"I thought you said you'd take less than thirty minutes, it's been almost forty," Frowned Charlotte, as Rex entered the training space and shut the door behind him.
"Traffic. Also, I said maybe. And more importantly, I'm here now, aren't I?" He sighed in response, before adding as he glanced at me, "Is it really true that this'll be the last time I have to do this if whatever you're trying today works?"
"Yeah, because if it works, my control issue won't be a problem anymore. But it is kind of a big if, there's no way to know if it'll work until I try it. And if it goes wrong, well...I might end up attacking you with more intensity and aggression that I have before," I informed him sheepishly.
"Hm. That sounds like a pain. Let's hope it works," He muttered warily, before the two of us headed down the stairs.
I moved ahead to the back of the space as the staircase retracted, while Rex took his place on the other side of the space, holding a pair of wooden short-swords.
Okay, now that I'm actually about to do it, I feel really nervous. Alright, just calm down and-...wait, no, actually, don't calm down.
Remember what Frida told me, don't resist it, let it surge, embrace it.
Alright, then...here I go!
"
W-Woah...! Th-This is so...so intense...!
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as the sense of aggression continued to intensify, feeding into it and letting it take over, not putting up any resistance against it.
F-Fuck, I...I feel like my head's about to explode, as if the torrent of volatile emotions was suffocating me!
My chest felt burning hot and tight, my head pounding as I struggled to breathe. I could feel sweat pouring down my face as the adrenaline surged through my veins, my head starting to spin.
It felt like my consciousness was starting to shrink, drowning in the flood of rage and aggression, my thoughts coming to a grinding halt as I...I...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hm? What...is this feeling?
I opened my eyes slowly, an eerie sense of calm about me. I feel a cold yet burning fury inside me, so incredibly intense, but so tranquil at the same time.
What a strange feeling...this cold fury feels so suffocating, but the eerie calmness of it all is making my mind and body feel so relaxed.
Am I angry? Am I calm? I can't tell...I feel both at the same time.
It feels similar to a fever, except that my mind is so clear, clearer than it's ever been. It's hard to describe, I've never felt anything like this before.
The purple energy surrounding me was flowing smoothly and calmly, instead of violently swirling around like usual.
"Uh...did it work?" Inquired Rex cautiously.
"Yes. I believe it did," I replied in a quiet, calm voice.
"Woah, you're not going off the handle like usual. Great, looks like I'm done. I'm going to go now-...," He began with a sigh of relief.
"No, not so fast. Fight me. Don't worry, I won't use any weapons, though you're free to use those wooden blades, of course," I responded, before he tensed and backed away as he met my gaze.
Hm? What prompted that reaction? Strange.
"It won't make a difference whether you use weapons or not since weapons don't affect me. And somehow...this state you're in feels even scarier than your blind rage state. So, I'm going to have to decline," He shook his head, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face.
"I see. But tell me...what makes you think you have a choice in the matter?
"Damn it...," He muttered, raising his wooden swords up defensively before sprinting across to his left.
I slowly followed him with my gaze, before I swiftly chased after him, sending Ravage zipping out towards his left arm as I began to close in.
He quickly sprang across to his right, narrowly evading the snap of the jaws before racing away as I continued to chase after him.
"You don't need to run. I'm not going to try and kill you."
"Yeah, think I'll run anyway!"
"In that case...
"Wha-...?!"
As I deactivated Ravage, I swiftly manifested a copy of my old short-sword and flung it at him with a rapid spin as I shot forward at full speed.
He sprang across to his right as the blade closed in on him, whizzing past his left bicep before his eyes widened in alarm as I closed in on him and reached out, grabbing his left wrist before he could react.
He began to swing his right blade up towards me, before I pulled him off-balance with a swift, sharp tug on his wrist, before driving my left fist towards his face.
He let out a sharp gasp as my fist slammed square onto the middle of his face, breaking his nose upon impact, before he suddenly slipped free of my grasp as I began to draw my fist back again.
I raised my left arm up defensively as he swung his right blade across at me, before tilting my head back as the wooden weapon phased through my forearm, the tip of the blade striking the bridge of my nose.
"That hurt...," I muttered as I met his gaze with an icy stare, his body tensing before he instinctively leapt back several paces, his face pale.
"P-Pretty sure my broken nose hurts more, so...why don't we call it even and end it here?"
"No, not yet...I still have seven minutes left. Which means, so do you."
"T-To...to live?"
"No. Like I said, I won't kill you. At least...not on purpose. So try not to die."
"Come on, man..."