Finding the same secluded spot, I removed my hood in order to help me breathe properly. I would not be able to practice with it in the way.

Since Mistress Veronika had gone through the Movement of the Seven Dragons with me piece-by-piece, I had no trouble comprehending and executing the different moves enclosed within the booklet. I had practiced this more than once. However, even now, I was discovering bits and pieces about it that I didn't know before. This time, I noticed something was different. Before, I was only emptily executing the moves, but now it seemed the enlightenment I had gotten with the old monk was fueling my execution.

It seemed when one executed these techniques, they were essentially communicating with the universe. One flick of the wrist, one sweep of the feet meant so many things—things that humans would not necessarily be able to comprehend. Combined with the breathing and other movements, it formed a language altogether.

It was just like how poems would pack so much meaning in one or two words—the interpretations and ways to see it were almost endless.

I just had to figure out how to exactly decipher each movement because it seemed they meant so much to how the energies would gather to oneself. The evaluation would be based on the performance, but considering what the old monk said, it probably might have something to do with how well we connected and interpreted what we were doing. If martial arts was, like, a dialect of the cosmic language, then this...whatever this Movement of the Seven Dragons was should have a meaning and a story to it, right?

"Oh, yes," I muttered out loud, suddenly realizing something with that train of thought. "Movement of the Seven Dragons. This must have something to do with the myth of creation...when the dragons and serpent fought for this world and its resources?"

I slid into the footwork as I remembered Mistress Veronika demonstrating and found fluidity when I started putting a story and meaning to everything I did.

I took a deep yoga inhale as though calling the energies to myself. For the first few moves, I would embody the snake—the largest entity among the eight, symbolizing his physical prowess and invulnerability. He curled with strength and flexibility, getting into position to start the battle with the first strike.

A series of attacks would follow and the dragons would come to join the dance, increasing the tempo of execution as the battle would reach its climax.

No wonder. These movements of the first section had thought deeply of defense and snappy attacks to characterize the serpent well. Not only did these movements have very good defensive maneuvers, but they also were good preparations for launching an attack. These defensive positions did not mean hiding from the enemy and sacrificing attacks completely. It still took into account jumping at openings during the fight.

However, that was just about it for the serpent. The next few ones were all for the seven dragons as the name would entail.

As I inlaid the story to each movement, the natural energies gathered very thickly around me as well, fueling my movements with power that I was very tempted to release at once. I gave in to the energy by accident when I stuttered and felt some burden weigh down deep in my bones as a result. The bubble of energy sucked the rest of the power I had inside me and dissipated with a pop.

The natural energies I had gathered initially dispersed and sent a small, discernible wave of power washing over everything around me. A small disturbance could be physically felt in the air. The leaves of the plants were seemingly swept aside by an invisible force tiding off. Almost instantly, fatigue washed over me. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground, perspiring heavily.

I panted. "I don't think...I did that one right."

I then gathered my thoughts as I sat on the warm pavement in disappointment. It felt as though I ran a marathon in one second.

Where exactly had I gone wrong?

I recalled seeing them gather those energies into a ball that surrounded their bodies. But mine broke before it could even form around me properly—because I let it go prematurely. When was the best time to release it? When the whole movement thing and the steps were done? Wasn't that hard? The bubble formed the during first few steps was already very heavy.

"Shucks, this is harder than I thought," I muttered. How was I supposed to gather the ball of energy around myself as stably as my mistress and that monk who demonstrated this to me before? Old Monk Myrrh was the name I could remember—the one with old, creaky knees.

Meanwhile, my knees kept popping.

"Precision...precision..." I whispered to myself and continued practicing well into the night.

I didn't stop until Mistress Kora came to drag me to bed. By then, I was soaked in sweat, but I had gained relative control over my energy bubble as I comprehended the whole "let it flow," "you own nothing," "you are a conduit," business. Honest to the dragons, this whole philosophical farce was making me dizzy, but if I wanted to be able to "claim my right to redemption," I had to endure and learn everything. This was only the start of the journey. This wasn't even the half of it.

Twelve something years of slacking was biting me on the ass.

The next morning, Erenol and Maun were very excited about breakfast. I'd wolfed mine down and went to a secluded garden with nobody around to practice. My muscles were cramping a little, especially around the legs. I think I overexerted myself a little bit yesternight. Although training with Mistress Veronika had given me some advantage with the endurance part, it was not enough to handle the strain of training I did just then.

I only had three days though, so I better persevere through it so that I could perform well. I'd only take it easy towards the last day so that I could be in optimal strength during the evaluation.

"Evy? Evy, why are you here?" Eren came jumping. When she saw me in the state I was in, she stopped and said, "Ohhhh."

As expected, practicing alone didn't last very long. Two non-literal ducks quacked their way to me as usual and asked in typical fervor what I was up to as if it wasn't already obvious enough.

Eren, as usual, was very indignant and demanded to be taught, having seen my progress, while Maun was very bright-eyed and enthusiastic. Though we all had some idea with the lessons we had with Mistress Veronika, we still had to up our performances on our own somehow in the end.

"Why are you asking me to teach you?" I asked tiredly. "Can't you start with your own interpretation?"

"Come on, come on, give us a hint. You know I'm hopeless," Eren said with a pout. "I promise I'll make you something when we're done."

"Make me something?" I tilted my head to the side and dabbed at my sweat with a teasing smile. "You can't do anything even if you tried. What can you do for me, huh?"

Erenol was in tears. "Mmmmmhmm. I'm useless," she muttered. "But I promise to be good at something. I'll pay you back in the future for it."

Seeing her cry, I could not help but give up on my teasing—somewhat. I patted her head. "You don't have to pay me back for anything," I said. "After all, if I put you in debt, I'll only be at the disadvantage if I can't cash out on anything."

Erenol smacked me right up the head while Maun cracked a confused smile.

"You shouldn't be a bully when you should be the one being bullied!" Eren exclaimed. "I'm supposed to be the oldest! The oldest!"

"How can't I when you act like the youngest?" I probed.

"Agh. I hate you, you little moron." Erenol went over and tried taking me under her arm. I let her do her thing as usual but ended up feeling a little fed up. I squirmed out of her grip. "How 'bout this? Try beating me. I should know a thing or two. Mistress Veronika taught me after all. For a good few years. Though I probably paid attention only a minute or two in her lectures." I shrugged.

"Ahhhh. Don't do this to me." She knelt to the ground whining.

"Come on, don't be such a wussy," I prodded her with my foot. "All you do is complain. You never actually try. Have some confidence in yourself!"

"How about you? You have no motivation. You're always so tired and...well, unmotivated."

Try going through two lives with no break, I thought. And now this new one's got me embroiled in political intrigue with a bunch of unknown, freak-of-nature abilities. A part of me wished I wasn't so stubborn and just drank from that river thingy. I was stupid and was acting on my emotions.

Turns out, one would never know the meaning of life until one actually started to live it.

Ever since then, I didn't have the energy to question anything. I was still blaming Amber because I could. It felt good blaming him. Then again, it was also half my fault not listening to him and getting distracted so easily.

But I was going to change all that. Focus and motivation. Focus and motivation.

"Evy! You're ignoring me again!"

I looked at her tiredly, rubbing my neck. "Fine, fine. Just because you're my best friend and posing as my sister," I muttered. I looked over to the quiet Maun whose silence and tendency to slip into the sidelines made him fade into the background very quickly. He was easily forgotten about like that, however, he managed to keep up with everyone by following—it would't be easy to lose this guy.

"I know you'll be amazing," Maun said, looking at the both of us.

"What'd he say? Was he insulting me too?" Erenol harrumphed.

Maun looked panicked.

I smirked evilly. "Yes, he was. He said you shouldn't be trying because you'll be failing either way."

Maun broke in cold sweat as Erenol looked over to him with a frown. Minutes later, Erenol was tackling the poor guy to the ground, leaving him teary-eyed as he looked on to me with a face of full of disbelief at my betrayal.

"Just kidding. He said we'll be amazing anyway," I declared.

Erenol turned to me. "I can't trust you!" she exclaimed indignantly.

I harrumphed at her complain and snottily turned up my nose. "That's why you gotta learn. People will fool you all the time. Only trust people after you know enough to not be betrayed. Loyalty is not a question of integrity, but capability. The more you know, the more people cannot make a fool out of you," I stated. I crossed my arms as I met her gaze.

Erenol sank in utter silence as they stared at me. Whatever roughhousing they were doing a while ago fell to a pause. It seemed they didn't expect I would say that at all—I didn't either.

Well, maybe that was a bit of overdoing it.

But wasn't it true? It might quite be a pessimistic view of the world, but there was just a point wherein one would see the cruelty behind the beauty of anything and everything. I had gone through a lifetime to get a taste of that though I didn't stay long enough to endure it all. While I was grateful I somehow escaped that tragedy, it was now apparent to me that I had fallen into another.

"Let's go together," I told them, holding out my hand. "I probably won't trust other people ever like I would you two. You can expect I'll try to trip you ninety-nine percent of the time, but I will never smash your head on a rock."

"Evy..." Eren shook her head before facepalming with a laugh. "You're just too cute!"

The redhead bounced over to me and pulled my face to her chest, squeezing me to the point that I started suffocating.

"There wasn't cute with anything I said!"