On May 2nd, Phaser was been summoned.
He stood before his master now. Beside him stood Hinesia, draped in regal linen and gold accents. Her long brown hair was tied back into a warrior's knot. Her smile was radiant to sell the part of dutiful daughter greeting her father's pupil. To anyone else, it was polite but Phaser, who had shared whispered truths with her behind closed doors, could see the faint spark in her eyes.
"Today begins the second phase of your training. Phaser, you will learn Roborare."
"Roborare, Master?"
"Xana, when refined and projected correctly, is not merely destructive. It reinforces. Roborare is the art of embodying that strength. When mastered, it is a shield that clings to the flesh, turning skin into armor. Few Fluxers can break through it."
Seirath shifted his attention to his daughter.
"Hinesia will be your instructor. She is the finest in this discipline. For the next month, you will be under her care. She will spar with you, break you and rebuild you through repetition. Do not mistake her patience for softness."
Phaser could not help but ask.
"Master, if I may, why is it that you are not the one teaching me? So far, you've only placed challenges before me with no direct lessons. Will it always be this way?"
The chamber grew still. Seirath's stare pressed into him like before he answered.
"Because what I must teach you comes last. The other Xana techniques can be taught by others. I am preparing you for the only one that matters. Until then, endure the path I set."
"Yes, Master."
Seirath's attention turned back to Hinesia. "Do not hold back on him."
"Of course, Father. I won't."
With that, Seirath's body dissolved into a swirling void portal. Hinesia exhaled, her smile softening and not for show this time.
"Well, that makes things simpler. With him gone, I can focus without restraint. And you, Mr. Phaser, will finally get stronger in ways you can actually feel."
"You say that like I've been slacking off."
"You'll see. We will spar twice a day, morning and afternoon. And in the evening, you'll report to my room. We'll talk about MoDS, plan and decide how to deal with the story. No excuses."
Phaser tilted his head, half-grinning. "Sounds easy."
"Easy? You think I became the strongest child of House Rameses by being merciful? Phaser, I'm the eldest. I've beaten every one of my sisters and brother into the ground. None of them have ever managed to win against me."
She stepped forward, close enough that the gold on her earrings glinted under the light. Her eyes narrowed.
"Only Asmarion has ever bested me in a duel. And he had to push himself to his absolute limit to do it. He collapsed right after too."
Phaser's grin didn't fade. "So what you're saying is, I'll finally have some fun."
Hinesia scoffed lightly, though a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.
"You'll have bruises, broken bones and an ego shattered more than once. But fun? If you can call survival fun, then yes."
She stepped back, rolling her shoulders as golden Xana shimmered faintly over her frame.
"Roborare isn't just about blocking attacks. It's about trusting your body, knowing it can't be pierced. It's about walking into the storm and daring it to break against you. If you're going to learn Phaser, you'll learn my way."
Hinesia moved first. Her heel ripped the air apart as it came down like an axe. The impact cratered the stone beneath him when he rolled aside but the shockwave still ripped through his ribs.
His body skidded across the training grounds, blood bursting from his lips. He forced himself to his feet.
'One strike and I'm already half-broken…'
But Hinesia wasn't done.
She came in low, her elbow snapping for his jaw. He ducked but her knee caught his abdomen like a battering ram. Air exploded from his chest. The ground rushed up but he twisted, barely breaking his fall. He countered, snapping forward with an open palm strike. His hand sliced like a blade but when it connected with her forearm, it felt like striking an iron wall. She didn't even flinch. Instead, she seized his wrist and pulled.
Agony screamed up his arm. His shoulder was dislocated, dangling uselessly. He bit back a yell, rolling under her follow-up kick that carved a shockwave through the courtyard wall. Stone splintered like brittle wood.
"You're fast, but you're still just prey without your Flux."
Blood trailed from his lips as he steadied himself, dragging breath into his crushed ribs.
'Speed and steath. That's all I have. If I go head-to-head, I'm done.'
His body blurred and vanished, darting behind her shadow. His heel lashed out toward the back of her neck. Her head tilted just enough. His kick grazed her ear before her hand clamped onto his ankle like a vice. She whipped him into the ground with such force the earth fractured beneath his skull.
Stars burst in his vision. Warmth gushed down his temple. His skull cracked. She raised her fist. One strike would end it. He disappeared again, dragging his battered body with ghost-like speed. His movements were sloppy but unpredictable. From the side, he struck a feint followed by a low sweep. For a second, it worked. Her stance shifted.
Then her shin met his like colliding steel rods. His bone snapped. His leg gave way. He hissed but used the fall to drive both palms into her abdomen, shoving all his weight forward. It barely moved her but it bought him space.
Every breath burned. His shoulder hung useless, more then five of his ribs were shattered, his skull was bleeding and had a broke leg. He was dying and yet the thrill in his chest only grew sharper. This was Hinesia's true form. She didn't need Flux. Her body alone was harder than any armor.
And still, he wasn't dead yet. He staggered upright with bloodied grin slicing his face.
"If I was anyone else, I'd be a corpse."
Hinesia's eyes narrowed slightly. She stepped forward again, raising her hand. The fight wasn't even close to an end.