The Moonlight Swordsman

Aizel and Daisy floated side by side, with their backs facing Vespara, who was behind them.

"Okay, now close your eyes and clear your mind. If you feel any pain in the process, do let me know."

They both nodded in accord and closed their eyes, surrendering to the serenity of the moment.

Vespara's hands glided over Aizel and Daisy's backs, emitting a subtle glow from her palms. Aizel and Daisy both felt a tingle as if energy was flowing through their bodies. Vespara was channeling a bit of her power into them.

"Let's check my darling's soul first," she thought.

Vespara's consciousness entered Daisy's body and moved towards her soul. When she arrived, she noticed the peaceful flow of Daisy's soul, damaged only by a few little scars that were gently healing.

"These marks must be her past trauma and experience. It seems it's already healing. Let me give you a boost then, darling."

Vespara channeled more of her power into Daisy's soul, and serene and calm souls gathered around her. They joined with her, enhancing the healing force and repairing the wounds in her spirit.

"Good, now let's take a look at my pretty boy."

Vespara focused her consciousness on entering Aizel's soul, but as she approached, a great suction force drew her within.

She got dragged into a vast, black expanse that seemed to stretch out endlessly. It was as if she had been cast into an infinite void, with nothing visible in any direction.

The emptiness and darkness was overwhelming, causing a sense of disorientation and fear to grip Vespara.

She noticed Aizel levitating in mid-air in the distance, but she was immediately overtaken by a sense of danger flowing from him. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before as if his gaze might bore into her innermost essence and rip her soul away forever.

Just as Vespara was about to panic, another force drew her back into her own body from Aizel's soul. She found herself sitting on a couch in front of a TV, watching the newest K-drama. The event had left her disturbed and wondering what type of power Aizel possessed.

"You really have a lot of guts, woman."

Vespara turned her head to see a young girl with pink hair and eyes munching on sticky bread.

Confused and disoriented, she asked, "Who are you? And where am I?"

"Whatever you saw and felt today, keep it a secret forever in your life.

"Help Aizel just like you are helping now, and ask him to help you when he is strong enough. But if you play any tricks on him, remember well...

Vespara's surroundings transformed in a second, forcing her to kneel with crushing pressure bearing down on her.

She could only manage to raise her head slightly, and what she saw astonished her.

The pink-haired child had transformed into a stunning woman, sitting regally on a throne and gazing down at Vespara with an intense stare.

"I will make you regret even being born in this world and will torture you for eternity.

"And never try to touch his soul; KNOW YOUR PLACE... SCUM."

Vespara awoke to find herself back in the lake, where Aizel and Daisy were still deep in meditation.

Her body was bathed in sweat from the fear of what had just occurred, and she backed away from them slowly, still absorbing the bizarre and scary event.

Aizel and Daisy's eyes opened at the same time, and they turned to face Vespara, who stood a few feet away, her body drenched in sweat.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Aizel asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. It just took a little toll on me; don't worry about it. Let's head for another place now."

Vespara silently departed from the lake, leaving Aizel and Daisy bewildered and wondering.

"I guess soul power really drains a lot of energy," Aizel thought.

Aizel and Daisy emerged from the lake as well. They changed swiftly and mounted their horses, eager to continue to their next destination, which wasn't far away.

The group arrived at their destination, and Aizel noticed that it was a desolate piece of land, devoid of any life or vegetation. He knew that this made it an ideal venue for them to improve their skills and engage in combat training.

"Daisy, go and do the techniques I taught you about wind manipulation.

"Aizel, come with me."

He silently nodded and trailed behind Vespara as they traversed the desolate landscape.

"Now, who the fuck are you really?" Vespara knew they had left Daisy far behind and addressed Aizel.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew you were a little different when I first noticed your soul,

"Are you playing with me and with others, or are there some hidden motives behind it?"

"What are you saying? What hidden motives?"

"You... who is that pink-haired woman?"

Aizel's intuition kicked in, leading him to believe that Alora had a private talk with Vespara before they arrived at the barren land.

He couldn't help but observe Vespara's strange conduct, which led him to suspect that something big had happened between the two of them.

"She is my friend."

"She is your friend? A friend that even makes me feel like an insect

"Do you know I am a Grade VII mage?"

Aizel's eyes widened in surprise. He had suspected Vespara was powerful, but he had no idea she was a Grade VII.

"And you, I can pretty much guess you are not a simple person,"

*Tsk*

"What did she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me much except to keep helping you and ask for your help when I need it. And don't try to screw you over, which I didn't even think about."

"The thing is, I have somehow lost my past memories, and I am currently in the healing state pretty much," Aizel tried to answer to the best of his ability while trying to hide his mental core and imagination power-related information.

"So, you are really not a simple person? Well, that's great. I didn't make the wrong gamble."