Instead of getting angry about having all his hard work dismissed with a single word, Ashen was actually happy.
Calling him a mess meant the coach saw many wrong things. That, in turn, meant there was just that much room for improvement.
If the coach had rated him perfect, that would mean his vision was limited, and Ashen would get no benefit from their training.
That was why he smiled faintly. "Then please teach me."
Edward nodded in appreciation toward the mature reply. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the usual tantrum when someone's hard work was denied.
"You are a patchwork of countless techniques and styles," Edward began. "You've taken the best and discarded the bad, making yourself a versatile warrior. That approach works well at lower steps."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"But higher-step combat is more than just technique. The battle becomes conceptual. Biological functions aren't the only factors in the equation anymore."
Ashen listened intently.
"They—we—wrap every move and attack in our own comprehended concepts. But even that is an incredibly difficult feat. The minimum requirement to reach it is for your techniques to be entirely yours."
Edward gestured toward Ashen.
"Imagine that everyone has their own conceptual seed. This seed influences everything you do, and that influence carries through even if a technique is learned from someone else."
"If you learn one technique, the influence of your own seed may recede temporarily. That's not a problem. With time, it returns and may even dye the learned technique with its own colors."
His expression turned more serious.
"But in your case, your conceptual seed is almost completely buried under hundreds of techniques that aren't yours."
Ashen's breath caught.
"I don't know how you managed to master so many of them in such a short time. I don't know how you got so many masters to teach you their craft." Edward shook his head slowly. "But one thing is certain… they're suffocating you so much I can barely see 'Ashen Hart' under the shades of a hundred others."
He held up one finger.
"Only a single technique remains pure. That final thrust."
Edward shook his head regretfully. "The rest will only slow you down as you keep advancing."
Ashen was dazed for a moment. All that torturous training for nothing…?
But then he shook his head.
No. All these techniques had kept him alive until now. They were not a waste of time. They'd served their purpose. And now that they'd started holding him back instead, he should adapt rather than cling to them uselessly.
"So." Edward's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Are you ready to uncover that conceptual seed buried under countless techniques that aren't yours?"
Ashen didn't need to think long. "I'm ready."
He was already feeling anticipation for creating something that would be solely his. It seemed the time of stealing skills and techniques was ending. Time to rely on himself going forward.
"Alright. But before we start, let me tell you something about myself." Edward said it suddenly.
Seeing Ashen's curious look, he held his silence for a moment to gather his thoughts, then started,
"...You may know me as a Pride pathway walker, but I don't hold much pride in myself in particular."
Ashen tilted his head slightly.
"Sure, my profession as a teacher brings me great pride and joy. But it's not nearly enough to reach this step on this pathway." He smirked. "If it were, every other teacher would be a powerhouse."
He took a breath and continued.
"Instead, my source of pride is my students."
"When I teach someone, and they use those teachings to save the innocent…"
"When my teaching is used to build a better world…"
"When the students I've trained use their power to defend our race and slay countless devils…"
His voice took a deeper tone.
"That is where my pride comes from. I am immensely proud of them."
"...I'm so proud that the concept materialized and blessed me when the System appeared."
He looked at Ashen directly. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, coach." Ashen nodded earnestly. "I'll make you proud. Don't worry."
He would consider this his payment for all the teaching about to be imparted.
"No." Edward shook his head. "I don't need you to make me proud."
Ashen's expression shifted to confusion.
"Instead, when we are done here, and you are thrust back into this cruel world, do not make decisions that would betray your convictions."
Edward's gaze was steady.
"Because just as a student can make his teacher proud, they can also make them ashamed."
He stepped closer.
"Ashen Hart. My new student." His voice was quiet but didn't lack firmness. "All I ask of you is not to make me ashamed of being your teacher."
Ashen felt the significance of those words settle on his shoulders. He knew that his conscience had probably just found another way to nag him if he had ever thought of doing something that went against it.
"I understand, teach." He met Edward's gaze. "I won't."
"Good." Edward's expression softened slightly, but it was also bittersweet.
Because seeing the current young man before him had reminded him of two of his earlier students. They were his greatest pride… but also his greatest shame.
One had an ironclad conviction and great aspirations.
And the other had the potential to acquire the strength necessary to see it through.
They had both instinctively known that they each complemented each other, so they stuck together.
When the human race was threatened with extinction, they stood valiantly using their bodies to shield it from the worst.
They were Rowan Vance and Morikawa Shun after all. That was just the kind of men that they were.
And that was his greatest moment of pride. But also the peak of his shame.
Because the outcome was their death. And because he knew that their decision to stay and guard stemmed from his teachings.
His teaching had killed his students. If one didn't feel shame from that… then when will he?
But the alternative was teaching his students to be cowardly and selfish. Edward would never do that, so he chose to stay true to himself and silently… eternally… carry the shame.
And as if the universe was making a cruel joke out of his resolve, Ashen Hart appeared before him.
And the more he looked, the more he found himself looking at a fusion of those two departed students of his.
An ironclad conviction and the potential power to see it through.
He had them both in a single body.
⛧ ⛧ ⛧