"Next up, we'll go to politics: King Klaus of Ifritz has, once again, postponed the sentencing of the radical terrorist group known as the Flame Eaters.
The group hijacked a powerful piece of mobile artillery named the "Anteater", and, after crossing the sea that stretches between the continents of Mox Well and Karash, tried to invade the Order's Tower, before being intercepted by Lucy Crow and her mercenaries on the village of Myra, on the southeast border of the continent.
The war machine was stopped and the members captured, but authorities reported that the Anteater has mysteriously disappeared, as well as the small town of Myra that they nearly destroyed.
Although the terrorists are all accounted for, their testemony of their dispatch contradicts the files presented by the Iftrizian military in regards to how the Anteater was accessed and taken away from its bay.
As such, suspecting a bigger plot at work, King Klaus has placed an indefinite postponement of the group's sentencing until the truth is unearthed.
Next, Lifestyle News: the Álfr Forest of Sharem has been the hottest tourist spot for the Aqua Cycle. A few hours prior, Lady Ruby Scheherazade has officially hosted--
Yes..? Mhm...I see.
Breaking weather news: meteorologists from all over Gaia have just confirmed that nighttime has descended upon the skies, even during daytime hours.
Not only that, in the regions where the clear skies can be seen, all of the stars have been reported to have begun falling down like comets, incessantly, across the firmament.
After 5 years, a new Night of Teary Stars has begun. Experts surmise that it will last for 3 hours at the most and advise the populace to quickly check their food storage and cancel any long trips.
For the coming Lunafaye Advent may last from one night all the way to a full week."
*
"Look outside!"
"Amazing!"
"Last one was during the Pyre Cycle, huh? Oof, we're in for even colder nights..."
-Hmm?- Lucy looked on as the populace outside directed their attention to something that wasn't her, for once.
Putting her third helping of dessert pudding down, she, Noah and the rest of the entourage would filter outside of the inn, as the Kolimbra townspeople would gather, looking and pointing towards something above them.
Up in the dark night sky, the scenario that was painted was like one of a dream: the stars, that once peppered the firmament in their assigned places, were moving along the dark canvas, leaving behind long silver trails behind them. One after the other, they would stream down like comets in a seemingly never-ending cascade.
-Whoa..!- Noah gasped as he looked on- W-what is this?!
-Oh, have you never experienced a Night of Teary Stars, huh Noah?- Eldus smiled at him- It's a mysterious weather phenomenon in Gaia: at seemingly random times, the stars begin shooting along the sky like comets in an unceasing shower. This can be seen throughout the world, as night suddenly descends across the entirety of Gaia. This will keep going for a few hours, as the stars circle around the globe, ever streaming like tears.
-Ah, hence "Teary Stars"!-Noah nodded in understanding- But why does it happen?
-Well, legends say that it's the work of the gods up above.- Allie began explaining- Lightus, the goddess of wisdom, is denoted by both her great knowledge of many arts, from the performative to those of war, by also by her great innocence, glittering ever so persistently like the sun. And such a delicate, untouched flower lured Darkus, the god of shadows and subterfuge, to her.
"It is said that the Night of Teary Stars happens when Darkus, in his quest to attain such a pure flower all to himself, imposes his will over Lightus' heart. Such a thing saddens her greatly, leading to tears streaming down her face in an endless flow. And that translates into the stars themselves to begin raining down across the sky."
-That sounds awful..! Why would he do something like that? Huh...but wait...-Noah tilted his head in confusion- I thought Darkus was not supposed to represent evil, but rather a wisdom not seen by the light of day. The art of reading between the lines, of perceiving one's character. While he may look like a God of Lies, he's in truth a God of Hidden Truths.
"According to what I read in the Academy, at least, while the other gods bestowed humans with body, blood, breath, courage and vision, Darkus bestowed them with a shadow, splitting their soul into its flaws and qualities, which would, in turn, construct their individual hearts."
-There are many interpretations to the legend.- Allie pointed out- Perhaps Darkus, wanting to seduce Lightus, something that forces him to put his feelings on the spotlight, has done something that comes off as unpleasing to her. Or, perhaps he has shared a truth she, in her great kindness, does not want to hear. Nevertheless, the consensus is that Darkus angered or saddened Lightus, causing all of Gaia to see her tears as the stars in the night sky.
-Relationships are sounding more and more complicated with each passing hour...-Noah sighed, before his cheek was promptly pinched and pulled by Lucy.
-Daw, don't say that, "darling"~- she giggled, ignoring Noah's groans of protest- Either way, as dramatic as this is considering the celebrity that just landed in their town, we're now quite stuck. We'll have to postpone our stay here in Kolimbra for a while.
-Huh? Why?-Noah asked.
-Oh, you'll see, my dearest Noland~- the madame said, before she turned toward her entourage.
-Well, darlings, how about we slip into something a bit more comfortable? We can all enjoy the stars from our rooms, no need to bother the nice folks.
As the entourage nodded and began following Lucy back inside the inn, the townspeople were positively torn between watching the stars and admiring the noble lady.
"Oh please, Lady Scheherazade, please DO bother us!"
"Is she an envoy of Lightus herself? She IS from Sharem, after all. How else would one explain this Night of Teary Stars right when she arrived in town?"
"Oh, then would that mean that Mister Noland is an envoy of Darkus? Oh my, maybe he's a bit of a bad boy behind closed doors..."
"Perish the thought, I cannot imagine Mister Noland making his dearest Madame Scheherazade cry!"
As they climbed up the stairs of the inn (Agatha's son used his Tera Element to widen the staircase enough for Lucy to climb them, even with her wide dress), Eldus leaned in closer to Lucy to whisper to her.
-A wise move, Lucy. As the Advent approaches, the Tower's defenses will be placed under maximum security. They'll allocate more power to their radars and they might even send troops to check nearby towns. We'd best stay in our rooms until this all blows over. At the very least, we can't leave the inn's premises.
-Yeah...-Lucy nodded grimly- Last thing we need would be for us to make a run for it while being swallowed by complete darkness...
*
As both men and women settled into their rooms, Noah would change back into his Brigade Uniform (although he left his dark and orange jacket in his room, staying instead with a dark ELX-woven sleeveless undershirt).
As the girls were busy trying to get the dress off of Lucy, behind the wooden division Terri created, and Zeke went back to sleep, the boy was left with not much to do at that moment.
Not wanting to bother the rest of the men and still curious about the Night of Teary Stars, the ginger wig-wearing boy descended to the first floor. Passing by the dining area, he slid open a glass door by the end of the room, which lead to a small leisure area on the back of the inn, complete with a wooden porch, wicker chairs, tables and closed umbrellas. As the back of the dining hall had a bar, it was in that area where its users would usually hang about and relax.
Although, with the stars raining down as they were, everyone was either focused on stargazing or returning in a hurry back to their houses, momentarily forgetting about Lady Ruby. As such, that area of the inn was completely empty.
-I do wonder why people are so scared about this Night of Teary Stars...I thought meteor showers were supposed to be fun...
Suddenly, a familiar sound would reach Noah's ears and, looking up, he'd see a familiar plump shadow jump from the window at the back of the women's room
With grace, Noelle would land right beside him on the porch. She would have a very sweet smell around her as she'd hurriedly rub her paw on her nose, but couldn't avoid sneezing.
-I guess all the lady products the girls are using are a bit much for your nose, huh? Lucy did say that keeping her hair like that would take a bunch of work...-Noah smiled at the orange cat, watching it plop down on one of the wicker chairs.
-Well, we're done on that part, but it's more that Terri plopped down on the corner of the room and started her wood carving business to pass the time. Needless to say, more than a few stray splinters and dust landed on our furry friend.
Noah looked up again and had to roll out of the way, as Lucy's figure landed right where he was sitting. She didn't make the slightest noise as she jumped from the window and landed from such a tall fall, but the boy still didn't want to imagine what would have happened if her foot had landed on the top of his head.
-Careful!-he protested, glaring at the woman standing beside him.
Lucy had now changed into a frilly and lacy red nightgown, its long sleeves fluttering in the slight night breeze. The top half had a generous plunging neckline, bringing her cleavage more to the forefront, while on the bottom half, the dress went down all the way to her ankles, the delicate fabric making it possible for the filtering moonlight to reveal the shadow of the madame's figure underneath.
All factors that went way over Noah's head and that Lucy didn't seem interested in flaunting to him either way.
Upstairs, her hair was still in its beehive state, but now more bundled up, carefully adjusted into more of a tough-looking cocoon, so it wouldn't come undone as easily in her sleep.
-I don't envy Lady Ruby in the least. Keeping her hair steady must be draining...-Lucy ignored Noah's protests as she carefully adjusted her locks and plopped down beside him on the porch, sitting cross legged and rubbing her naked feet and scarlet-painted toes together.
She then grinned widely towards the boy, who was adjusting his ginger wig as well.
-So! How's being my date working out for you so far? I do apologize for not running the "fake kiss" protocol by you first, I only kind of remembered it when we went down to eat...- she gave him an apologetic giggle.
-It's both fun and confusing!- Noah mimicked her sitting position, holding onto his feet, still wearing his usual brown leather boots, as he rocked his body back and forth slowly- I don't know how you adults can keep all this drama every day!
-It's more of a Lady Ruby issue. Although I can't say I don't envy her. I also do wish I could find a nice consort to lavish with love~- Lucy sighed, cupping her own cheeks.
-Although I don't think you would pick a peasant...-Noah would give her the side-eye.
-Meh, money IS nice, but as long as the love is there, I don't really mind one's birth. As long as they're not afraid of my power, I'm not too picky about who I fall in love with~
-Well, I on the other hand, would rather focus on my friends! Being in love is way too complicated!- Noah puffed his cheeks.
-Oh, but who knows?- Lucy winked at him with a smug smile- Maybe before you lost your memories, you had a girlfriend. Or at the least, a crush on someone. Oh, oh..! It would be hi-la-ri-ous to see your past, big bad strong BladeMaster self fumbling over his words as he crushes over a cute little girl~! A little cherry boy in both lives! - she would then clutch her belly as she let out a hearty and mocking laugh.
Noah gritted his teeth as he cringed at the thought.
-Ugh, no way! Dealing with a fake relationship is already tough enough, imagine having to deal with a real one!
As Noah ended saying that, his face then fell into a more pensive state as silence set between the two for a few minutes.
-Lucy?- he eventually called, his eyes stuck on the raining stars above, the emerald full moon above letting out its soothing shine, the celestial body staying in place unlike the ever-shooting stars.
-What?- Lucy replied, as she lazily wiggled her toes, also looking towards the glittering stars.
-You're super strong, right?
-The strongest, yeah.
-How did you know you were strong? How...did you realize you had such strength, that you were on the correct path to being a BladeMaster?
-Kiddo, there's no such thing as a "correct" path to being a BladeMaster. There's only your path.
-But...how do you know you're even making progress down that path..? Progress towards bettering yourself? I...I've been keeping on with my reading about various subjects...And while it is fun, nothing jostles my memories. Tera herself said I'm a strong BladeMaster, but how do I measure that? If I do recover my memories, how will I be sure I'm truly that strong? How does a truly strong BladeMaster carry themselves?
Lucy took a long breath, massaging her forehead.
-Always with the tough questions...-she sighed, taking a few seconds to contemplate Noah's question- While being strong is subjective...I do know how one can express their strength.
-How?!- Noah bounced in his sitting position, leaning closer to Lucy.
Lucy stood up, dusting the back bottom half of her nightgown.
-Gimme a second.- with that, she slid the glass door open and walked inside the dining hall, before heading upstairs, passing by a swooning Agatha on the way ("Oh, such a demure yet sensual canvas of secrets, Lady Ruby..! If only I could be so bold when I was your age..!" "Don't sell yourself short, darling, you've still got it--Oh, sweetheart, no need to fall over! What if I hadn't caught you, you big silly!").
*
-Well, I for one, don't censor you, Axel! Be a bendy felly all you want!- Gee said as he chewed on a toothpick he had taken from dinner, arms crossed over his naked, lean and muscular torso and keeping his gi's blue hakama pants on, the Master sitting on his bed while talking with Axel, the lilac-haired boy sporting a matching set of pajamas.
-When you, of all people say that, I dunno, it doesn't inspire the biggest of confidence...-Axel groaned.
-Seconded.- Master Rye replied, matching Gee's nightwear, his much wider frame positively swollen with deeply toned muscles underneath his grizzly silver chest hair.
-Thirded.- Sobek replied, his pajamas being a navy blue t-shirt and shorts, the short man having placed his black wig away.
As they settled in for the night, the guys, seeking a topic to talk about, ended up in discussing who, among "Lady Ruby"'s female entourage, looked better in a maid suit (Mercedes was barred from the discussion by a vigilant Merceny, the blonde butler wearing his ELX uniform in an identical fashion as Noah did, as he leaned against the head of his bed, his ear trying to pick up on any shenanigans coming from the room beside them).
-Ok, let's settle this right now!- Gee clenched his fist, jumping to stand on his bed- We're all BladeMasters, aren't we?! And the girls are BladeMasters as well! We all strive to be stronger, so we respect strength!
"So, tell me: what is wrong with admiring the female strength?! What is wrong with looking at Lucy and those fine Elite ladies we have and going 'That is some premium badass lady right there'?!
If respecting and desiring to be around said power makes you a fellow whose soul bends over wherever which ways for a woman, then gosh darn it, my soul will bend over backwards for such maidens!"
-You're almost making a compelling argument. But I'm afraid I just can't see any merit from it, coming from someone who's constantly rejected, even by women who do find him handsome, simply because you keep fumbling everything when it counts and then going back to chase the next skirt two minutes later, like nothing happened.- Rye shrugged with a smirk.
-You're as single as me, Rye!- Gee pointed accusingly at him.
-Well, but he does make a point...-Guy pouted, the boy wearing a red pajama onesie as he sat on the floor, looking upwards at the group who had made a circle around Axel and Gee's beds- There's this stereotype that BladeMaster men only go for non-BladeMaster women because we're much stronger than them. But we're breaking that stereotype by admiring those that are as strong, if not stronger, than us!
-Guy, you shouldn't love someone based on what's socially acceptable. Like whoever you like...-Axel sighed.
-Yeah, that would both make you a bendy felly in the non-BladeMasters' eyes and patronizing in the BladeMasters' eyes.- Sobek added.
-Well, fine, go seek out your glass wives and I run off with Terri and Allie.- Gee huffed.
-The gall of this guy...-Axel and Sobek muttered.
-Need I remind you of how you took a guitar to serenade Miss Lilly, outside the window of the Ophelia Orphanage, the night before we departed?- Rye asked- As a non-BladeMaster, she's "glass" as well, lest you forget.
-My soul bends for every type of fair maiden, because it is open and wide like a beautiful lake~- Gee proudly grinned.
-More like a waste disposal site...-Merceny muttered as he looked towards the group with a roll of his eyes.
*knock knock knock*
Gee looked over to the door and jumped off the bed. Putting his gi back on and tying it with its black belt, he would open the door, before being met with Lucy's smiling face.
-Oh Gee, dear, can you help me with a little something~?- she asked in a sing-song tone, adding a little wink to the mix.
Like they were, indeed, made of glass, Gee's knees shook and buckled at the sight of the blonde and her beautiful nightwear, the Master narrowly avoiding falling to the floor by holding onto the door's wooden frame above his head, trying to pass it off with his best smile and showing off his pearly whites to Lucy, spitting the toothpick away.
-And what does the fairest madame seek at this hour of the night~?
-Knowing Lucy, it can't be good.- Eldus mumbled, sitting on his bed, surrounded by his fortress of books again.
Meanwhile, the rest of the guys couldn't hear anything the Sage said, as they stared on towards the "noblewoman", various degrees of astounded expressions on their flushed faces.
-Perish the thought, Eldus~!- Lucy giggled, before fluttering her eyelashes towards Gee- I just really need your sword, Gee~
-Wha-- -Gee's fingers nearly tore apart the doorframe he was holding onto, steam practically erupting from his ears and nostrils, his slanted eyes now wide open and face beet red.
Immediately, he opened his gi, throwing the belt behind him.
-R-right away!- he stammered, his voice breaking into a falsetto as he breathlessly spoke.
-Your wooden practice sword, you silly~ - Lucy smiled widely, but her eyes denoted only the desire to maim and tear one's body apart.
With one unhesitating swift motion, undeterred by the wave of animosity, Gee would toss a stack of wooden practice katanas, that he kept somewhere on his person, towards Lucy, the blonde easily catching them.
-Thanks, you're a star~- she said, kissing the tip of her index finger and jamming it in Gee's eye, before skipping away down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Gee didn't even seem to mind the attack, as he closed the door behind him, slumping against it with a look of pure fulfillment on his face.
-How're those souls feeling, gents?- he asked the group, with a sigh.
-Bendy.- Axel, Sobek, Rye and Guy promptly replied.
-Ugh...-Eldus, Merceny and Hanzo, up on the roof, loudly sighed.
*
-Here. Catch.- Lucy said as she tossed one of the wooden practice katanas towards Noah, who caught it with a puzzled expression on his face.
-Huh. Why so many?- he asked as he looked to the pile of swords Lucy placed on the porch upon returning from the inn with them.
-We'll need more than one at the very least.- she said, before summoning her Genesis- OK, now coat that sword with as much Astral Soul as you can.
Still confused over what the point of that exercise was, Noah did as he was told, summoning the multi-color aura of Astral Soul and focusing it around the sword, therefore strengthening its sharpness and toughness exponentially.
-Like this?- he asked- Now that I think about, this is the first time you've given me an actual lesson outside of just beating my butt in training every day...
-What can I say, I'm a woman of many talents.- Lucy shrugged before walking slowly towards Noah, spinning her Blade beside her- Keep that sword held up in front of you. Don't worry, I will only hit it.
As Noah did, Lucy would stop in front of him and lazily lean Genesis behind her, making an obvious motion for a big side swing.
"FWOOSH"
With a succinct motion, Lucy would swing her sword, aiming it towards Noah's katana. But it wasn't like the swings she had made when they had sparred before leaving Soula. It was quite the lazy swing, Noah's eyes being able to follow it even without Astral Soul enhancing his perception.
"CLONK"
But even so, as the Blade made contact with the katana, it cleaved it in half, like the wooden sword was made of butter, its upper half falling on the ground with ease.
-Wha..!- Noah gasped- B-but..!
-As you can see...- Lucy held Genesis up close to Noah, so he could see the Blade- I'm not enhancing it with Astral Soul. Nor am I enhancing it with the "dusk" portion of Nexus, which works similarly to Astral Soul in the sense that it increases the power of my attacks. It is just my Blade, with no special gimmicks attached. And even so, without any tricks, a lazy slice cut your sword, enhanced by Astral Soul, with the utmost ease.
She then spun Genesis on her hand so that she was holding it in reverse. She then presented its handle towards Noah.
-Take it.- she said.
Noah nodded and let go of the broken wooden sword before taking hold of Genesis. He could feel the sheer sharpness and weight behind the dark and silver sword.
-G-geez...It really is a powerful Blade...- he stated.
-Is it now..?- Lucy smirked before walking back and picking up one of the wooden katanas off the stack. The complete aura of Astral Soul would then envelop it.
-I trust you can feel the power output on this sword. I made sure to make it exactly the same as what you coated the first sword with. Now, enhance my Genesis with Astral Soul and try to cut mine. Swing as hard as you can.
With that, Lucy held the wooden sword in front of her with her left hand.
Noah curled up his lips, not knowing what the point of this exercise was.
-Y-yeah right. Your Genesis plus Astral Soul? It should be obvious--
He stopped his sentence short.
"N-no way...could it be..?" he thought to himself before he tightened his grip on the handle, the aura soon coating the sword. Lunging forward, he cocked the sword behind his head, holding it with both hands.
-Grraaaahhh!!!- he shouted, before swinging it at the wooden katana.
"CLINK"
The upper half of Genesis fell on the ground, succinctly and almost pathetically so.
-W-wha...but I...- Noah could only stammer as he looked between Genesis and Lucy's sword, the wooden katana not even having a chip on it.
-As you can see, Genesis being my Blade didn't make a difference. Even while enhanced by your Astral Soul, it fell short before the aura you outputted on the wooden sword before. Wooden sword which, I managed to cut with a lazy swing of my bare Genesis.
-I-I don't...w-what was the difference?!- Noah asked, completely baffled.
Lucy then placed her right index finger on Noah's chest.
-Determination.
She would then move her finger to tap Noah's forehead.
-And a set future.
Noah slowly blinked, scratching the top of his head, removing his orange wig for a few seconds before putting it back on.
-Yeah...I'm lost.- he ended up saying.
-Your Astral Soul is strong. It's fully completed, even if you can only focus it on one part of your body. You have the appropriate tools. But you cannot effectively use them.
She would then pace around the area, spinning the wooden sword in her hand.
-I've been mulling over our talk the other day. You know, the one we had near the commercial district. When we spoke about how frustrating it is for you to not know your past. That you feel like you're disrespecting your past self by messing around with us. Coupled with our sparring session, it got me thinking: if you're such a strong BladeMaster, simple amnesia should not be able to deter your soul power. If you're strong enough to be recognized by the goddess Tera, it should be embedded into your bones.
Lucy would then point at him.
-But you're still much too weak, even if you're leaps and bounds stronger than when you first arrived in Soula. And you want to know why?
Noah furrowed his brow, boldly stepping towards Lucy.
-Why, then?
She curled up her fist and softly tapped it on his head.
-This. You cannot think past this.- she'd jostle his head with her fist a bit- You'll become a strong BladeMaster once you gain your memories? Why? How? Will you gain some magical knowledge that will make your body healthy enough to keep up with your Backlash? Will some secret formula pop up that will remind you that, if you rub your stomach and tap your head at the same time, it will unlock special pressure points that will allow you to freely unleash 100% of your soul power? No!
The blonde would step closer, keep her fist forcefully pressed against his head.
-If you're really a BladeMaster, recovering your memories won't improve this.
She'd then tap her fist against his chest.
-It will heal this. A strong BladeMaster is not the one that has the most soul power. Nor the one with a secret, taboo Element nor a rare Blade. It is the one with a heart tempered by the mind and the mind fueled by the heart.
She would then extend both index fingers and thumbs and join them together, making a triangle shape.
-By fueling all sides of oneself, it will empower our zenith: the soul.
"Body, Mind, Heart. Those are what makes a powerful soul.
And a powerful soul makes a true BladeMaster."
The dame would then wag her finger at him.
-But you, Noah, do not have the last two elements on lockdown. And that is because, even if you have a trained body and the determination that can create a strong Astral Soul as a result, it is still much too shallow. Much too dull.
"And that is because you do not have a set future.
Not a set goal.
Set future."
Noah would look at her, words eluding him for a few seconds.
-W-wha...
-Sure. When you recover your memories, you may gain a set future. And that'll make you powerful. But right now, you're not that great, because your vision is much too preoccupied with what you could be seeing, now what you can or should be seeing. You cannot imagine a future "you", because you keep thinking he'll be something completely different from the present "you". You constantly think you're contradicting yourself!
"You're splitting yourself up.
And those doubts in your mind stunt your heart."
Noah's eyes widened in shock.
-The reason why I managed to cut Genesis and why you couldn't cut my practice sword is because you only swung. You took your accumulated power and just threw it at me all willy-nilly.
"While I sharpened mine. Tempered it.
By looking at the target in front of me and not stopping at the thoughts of 'I will cut it' or 'I won't let it cut me'.
In my future, in my reality, I had cut you. I hadn't let you cut me.
My body is trained.
My mind is sound.
My heart is full.
And my soul responded in kind.
Sure, a surface-level plan and determination are fine and dandy. It is necessary to know how to handle oneself and to be aware of one's limits. But every time you strike, you must be assured that your Blade is one that can cut someone. And the future before you is the one where you have cut your opponent.
A battle between BladeMasters is only about soul power and Elements on the surface level.
Truly strong BladeMasters put their set future on the line as they engage against their opponent!"
Noah looked down at the broken Genesis in his hand, the sword trembling.
-And I...because I don't have my memories, I don't have a future to set..?
-No!- Lucy flicked him on the forehead- You do have a future! Right now! You live, you breathe, you have a past and a present! But you're too focused on your surface goal of regaining your memories! You're worried about thousands of things you may be missing or be doing wrong! Your future becomes shallow as you stumble around, trying to magically construct some imaginary, dream-like Noah!
"Instead of thinking about unknowns, focus on what you can do right now! And what the Noah of right now would want by being 'strong'! Why do you fight? What would make you happy right now? What would make you sad?
-S-sad..? O-of course, you guys getting hurt...-Noah replied.
-But is that what you feel?
"Or what you feel that Past Noah would feel?"
Noah's eyes widened in shock, letting go of Genesis, the broken sword clinking on the ground.
-You say you fight for your friends. But is that what you truly feel? What is the future you see? One with your friends? Or one achieved by relying on your friends? Because you had friends? Because you feel that's what the Past You would want?
"Because if so, I'm sorry Noah, but that is insulting. You simply see us as a tool.
You're not afraid of us getting hurt.
You're afraid that your inability to protect us will disappoint the you that you once were.
Your reasoning is faulty.
Your heart is doubtful.
And as a result, your soul is dull."
Lucy then extended her closed fist towards him.
She would then extend one finger, pointing it squarely between his eyes.
-If I so wished, one tap of this finger would kill you. Not because I trust in my soul power output. Or because I trained in secret one-finger killing techniques.
"But because that's the future I would see being brought into fruition.
The future that I, Lucy Crow, would set for myself, by myself. "
And, suddenly, Noah could feel himself...heavy. Cold. Afraid. Like a lance was pointed right at him.
"Is this...her killer intent..? W-with just one finger..?!"
-Be selfish, Noah. A kind of selfish that is actually beneficial for you. Want things because you want them, not because that's what another person or a preconceived ideal you heard tells you it's right. You're your own man. And you must set your own future. By yourself. For yourself. If you fight for your friends, fight because you want it so. Not because they want it so. Not because another "you" wanted it so.
-But Lucy...-Noah shook his head- You're basically telling me to just...go full bananas when I battle? If I just...believe hard enough, I can do anything?! That if I throw myself blindly towards an enemy, thinking everything will be okay, it will be okay? What if my slash does not cut the enemy, not matter how much "heart" it had?!
-You big silly!- she repeatedly and roughly tapped his forehead, making the boy recoil in place- You think I want you to do that?! Think about it! If a truly strong BladeMaster bets their future in a fight against a fellow strong BladeMaster, you think this second fighter won't try to do the same?
-Huh..?!- Noah raised his eyebrows in confusion.
-Listen up! A true battle between BladeMasters is a wager between both the futures they want to bring forth! A clash of determinations which temper their Blades and fuel their Element!
"Yes, your slash may not work. It may be blocked or dodged.
But, again, you must never wield your Blade while thinking that it won't cut!
When you strike, you don't think of how you'll fail, you have to think only of how you'll follow up! Your mind should only be focused on your momentum, on the next step of your dance!
And if your opponent blocks and counters?
Block back! Counter back! Wrench your future away from this pit of self-doubt and bet it again! Because one's future, one's world, is a chip of eternal value in this gamble!
Make your soul tempered in desire! In determination! In this kind of selfishness!
Keep that flame alive and bolster it by training the body and having a sound mindset!
Draw up the future that you, in the moment, want with your whole heart!
That way, your soul will flare up brighter than this teary night sky!
And then there will be nothing that can cut you!
And then there will be nothing that you cannot cut!"