29 A Clash Between Gods

"Hello, Miss Miya."

Headmaster sat on the floor of the combat room, but Bo was nowhere to be found. The room's ambience was strange, a blue hint to it, and the air was completely still, feeling as if she was speaking underwater.

"W--Where'd Bo go?"

"Nowhere. He's still in this room."

Miya surveyed the room, and Headmaster continued to speak, his abilities still deactivated.

"You control anything in this world. I'm powerless unless you wish me to be otherwise."

Miya began straining her head, attempting to give headmaster his powers back, but he stopped her.

"Try bringing something else into the space."

Miya thought for a second. As she thought, multiple things came into view. From a tent to a cat, the room was filled with a variety of random objects that just came to her head. Headmaster continued to speak as Miya sat down, a kitty in her lap.

"You've entered my consciousness, and since we were previously in the combat room, that's what appears in my mindscape. You possess the ability to override and take control of your opponent's psyche; this is but one small thing you can do."

"How does it work? When I hit you earlier, you didn't even dodge."

"That's where you're wrong. The instant you activated your powers, your surrounding aura acted as the physical attack for your abilities. Since it wasn't enough to put me to sleep, you remained unaware of how it was affecting me."

"But, why didn't you dodge?"

"I did dodge. You just didn't perceive it because you were affecting the air around us while we fought. When you believed you hadn't landed a blow on me, I also believed I'd dodged your attack when it was, in fact, coming from a different direction."

"I still don't understand."

"You will as we go through your ability and it's many capabilities."

Headmaster paused for a second.

"Think up a sword. I believe it's about time."

Miya did so, and a sword appeared out of thin air, landing in her hand.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. You won't necessarily be attacking me this time around. Your weapons training will come soon enough... Take a stance."

Miya took a stance. Headmaster avoided judging her sloppy stance and put his hand on the blade of the sword.

"With your amount of power, I think it won't take long for you to master something like this."

"What am I doing?"

"Try pouring sleep energy into your palm. Then we'll go from there."

Miya poured energy through her palm, and the hilt of the sword gained a blue hue.

"This is going to be hard to explain, but in the dream world it should be easy enough. Try redirecting your aura throughout the sword."

"… I can see how that would be hard to explain."

Headmaster grabbed a toy sword from Miya's pile of objects, holding it tightly until some of his aura slipped out, gradually painting his sword in a light-red aura. Headmaster strained, only the tips of his hair changing as he used all of his might to alter his aura.

"In the dream world... you're own actions can be dictated through thoughts as well. T--Teaching you how in the real world would be a bit too challenging for someone who has little idea of their ability..."

Miya nodded, looking down toward the sword with a determined face. She gripped it tightly, concentrating.

"I understand."

Miya closed her eyes, and the sword eventually became shrouded in a bright, blue aura. Headmaster backed away from Miya to avoid it's power.

"Turn that way."

Headmaster pointed to the back wall of the combat room, and Miya eventually turned, facing the wall farthest from the door as it was blocked by the horde of items.

"Hold the sword above your head."

Miya did so immediately, preparing .

"Swing."

Miya's sword sounded almost like a siren as it descended, vaporizing the items within her reach. After a large shock-wave, the combat room's back wall was completely gone, revealing Hinansho City, but it had been decimated as well, the skyscrapers in downtown cut down the middle and flattened before her eyes.

One swing of the sword had made the city completely unrecognizable. Miya stood, dumbfounded by what she'd just done as Headmaster spoke behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"That's just one of the things you can do in the dream world. In time, you'll be able to effectively utilize the dream world as if it were breathing."

"I--I can do stuff like that... infinitely?"

"Technically, unless someone wakes up the target. For now, we need to teach you how to control your sleeping state."

"Sleeping state?"

"Once you put someone, or a group of people, to sleep simultaneously, you fall asleep yourself."

"But, wouldn't that mean I'm in my sleeping state... right now?"

"Yes…You seem to be unaware."

Miya became worried by the Headmaster's eluding, and Headmaster continued to speak calmly.

"Your clan doesn't truly sleep. In your clan, sleeping is for occasions when your body is in critical condition, or if one wishes to accumulate power."

"What else is it used for?"

"The release of that accumulated power."

"But that would mean… How do I get out of here?!"

"Wish yourself to wake."

Miya closed her eyes with haste, and when she awoke, she was on her back, pinned by Bo. Bo was bleeding profusely, panting for air. When he realized she'd returned to normal, he released her and helped her to her feet.

"Your training isn't over. Why'd you wake up?"

Miya yelled, her face red from worry.

"Headmaster said you were in trouble!"

Bo wiped the blood from his brow, throwing it onto the white floor. He walked closer to her, his size intimidating her as he looked down toward her, his emotionless, amber eyes seeming to look through her.

"I'm not in trouble... I'd pinned you... This is part of your training, as well."

"But--"

Bo interrupted her, a sternness to his voice.

"Go back to Mr. Krewe and continue your training."

Miya walked toward Mr. Krewe, who was still unconscious, and reached for him, returning to the dream world. He greeted her with an ovation, the wall next to them still eradicated.

"Bravo! You successfully got out of the dream world on command."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner about this?!"

"I didn't want you to leave prematurely, but when I told you, I expected you'd want to leave. I, therefore, decided to use that as part of your training."

Miya was mad, and Krewe knew it. Headmaster walked a bit closer to her to console her as tears slowly swelled in her eyes, her mouth quivering as she prepared to cry.

"This is what we had planned since we'd started your training. Please be patient. If I didn't believe him capable, I wouldn't have asked for his help. He's there to restrain you to the room and keep you under control until you eventually take control of that state."

She wiped her face, and her determination returned.

"I-I understand... I'm sorry for interrupting the training."

"No need. It's a normal reaction to help a friend you believe's in trouble."

Headmaster smiled, and he turned to survey his surroundings. The combat room was still in tatters and the city was nearly non-existent.

"Why don't you bring us to somewhere a bit more… cozy."

"Yes sir."

The plane vibrated as the terrain changed, disappearing completely and leaving them in an empty space of endless sky. Headmaster floated while Miya was able to stand, nothing beneath her.

"This will do... On to the control process! Try calming your mind, and try thinking about this world as well as the outside world."

Miya closed her eyes, and the combat room came into her vision, displaying Bo who stood before her on the defensive. Bo continued to stand there in preparation of an attack, but Miya stayed still, attempting to stay in control of her true self.

Bo spoke, his guard not yielding an inch as he stared at her, aware of who was in control.

"You're wasting your time, Miya."

Miya couldn't speak, but Bo could sense her confusion.

"Stop controlling it for a second."

She opened her eyes, and the headmaster had his palm to her face. Miya's eyes crossed, looking directly into his palm.

'I didn't even notice him approaching.'

Headmaster removed his hand from in front of her face.

"You payed so much attention to that world that it distracted you from this one. In a real situation, they could easily boot you out of their mind if you lose focus on their mindscape."

"Ok. I'll try again."

Krewe removed his palm from before her, shaking his head as he looked downward.

"Don't… It was a bit wrong of me to think you'd be able to master it immediately. Let's return our focus to manipulating someone's dream world... I apologize Miss Miya..."

"What for?"

With a snap of Krewe's fingers, they were transported to some woods that Miya had never seen before, and became confused, unsure of what was happening. She hadn't done anything to alter the location, but it'd changed on its own.

"I've been untruthful to you in hopes that you'd lower your guard."

Headmaster's hair began returning to it's bright, red hue, and Miya manifested a sword, her stance shaking as she looked at the Headmaster, knowing she was no longer in control.

"In someone else's mindscape, you are indeed powerful, but while their mind is getting overwritten, they are not powerless."

Headmaster walked toward Miya while activating his powers, causing the sky to quake furiously. His body twitched, and incoherent noises came from his body and mouth, nauseating her as she slowly backed away.

He continued to approach her, something eating his clothing from underneath and ripping it apart. Miya froze as another mouth appeared on his chest, directly below the neck.

"I'll teach you how to invade the mind of someone much stronger than yourself."

Miya tried infusing power into her sword and stood on guard as Krewe approached, growing faster by the second. The mouth under his neck spit nonsense, causing Miya to lose her balance. He yelled at her, his voice demented and a bit sadistic as the air around himself disappeared, consumed by the pressure.

It left a black outline around him, completely devoid of matter.

"Try controlling your own aura! Condense your aura into the sword while allowing power to flow freely through your entire body!"

Miya closed her eyes again but was interrupted by Krewe, who had his palm to Miya's face again. He cackled at her as she tried to open her eyes again.

"Are you that stupid that you can't think with your eyes closed?! BLASH!"

With a sudden shock-wave, Miya shot backwards and through the sky, her eyes rolling behidn her head from the force, but she was able to regain balance, flying with ease.

'He's like a completely different person! What the hell happened to him?!'

The air converged onto Krewe, stretching the sky, and Miya's instincts overtook her.

"You're learning! Now, try controlling that aura, weakling!"

Headmaster dashed toward Miya while she struggled, anxiously fumbling her sword. She was eventually able to take control of her aura by infusing more power into her palm but instead distributing that power to the rest of her body.

"Until you learn how to control yourself in your sleeping form, this is how you will have to fight people, little girl! You are only entering their psyche; they still have their powers they possess in the real world!!!"

As he spoke, Miya and Krewe clashed, generating a shockwave that nearly tore the entire forest apart. Miya deflected his arm and swung, missing him. The wind from her swing cut him, causing damage to Krewe and the forest behind him.

"... If you take control of yourself in an unconscious state, you can attack them from the inside and out simultaneously, giving them little room for counterattack!"

Miya immediately kicked him away, sending a shock-wave through his body and distorting the air behind him as he flew toward the dense forest.

"Good! Good! Now try using the terrain to your advantage!"

Miya seemed almost hypnotized, her arm pointing toward Krewe then one finger aimed for the sky, causing the forest to uproot, trees crushing as they bombarded Krewe head-on.

"Defend. Repel."

A protective barrier encapsulated Krewe and propelled the trees away, but Miya immediately dashed toward him, striking him with her sword with such force that it shattered his barrier and forcing him to retreat deeper into the forest. Miya didn't let him escape, jumped through the greenery in pursuit.

Krewe's grin widened as he thought to himself, his mind contradicting his erratic behavior.

'She's subconsciously controlling my dream world at will... This is getting exciting!'

Miya caught up to Krewe in a flash, swinging immediately, but a mouth appeared on his arm, biting the blade as he reached to defend himself. As he looked at Miya, his eyes darted upward, catching sight of something else pursuing him.

'Above.'

A duplicate Miya came from above Krewe, causing him to have to throw the true Miya off of him and dodge it's attack. Headmaster swiftly counterattacked the clone, punching it with such force that it's neck cracked as he drilled it into the ground. The clone continued to move, but he held it down with his foot, his nails glowing red as he held his arm to the sky, limp at the wrist.

"SRASH!"

With a swift motion, his claw-like nails ripped the clone apart, destroying the ground around it as well. The swing left a bright, glowing red line that continued to tear the body apart before dissipating in an instant.

Cut in two, the clone ceased motion, but he wasn't done as Miya's true self returned to strike him.

"Solid Aura."

His aura shot from his body, hitting Miya and launching her away again. The clone's finger twitched, and his gaze remained locked onto it as he grabbed the air as if it were solid, pulling it apart like two sliding doors.

"REND!"

His arms threw themselves opposite directions of each other, and blood covered his body, his attention turning from the clone to Miya herself. Miya stood still, assessing the situation.

'He just ripped the clone apart without even touching it?!'

"Gonna piss your pants, bitch?!"

Miya tightened her stance and focused completely on Krewe. Krewe just stood there, analyzing Miya completely and thoroughly.

"I advise not getting cut."

He dashed toward Miya. Miya didn't dash in return but instead, raised her sword to the sky. Her aura was more violent now and made her sword look as if it stretched to the stars.

'It seems like she's successfully forcing me into her dreamscape, but before my powers are taken away, I should probably end this.'

"Art of the Sleep Queen: Heaven Sword."

Miya swung her sword to Krewe, his eyes closed as he whispered to himself.

"In the name of Order: Pheonix."