Gathering strength

"And how do you intend to address this problem?" asked Toras, interrupting his little clean-up activity.

All three of them directed their gazes toward Kiyu, waiting for an answer from the young Spiritformer. So far, they had all looked casual and relaxed, but with this question from Toras, they were now moving on to more serious matters that required clear thinking.

"I...don't know," she confessed.

As much as she wanted to hold her enemies accountable, she had to admit to herself that she had almost died.

The city they were in belonged to their enemies. Her band of allies instead was small enough to fit into a small underground hideout under the city's park. And not every one of them could defend themselves, or even put up a fight.

"Figured as much," Toras replied, scratching his chin.

"I guess you'll have to push your intentions back a bit..." he continued.

Kiyu lowered her gaze. After the wave of compulsion to act she had felt regarding her two opponents, Toras' words felt like a big damper to her.

"At least until you train more and can face Siwang," he finished his explanation.

"The entire city is in an uproar and wanted posters of you two are everywhere," Zhèngyi interjected. "So you won't be able to surface for a while, anyway."

Much like the nonchalant street thief he was, Zhèngyi rummaged crumpled paper out of his vest pocket and spread it out on the table in front of them.

Dead or alive!

Kiyu's mood changed. That Tānlán wanted her dead, she had already assumed, but the reward offered for her and Laki's head made the bit of spit stick in her throat.

Twenty gold pieces for one of each. After seeing those posters, she realized she had to protect Laki at all costs, and that meant getting stronger. Strong enough to protect what was important to her.

"Now then!" Toras declared.

"Since two of us have to hide because of the wanted-poster, I guess buying food stays with you, Zhèngyi. I'll take care of training our little friend here."

"And what about me?" interjected Laki.

Kiyu could imagine how her lover must feel. They were all three Spiritformers and could do something, even if Zhèngyi knew nothing of Toras' abilities. Laki, however, was the only one without special powers....

< It's not the cards destiny deals you, but how you play them. > Cheryu hooked into her thoughts, reminiscing. < In some ways she is far more gifted than you, little Kiyu. >

'I know,' she sighed.

Anxiety had risen within her, for she had just gotten Laki back. If it were up to her, she wouldn't have wanted Laki anymore trouble or danger, which she put herself in by doing anything. But then again, it was not in Kiyu's power to decide that.

And besides, what would Laki be to her but a puppet if she tried to limit her actions?

"I want to do something too!" she shouted louder now. "I may not have such cool powers, or be good at healing, but I'm not useless!"

Determined, she pounded the table with her clenched fists and looked around the room. "So, what can I do?"

"Buhahaha. What an energetic couple you are!" laughed Toras.

"Fighting I can't teach you, but if you're serious, I'll instruct you in the healing arts with herbs!" he brought out.

"That settles it!" Kiyu smiled. They might have to live pushed back in the shelter for the time being, but that was not a death sentence, nor would it stop them.

They had all found tasks for themselves to complete soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweat and sacrifice marked the following days in which Kiyu went through strenuous training.

They chose Zhèngyi for organizing food. Nobody knew him and Toras, so they could move without risks. But even if they wanted to attack Zhèngyi because of the amount of money he spent, he could escape with ease. He had proven this in front of Kiyu, who was the only one who had yet to see his skills.

Toras, however, had divided his efforts. In the morning he took care of Kiyu in practical training. To make sure Zhèngyi didn't notice his abilities, they sent him on either reconnaissance or observation missions.

"There's no point in you training to win against me."

With that, Toras had begun her first training session. "Siwang is just one of many Spiritformers in this world, and a human doesn't have the time or facilities to train against all the specialties."

"So we will not fight?" wondered Kiyu, but also a bit disappointed.

Fight training against Toras had helped her a bit, and she didn't want to miss out on that experience.

"Oh yes, we will fight. But it won't be about defeating me," he replied, shifting into a fighting stance. "It's going to be about defeating yourself. Recognizing your weaknesses and surpassing them."

Every day anew they had fought, and not once had Kiyu even had a remote chance of winning. But loosing all the time wasn't what concerned her all the time. She had to adjust to the fact that her opponent was stronger, or that her opponent's powers were unknown to her. So before she could think about winning, she would first have to get the best out of her powers in order to survive.

Control over her ability and creativity to deal with it were more valuable than special training against a special power.

By mid-afternoon, they had finished their training rounds and Toras took care of Laki's training from then on.

But for Kiyu this did not mean that she had free time and could do with it what she wanted. When she wasn't training with Toras, she was meditating to increase her spiritual energy.

She needed to build more energy in her body and be better able to dispose of every bit. If she used up all her energy with just a few actions, it didn't matter how much she had.

Self-healing her organs was a good practice. She now had to practice this skill so that she could use it, whether at rest or in a running battle.

As always when she meditated in silence, she had taken her standing position. The practical training with Toras became more strenuous and difficult every day. But Kiyu knew she had to persevere if she wanted to make progress.

The evening meditations were like a liberating bliss for that, and she could process everything that had happened to her.

'You know,' she spoke into her inner self. 'Ever since we started talking, I've been wondering more and more if my actions are right and just?'

Cheryu's wisdom was philanthropic. It approached problems with reason instead of emotions, and justice for the common good was always at the forefront.

As long as it concerned herself, she could also understand it to a good extent. It was up to her to decide how she would view an attack on her life and what her reaction should be. What Kiyu found more difficult, however, was how to react when she saw injustice against other people.

On the one hand, everything would die with no one being able to do anything about it. On the other hand, people like Siwang acted anything but with justice and moderation. They influenced the lives of others to an extent that no human should.

< I fear my answer won't be enough for you > Cheryu confessed to her, who had witnessed her inner conflict firsthand the last few days, but had stayed out of it.

< There is no right and wrong on this. The things I teach you make you a better person. But better is a subjective consideration, and there is no perfection. > he tried to explain why she had gotten into this conflict.

< Ask two people, or even spirits, what is wisdom and you will get a different answer. The important thing here is to be clear about what virtues you want to embody and to remain true to those virtues. >

'You're right about one thing,' Kiyu laughed, out of amusement and out of disappointment at the same time. 'It's not an answer I was hoping for. But I think I know what you're trying to tell me.'

She had to figure out for herself what measurements she wanted to live by and stay true to those measurements. 'And since I'm still in my discovery phase...'

She had heard, when meditating, one blocked out all outside influences and tried to reach a state of perfect calm. But for her, it was more comfortable to let all outside influences in. It just felt more right to consider her next steps or reflect on her past actions in that moment of full concentration.

"I made my mind up," she said full of determination as she clenched her flat hand into a fist. "They will either pay for their punishments, or I will make sure that they can never harm other people again!"