"That lame persuasation can't work on me, even in this state. You just want to push her onto me. I still haven't forgotten what she did that night, with her Silver Cross. She might end up dead."

Ichi shook his head.

"Somehow, I'm not worried about that at all. And even if she does, I imagine I'll feel relieved."

Renya smiled weakly at Ichi.

"Then, I'll have to keep her alive."

Ichi nodded.

"I'm glad I didn't talk you into murder. It's good to know where you stand. So, if I asked you about that violation of the fundamental laws of magic thing you talked about, you wouldn't mind explaining something that simple to the stupidest druid, right?"

"Yes. There's no risk of you gaining an upper hand with knowledge alone, at any rate. And if you were to die, I feel like I'd run out of amusement and go hunt Dracula to keep myself entertained with life."

Ichi rubbed the back of his head with a bright grin on his face.

"That's awful flattering of you to enjoy being around me so much."

"You must just be a masochist if you're okay with this sort of thing," Renya muttered under her breath. "Anyways, the fundamental law of magic that you broke was becoming a druid with discovering a 'secret'. However that occured is also a mystery."

Ichi stayed silent, thinking that Rikya told him it might have been Genji's plot. Renya continued.

"Druids, as pure magical beings, are based around one word, one concept, or one existence. You likely don't have one. An untrained druid couldn't manipulate Scipio's sword. It appeared to be an extremely high level magical creation. That I was able to surpass it with my magic as well is a mystery."

Ichi touched his hand to his chest. He remembered the black stick getting sucked into his body. The vault under Grandpa's house half opened as well. It had a white half and a black half, but only the black half opened. If he had absorbed the white stick as well, would he have become whatever Genji wanted him to be?

"What about that black goo? I have the black stick inside me. Isn't that my 'secret' now?"

Renya waved her hand.

"I have no idea how that would be possible. Druids embody a 'secret', they become a concept in it's entirely, and because of that they can enter the Dream where all imagination, and everything beyond imagination, resides. All you did was pull something into your body. If I dissected you, maybe I could figure something out, but I doubt you'd be interested."

"There's no way you'd put me to sleep first, is there."

"With a kiss, sure." Renya grinned.

"That's a no, then." Ichi said.

He stood up. Looking down at the girl who looked like she had a bit more life in her now, he sought to escape before she made a full recovery.

"Take care of yourself, and slow down. Excitement and sadism is great and all, but if you end up tired at the wrong time I'll have Syon misting down my neck."

"Then feigning tiredness at the worst possible moment might be interesting."

Ichi gave her a stern look.

"When it comes to Syon, please be more serious. I have a bad feeling I'm underestimating her."

Renya shrugged on the ground. "Isn't she rotting in a jail somewhere? What's to be afraid of?"

"It's because she's probably waiting for me to rescue her that she's even more dangerous. That means there's a chance she'll use the situation to her advantage."

Renya groaned at Ichi. "You're just being paranoid. The only one who wants you to suffer is most likely me."