“Well… I did it… I broke up with Carter…” Samantha says as she curls up on the couch.

Serah lets out a smirk. “What happened? Wasn't satisfying enough?” She asks.

Samantha frowns. “The satisfaction was just fine. It's just that… The wind blew the roof away… And now… Now I can see the stars… I have no idea what to think about life anymore. Is it really something one should allow to settle? Or is it like an arrow shot into the sky? Does it happen just to see how far it can go? I don't know, but my mind isn't at ease with the situation. With Carter I could see the end waiting for me… And I’m not sure I’m okay with that.” She says before letting out a sigh.

Serah looks to Nickie who was snacking on some cashews before looking back to Samantha. “I mean, is he open to just exploring for a bit? Maybe a little further down the road you’ll want to settle down? Have kids and all that. It’s not a bad way to go.” She comments. Too bad Carter isn’t like Nickie… Nickie is free, she can do what she wants… But it seems we’re going in the same direction… She thinks before a consideration crosses her mind. Am I spoiled? I feel like there’s a few things I’ve never had to question… She thinks as she gazes across the room.

Samantha grabs a pillow and pulls it close. “I don’t think he’d be okay with that. I think that one needs more love than I can provide…” She says.

Serah lets out a sigh. “Well. Okay. That’s a bummer. But about the extra training? Are you guys okay with a little break? Everyone in this place keeps telling me that we have time to kill.” She says.

Samantha also lets out a sigh. “Yeah, okay.” She says.

Nickie gives a thumbs up. “Whatever you say, boss.” She says casually.

Serah leans back. “Awesome. After that… I think we’ll have to figure out our game plan… How we’ll navigate all this bullshit… The bullshit that is the multiverse…” She says with a breath.

…

…

“Okay, you’re all here. Why don’t I see any boys? There seems to be excessive amount of yin here.” Aria, the deity of war says.

“All the yang in the group was sucked in by Serah. She’s like a boy-girl, like a man-woman. Anyways, her metaphysical penis is pretty big.” Nickie says with a smirk.

Serah frowns. “I do not have a metaphysical penis! Also, your metaphysical tits are the problem! So big, so soft. I just want to lay my head on them and let all my problems fade away.” She says, her eyes drawn to Nickie’s chest.

Nickie sticks her chin out with a smug smile. “That’s just the kind of woman I am. But some metaphysical consent would be nice. A girl likes to be coaxed.” She says as if it was natural.

“Okay! Enough with that. Got a bit weird there. Anyways, today’s topic. The Reverse Scale Technique. I intended this technique to be a sword technique, but since a few sword heathens got into this group, I’ll have to adjust it to something more generalized.” The goddess of war says. “For now, an example. Someone put up a shield.” She says.

Nickie shrugs and puts up a magical barrier.

The goddess of war examines the barrier for a moment before pushing a finger out; with a step forward, Ari’s finger moved through the barrier and touched Nickie on the shoulder.

Nickie’s eyes widen. “How’d you do that? Is there something wrong with my magic?” She asks, bewildered.

“That’s what this technique is. Barriers, defenses, or any sort of wall or hindrance, in front of this technique, is like air.” The goddess of war begins to say.

“The essence of this technique is that we are who we are. Nothing can really change that. The path we walked, the choices we made, and the people we came to be; a lot of it is set in stone. Some of it can still transform, and some of it can grow, but essentially, our identities are somewhat defined. And as practitioners of magic, our energy moves according to our will. The Reverse Scale technique uses that against our opponents; it allows us to analyze our opponents and find a connection point, and with that point, pierce through. If it’s done right, your opponent’s magic will instinctively move out of the way to allow the connection. Sometimes the connection point is obvious, and sometimes, it could me miniscule, hidden, and sometimes it could be an unraveling point; that’s what we call a Reverse Scale.” The goddess of war explains.

Samantha’s eyes widen. “That’s diabolical! It sounds so wrong!” She exclaims.

Serah nods along. “She’s right. That sounds devastating.” She admits.

The goddess of war smirks. “Well everyone’s doing it up here, honey. You better get used to it. Everyone who makes it to my level, all of them, they all possess intense analytical skills. If you fumble your words and say the wrong thing, those words could be the knife at your throat in a life or death situation. Remember children, everything is magic, and anything, can be a curse.” She says.