Chapter 87: Why?
"Did you see the memory?"
I nodded, "Yeah"
It was not something that I was expecting, I never thought that this guy had to create his own style.
"I'm a genius," He answered.
Oh yeah, I forgot, he can read my mind.
"So, how can that memory make me stronger?"
My question made him sigh, it was a tired and bored sigh, then, out of nowhere, he attacked me. I managed to defend myself and counterattack, I even struggled for some time, but I could feel that I was going to be beaten eventually by him.
I couldn't explain properly, but his attacks were more refined, as if he actually knew what he was doing, he knew the purpose of each and all of his attacks, that way he could connect everything, nothing was wasted.
In a few seconds, I was on the ground, gasping for air, but I managed to ask, "How do you do that?"
"Even if I explain, you won't understand,"
What does that mean?
He sighed once more, "This is the result of my training, countless of hours training, it's not something you can grasp just by having my memories"
Then what's the point of showing me the memories?
"Because you need to know why I trained that way, you need to understand the reason why you'll have to train the same way"
What?
"There's always a reason behind seeking power"
I remained silent so he continued, "If I just showed you my memories, you probably would have learned my techniques, but you would never be complete because you wouldn't understand the reason why you had to learn them"
He added, "So, you understand why I had to create my own technique?"
"Because your mana is too aggressive"
He shook his head, "No, because OUR mana is too aggressive. Don't forget, you are using my body; everything of mine is now yours—my abilities, and also my flaws.
I see, that means I have to learn the same way you did?
"My memories will do most of the part, but you will have to practice it"
Fine by me, I think it will even be better, getting powers without much cost will be bad for my character later on.
"Don't get too excited, you will have to do the most difficult part of all"
What?
"Finish creating my technique"
I blinked in confusion for some seconds before asking, "Finish it? But hadn't you completely developed it?"
"You really think I completely created a style on my own in just 9 years?"
Well, thinking about it…
"The whole style is based on the true Grace style, but I adapted it to match my mana aggressiveness"
How much of it did you create?
"The Grace style has five moves, and I only managed to adapt two of them"
two of five, it will be a headache, I don't even know what to do.
"My memories can't help you with that, you will have to study and completely learn the Grace style, then adapt to your mana, the same way I did"
I started thinking of all the problems that this will cause me in the future, creating a whole style is something that not even Liam did in the novel, and I must do it to become stronger.
And it's not like I can switch my style now, because this style is already integrated in this body, changing now will just make me weaker and limit my potential in the future.
Then I asked, "These two moves, can I use without training?"
He nodded, "Yeah, although, the power will be severely decreased because of your lack of practice, but you can activate it"
Good, for now that's good, using two moves until I'm able to leave this exam and completely learn the Grace style.
"So, how do I use it?"
"You only has to say the name of the move, everything will else you will feel"
Name of the move?
"Yeah, name are really important, things don't exist if they don't have a name"
Wow, that's philosophical, what a smart guy you are.
He rolled his eyes and said, "The first move is called Red Thorn, and the second one…"
I chuckled after hearing Red Thorn, and interrupted him, he glared at me with fury in his eyes.
"Got a problem with the name?"
"Red Thorn?"
"I was a kid, and I liked roses. Got any other jokes?"
That depends on the next name.
He rolled his eyes and revealed the next one, "Crimson Garden"
I managed to contain myself this time, because I saw his reaction after saying 'Crimson Garden' I don't know why, but his expression was different from when he said about the first move.
Is it because…?
"I'm sorry" I said.
"I don't need your fucking pity"
Now you are being aggressive.
"Fuck off"
"I'm really sorry, I was insensible"
He glared at me and sighed, "At least you know when you're being inconvenient"
There was a silence after that, which left me quite bad, feeling a bit guilty about what I laughed about. He probably created these names to honor his mother and her garden.
I was an asshole for laughing.
"Good that you know," He said after listening to my thoughts.
"I'm sorry"
"Stop apologizing, I get it, and It was not because of my mother, it's something else"
I was left confused, but hesitated in asking, but I guess he knows that, because he can read my mind. You can read my mind, and I can know what you are feeling.
So why don't you tell me why you are feeling guilty.
He scoffed, "You like talking about people's feelings when they are not yours, right?"
His response was completely out of my imagination, I expected my answers but not that one.
"You're right, I'm sorry, I'll just leave" I said and tried leaving the place.
But his words stopped me, his response was something that I was not expecting as well, but it was somehow predictable, but the emotions that came with it were not.
"I used that move to kill Julian Rose"
I turned around and tried looking at his eyes, but he averted his gaze, an useless attempt to hide things, because I could feel.
The immense guilt eating him inside.
What's the meaning of this? You're feeling guilty? Why? In the novel you were never like that, you even mocked his death.
This was something that I was not trying to think of, it was perhaps something that if I acknowledge it, I would have to as well acknowledge that everything that I know about the novel may be wrong.
But I can't ignore it anymore. Why is he so different compared to the novel? First it was Agares.
Now these memories show a totally different person, a person that was not in the novel. The Iske that I saw, the one I talked to, and the ruthless, cold and distant Iske of the novel, they can't be the same person.
What really happened to you?
But I couldn't ask all that, so I chose a single question, one that perhaps could answer all my doubts.
"Why did you really kill Julian Rose?"
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