She smiled wryly at just how much further the universe could undermine her after she thought it doesn't get any worser than it already is. How was any of what the old man said fair on her?
"You're saying Sasha is not dead?" she couldn't understand being mocked like this. Was this some bad joke?
"Your Sasha is neither dead nor alive Princess"
Okay . . . what did she just hear? How could a person be in existence without being alive and yet not dead either?
"How is any of what you're telling me possible?
"You are still clinging on to common sense and impossibilities. Our world is like one big scientific experiment, its posibilities are endless"
She swore that if this man layed a brick everytime he spoke in parables, he would have a castle by now for his inumerable parables and she could tell they were from decades of hard earned experience.
"You're saying Sasha is alive and yet not alive at the same time?" she asked to see him nod before she suddenly paled "is she being forced to do things against her will" and just like that, her mind bombarded her with the worst possible scenarios from all the anime she grew up engrossed in. Could she be like a puppet on a string?
She cringed at someone taming the fire in her soul.
"A person's will can only go so far after losing the battle to death or in this case, the Scavenger of Death. Your friend is more of a loyal soldier with the exception of absolutely no humanity left in her"
What has that prick done to her?
"Why did he leave me alive? He had the chance to kill me but he didn't. He just let me watch him take her then he left, why?"
The area between her eyebrows cringed until it could be swayed no more. Why would you hunt someone until the ends of the world and when you find them, you set them loose again? Did he love the chase or what?
"He was taunting you, breaking your resolve. He knows how to take something he wants without touching it. He orchestrates events that will lead it to him as if what he wanted also wanted him back. So in a way he is a master in manipulation and once he sets to motion the first event, he stops at nothing to clear the path for his prey to make its way to him so you see . . . it was better for him to take your friend the way he did than to isolate her until she lost the hold of sanity and blurred a lot of lines to get to where her master called to her"
What did that mean? That she should be grateful to him for making it as swift as possible? He was never going to see that day unless the moon actually appeard to give warmth to the earth instead of the sun.
She felt the stakes raising every single time she took a step back and this time the blow was too hard that she felt she had been hurtled a hundred yards away from her starting point.
"You need to start training as soon as possible Princess. The Sentinel will guide you once you're ready" the old man said turning to face her.
He did say that to find out who the Sentinel was, I'd have to ask him personally. It wouldn't hurt anything to have him help her get prepared to fight while also cluing her in on his identity or his relation to her. She hoped against all hopes that he wasn't part of those people putting their lives on hold just to serve her or worse, those killing themselves in her namesake.
"Let me go get prepared"
"You might want to change to something less silky and more cotton for your sake" was that a warning, an advice or an order? She couldn't tell and frankly she didn't care much about it so she smiled politely and nodded her answer.
She saw the Sentinel standing the entrance of the cabin, his sharp gaze trained on her as if he was getting ready to pounce.
"I need your help training and maybe we can get to know each other in the process" she smiled brightly at him but that didn't grant her a smile in return. The man just stood stoic and nodded his answer which she found rather cold because she had already imagined the man's sweeping smile from his perfect face. He looked nothing short of a sculptured God because no man alive could look that perfect. His physique alone oozed perfection and looking at his hypnotic eyes was no less to gazing at a detailed painting of a suction hole. You could get lost in there.
He cleared his throat to signal that he is awaiting her signal so she blinked, suddenly overcome by embarassment for being caugjt staring. She moved a few feet from the sentinel before making her way inside the cabin.
"I never asked but what is your name" she tried to make conversation.
" I do not possess nor do I need a name my Princess. Just doing my job the way im supposed to is all that I need"
Oh-Kay . . .
"So who do I call you?"
"I am your Sentinel"
She looked at him thinking he was going to say more but his lips were sealed shut. Her first thought was that he was a robot and as she thought about it, it became the only feasible option that she could come up with for someone like that. Always so stoic, can't see humor in anything and didn't even have a friggin name!
"What are you good at . . . with your job I mean?" she wanted to test how dangerous this 'Sentinel' of hers was and just how robotic he was. She knew they had limits . . . like some questions they don't understand and some were programmed into their core.
"Everything" was the single word he uttered.
This was going to be harder than she had initially anticipated.
"Look im just trying to understand you so that we don't step on each other's toes, okay" she was getting irritated and the sentinel went rigid for a moment before he was poised again.
"I know everything there is to know in order to protect you. My sole job is to ensure your safety" he seemed to be struggling to phrase it but he finally said "Pardon my unchatty nature"
They did mention about the similarities of a woman and a chatterbox but this one seemed hot and cold. Why did she need him to divert from his job?
"Fine, lets get on with it then"
She was temperamental as well . . .
"We will start with the basics which is self defence. You will need to be able to detect your opponent's moves in order to avoid taking direct blows to your vital points" he was suddenly too formal like a commander about to lead his troops to a war. She listened to him attentively and did exactly as he instructed her.
This was a lot better than trying to attack the old man who kept deflecting her blows like she was not doing anything at all. She was being thrown in every direction but she was a fast learner so she picked up on his movement patterns and before long,she could counter his blows while managing to land a few of her own. The Sentinel looked impressed as they moved back and forth until she felt the cotton vest she wore start to stick to her skin. She felt exhaustion creeping in on her arms and legs not to forget her burning joints but at least she was proud to have learned something for the day.
When they were satisfied with her close combat skills they decided they could start something new the next day since Dana was visibly strained. The old man directed her to the same room she had been resting in earloer on when she passed out. She found a bathroom that had enough space for her to bathe in but nothing more than that. She ran herself a bathe and stepped in to just soak herself after the steamy day she just had.
After half an hour had passed, Dana stepped out of the bathroom feeling revitalised. She stepped into the room with a small bed and jer feet touched the fluffy carpet on the the floor and she smiled. It wasn't anything exaggerated but the room was small and just cosy. She found some lotions after a rabbit hunt on every drawer she found in the room, just when she was about to give up.
She lotioned herself up and got dressed in a dark coloured track tht she found on one of the numerous drawers. She looked at the window outside to try and get a sense of time, she figure she could rest a bit before waking up to plan and prepare for her session the following day.
She turned around to close the door so that no one could disturb her sleep only to find Sasha who appeared to be out of breathe and physically tortured.
"Oh my god Sasha, what happened to you?" she peeked outside to see who was chasing her but she found no one and Sasha could barely talk so she invited her in.
She fetched her a glass of water and helped her drink slowly until her breathing got less frantic.
"Lets get you cleaned up and then you can tell me all about it" a single tear escaped her left eye but she nodded and let Dana help her to the bathroom.
She opened the faucet for hot water while she removed her clothes, when she felt they were enough she opened cold water. She was satisfied by the temperature of the water when she took the closest gel and let it pour into the water, creating white bubbles. She helped her get in and took the hair shampoo to massage her scalp with it. She was wuiet but it was a comfortable silence.
She washed her full body and when she was done, she dried her up and helped her lotion her body. She looked lost, torn and traumatised but she could only imagine what she went through. She dressed her in a floral dress that only went down until just above her knees.
"He is not being considerate Dana . . . he has turned me to something unsightly. I have no say in what I can or can't do" she seemed sad and broken.
"Im sorry Sasha . . . what can I do to help?" she felt useless and late.
"Hold me . . . cuddle me Princess" her mood seemed to lighten up so Dana happily laid down on the bed to let her rest ontop of her. She closed her eyes in anguish and petted her her lovingly.
"Why did you let him take me Dana" she raised her head and when Dana looked at her eyes, they were hollow . . . completely devoid of emotion and she smiled.
"Sasha no" she tried to reason although she could already see that the women she knew was long gone.
She blamed herself too!