remember? To my knowledge, I need a Saint to take me there."
"Hmm... she can indeed help with that. And we have a citadel of our own."
"You do?"
"Sunny found it."
"Anyway, if it's alright, we can meet her tomorrow. I want to sleep—I'm tired."
"Okay."
We ate a light dinner, and after taking a shower, I went straight to bed.
I sat on my bed and went into my soul sea.
"Hmm, my figure is so much brighter, almost solid. They are new people here some brighter than others and behind the throne there is a fifth Nightmare creature. At least I now know why I didn't get an echo after thousands of killing. More like I got and they are here for some reason."
"I think I get the 'The weight of a throne is measured not in gold, but in the will of those who kneel—or those who fall.' part of my aspect. They somehow empower me or my abilities. I need to test it later."
I was almost asleep when my door opened.
"What is it, my little Star?"
"Why are you asking? You can't sleep without me."
"But I told you, I'm fine now."
"I don't believe you."
"Really. After today's events, I reassured myself. There's nothing wrong now, I think."
"You sleep better with me here."
I was stunned for a second.
"That might be true, but I think it's really inappropriate if we continue to sleep together."
"I sleep better like this too."
I was dumbfounded.
"Do what you want." I said in acceptance.
'Something is wrong. She shouldn't be this assertive. Someone must have taught her this,' I thought while we lay there in each other's arms.
We woke up when morning came, and after breakfast, she led me to Valor's residence, where we were supposed to meet with Morgan and a Saint who would take me to the Chained Isles.
"So, anything I should know about her?"
"She's crazy."
"Aren't we all?"
"That's not a nice thing to say about your sister."
"Sister?"
"Oh, you must be the charming prince of my sister," a feminine voice said amusedly.
"I am Christopher."
"I know. I'm Morgan, and this is Sir Gilead. He will transport you—after you entertain me with a little spar."
"Simple enough. Then please, lead the way."
I could hear amused chuckling as she started walking ahead.
After a few minutes, we reached a training hall.
"Now, please get ready, and we can start immediately," she said as I felt her getting a training sword from the stand.
"I'm ready."
"You don't need weapons or take off that blindfold?"
"I don't need them against you," I said, taunting her.
"Then so be it," she said, growing frustrated.
She was fast, strong, and precise, and her technique was spectacular. But there was just one thing she didn't know—I am at my best when facing humans.
'Ah, Teacher... after fighting you, no human feels good enough,' I thought while effortlessly dodging her attacks.
"Dodging like a rat is all you can do?" she asked angrily.
"Hahaha, sorry. I was thinking about something."
"What?" I swear I heard a vein twitch.
She rushed at me again, but this time, instead of dodging, I started redirecting her attacks—kicking her knees or punching her gut whenever an opportunity arose.
"You're strong, fast, and skilled, but you know, there is difference in being confident and being arrogant and you are clearly belong to the latter. It makes you predictable after a while."
I clapped my hands, catching her sword, twisted it from her grip, and threw it away. She reacted almost instantly, switching to hand-to-hand combat, but that slight lapse in reaction gave me just enough time.
As she threw a punch, I used Heavenly Hand of Defense to block her attack and caught her hand with one arm while my other fist was already pressing into her solar plexus.
With the wind knocked out of her lungs, she faltered for a moment—and I was already squeezing her throat.
"You know, I heard you were quite the pain in the ass for my people who came back from hell," I said menacingly.
"Ughh..."
"This is my first and last warning—be careful when dealing with them."
I released her, and she started gasping for air.