“There you are!” Gwendith’s voice brought Yuriko out of her trance. She blinked at the girl from her Runescribe station, and she put down the wooden plate she’d been working on.

The runescript patterns were simple. The central concepts revolved around toughness, reinforcement, and repair. Each of the Colossus’ armour plates was capable of repairing itself, but it was limited to the plates. Meaning if the plate were destroyed completely, then it wouldn’t regenerate at all.

The three concepts were enclosed in a hexagon, which also contained other supporting concepts. One of which was an Animus storage to power the regeneration and toughness runescript, and the rest were a detailed set of instructions on where and how much Animus was to be channelled to the rest of the concepts and when to replicate the hexagon if the plate was damaged. As long as the plate had an intact hexagon, or glyph as the Runeers called it, then even if there was only a fragment of wood left, it would return to its original form after a while.

The smaller someone managed to etch the glyph, the smaller the fragments needed to rebuild. Which also meant the whole thing would regenerate faster too. The standard size was about an inch along the middle.

Yuriko managed to etch the glyph about half that size during the last six hours. It was fascinating. She understood the script so easily that it was equally simple to condense the design until it was half the size of the original. And it only took her half as much longer to finish etching the entire plate too.

The Runeer who directed her to the station, a man named Riki Canteril, praised her efforts, though he did remind her that right now, it was better to be fast than perfect. Afterwards, she finished each plate in ten minutes rather than fifteen, as long as the glyphs were standard-sized.

“Oh, Gwen. Hi,” Yuriko said when the girl came up to the desk. “You were looking for me?”

“Yes, uh… Do you mind if we talk in private?” Gwendith said while she eyed the other Runeers around them shiftily.

“Oh, sure. I’m just about done.” Yuriko yawned and pushed away from the desk. She capped the engraving ink bottle and placed the engraver pen in its holder. She could have used her Animus to create her own pen or etch the runescript lines directly with her Anima, but the first time she did that, Riki stopped her. Her Animus signature would be imprinted if she did that and it would make the plate much less efficient. That, in turn, would create a vulnerability when combined with the rest of the plates. The engraver pen separated the ink from her Animus to avoid contamination.

She left thirty-one plates beside the desk. Another Runeer would take it and place it inside the bin. These would eventually be used to cover the Colossus’ vulnerable interior parts. She waved to Runeer Riki and left the station. The man just grunted and nodded.

The underground was rather busy, and there was no place for a private chat so the two of them climbed up the ramp and wound up back in the courtyard.

“Wanna talk in my room?” Yuriko asked.

“Uhm, Desire will be there, right?”

“I guess. Saki will also be around.” Yuriko glanced about, noting the subtle disturbance on the ground. Puff of snow, and the merest impression of footprints.

“Can we speak in private? No one else?”

“It’s that serious?” Yuriko asked while raising an eyebrow.

“Well, no, not that serious, I guess. But…” Gwendith fidgetted.

“I guess. Let’s go up the roof then. I like doing my meditations there.”

“The southern barrack’s roof?”

“Yup.”

As soon as they settled on the flat surface, Yuriko said, “Saki, give us some space please.”

“Yes, young mistress.” The attendant’s voice came from beyond Gwendith and made the other jump in surprise. Gwendith glared in Saki’s direction, grumbling at the tinkling laughter that slowly faded away.

“So…what did you want to talk about?” Yuriko asked.

Gwendith stared straight at her eyes for a long moment before she blurted out, “You really are engaged to an Imperial Prince?”

“Uhm, I prefer not to...” Yuriko muttered. “I haven’t even met him. Anyway, I ran away from it so that’s that.”

“But…you’re still in Imperial territory. One way or another, he will find you.”

“That’s true, but I’m here in Rumiga because of a premonition. And it turned out I was right.” Yuriko smirked. “Aren’t you happy I went here?”

Gwendith’s cheeks reddened but she returned the grin. “Of course, I was so worried about you.” She cocked her head to the side and her grin widened. “I missed you, too.”

Yuriko coughed, then leaned on her knee and plopped her chin on her palm, “Oh, is that what you wanted to ask me?” She asked mildly.

“Ah, no. Just a curiosity.” Gwendith shrugged. “You said you weren’t on the Imperial method, right?”

“Yes, I’m not. My Heritage wasn’t complete, and wouldn't have let me reach Knight at all.”

“Yeah. You used something called the Ancient’s Way? Uhm, I’m curious where you learned it.” Gwendith held up a hand before Yuriko could reply, “But more importantly, I saw how much more powerful you were, compared to others on your level.”

“Hmmm, you want to learn?”

Gwendith sighed, “Of course, I do. Just that…”

“You’re worried about losing your Heritage and your connection with the rest of your family?”

“Uh, no, not that, actually.”

“Hmmm, oh, what are your worries then?” Yuriko sat up straight and placed her hands on her lap. Well, she should have known better than to expect the same worries from everyone else, she chuckled to herself.

“I don’t know if I’m still able to use that path?” Gwendith murmured. “Ah, don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with following the Imperial method, in fact, my path towards Knight is pretty much set, but…”

“You don’t know if you can progress past it,” Yuriko guessed and Gwendith nodded.

It was a common concern with the ambitious, Yuriko thought. Da was a Knight Captain, but according to his stories, he reached that level more out of luck than anything else. Mum was above Knight Captain, of that, Yuriko was sure. But Sadeen had not confided in her how to get there. In fact, none of the Mishalas did.

The Imperial Method after Knight was for one to delve into the Heritage and find a way to make it theirs instead of a reflection of what their Ancestors had done. Da progressed beyond the Davar Marksmanship by specializing in extreme range shooting. And, well, she didn’t know any other Knight Captains. Oh, the Fort Commander was one.

“I…don’t want to find myself trapped. Not again. I don’t want to be in a situation where I am powerless to do anything.” Gwendith shuddered. “Please, if it’s your secret to share, may I learn? And can I walk the path next to you?” The other girl knelt, then bowed, pressing her forehead to the floor, well, roof.

“Stop that,” Yuriko said sharply. Her kinesis forcefully brought Gwendith upright. The other girl’s eyes widened at the display, and her face grew all the more eager.

“Please.”

Yuriko scratched the back of her head. She wasn’t averse to teaching, but honestly, she didn’t really know how she started on the Ancient’s Way. She closed her eyes and tried to recall how she did it.

Nope. She just suddenly found her way, actually. It had to do with the Golden Silhouette, right? Her Facet taught her many things, from dynamic inlays to a better and permanent version of Strengthen Physique…

Huh, wasn’t that it? The Golden Silhouette’s version? That’s where it all began, didn’t it? Then, she found her artefact, which had been Damien’s weapon. Then…she was flooded with distilled Chaos almost to the point of Chaos poisoning.

No, it was Chaos poisoning. Only the fact that she had used Strengthen Physique had allowed her to survive it. That in turn, eventually expanded her Anima, and she slowly grew it and made it stronger.

Ah, it was when she advanced to Apprentice level, wasn’t it? But…she didn’t inlay anything then, and she only grew her Anima. She distinctly remembered how her inlaid Facet actually hampered the Anima expansion too.

Well, the beginning was Strengthen Physique…but it only allowed her to survive her Chaos poisoning.

Baptism. Your Chaos Baptism. Damien finally spoke up. Hmm, so you want to bring a potential lover to the fold, huh?

‘What lover?’ Yuriko grunted.

Child, you’re so blind sometimes. Ah, well, it’s amusing to watch, so I guess that’s fine. You’re correct. It was the injection of Chaos into your body and your Anima that kick-started the process. Strengthen Physique, or rather, Body Forging, that prepared you for it. Your…friend. Hmmm, she hasn’t become a Knight yet. Yes, she can learn. But it will not be easy. And it will be painful. She will weaken first before she can become strong, and only with an Iron Will can she go through this without dying or going crazy.

“It isn’t going to be easy, Gwen,” Yuriko finally said.

“I didn’t think it would be.”

“Right. Well, one of the requirements to expand your Anima beyond your body is by flooding it with distilled Chaos.”

“Eh? But wouldn’t that result in Chaos poisoning?” Gwendith yelped.

“It would, yes. You’ll have to survive it. And to do so, your body needs to be stronger. Did you inlay Strengthen Physique?”

“Huh, of course not.” Gwendith shook her head. “The Sharine’s version isn’t to be used until Knighthood.”

“Oh? What does it enhance?”

“Reflexes, focus, and general toughness.”

“Ah. Hmmm, you cannot reach Knight in order to walk the Ancient’s Way,” Yuriko said, “And you’ll have to make yourself stronger, your physique, I mean. And then, you’ll have to endure and survive the Chaos Baptism. Only afterwards can you walk that path. Uhm, you’ll also probably lose your Facet or at least the Journeyman and Apprentice ones, or they wouldn't grow stronger."

“That’s…a lot to sacrifice,” Gwendith murmured.

“Are you having second thoughts? It isn’t easy,” Yuriko said as she patted Gwendith’s hand. “You already have a path you can take. You don’t need to sacrifice it for this. I only did this since I didn’t have a choice.”

“Oh. Yes, you wound up in a wild plane, didn’t you.” Gwendith bit her lip and stared at her lap.

“You don’t have to decide now.” Yuriko said after a few minutes of silence.

“Huh, oh.” Gwendith blinked up at her. “I, uh…” She shook her head, then stared at Yuriko’s eyes intently.

“Er. What?”

“I’ve decided. Please, teach me.”

“Oh. Alright.” Yuriko murmured, then she flared her Anima so that it encompassed the other girl. Her Anima perception took in every curve of the other girl. Gwendith wasn’t in her peak physical condition. She had been stronger before, Yuriko knew, but her captivity had sapped her strength. The Golden Silhouette’s Strengthen Physique wouldn’t work if this was the condition Gwendith was in. “You know how to use Recovery to aid you in training, right?”

“Yes.”

“I've got a more efficient version. It’s the dynamic inlay Recovery Technique. You need to learn this, and then transition to learning my version of Strengthen Physique. This one does not need an inlay, but it will only work once your body is in its peak state.”

“Uh, that means?”

“We’ll be doing physical training.”

“Eh?”

“Right, change into your training clothes and let's start with a nice run. Ten longstrides should do.”

“T-ten?”

“To begin with. You want strength and power, you’ve got to work for it. Come on!” Yuriko sprang to her feet and grabbed Gwendith’s arm. Then she dragged her to the southern barrack’s second floor. “We’ve only a few days, but if we push, you may be ready for Body Forging just before the evacuation starts.” Yuriko had a manic grin on her face.

She understood Gwendith’s burning need, and she also didn’t want her friend to suffer. Also, this way, maybe she could teach her other friends to walk the Ancient’s Way too. At least she wouldn’t be lonely.

Yuriko showed Gwendith the pattern for Golden Recovery. It wasn’t that much different from the general use technique, just that the Animus had to move around the Anima and body rather than stay within a set inlay. Gwendith managed it easily enough.

A few minutes later, they were running around the courtyard. Gwendith in front, half screaming in pain and fear as Yuriko ran just behind her. She forcibly corrected her running from, and poked her behind with her kinesis whenever she flagged. She collapsed in a heap after five minutes of sprinting, and she directed the girl through Recovery. With her Anima enshrouding Gwen, Yuriko could perceive a bit of how she moved her Animus. Not enough to directly help, but enough that she could tell where Gwendith made an error.

An hour later she force-fed Gwendith ration bar porridge, then had her go through a bit of meditation. And an hour afterwards, they were back to running. After the first cycle, Gwendith stopped crying and gritted her teeth throughout the ordeal. But she couldn’t continue beyond the third cycle.

Yuriko had to bring the other girl to her suite and bathed her there since she could barely move her limbs. Desire helped by singing her hymns, and along with Golden Recovery, it helped Gwendith regain her spirits.

“I want to cuddle,” Gwendith demanded afterwards.

“Huh, why?” Yuriko asked, bewildered.

“It’ll help me keep my morale up. Just do your meditations while I soothe myself,” she muttered.

“Alright.” Yuriko didn’t get it but agreed anyway. After all the trials she’d gone through, Gwendith deserved whatever help Yuriko could give her. Which was how she found herself on her bed, with Gwendith snuggled up on one side. For some reason, Desire demanded the same thing. The bed was barely wide enough for all three of them though.

And it was difficult to meditate while the other two clung to her. Sighing to herself, Yuriko recreated her Facet and decided to continue her training in the dreamscape.