Shadow Slave: From the Ashes of the World

For the whole afternoon, Nephis was carrying out various exercises, in order to get used to her body. Although she had no problem with basic tasks like running and jumping, the real combat was entirely different thing.

Even though on the outside she looked like the younger, more plain version of herself, on the inside everything was different. Her muscle structure, her strength - it was as if she was occupying the body of an entire stranger.

So, although her combat experience was immeasurably bigger than one of her 17-year-old self, right now, lacking her Supreme enchanted mind, she was still weaker than her.

In order to get accustomed, she was running, swinging her fists and stretching out in various positions, while figuring out how much is she capable of. For now, she had prohibited herself from using her Aspect, since it would feel like a taking shortcuts and because she didn't want to burn the Academy down.

After the evening came, she postponed her mentally exhausting exercise and headed down for dinner. After all, without food she wouldn't be capable of learning a lot.

She sat to Cassie, at their usual table. Sunny was nowhere to be found.

Did he perhaps failed to escape from our over-enthusiastic teacher?

Knowing Julius, the possibility wasn't small.

While eating, she idly chatted with Cassie, asking about her family, and her life before she became infected with the Spell.

Cassie seemed happy that someone sincerely shows their interest in her life, and she talked quite a lot.

She talked about her family, which must be now worried sick about her. She talked about how she almost won a school fencing tournament, but because of an injury she couldn't participate in the final match. She told her about a popular classmate who had asked her to be his girlfriend. She rejected him since he hadn't known anything fundamental about her. He only wanted her for her looks, lighthearted nature and popularity.

Most of those things Nephis already knew, but it still made her feel warm inside to hear them again.

She was also delighted to hear that Cassie was gradually getting used to her flaw, not stumbling as often as she did in the morning.

They parted their ways in a pleasant mood.

Later in the large dojo, with her fellow classmates she was performing a set of simple motions, while getting evaluated by Instructor Rock. This was fundamental for their future training since their power levels were all vastly different.

But this method wasn't flawless, and that was why they would make them fight against each other at the end of the lesson. Although this kind of sorting wasn't perfect as well, it could give the instructors a better idea about a Sleeper.

Even if they miscalculated, they would just send the Sleeper into a different level group later on.

Finally, after measuring their strongest punches, Instructor Rock called out for two volunteers to spar.

Nephis was obviously the first one who stepped out.

The more practice before the solstice the better.

The other volunteer was a tall teen, who clearly preferred the workout over an actual training.

This will be quick.

All of the spars ended up being quite monotonous for Nephis. A new challenger came in, she defeated him in one or two moves, the challenger left and then another one entered. After some time, she started to even forget their faces.

Although some Sleepers weren't really bad, none of them possessed actual challenge to her.

Then, after no other challenger had remained, Caster finally stepped out.

"Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance."

Idiot, I forgive only after the death.

She didn't have any more time to be occupied with those thoughts, because Caster had already attacked.

She had managed to avoid the blow, but he had disappeared again.

Despite the situation looking bleak, she still had a silver of hope on winning.

Because even if she wasn't adapted to her own body, she still held over him crucial advantage. Since unlike him, she knew his fighting style very well. She could predict his moves with high accuracy and think of an effective counterattack.

Although it was already over a decade when she saw him fight for the last time, those memories weren't so easily forgotten.

The next attack would clearly be from the back.

But if he wanted to feint then she could too!

Pretending to be oblivious to his plan, she shifted her stance as if preparing for the front attack. Then at the last moment she changed her posture a little, letting Caster's fist pass narrowly by her body. Simultaneously she firmly grabbed his arm and pulled, making him lose his balance. Without giving him time to recollect, she twisted her body and punched him hard in the face.

And again.

Without letting her do anything more, Instructor Rock hurriedly ended the match and declared her the final victor.

So, I've actually won. Heh, it serves him right.

Despite their spar appearing determined as soon as it had started, Nephis wasn't confident with the outcome until the final moment. There were so many unknowns in the play, so all she could do was to bet on her luck and hope it would pay off.

But she would have been satisfied even if she didn't win. After all, what she was after the most was to get accustomed to combat. Their short spar gave her more than all of the other matches today at once.

Nephis glanced over her audience. Instructor Rock nodded approvingly, but all of the Sleepers were looking at her in the complete silence with mix of fear and reverence in their eyes. She knew that kind of look very well, but it still made her uncomfortable.

However, the one who seemed to be flabbergasted the most was currently standing right in front of her. A genuine dread and awe were shifting on Caster's bloody face. His lips were uncontrollably shaking while he was staring at her in horror.

She smiled at him. "It was a good fight."

Bath in your shame, you loser!

Although it was an insignificant victory, she felt incredible. Maybe because the last time she had lost, and her current victory was irrefutable evidence that her efforts could truly pay off.

She had left the training ground first, being in a good mood, although no one would be able to recognize it from her impassive face. Well, future Sunny would, but he wasn't here. And future Cassie probably too, if she could see.

After Nephis had left, the whole room resonated with astounded whispers.

For the whole time, nobody had noticed a small lone shadow, observing them silently.

Nephis was sitting in her room, with too much energy in her to fall asleep.

Heh heh, it would be all worth it even just for seeing that face. I would pay a fortune just for an opportunity to take a picture of him at that moment.

She stood up and walked over to a bed and sat on it.

And the situation with Sunny and Cassie looks great too. I'm sure we will be best friends before the winter solstice comes.

It was impossible to calm down. She tried to perform some breathing exercises, but it was for no use.

She stood up again.

If things continued this way, she would stay awake for the whole night.

Giving up her attempts to calm down, she left her room to wear herself out with an intense training.

But when she arrived at the dojo, she found out that it wasn't empty.

By the punching machine there stood a little figure, unsuccessfully trying to deliver a strong blow. Nephis didn't see it clearly, since the lights in the hall were turned off.

"Oh, come on! I deserve a ten, at least!" Sunny didn't hold himself down from expressing his frustration.

"You won't ever deliver a strong punch with such shallow posture. Even with the lights off I can see that it's all wrong," Nephis commented on his poor performance.

Sunny looked like he saw a ghost. "It's you! I mean, I didn't expect you, L-lady Nephis. Sorry. Don't worry I won't bother you anymore."

Since when am I lady? And why is he so taken aback?

Nephis switched the lights on to see him more clearly. Sunny narrowed his eyes, blinded by the sudden light.

"You are not bothering me in any way. Also don't call me Lady Nephis. It sounds weird. Just Neph is alright."

Sunny did his best to not meet her eyes. "Ok."

He was clearly at a loss.

Nephis nodded. "Now, throw a punch."

"What?"

"Throw a punch. I want to see clearly your fighting style."

Sunny raised his hand in puzzlement prepared to strike, but she interrupted him before he even managed to land a blow.

"Stop, you are doing it all wrong."

"Then how am I supposed to do it," Sunny started to sound a little irritated.

"Firstly, you have to change your posture. Don't stand so tightly. Turn around slightly and bend your knees a little," she explained while showing him the correct posture. "Also don't hold your fists like that. You have to put your thumb over your other fingers and keep your wrist as straight as possible."

He tried to repeat her posture. It wasn't perfect, but compared to his previous stance, it was great progress.

"When throwing a punch," Nephis continued. "You have to remember that you aren't throwing it only with your arm, but with your whole body. You have to use your hips and legs to maximize the striking force."

She struck at the machine, slowly enough for Sunny to discern her moves.

Sixteen.

He quietly observed her with great attention. Then he walked over to the machine, carefully fixed his stance, and punched it with all his might.

Ten.

His face lit up.

"I've really did it!"

Although for an amateur one point difference would look only like small progress, actually it was an outstanding result for the first try. Many people would even do worse than before, until they got a grip on the technique.

The fact that Sunny managed to grasp it on his first attempt was truly exceptional.

On the one hand the score was bigger than what she expected, but on the other, it was exactly up to her expectation. After all, it was Sunny's specialty to absorb new skills at the astounding rate. It could be said that he was a genius among geniuses.

Nephis smiled sincerely. "You made great progress. With enough practice, you can become an outstanding fighter."

"Then what should I do next?" Sunny asked, full of anticipation.

She looked around. The practice swords were locked up in the storage and the only equipment at hand was too heavy to carry around, like the punching machine.

"For now, keep throwing punches, after you get a little grip, we will move to the next point."

Sunny nodded and enthusiastically started practicing eager to learn a new thing.

Although when teaching him with a sword she made him repeat the same move every day for a thousand times, she decided otherwise with the fistfight.

The main reason was that it wouldn't be his primary style, and they hadn't had enough time to do it thoroughly. Also, it was because she would be teaching him only basic moves, which are crucial in every kind of fight.

After a while, when she concluded that he had got enough grip for now, she stopped him.

"That's enough. We will move to the next part."

Sunny stopped, breathless, with sweat dripping from his forehead, but his eyes shining brightly.

"I've got eleven!"

She nodded in approval.

He avidly asked. "Then what's my next target?"

Nephis looked in his eyes. "Me. You will have to hit me."

"Y-you?! But there is no way I can defeat you!"

"When have I ever said about defeating anybody? Don't worry, I won't attack you. I will just evade, while you will try to hit me." she assured him.

"Never," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

Sunny gritted his teeth and blushed. "I was answering your question."

She blinked.

Oh, his flaw.

Nephis quickly returned to the main topic. "Anyway, all you'll have to do is try to punch me. But I assure you, it won't be easy to land a blow."

Facing her, he nodded, his eyes burning with determination.

And attacked.

In the next few minutes, Sunny was fruitlessly trying to hit Nephis, who looked always close enough, yet he was still unable to reach her no matter how hard he had tried.

She was of course doing it on purpose. She wanted him to test his limits and try different tactics when attacking her. It was important to learn how to read an enemy and calculate the best way to defeat them.

And right now, Sunny seemed to slowly lose his temper. He had tried every way and trick he could think of and yet it was to no avail. So, he had given up on a complicated strategy and just tried to be as fast and unpredictable as possible.

Despite his failures he was grinning.

Suddenly, when throwing another fist, his shadow stirred and warped itself around its owner. In the course of second, Sunny became quicker, sharper and stronger.

Nephis knew what was going on very well. After all, she was fighting alongside him for more than half of her mental age. But since she was holding a close distance, just far enough to be able to evade in a timely manner, she couldn't react to the sudden change of pace very well. All she had managed to do was to take a hit to the arm instead of the chest.

Sunny halted, astounded by his success.

"I did it." he stated dumbly, still unable to comprehend his victory.

He did it.

She looked in his eyes with a hint of the smile. She was proud of him.

"You did it," she acknowledged.

"What now?"

"Now?" she gave it a thought. "Now you will learn how to evade."

For some reason, Sunny shivered.

They had trained together for hours, losing track of time. Sunny was still knowledge hungry as he had been in the future. He wouldn't be stopped by any strain or bruises, if it meant that he could learn new interesting things.

Nephis felt a little nostalgic. She missed the days when they were together exploring the endless possibilities of how to utilize their powers while sparring. But those times were gone.

But at least Sunny was still with her. Although he wasn't the one she knew yet, she was grateful for him being here.

She showed him how to move while fighting, how to preserve more energy, or how to be as unpredictable as possible. Those were simple advices, which were easy to learn with a bit of practice, but for beginners, they were priceless.

There was so many to learn.

And without even realizing it, the morning came. If it wasn't for Sunny's shadow sense, they would be caught by an instructor, who came to prepare for the next lesson. Although they managed to sneak out of the dojo, they didn't have time for clean-up, so the instructor must have realized that there had been intruders.

Well, it wasn't their problem anymore.

Only teacher Julius noticed that they looked more like walking corpses than human beings, while he tried to stuff at least a little knowledge to their sleep deprived brains. At least Nephis was the lucky one to have a free afternoon, when she could catch up on sleep.

After this experience, they decided to train only two hours a day. Although the schedule wasn't ideal, it was the best one she could think of.

Moreover, even Sunny's abnormal learning ability had its limits and if he had overdone himself, it could have a bad consequences.

She also had to think about Cassie. Right now, the blind girl must had felt hopeless and yet she didn't give up. Her will amazed Nephis even after all those years.

Sadly, there weren't many things Nephis could do for her, but at least she kept her company, reminding her she is not alone and occasionally giving her some piece of advice, which could have a use to her.

In the rest of her free time, Nephis was also trying to improve her own condition. Her progress wasn't as fast as Sunny's, but it wasn't insignificant. Her advantage was her experience from the second nightmare and intricate knowledge of human anatomy.

Slowly, step by step, she was moving towards her goals. Even though sometimes there were failures, and she had to alter her plans accordingly, her resolution didn't wane.

And before anyone could realize it, the days turned into the weeks and the winter solstice was finally here.