Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Sprawled over the mirrored lake, spitting up part of my lungs, I clenched my abdomen in hopes of stopping the flow of blood. But no matter what, blood endlessly trickled from the gaps of my fingers clenched firmly against my wounds.

"Get up," Zilya said, "next time, attack with more ferocity. You may hold the sin of wrath in your soul, but it means nothing if you can't utilize your soul."

Grunting at having my ass handed to me, I bitterly pulled myself up, ignoring the searing heat of my battered body covered in lacerations. Zilya nodded without concern. She readied that damnable spear that refused to allow my wounds to heal.

"Form II requires you to give in to that devil you hold. Let your emotions guide you, whether it's Pride, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Greed, or Sloth. You need to allow all of them to flow with Form II. At this point, you are only using wrath, a mistake new practitioners of this path make due to outside forces. Ren-Shii specializes in pure untamed power, with a somewhat slow aspect compared to the other Forms. Defense is its offense, so you are forced to create your openings. You have more than one emotion. Stop limiting yourself like a mortal, you stupid boy." She said, granting me yet another lecture while stomping over my pride.

Coughing up another mouthful of blood, I steadied my spirit, allowing a cold mind and heart filled with the seven sins to smolder. Taking Zilya's words to heart, I decided to follow her lead. Being angry all the time was rather stupid. I needed a balance.

Getting a feel of my current state of emotions, I stood still and readied my spear, but I did not move. Not like before when I charged forward like a simple beast.

Zilya dashed towards me, thrusting her spear forward towards my head; at such a speed, my eyes could not even begin to process what I was seeing. So I trusted my instincts. Holding onto the last instance, the Spear of Pestilence whipped like a bolt of cold lightning clashing over metal, sending out an eruption of sparks that knocked Zilya off her feet.

Releasing a deep breath, I spoke, "The Sin of Sloth, to be slow and unmoving in mind, but fast and strong as a god physically. It shall be my counter."

Landing on the mirrored lake with a few flips, Zilya did not even look surprised as in a single step, she was once again in range, sending out a flurry of blows one after another. My spear flickered, meeting her spear with my own. I remained still like a moving stone under the flow of a waterfall. Showering me in endless rain, my grasp of the Sin of Sloth slowly began to pick up, and my previous thought of using sloth as a counter flew out of my head.

Under the endless rain, my spearmanship regarding the Art of Ren-Shii shone with a dark flame. At first, the only thing I could do was parry, but as I continued to meet Zilya strike, insight after insight began to fill my mind.

Sloth was all about the slightest movement, dealing with the biggest damage with the slightest effort. The power it held would come, not just from me but from Zilya.

"Oh?" She said, narrowing her eyes, "Seems like you have adapted to this level of pressure. Get ready, Arsene Snow." She said when suddenly blood splashed over my cheeks, following a graceful arc of her spear down my shoulder, tearing through a few bones like hot butter. Zilya's QI rampaged within my body when suddenly this destructive force flew from out of my body into my spear, as I followed with a swift riposte to Zilya's neck.

Pivoting off her feet as if she knew what I would do, I suddenly felt envious. Jealous of her very ability to move like the ethereal darkness. Graceful and smooth, I broke the form of sloth and sped after Zilya with the same grace.

The laws of darkness coiled around me, and like a shadow, I was there, stabbing towards the Knight of Twilight's torso, when the dings of blades clashing filled my ear. Staring intensely into her eyes, which narrowed into a frown, she retreated with a single step while I pursued. And when she charged, I stayed poise for a battle of darkness.

Mixing both the Sin of Sloth and Envy, we danced. I copied her technique and her rhythm, disrupting her flow in battle and giving me an edge as the sin of sloth struck like a deadly assassin. Deadly and random, blood trickled endlessly down my body as more wounds fell, but fewer wounds appeared with each strike.

Licking my lips, a gleam of pride shone its light over my spear. Demanding life, blood exploded out from my wrist when the spear of Pestitlance cleaved down with such a ferocity that Zilya was forced a few steps back.

Crackling with a burst of laughter, I arced my head higher than the knight within my line of sight," You—"

…

…

…

Snapping my eyes open, a wave of intense pain crashed over every inch of my muscles, causing me to groan tirelessly over the mirrored lake. Energy failed to supply me as I laid powerfully over the cold waters.

"You're awake. Meditate. I will grant you seven years. If there is no improvement and you have not healed in that time, I will kill you." Zilya said indifferently, not even bothering to open her eyes, in her meditative state." those forms need to be refined, but do not give up on the basics of Ren-Shii. They will help refine your techniques."

Feeling I was talking to a robot, I spat up a bit more blood and tilted my head, allowing the blood to flow from my lips over the waters. "Zilya, you a virgin?"

"..."

"With that attitude, I am going to say yes. Hmmm, How long have you been here?" I asked, knowing she would not answer stupid questions. Annoying her would be pointless. I guess Form V is the Bane of Devils Heart.

"I have been here since the creation of Noctem, crafted personally by the Night Mother and her Daughter." She answered, staying true to her earlier words.

"How many have come before me?"

"None."

"Do you not feel lonely?"

"Is the Darkness lonely?" She questioned with an answer that made me give a strenuous smile. "But the first real person I ever met was your brother, Zariel Snow. He came to me for my help."

"Are you changing the subject?" I could not help but point out. Feeling like Zilya was absolutely lonely. To be here since the birth of Noctem was torture. She knows much of me, meaning she can see what is going on but is unable to do anything about it unless Noctem is in danger.

"Yes."

I smiled at her honesty, "What did he need?"

"The Core of Noctem"