*SWISH*
*SWISH*
A man with long white hair was standing in a secluded part of the dense forest, practicing with a katana. Every movent he made was precise, executed with careful calculation and perfection.
It was Renan, who was currently within a part of Elaris' core, diligently refining his katana skills.
He continued his practice for another hour, his sharp swings cutting through the air with asured grace. The rhythm of his movents was almost hypnotic, a testant to the hours of discipline he had put into mastering the blade. But then, just as suddenly as he had begun, he stopped.
"Amazing," he murmured under his breath, his eyes locked onto the wooden katana he had ford from a tree. The blade felt natural in his grip, like an extension of himself.
Despite the rigorous training, there wasn't a single drop of sweat on his face or body. His breathing was steady, his expression calm, as if he had rely been standing still the entire ti. Yet, he had been practicing relentlessly, his endurance proving just how vast his stamina truly was.
"This is truly amazing," he repeated, still in awe of his own abilities.
"To think even my talent for the katana has increased," he thought, reflecting on his progress. He hadn't touched a katana in the past two months since most of his focus had been on breaking through in his power system. He hadn't had ti to test his swordsmanship after his rebirth, but now that he had, he was utterly astonished.
'It's not just my skill level... I can feel myself getting close to so kind of breakthrough, but at the sa ti, it feels just out of reach,' he thought as he straightened his posture. His grip on the katana tightened as he swung it in a clean, smooth motion from left to right.
'Again,' he thought, his instincts compelling him to repeat the motion. The more he swung, the closer he felt to grasping that mysterious sensation lingering on the edge of his perception.
He continued, each strike carrying the weight of his focus. But no matter how many tis he repeated the action, the feeling remained just out of reach, like a fleeting shadow he couldn't quite grasp. It was frustrating, yet he knew pushing recklessly wouldn't help.
With that realization, he stopped.
"Huff," he exhaled, calming himself. 'I think this much is enough. I'm not getting any closer to it. There's no point in forcing it,' he thought, making the decision to halt his practice for now. He carefully stored the wooden katana back into his spatial ring, his mind still lingering on that elusive breakthrough.
"Hmm," he humd to himself as he turned around and started walking back toward the hut. His thoughts drifted as he reflected on his approach. 'I shouldn't rush this. Who knows? If I try to force it, I might push myself further away from that feeling instead of getting closer. I should take my ti and progress naturally.'
But suddenly, sothing caught his attention, pulling him from his thoughts.
He halted his steps and slowly turned his head to the left. His sharp eyes spotted a small figure nestled in the grass a short distance away.
A rabbit.
The creature sat still, staring at him with deep red eyes, its ears twitching slightly.
"Ohh, Yuna," he said with mild surprise as he recognized the rabbit. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he approached.
He crouched down and gently scooped up the small creature, cradling it in his arms. "What are you doing this far away from the hut?" he asked, lifting the rabbit slightly to make it look at him.
Yuna, as the rabbit was nad, blinked her crimson eyes and tilted her head slightly before straightening it again.
"Hmm," Renan humd, nodding as if understanding the silent answer. "So you followed here," he said with an amused smile. It was no surprise, considering how attached the rabbit had beco to him.
"Anyway, let's go back. Elaris should be coming back at any mont," he said, tucking Yuna close to his chest before resuming his walk back toward the hut.
Yuna nestled against him, not resisting his hold.
After five minutes of walking through the lush greenery, Renan finally arrived back at the hut. But instead of heading inside, he paused just outside the entrance.
With a small movent of his fingers, a chair ford from the earth itself rose behind him. Without hesitation, he sat down, making himself comfortable while still holding Yuna in his arms.
"I wonder how long it'll take for Elaris to return," he mused aloud.
His mind wandered back to their conversation that morning. After their… morning activity, Elaris had ntioned that she had sothing urgent to take care of. When he had asked about it, she had given him the sa vague response she had the first ti they t—telling him he would know after clearing all three dungeons.
'So, whatever she went to do must be related to the dungeons. And considering she took a mana oath to keep that information a secret, just like the one preventing her from revealing details about the dungeons and the Progenitor…' Renan thought, his brows slightly furrowing.
'Well, there's no use overthinking it. I'll find out when the ti cos. Besides, I have more imdiate things to worry about… Like how I'm supposed to explain my relationship with Elaris to Mother,' he thought as a sudden chill ran down his spine.
He could already imagine her reaction.
'She's definitely going to beat the crap out of . But I guess after that, she'll calm down. Father won't be too angry. Grandma Belinda will probably just lecture for a while and let it go. Grandpa won't say much either. As for Grandma Nyria… she might be a bit upset, but nothing too extre. Sylveria and Elowyn, though… they're definitely going to be shocked,' Renan thought, a smirk creeping onto his lips as he imagined their reactions.
'Now that I think about it, I can't wait to see their expressions when I go back.'
His expression turned thoughtful again. 'I don't have much ti. It's already been over two months since I left ho, and so far, I've only explored that one dungeon. I should start making preparations to leave. I'll ask Elaris if she wants to co with or stay here, but given how clingy she's been lately, I have a feeling she'll agree in a second.'
As he pondered his next steps, a sudden presence appeared before him.
With a faint shimr of light, soone materialized right in front of him.
Renan looked up.
"Ohh, you're finally back, Elaris," he said, gazing at the familiar figure before him.
"Yes, I'm back," Elaris responded as she stepped closer.
She stopped directly in front of him, her golden eyes shifting toward the rabbit nestled in Renan's lap. For a few seconds, she simply stood there, staring at Yuna.
Then, without warning, she reached out, grabbed the rabbit by the ears, and tossed it aside before imdiately sitting down on Renan's lap.
She wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself as close as possible.
"Hmmm," she humd in satisfaction, nuzzling into him. "Ahh, hubby, I missed you," she murmured, completely ignoring the rabbit, who now sat on the ground, staring at her.
"I see," Renan chuckled, embracing her back as he gently stroked her back.
They remained like that for a while before Renan finally spoke.
"Oh, by the way, Elaris… I was thinking of leaving this place," he said.
"Huh?" Elaris blinked in surprise.
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