I studied myself in the mirror for the next several minutes, looking for any more changes. To my disappointnt, I found none. While I had scales and a pair of wings, I didn't have a tail. Then again, maybe that was for the best. I think I'd find it difficult to sit down with a tail.
Afterwards, I left the bathroom. I decided to keep my t-shirt off to keep my wings free. So, when I rejoined Francis and Alysha, I faced them while topless.
"Okay, Brandon," Francis said when he saw . "It's your turn to explain things." He gestured to . "What happened? How did you end up like this?"
I scratched my cheek and let out an awkward laugh.
"I… Well, Aurora and I might've, sort of, beco one," I said.
Francis and Alysha stared at .
"What do you an you've beco one?" Francis asked. "The two of you fused together sohow?"
I nodded.
"That's what it felt like." I whirled around to show off. "How else do you explain this?"
Francis stared at for several monts, before he looked at Alysha.
"Did you know this was even possible?" he asked her.
Alysha shook her head.
"No," she said. "While I know a bit about spirits, I'm no expert." She glanced at . "Even if I were, I doubt that would've helped. Spirit contracts are rare, so most people don't know much about them, including so-called experts. They don't see the point."
I gestured to myself.
"I think they'd change their minds if they knew this was possible," I said.
Alysha frowned.
"Maybe," she said. "Or maybe not. We don't know if this… fusion is sothing unique to you and Aurora, or if other people can do it as well."
"Hmm, she's right," Francis said, studying with a worrying gleam in his eyes. "We need to conduct a few experints to figure out the truth."
I took a step back and pointed a finger at Francis.
"You keep your hands off ," I said in a warning tone. "Go find your own spirit if you want to conduct experints. I'll have no part of it."
Francis gave an intense look.
"But Brandon," he said. "This is potentially groundbreaking research. Think of how much we can advance magical theory here on Earth!"
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I said no." Despite this, the intensity in Francis' eyes remained. Hmm, I needed a way to deter him. An idea ca to mind. "What if this is because Aurora and Gabriel are from Lumina?"
Francis frowned.
"That's… a possibility," he said.
"Exactly! So, find out if it's even possible for Earthlings to fuse with spirits. If not, then there's no point in conducting any experints on until we find a way to travel to Lumina."
"You make an excellent point," Francis said.
I felt a sliver of relief when the gleam in his eyes faded away.
"Speaking of traveling to Lumina," Alysha said. "If you and Aurora are now fused, does this an you have Spirit Sight?"
I frowned.
"No," I said. "The world looks the sa as usual. Well, usual for Gabriel."
Now that I had Aurora's mories, I rembered what it was like to see the world through a spirit's eyes. As an Awakened, Gabriel could sense ambient mana and even manipulate it, albeit none to the sa degree as a wizard. However, even wizards couldn't physically interact with mana.
Spirits, on the other hand, could not only see mana, they could interact with it as if it were physical. This was because they were, in part, made up of mana. Spirits also saw souls rather than bodies. For example, when Aurora first t Gabriel, his soul looked like his body but made of mist and lightning. Their contract added frost to the mix.
"In that case, why don't you try now?" Alysha asked.
I nodded, before I closed my eyes and focused. Alysha explained that Spirit Sight was opening the soul's eyes. However, now that I was both Gabriel and Aurora, I opened the latter's eyes.
It worked.
The mont I opened my eyes, the world had beco a different place. Mana was everywhere and in everything. The quantity and quality differed, depending on the location, but it was prevalent.
Mana took on different properties as well. The mana inside the runic circle was cold and frosty, while the mana outside of it felt of dicine and sickness.
I could also see my teammates' souls. Alysha's soul looked like it was made of golden light, while Francis' soul looked like it was made of wind and fire.
"Whoa," I said, looking around. "This is trippy. At least for the half of that is Gabriel."
I reached over to touch so nearby mana. However, to my disappointnt, my hand went right through it.
"Huh. I guess I can't touch mana." I looked at my teammates. "Still, I can use Spirit Sight now."
Alysha gave a sad smile.
"I guess this ans you're leaving us soon," she said.
Francis and I both froze at that.
"Yeah," I said when I regained my composure. "I guess I am."
"Damn," Francis said. "I was so excited that I had forgotten about that part."
Now that I gained Spirit Sight, albeit in a roundabout fashion, I found myself reluctant to take the next step. I knew that I needed to return to Lumina, but I didn't want to leave my loved ones on Earth behind. Not yet, at least.
"Well, there's no need for to leave right away," I said. "We don't know how long it will take to actually find the silver thread. So at the very least, I'll be around for the next few days."
My teammates nodded, though it was obvious they were sad about my upcoming departure.
"Regardless, I think this is enough practice for one day." I stiffened. "Uh oh."
My teammates both gave concerned looks.
"What 'uh oh'?" Francis asked. "Don't say uh oh."
"What's wrong, Brandon?" Alysha asked.
I gave them both an awkward smile.
"I don't know how to go back to normal," I said.
Separating myself from Aurora proved both easier and more difficult than expected. We fused by "pulling" on our bond. We separated by "pushing" on it. Figuring this out was the easy part. Actually doing it proved difficult.
It didn't help that Aurora didn't want to separate. She clung to with her taphorical claws, refusing to let go. To her, fusing together was the ultimate form of cuddling. In the end, I promised to give her another day's worth of regular head pats and cuddles. This convinced her to let go, allowing us to separate.
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This proved as strange as fusing. I retained Aurora's mories, but they no longer felt like mine. They felt foreign, and it took active effort to recall them.
anwhile, Francis and Alysha helped clear out all the frost in my room. It was late afternoon by the ti we settled everything. All three of us had missed lunch, so we decided to eat an early dinner.
We invited the others, but they declined. Logan was busy with sothing, while Himiko didn't even give a reason. She just said no. This worried us a little, but we didn't want to press her. However, I made a ntal note to visit her after dinner.
Due to its nature, being a mix of a luxury resort and a dical center, the cafeteria at Hunter's Rest felt more like a high-end restaurant. The atmosphere felt warm and cheerful. As for the food, it was delicious, high quality, and expensive. Since I planned on visiting Himiko later, I ate a light al.
While there, we saw a few familiar faces. So were other hunters from the Vanguard Guild, recovering from their own injuries, while others belonged to other guilds. We said our hellos, but otherwise kept to ourselves. That didn't stop people from scrutinizing .
Ever since I made my first public appearance with my new(?) face, people have been speculating about my identity. The Vanguard Guild's PR and legal teams managed to keep a lid on things, but that didn't stop people from speculating. The most popular theory was that I was dating one, or more, mbers of the Lucky 77.
By this point, I was sure that more than a few people had figured out that I was Brandon Norwood. However, it didn't matter. Even if they figured out my identity, so what? It changed nothing. The only reason why I hadn't released a statent clarifying the matter was because it was too much of a hassle. Otherwise, I would've said sothing a long ti ago.
After dinner, I said my goodbyes to Francis and Alysha before making my way towards Himiko's room. However, when I arrived, I found it empty. So, I gave her a call.
"I told you, I'm not joining you guys for dinner," Himiko said as soon as she answered. She sounded annoyed.
"I know," I said. "We already finished with dinner."
"Then what do you want? I'm busy."
I took a mont before answering.
"You up for a spar?" I asked. "Our trip to the Danger Zone didn't really challenge , and it's been a while since our last bout."
Himiko scoffed.
"I just told you that I was busy," she said. "Do you think I have ti to spar with you?"
"We might not get another chance," I said in a quiet voice. "At least not for a long while."
Himiko didn't respond right away.
"et at the gym," she said before hanging up.
I stared at my phone for a bit, before I shook my head and pocketed it. Afterwards, I made my way to the gym.
Similar to the training hall at the Clan Thorne estate in Sunheart Undercity, the gym at Hunter's Rest was divided into two sections: the workout area and the sparring area. The forr was expansive and filled with all sorts of training equipnt. The machines were all calibrated for hunters, who were far stronger than the average human. It wasn't uncommon to see soone bench press a thousand pounds or more.
As for the sparring area, it was divided into arenas that resembled boxing rings, albeit several tis larger. These rings were surrounded by runic circles, which were designed to minimize collateral damage. Of course, these runic circles were quite crude compared to the ones from Lumina.
I found Himiko standing next to one of the rings with her arms crossed. She wore an outfit similar to mine: loose blue t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
As I approached, Himiko studied before shaking her head.
"I still can't get used to that face," she said.
I grinned at her.
"Jealous of my beauty?" I asked.
Himiko snorted.
"You wish," she said.
Despite our banter, there was an underlying tension between us. While she tried to hide it, it was obvious that Himiko was upset.
"You ready now?" she asked. "Or do you need a minute to finish digesting your food?"
I shook my head.
"Nah, I'm good," I said. "I ate a light al."
Himiko nodded, before gesturing for to step into the arena. I obliged and she followed suit. Once inside, the two of us stood at opposite ends of the arena. I pulled a training sword out of my inventory ring, while Himiko pulled training weapons out of her own inventory: a short spear and a shield. If this were actual combat, she would've also worn a full set of armor. However, since this was just a sparring match, she went without.
"So, what are the rules?" Himiko asked. "First blood?"
I mulled it over, before shaking my head.
"Nah," I said. "I don't want anything too formal. Let's just fight and stop when we feel like it."
Himiko narrowed her eyes at .
"What are you up to?" she asked.
I gave her a faux innocent look.
"I'm not up to anything," I said. "I just want to spar with my friend, who I haven't spent enough ti with."
Himiko snorted, before she took a stance.
"Right," she said. "In that case, don't go crying to others after I've kicked your ass, twinkle toes."
I bared my teeth at her in a smile.
"I'll be fine," I said, also taking a stance. "Just worry about yourself."
When we finished speaking, the two of us studied another. The seconds ticked by, like grains of sand falling in an hourglass. With each passing mont, the tension between us grew tauter and tauter. Then, by so unspoken agreent, we moved at the sa ti.
Himiko and I charged one another. However, at the last minute, I used [Lightning Dash] to position myself on Himiko's flank and attacked her from the side.
[Storm Dragon's Claw]
Unlike on Lumina, here on Earth I could use the full power of my techniques. I imbued my sword with the power of Lightning, before swinging my sword seven tis. My attacks grew stronger with each slash.
However, Himiko was no slouch either. The mont I flanked her, she whirled her spear around to parry my first strike. Afterwards, she turned her body to et my other attacks with her shield. No matter how hard I hit, I couldn't break through her defense.
During my last slash, Himiko bashed with her shield before moving to attack with her spear. I stepped back to avoid her strike. Given the distance between us, and the spear's short length, this should've been enough.
However, as I tried to avoid Himiko's attack, mana coated her spear. It broke apart into several pieces, with each piece connected by her mana. This increased her reach by a significant margin. The spear's point shot towards my throat, forcing to use [Evasive Mist] to avoid it. Even then, it still grazed my neck.
If my technique hadn't partially turned into mist, I would've sported a nasty bruise there. If Himiko were using a real weapon instead of a training one, I would've suffered a serious injury.
That was Himiko's strength. As a vanguard, she excelled at both offense and defense. While she wasn't as effective as soone who specialized in one or the either, like or Logan, her versatility made her a dangerous foe to face.
Himiko and I had worked together for years. We were intimately familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses. If we fought like normal, it could take hours to determine the winner. However, I wasn't the sa Brandon Norwood that she used to know.
[Freezing Mist]
I breathed out a cold white mist that covered the entire arena. The temperature plumted. Since Himiko and I were at the sa level, this was enough to dull her senses and disorient her. Despite this, she maintained her composure.
"I see you've learned so new tricks," she called out.
"You can thank Aurora for that," I said.
I moved through the mist, looking for an opening to exploit. However, Himiko kept her guard up, leaving with nothing. In that case, I decided to make an opening.
[Mist Clone]
I breathed out a cloud of thick white mist, which then took on my form and appearance. This was one of the more advanced techniques of the Mist Sword style. While there were so differences between and the clone, they were minute and difficult to spot. On that basis alone, it served as an excellent distraction. However, it didn't end there. When the clone attacked, it did so with half of my strength.
My clone and I glanced at one another, before we nodded at each other. The clone attacked Himiko, while I moved around to flank her. As she blocked the clone's attack, I struck.
However, as I moved towards her, Himiko snorted.
"How predictable," she said.
She swung her spear towards without looking in my direction. Mana coated the spear, taking the shape of a blade, turning the spear into a halberd.
I pressed forward despite this, using [Evasive Mist] to endure the worst of Himiko's attack, before I used [Storm Dragon's Fang] and aid for her chest. Despite being attacked from two sides, Himiko twisted her body to evade my attack. While my sword still grazed her, she avoided the worst of it.
To my surprise, Himiko didn't counterattack with her spear. Instead, she dropped it and swung her fist at , aiming for my face. This was so unlike her usual style that it caught off guard. So much so that I almost let her fist hit , though I avoided it at the last second.
"Not the face!" I shouted.
Himiko ignored and continued to attack , aiming for my face each ti. This wouldn't have been so bad if she just used her fist. However, she also tried to hit with her shield. She attacked with such ferocity that it left with little room to retaliate.
Of course, I could've used my clone to attack Himiko, but I didn't. That went against my actual goal for this sparring match.
"Why do you keep aiming for my face?" I asked as I dodged another blow.
"Because I hate it!" Himiko shouted.
Her words hit right in my vanity, dealing critical damage and stunning . A mont later, her fist connected with my cheek and sent stumbling backwards. I tasted blood and felt so of it drip out of my mouth.
"Oh?" I said. "So you want to play like that? Fine. Let's play."
I dropped my sword on the ground and marched towards Himiko. She unbuckled her shield and tossed it away. Afterwards, the two of us engaged in a brawl. There was nothing subtle or elegant about it. It was raw and brutal. Neither of us held back. We beat the absolute shit out of each other.
Several minutes later, the two of us fell to the ground, battered and bruised. I laid face up, panting, while Himiko laid face down. Neither one of us said anything for a while.
"You ready to talk?" I asked, breaking the silence.
That was my real goal for this sparring match. While words could've worked, so emotions were best expressed through violence. I knew Himiko was angry and upset about… Well, a lot. That's why I wanted to spar.
"Yes," Himiko said.
"Then let's see if we can't sneak up to the roof."
Himiko nodded, before the two of us stood up. I dispersed my mist, before we collected our training weapons and left the gym. Everyone stared at us as we made our way out.
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