1/31/2019 Rematching Susumu

[15:12] Susumu stepped forward. He was looking to fight, finally, after all those days resting. The boy's eyes fell on Chou, as if he was about to ask- but then they shot to Aspen. His hands clenched tightly, but it wasn't anger.

The Anauel was merely confused. How should he act- how should he behave?

He coughed into the crook of his arm. "I want to rematch you," muttered out the teen. There was no introduction. He could settle his feelings through combat.
(Susumu Anauel)
[15:29] Hidden. Aspen kept to the shadows, avoiding interaction. The reports of Salthiel's disappearance were public. The girl was to remain in the confines of the city. To be guided back should she traverse too far.

Aspen underwent guilty emotions surrounded by a veil of depression, notable by her lack of interaction and appearances around busier parts of Huangzhou. What she loved was lacked in Huangzhou; it was out of the girl's reach.

Within thought, she happened to wander through the entrance of the dojo for practice. Guards, left and right, kept her in the city's borders. No peace deep within, no silence for meditation. Perhaps the dojo could provide some catharsis for her.

Entering prompted another to call her out. A blank stare in Susumu's direction then, his statement was replied to with a simple nod, followed after had been a gesture for the man to follow her for their rematch.
(Aspen Yano)
[15:33] Maybe the teen noticed Aspen's depression- whether he did or not, he made no remark on it. All he could do was get that rematch. For warriors, they knew that the truth of the heart came through fighting- hopefully a mage like her did as well.

The Anauel inhaled. Slowly, spiritual energy leaked from the Otherworld to wreath his Yin greatsword in the power that allowed him to contest with magi, to a degree. It would be up to his own skills to fill the remaining gap.

And when he had lost, as he did to the girl, he was determined to pave the hole of his failure with success.

"You aren't weak," the boy murmured to himself.
(Susumu Anauel)
[15:49] Aspen's disposition declined since her arrival. No family here, eyes kept on her like a hawk. The pressure was on the girl. Even Zeriel's declaration that she wouldn't be harmed wasn't believed. Priscilla's words pressed in her brain. Thinking about it caused Aspen to sigh.

With a half lidded gaze upon Susumu, for now she idly watched the spiritual energy shroud the weapon's length whilst piercing her skin, dragging her nails along it. Just about an inch or two. By now this action wasn't painful, or she didn't flinch to it.

Blood seeped out of the fresh cut, wrapping around her in a protective veil. 'I guess this is good practice.'

Envisioned within her mind had been her silhouette before a mirror. The door she's seen before, to another realm, stood tall behind her. Pictured had been her circuits entwined with a system of veins. Her blood. Arteries, capillaries, endless roads of blood vessels working with mana at a constant. From there, the girl turned for the door behind her. It cracked. A blinding light pierced through the darkened room. All within the visions of her mind.

Although.. in reality before the boy, spiritual energy around her began to stir. A cold chill rising through her spine, and fading into existence were several birds. Humming birds. Unfortunately they wouldn't have much use perhaps. They were outlined with glowing, gray energy, flying around the girl's head before Susumu.

"I'm ready for out rematch," she spoke out.
(Aspen Yano)
[15:58] Was victory possible, in his current state?

No, not at all. Without magic at his disposal, he could do nothing to defeat the girl, even with how close he came. Susumu dashed about the arena with a skill that was surprising, given his usual weakness. The blade he wielded took on a gray shine and the magic of spirits ran through it.

He deftly evaded the assault of green spores as he traded swift blows with the girl before dashing away, and yet.. nature itself seemed to bend at Aspen's will to heal the injuries that he inflicted.

In the end, the boy was blasted with a beam of water, flung across the arena with a few agonizing tumbles. The boy grimaced, but he couldn't handle it- not now.

He picked himself up and left the dojo. Susumu needed time alone.
(Susumu Anauel)
[16:16] Separate pictures invaded Aspen's visions, interrupting her abilities, and causing the girl to stagger. Susumu's blade pierced at her skin, but each injury was deftly healed by the nature of water, and whatever she could conjure through a bout of anxiety.

These pictures clouded her process of amalgamating her mana to the ethereal and physical world around her. Droplets of blood stained the floor boards, and by now the trio of humming birds had dispersed, returning to their realm.

Unstable abilities, summoned through panic, eventually downed Susumu. Aspen knelt on the ground, panting. A cage of vines wrapped around her height, if she were to stand, drenched with her blood, and nearby had been something akin to a bonsai tree. Vibrant blue leaves upon its branches, and a dark stump protruded from under the floorboards, breaking through it.

A protective barrier that healed her. A calming ambiance, coming from this medium sized tree, filled the air.

Aspen watched as Susumu took his leave from the dojo, and the vines returned to the earth. The leaves of this tree withered away, and the stump appeared to dissolve away into thin air.

She sighed with relief, and followed after he did. The disturbing imagery that invaded her summoning process ceased too. For whatever reason they disturbed her thoughts, one thing was for certain.

Each one contained a reason to induce fear, and each passing second only allowed the next to be worse than the last.
(Aspen Yano)