25: Midnight Meetings

"… He thinks I founded a cult," I say.

"You!? A cult!? Are we talking about the same person here? I mean… you are charismatic, but still!"

Me? Charismatic? Are we talking about the same person?

Because, the teacher instantly hated me, and Struan wasn't talking to me for a bit.

I feel someone pull at my dress. "...Big sis?"

"Oh? How'd school go today?" I ask.

"Thank you! It went pretty good! No one bothered me today!" Amelia cheerfully says. "Or more like they forgot I existed."

She still seems a bit wary of me, but I guess she found that the results I brought are well worth the price of fear and pain.

"Yay!" I respond. "How'd you find me, anyways? … And recognize me?" After all, we first met while I was in the male form of the Primordial Sovereign, yet now I am in my day-to-day female form since I'm with Eir.

"I just asked a mannequin and one brought me right here," Amelia says.

"Big sis?" Eir asks.

"Yup." I nod.

"... You're not gonna say any more than that?" Eir gives me a questioning look. She knows I don't have any siblings, yet here I am, seemingly close to this mysterious, young girl.

"I'm not sure what else you want me to say?" I respond. "Welp, guess I gotta go now. Thanks for cheering me up, Eir! You can get back with the portals whenever you're ready."

"Any time!... But what cult??" Eir calls out after me as I leave with Amelia.

I just wave at her.

"Back for more punishment?" I ask Amelia as we head down to the training area.

"Errr…"

"That was a joke…"

"Oh, okay."

"... Sorta," I flash her a wicked grin, making her turn to me with a worried expression.

Amelia does a few warm up exercises at my instruction and I confirm that she can now use both her abilities — inconspicuity and very low-level ability reflection — freely at will.

Now, all that's left is strengthening them from being the most basic forms to something more useful until she makes them her own.

"...So, I know I said yesterday that I'd help you, and I have no intention of going back on my word… but… There's something I need to take care of."

I see her look conflicted, both happy she won't have to endure more of my traumatizing training of being hunted down all night yet sad she won't receive more of my guidance. After all, I was the one who gave her hope when no one else would or could do anything.

"Ah, it's not like that. I've had a really rough day today, on top of a promise I've made to my partner to hold back… Let's just say it has me feeling very antsy and trigger happy, so I'd rather not put myself in a position of temptation," I continue. "Once I start, I don't know if I can hold back. I'm sure you would appreciate that too — not actually being my target, that is."

Amelia takes a few steps back, but abruptly stops and steels herself with a terse nod.

I sigh. "What I really mean is… You'll be training on your own for about the next week. The most important part was getting you able to freely activate your powers, and the rest is just strengthening. If you need any help, you can ask a mannequin as I'm sure you've realized they're sentient… unlike most of the others here who think they are merely mindless robots that can only take orders… I gave them a mouth for a reason."

We go over her training regiment, to which I assure her I'll be back to check up on her within a month at minimum.

Halfway through, I interrupt myself. "You know what… let's do this."

A steel sphereroid, of furiously boiling metal, materializes in front of us, rapidly stretching out to six feet tall then splitting off limbs. Once it solidifies, unlike the other mannequins, this one has glowing lavender slits of horizontal eyes and vertical ears and is dressed in a business suit made of steel. However, like the other mannequins, it has a pair of lips and a mouth.

"There. Now it has the usual senses that you can train against. Just talk to it to adjust the difficulty level. It can also make a projection of what it experienced while battling you to help you find your own weaknesses too. Though, it can also tell you those if you just ask… But, I encourage you to try to find ways to improve on your own, as it is an important exercise."

I deeply sigh once I finish and mutter under my breath. "Unconquerable in battle, yet my downfall may be my social skills… Haahh…"