She bit her finger in frustration.
Nearly an eternity had passed since Haven last saw or spoke to Scar. After fighting through her hectic schedule repeatedly, she finally managed to create an opening and arrived at his doorstep.
No matter how many times she tried, the room remained locked. She didn't know that Julien had been injured yesterday, and Scar was tending to him in the infirmary.
Haven's frustration grew so intense that frost started spreading across the ground beneath her.
Hell, she tried questioning Scar's neighbors about his location, but her poor communication skills turned what should have been friendly requests into what sounded like threats. They fled immediately.
It hurt. She was supposed to be Scar's guardian, she'd promised Isaac as much. But being a Moon Killer left her with almost no time to see him. The weight of that broken promise was crushing.
Now, in the simulation training room, her strikes cut through the artificial mist with violent fury. She was demolishing her opponent, not a simulated Scarlet Kin as intended, but rather the human dummy, Robin.
The training systems could mimic any Scarlet Kin humanity had ever encountered, ranging from basic Generic-origin types to elite Manifestation-origin threats that were nearly impossible to contain.
However, accessing these rooms required five dueling wins for ordinary students. Moon Killers like Haven and Robin, though, had unrestricted access.
Though the rooms could simulate any Scarlet Kin, they were restricted to replicating witnessed abilities only. Many students found this limiting.
Scarlet Kin were creatures of constant surprise, frequently displaying powers no one had seen before. Training like these couldn't account for that unpredictability.
If someone had walked in on Haven attacking a human dummy instead of a beast simulation in this fog, confusion would be the least of it. Her sanity would definitely be questioned.
Both were willing participants, however. Robin had the ability to make his skin twice steel-hard, plus he was ranked higher than Haven in the top 200 Moon Killers. Training against a superior fighter was how Haven would get stronger.
Though Robin frequently reminded her he only tolerated her presence so that Heir of Skadi would eventually serve him, Haven couldn't care less.
She'd spotted Scar, but worse, everyone else avoided her. Anyone she tried speaking to literally fled. She couldn't take out this fury on some artificial beast, she needed a human opponent, one who could withstand her full strength.
"Tsk. Make it even stronger. You're insulting me by taking me so lightly." Haven shouted as her strike sent Robin skidding backward across the floor.
She exhaled deeply.
She had grander ambitions—saving the world, protecting everyone, not just Scar. But right now, what she desperately needed was to take down a Hostile-level threat. Any Scarlet Kin would do, regardless of classification or origin.
That was her father's assignment. More importantly, she needed to prove to herself she could handle whatever the world threw at her.
"I don't get it… why not use your Emotional or Protector State? It'd still be tough against a Hostile-level, but surely that's better than being stuck with assignments like this." Robin said, clearing the mist that stood before him and his goddess.
Haven gritted her teeth in irritation.
She'd achieved Tier-5 and could now access both Emotional and Protector States at will. These accomplishments guaranteed her Tier-5 status.
Accessing the Emotional State meant her control over her Inheritance had widened to Tier-6, while manifesting a Protector State alone was worthy of Tier-5.
Ranks could be climbed through pure control expansion, but awakening these states was far more efficient.
However, the sheer power of her Inheritance, as one of the eight Founders of Magic, made controlling these States nearly impossible once triggered.
She hated discussing it. Her inability to maintain the States made her feel unworthy of the Inheritance Heir of Skadi.
She ran through a breathing exercise and ignored Robin's question entirely, gesturing for him to activate his hardened skin again.
With a knowing smile, Robin complied.
The beating continued. Robin took Haven's strikes without fighting back, yet Robin's words still gnawed at her.
Perhaps she was simply desperate to focus on anything that kept her from thinking about Scar too deeply, she was pissed off enough already.
Still, the memory that surfaced most often was her father's terror when she first deliberately triggered her Emotional State, then couldn't sustain it. Calling it 'terror' was actually an understatement.
Her father's expression held disgust, rage, and loathing.
"You are a disgrace, Haven. Is this how you mean to shame the Velanora family? Don't you dare go any further."
His words still rang in her ears. Karl Velanora expected nothing but excellence from his child. How else could she protect him if she were weak?
'I'm used to this… Father wants me strong enough to save the world. Mother would have wished for the same.' She thought.
It was the lie she clung to hardest. But beneath everything, she remained naive. She genuinely believed her father's brutality served some greater good, making sure no one else would suffer her mother's fate.
…
Training stretched on longer. She focused exclusively on Robin's lower ribs, trying to break at least one to claim her win for the day.
Robin's face shifted suddenly. He'd caught on to her plan, and there was no way he'd allow it.
Haven's attack came hard, but he softened the blow with his hand's edge. In the same motion, he struck back, his palms targeting her vital points with devastating speed.
The blows weren't strong enough to throw her back, but Haven felt them immediately. She struggled to her feet, moving stiffly like a zombie, her body failing to respond properly under a heavy weight.
Robin sighed and shook his head in disbelief.
"We only gave a shallow excuse to get off duty. If you break my ribs, you know exactly how bad that'll be for me."
Haven caught every word. Though capable of speech, she merely smiled in response. The solution had come to her: how to see Scar. She just needed another excuse, and this time she'd go to his training ground: the Rover estate.
"Your silence always escapes my understanding, goddess."
With a self-satisfied grin, Robin applied a few gentle strikes. Haven's body recovered instantly, stiffness and heaviness evaporating.