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Chapter 321: [Battle Frenzy] Training Phase Two: Gluttony. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2022-05-28 03:10:12 +0000 UTCEdit: Job Change
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<Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [Virulent Corrosion]>
<Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change>
<Virulent Corrosion Level: 1/30>
“The Sin of Gluttony, the second step to the tranquility of our tumultuous blood. A very poetic way to describe it, right? Well, that's what I was taught when I started it.”
Renee, Sis’s travel companion and friend, had asked us this morning to help her with some family business, which my party agreed on as it would give me the time with Neill to help my battle frenzy training. Also, instead of pure training, we would have some fun going around, so it was a good use of our weekend.
Renee, using one of her family heirlooms, was able to materialize a ghostly, wind-based flag from her left hand. It was a catalyst, and with its ability, Renee could summon wind elemental constructs from it, similar to Tasianna’s [Winter’s Golem]. And with it, she created a self-moving wagon, the same one the Renee and Neill have been using for almost two years.
Inside it, Mother immediately fell asleep. Yesterday's feast was rowdy, to say the least, and Yorshka managed to make Mother drunk again. Although she didn’t destroy anything, she had such a terrible hangover this morning, she just wanted to sleep. Dragons couldn’t take alcohol too well.
While Shay and Beth were on lookout, Tasianna was preparing some tea for everybody and Renee took the coachman’s seat. Since it would take some time to reach the place where her family artifact was, Neill decided it would be best for us to start my training. And immediately, without beating around the bush, she started.
“First, how much can you talk with Kramps?”
<Hestia, tell that kirin to stop calling me ‘Kramps!’>
Can you not? I’m still angry at how you called my sister a ‘half-breed.’ Don’t try to bring your opinion in here like that, Kramps, until you apologize!
<…>
The Black Tyrant of the Skies was too prideful to recognize one of his descendants was a mix between a true and lesser dragonkin. I didn’t care about that social stigma, but Neill was still my sister. Even if I had only met her a few days ago. I gave Kramps a chance. I gave Mother a chance. I would also give Neill a chance. It was the right thing to do.
What does race matter in this case? I’ve only known my family for less than a few months, after all. I knew Saori and Tasianna longer than Mother, and I considered them my family even if we weren’t related by blood. I could do the same thing for Neill, and since she was my sister, I wouldn’t let even an old dragon say what he wanted about her.
It also helped that I had Kramps kinda in control, due to what Aurena told me. He needed me at the moment, so antagonizing me like Shiterno did wasn’t to his interest.
“Perfectly.”
“Your younger sister is better in that case than you, Fargryneill,” Renee commented with her eyes on the road.
“Poor her. I don’t envy having to hear that elder scale stinking up her mind with his voice.” Neill shook her head in exasperation, grimacing at the thought.
<Impudent…>
Family Feud is about to begin again, I believe. Mother hated Kramps, and Neill did, too. It was like the whole family not wanting to meet that one radical or old-fashioned grandpa.
In any case, I didn’t want to spend too much time on this, so I brought Neill back to the topic. With a slow sigh, she continued, “So, he probably gave you a quick rundown. Father can do the same for us. Helps that he is the strongest dragon in the world and knew Kramps personally. But, what I realized, and our siblings did, too, was that it's old-fashioned.”
“How so? I managed to get through sloth relatively easily with his explanation. I just have some problems with gluttony, that’s all. I think it should be normal, right?” I responded, remembering my [Battle Frenzy] meditation progress.
“Cuz sloth is easy! It’s the foundation of the whole process, but as you go up the ladder, it gets harder and harder, since you are fighting your instincts and memories.” She then took my hands, holding it before her. “Here, let me help. Do your meditation and try to break through. What is the thing you ‘need?’”
I nodded and closed my eyes.
The Sin of Sloth was about finding contentment in your life, as happiness was the most important part of living. To be lazy, you had to find a situation where you could do it, and it was necessary to take a hold of it. It was to find your ability to destress, to control your anger and emotions, to slow down to not be controlled by time itself. Being slow and steady was a path to success.
The Sin of Gluttony was about desires, being part of Lust and Greed. However, unlike them, gluttony was about needing something as without it, you cannot continue living. It was like breathing or eating for a person, and that was gluttony. You, as a person, needed this inside of you to go forward.
So, what was needed in my life? What was something I could never let go of, otherwise I would lose my sanity?
My friends. Saori, Tasianna, Ellaine, Grimnir, the students, Rajah, Master Kush and the saurians, and so many more. To find contentment in my life, I wanted to make sure they were safe. I had to get stronger so I could be with them, to make sure they were happy. I needed them in my life. To find any peace.
… But even after going through all my memories with them, seeing them push themselves and facing tough opponents, I still couldn’t push through the second stage. I saw us having fun, smiling as we celebrated together and my wish to stay with them. I couldn’t imagine a life without them.
After I was done, I opened my eyes and sighed. “Didn’t work.”
“Alright, okay, now tell me what happened.” Neill was currently on the sixth point of the [Battle Frenzy] training, so she should be able to help me understand this better. “What makes you gluttonous? What is your ‘need.’”
“My friends. Saori, Tasia—”
“Wrong.” But out of nowhere, Neill interrupted me and told me I was wrong for some reason.
“Uuuuh, wrong? Wait, what do you mean by that?” I quizzed her, confused like crazy.
“That is not your ‘need.’ You’re being too specific.”
“Wai-What do you mean by that isn’t my ‘need?’ My friends are very important to me, to the point my happiness is directly linked with theirs! I wouldn’t be able to stay sane if something happened to them!”
Rage was brewing inside of me for people like Eithalr and that Demonkin of Pride. I wanted to destroy them at all cost, ‘cause I knew if I let them continue acting around in the world, they will hurt me. They will hurt my friends. They would bring my happiness to an end, just like how they ended Eshe’s life!
So I didn’t understand what Neill was talking about here. What did she mean my friends weren’t important to me? It was crazy!
“Sis, you don’t seem to understand this fully. Here, let me give you an example from my side, alright? It should help you get a grasp of what the Sin of Gluttony requires from you.”
“Hold on, isn’t that super personal?” I stopped her. This training demanded you to expose your inner self, so what Neill was telling me was she was about to expose her past and wishes like a book to me. Sisters or not, we were still only strangers.
“Don’t worry about it. I wear it on my sleeves like clothing. Only reason why I’m still stuck at the envy phase is due to me being unable to let this stuff go. So, honestly, whatever.” Neill looked proud at what she said.
“She acts like a brat because she can’t let go of her inferiority complex,” Renee chimed in once again.
“Oi, shut it, flattie!”
“Top-heavy muscle head.”
Were they friends or what the hell was this?! Didn’t they just insult each other right in their faces?! And they did it so casually.
However, Neill nor Renee seemed to have minded it too much and went back to their business. I was baffled but it wasn’t my place to analyze it. It was their business and they knew their dynamic better than I did.
“So, to start out. I already told you about that whole half-kirin and half-dragon thing, right? How true dragonkins look down on lesser ones?” I nodded to her statement. She had mentioned how Kramps disliked her about it and how she wasn’t super popular because of lineage. “Well, for sloth, what would make me happy? Well, first things first, I would just be content if I could just get some respect from other true dragonkins.”
“…Were you bullied?” I asked, sniffing out the underlying reason,
Neill turned around, speaking to her companion, “Hey, Renee, mind closing your ears for a moment? Sis talk.”
Silently mumbling a chant, a green magic circle appeared on her hand before it cast an [Air Shield] around her body.
“You won’t tell her?” I probed her.
“Renee and I are friends, but we don’t divulge our past to each other like dining noble ladies. We travel cuz our goals align. Her family business here is a favor and she wanted me to bring you along for a simple task. Should be easy enough for you, Sis.” She shrugged, probably unable to tell me more about what Renee was planning.
I was specifically talking about Neill not wanting to tell her companion about my true identity and past. Neill knew everything, but it seemed she hadn’t told her friend one inch of it. Talk about trustworthiness, honestly.
“In any case, yes, you could say so.” Neill nodded, bringing us back to my question about her being bullied. “Father’s rule isn’t absolute, sadly. Nobody can overthrow him as the Emperor, due to our six Queen Mothers supporting him, and nobody would want to gain the ire of six dragon clans. However, dragon culture is rough.”
Neill was world-wise, having experienced the world outside Miononbolax for six years now. She didn’t admit knowing everything, but by gazing at the world as a dragonewt adventurer, instead of a kirin, she had come to learn and understand different cultures and how they conflicted with her own worldview prior to her adulthood pilgrimage.
“Similar to our courtship ritual, you also had to gain respect from other dragonkin. You don’t deserve anything in Kargryx, even if you are a Kargryxmor, if you cannot defend it. I’ve been harassed and put to the test, forcing me to fight back every time. You might think a half-dragon like me would gain some respect, but I still looked like a kirin.”
Kirin were small, as in, vastly smaller than dragons and even some lesser dragonkins. As a B rank [Violetshock Kirin-Dragon], Neill described herself as around the size of a house, making her quite a bit shorter than Saori. Similar to her scales, she had black and purple fur and scales with a build similar to a horse or equerochs.
However, what made her different was her two horns growing from the side of her unicorn. In addition, she had a set of wings and could use our bloodline’s iconic black flames as an ability outside of her dragon paths. At least, that is what she presented herself as.
“We dragons aren’t completely united.” I nodded. Mother’s experience was reaffirmed to me by Neill. “If you want something, you take it. Plain and simple, and what would make me the happiest, make me content to live my life slowly, would be to bring the respect back to the Gueillxar name! My grandfather is an SSS rank kirin and ascended with Kargryxmor. Why does my clan not get any respect for that? And for that, I push myself.”
The difference between us was the difference in how our loved ones would be treated, in other words. I wanted my friends and family to be happy and safe, while Neill wanted her clan to be respected.
“Sloth is your exit out of the [Battle Frenzy] state, you should know this.” I nodded in confirmation. Kramps had told me countless times already. “If you go on a rampage, always think back to what caused you to make your travels in the first place. This brings me to the second phase, the first ‘gate’ as I like to call it. The stimuli enabling you to enter the minor stage.”
I gulped. Kramps didn’t tell me this part.
“The first desire and least damning one — Gluttony. Your need to live and survive. Like breathing air or drinking water.” She then began poking my chest. “What keeps you wanting to live. Ask Kramps what his gluttony was when he was still alive?”
I did just that and he responded swiftly.
<To survive, I had to dominate others. Living in the area I lived would be unimaginable for you, Hestia. The world was far more ruthless as so many S ranks and higher existed back then. I knew already I had to become the strongest being in the world, otherwise, I would die. Not even the second-strongest was enough, as my rival could kill me at any time. To find my happiness, I had to crush them all. I needed to become the strongest for my dream.>
Kramps didn’t specify what exactly his dream was, but I guess that was his sloth. His desire and foundation for his journey to power. When I told this to Neill, she opened her eyes wide for a bit, looking like she didn’t expect me to say that.
“… That is exactly as what Father told me. Hmph. Whatever your reincarnation did to you really fortified your soul. Wow.” She tapped her thighs, looking pensively at the road. “My gluttony is my need to not feel like I don’t matter in this world.”
“Huh?” My jaw fell open as I was too flabbergasted to close it.
“To make my Mother’s family respected, the first thing I had to do first was to make my existence worthwhile. You know, become special. To the dragonewts, humans, elves, dwarves, whatever races really, a dragon princess is veeeery special. But you compare that to Miononbolax, heck, even the world. I am just—” She held her hand up, pinching her index finger together with her thumb. “Piece of crumb. I die, barely anybody would realize it while I’m out here. If Kargryxmor doesn’t inform anybody, well, even my mother wouldn’t know…”
“…” I was silent.
So this is what Renee meant by ‘inferiority complex.’
I could relate to her. I had a similar wish to not be forgotten, to not be another idol who debutted and crashed and burned after a year or so. The industry constantly produced rising amateurs, but so many of them wouldn’t last for a couple of months or a year at best. Your relevance would fade as quickly as your burned, dimming until you had to retire and become a “normie.”
“Hey, hey!” I was rattled from my thoughts, brought back by sis tapping me on the shoulder. “Come on, I already feel bad, you shouldn't, too.”
“Sorry…” I scratched my head, feeling awkward from what I did, only to have Neill lean on the wagon’s bench and ask me what happened. However, before I could answer, Tasianna came over with tea and a comment.
“Lady Hestia, had a similar need as you back in her previous life, Lady Fargryneill. You two aren’t too different in that case.” She handed us our tea and bowed. “Please, enjoy. Pardon me.”
The aroma of the tea wafted around our noses. While I took a sip from it, Neill continued speaking. “If that is the case, then I’m surprised to hear you didn’t mention that as your need. I mean, didn’t you say something about this whole weird ‘idol’ thing or something? Did you just lie?”
I shook my head. “No. Well, sorta, I guess. My idol dream is still very much important to me, but… I guess you can say I changed my mind.”
After almost losing Ellaine and Eshe during the Griffonpeak battle, my priorities had changed. I was still an idol and still wanted to make my dream come true to bring the idol culture to Peolynca, but what good was a dream if I couldn’t share it with people.
I had to fight against the demonkins to be able to meet my parents on Earth. To apologize to them. I also wondered if Saori wanted to do the same, but the students probably would want to go back to Earth. In any case, a clash with the demonkins was inevitable. In that case, I needed to become stronger. I needed to be so powerful I could blow away all of them!
But, for some reason, when I told that to Neill, she just shook her head.
“Hestia, that is a want. You are greedy for power so you can maintain your sloth. That is not your drive to move forwards and become stronger. You are confusing the two, again.”
“What do you want me to say then? So, my friends aren’t important enough to be a ‘need’ but gaining the power to defend them, to defend my sloth which is the happiness of my beloved, isn’t it either? You have to be kidding me.” I was starting to get irritated. After letting my heart out, Neill just shot my idea down.
Annoyed by my tone of voice, she poured her tea right into her mouth, swallowing it whole with one big gulp despite it still steaming. She then stood up, stomping towards me with a scowl, and once she reached me she pushed her face close to mine, almost poking me with her horn.
“Listen here, you aren’t listening to me. There is a distinction between a need and a want. As I said before, protecting your friends isn’t your gluttony. They are your sloth, your foundation, the anchor to keep you sane! [Battle Frenzy] makes you lose your mind, so you have to remember why you even started training is needed for you to keep your temper in control!”
You can’t control your temper, I wanted to snark back at her, but if I did that, I was pretty sure I would awaken the beast inside her. I didn’t want to be scolded.
“I repeat, gluttony is about your survival. Physical and mental. What you need to remain functional, so you don’t go crazy when you enter [Battle Frenzy] willingly. You need a drive, a need, to enter [Battle Frenzy]. However, it cannot be something specific.” She sat back down after her rant. “Take me for example. I need to make myself a worthwhile existence. What exactly does it entail? Specifics? You can leave that to greed and lust. Look inside you. What exactly drives you forward like this? It isn’t just your friends or the power to protect them.”
What drives me?
If I thought back to it, what was my first wish when I started in this world? Well, it was to survive and become an idol, but I guess that wasn’t what Neill wanted me to consider. Maybe she was talking about looking even further back? Maybe I should look back to my past life? After all, I was a soul with the memories of two people.
But, looking back on my fractured memories, all I could think of was my idol dream. It was the catalyst and source for me to even mostly stay sane in the Belzac forest when I was all alone. Then again, I didn’t have too many friends on Earth anyways. I either alienated myself or… I put my idol dream over my time with them.
…
That’s right. I was pretty lonely back on Earth, huh? Most of my social interactions came from school, my family, and the kids I met at those fancy parties Papa would bring me to for his own networking.
Sure, I spent my time like any other teenager by going out, buying stuff, and just walking around with schoolmates. However, was I really close to them? I couldn’t remember even if I tried. Did I ever have a best friend? I didn’t know. Who was I really close to back then? I couldn’t have only surface friends, right?
Urgh.
My chest suddenly tightened up. I had this weird feeling I was forgetting something super important. In the back of my mind, a silhouette suddenly appeared from nowhere. It was a tall shadow, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t recognize them. Was it a he or a she? Just thinking about them was starting to give me a headache.
It honestly felt so irritating at this point, like an annoying itch. It felt like I said something to them but I couldn’t remember it at this point. Was it a promise? Probably, since that might be one of the few things which could trigger me this much. I honestly wish my other self would just appear before me, or if my parallel minds could think of something, but none of these things worked.
However, during this whole deep dive into my memory, I started to understand what was going on. I didn’t have any friends on Earth, but I wanted to make some. That was why I tried to fit in with my fellow idol trainees and learned how to speak informally. As a consequence, though, I lost those I made at school while the trainees just thought I was a poser. It was a spiral of loneliness.
And then I was born in the Belzac forest. What was one of the things I longed for the most? Companionship; anything to keep me from going insane from solitude. I wanted to befriend the kobolds, but they attacked me. I wanted to join that orc, but he attacked me. I thought I could reason with the garms, but at that point, it was inevitable we would clash.
Only when I met Saori was when I started to see that light at the end of the tunnel. I was overprotective of her and Tasianna. When I first went wild with [Battle Frenzy (Moderate)] and couldn’t remember what I did, I couldn't believe what I did. I could have done that to Saori and Tasianna. They were too weak to stop me back then.
I wanted to go away, leave them so I wouldn’t hurt them. However, I still wanted to stay with them ‘cause I valued them so much. Without them, I would have probably gone crazy. I would have turned feral. Without them, I wouldn’t have found the human side of myself again.
It was also then that I broke my most important oath. To never cry before I performed in a concert. I cried, ‘cause I was directly going against what I wanted. I had a mental breakdown. I broke down right in front of them when they still wanted to travel with me, despite the risks.
I was so glad, so relieved they weren’t scared of me. I let go of over nearly ten years worth of held-back tears. I didn’t know how long I cried but when I stopped, I was too exhausted to stay up. I fell asleep with a slight fear they would leave me, but another portion of me believed they would stay with me.
It was one of the best sleep I ever had.
“… Solitude.” I finally eked out.
“Hmm?”
“S-Solitude.” My voice rose and I could feel my eyes wet. “I don’t want to be alone… Never, never, ever again! I don’t want to lose anybody. I don’t want to be all by myself. I need someone!”
“Lady Hestia!”
[““Mistress!””]
I heard Tasianna’s, Shay’s, and Beth’s voices as my body arched forward, overwhelmed by all the thoughts from Earth and also my time in Peolynca. Being all alone on Earth ‘cause of my own damn fault pained me, but it couldn’t be compared to four months of loneliness with only my parallel minds to talk to. I thought I was going insane.
Reflecting on it all was causing me to relapse, going through all the emotions I had back then. I went through my entire travels with Aurora, enjoying all the pain and smiles we had ‘cause we were together. Losing it all, even imagining being alone after all of that was causing me pain. Actual pain.
“Grack!” I fell onto the floor, almost gagging from my crying. “GraaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! EEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSHEEEEEEE!”
Eshe’s smile. The curry she served me. The determined expression she had when we were rescuing the orphans. Her face when I left her to save Ellaine. Her face when… she died. When she died. When she died. When she died!
<Hestia! Noo! Stop thinking about that!>
<[Battle Frenzy (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>
“GURAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”
“Nooooo!”
““Kriiiieeeeeek! Kruuuuuuuuuh!””
“Shit!”
Heat. Heat. I felt my body temperature rising and rising but also a chill around my shoulders, however, as I felt thinking of Eshe’s dead bodies and the remains of her knights, I felt as if I was burning up. But, the tipping point was when I remember that demonkin’s face. That demonkin who posed as Pestrodos’s nephew, the one who stole that man’s relative.
The demonkins stole Eshe from me and so many others, too.
But… when his face came up. That piece of filth who tried to persuade me this was alright. That mercenary. That scum of all scum!
“EIIIIIIIITHAAAAAAAAAAAAALRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
<Fargryneill! Move!>
“Lady Hestia, listen to me! Stop this! Uuuuurghk! NO, urgh, need to move!”
[“Your highness, stop this! Sister, colder! Even colder!”]
[“Freeze her if we have to, brother! We need to prevent her from-arck — explode with [Dreadfire Aura]!”]”
“Woo-Woaha! Fargryneill, what the— Shit!”
The world turned around me and I could still hear the voices of my friends, however, I was pushing them away. All I could think of were the people who nearly stole something from me — Eithalr, Prince of Pride, Prince of Envy. I didn’t want to hate the whole demonkin race, but the more I thought about it, the more my hostility increased. I knew there had to be good in them, but I couldn’t think straight. I just could—
<[Battle Frenzy (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>
—n’t control myself anymore.
“I WIIIIIIIIL KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLL YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU AALLLLLLLLLL!”
“Enough!”
“Gurck!”
My tears dried up from all the heat, but when I thought I was losing control completely, three-winged beings shot out rays of ice at me, piercing through the heat aura and shooting me into the ground. At the next moment, black flames appeared, cleaving a way forward.
I felt they weren’t as strong as my flames, but the damage from those cold blasts weakened me slightly, using my crippling weakness to ice to its advantage. A flash and I felt a punch striking my belly, only for me to be slung away in the next moment.
As I was flying through the air, I felt something was stopping me from crashing. Something soft like clouds, but strangely, they felt cool. Like swimming in a pool in the middle of summer.
“My whelpling, you can’t wake me up like that.”
<[Battle Frenzy (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>
I saw… my mother.
“Mother needs her sleep, my dear. But… when you need me the most, I will be there for you.” I was embraced by that soothing voice. It felt nostalgic, bringing my attention back to when I heard it for the first time.
I almost died from overheating but when her voice appeared in my head, it felt like everything was about to turn back to good. I was calming down. Feeling her warmth and cold made me remember what I was doing, releasing me from my rampaging thoughts.
As my body cooled down, I could feel my tears dripping down my face again. Through the watery veil, I noticed her beautiful white-blue dress and the shimmering scales on her wings and tail. I pressed my arms even tighter against her.
“… I’m sorry.” Was all I could muster after everything I did.
“Mother’s here to help. Always,” she announced before we slowly descended back to the ground. The flames and ice around us dissipated as my [Battle Frenzy] disappeared. “You know, I always feel so much better if you need me like this. Your fire and my ice. It fits.”
“… Jeez, Mother.” I buried my face into her chest, feeling like I was heating up again.
“My lady!”
[““Your highness!””]
Once we were back down, Tasianna and the twins approached us, looking at me worriedly as I let go of Mother. They asked me if I was okay, saying they were surprised I was acting this way. They knew I could heat up from our previous [Battle Frenzy] training, but they didn’t expect me to overreact this much.
Previously, I’ve only burned up a bit and could feel the anger in me settling in, but it was a slow process. Enough for the twins or Tasianna to cool me down in time. However, this time, my thoughts just went haywire right at the beginning. It felt like somebody pushed me right into a maelstrom of memories, bombarding me with every single emotion to drive me to the point of catharsis, however, in this case, I nearly hurt everybody.
“Thank you… all of you for stopping me.” I smiled. I nearly went wild, but they prevented me from burning anybody with my flame aura.
“This is my duty, Lady Hestia!” Tasianna bowed deeply, a smile on her face. I bet she was ultra proud, since she promised me she would become strong enough to stop me one day.
[““Your survival is all we need!””] On the other hand, the twins were more formal, even kneeling down with their tails tucked between their legs — a sign of submissiveness.
“And what about me?” Another voice entered my ears. When I turned around, I saw Neill covered in a cloak of black flames, walking over to me with a frown. “Jeez, you could have warned me you would react like this!”
Her yukata almost fell down as she placed her hands on her hips, scowling at me as if I was a big troublemaker. “You really are too young for all of this! Your mind isn’t experienced enough to handle all of that emotional baggage! Or, even worse, you experienced too much and it’s making it hard for you to stay calm!”
“Ehehe…” I laughed nervously.
“This is not a laughing matter! How could you not warn me something like this would happen! You had your time during the sloth phase, so why didn’t you warn me you could have such a reaction?”
My smile then turned wryly, unable to really give her a proper answer there. This never happened to me. I only burned up slightly when I finished the sloth phase and then the beginning of gluttony.
Seeing I wasn’t answering, Mother did it for me, shocking Neill as she learned the truth. She let out a deep sigh, telling me going berserk was usual during this mediation process. We were going through emotional memories, after all, and with our tumultuous blood, it could bring us to a berserker rage.
“Haaaa, if that is the case, then I guess you can’t be blamed. Wow, still, that was something you would usually only experience during the wrath phase.” She shook her head. “This will be hard.”
I grimaced at what she said before turning to Kargryxmor, trying to get his assessment.
<I apologize, Hestia. I evaluated you too highly when sloth worked out without any issues. You had some hiccups, but it went by so smoothly, I thought you were a prodigy. However, I guess your damaged soul was now complicating your situation as you analyzed all the trials and tribulations you faced. Your sister is right. Wrath and Pride will be extremely problematic at this rate. I don’t think you can even pass the fourth at you current mental strength.>
Even with all my mental protection skills, it was still not enough. I guess they never had a dragon with a fractured soul or memory try this before.
“Oi, what in the Goddess's name are you damn dragons doing?!” All of us turned around to that voice, only to see Renee glaring at us with leaves hanging from her hair. It seemed when the wagon toppled over from my rage, she landed on a tree and fell to the ground.
Suffice to say, she was angry. And in her anger, she forbade us from continuing our training until we reached our destination. With how exhausted I was, mentally and physically, I couldn’t do another session even if I wanted to. The moment I could, I placed my head on Mother’s lap and just went to sleep.
I can’t believe this is so hard… I lamented how I underestimated this whole [Battle Frenzy] progress. However, I was so close. Once I mastered gluttony, I would be able to enter the phase at will, hopefully
I must keep working hard.
We eventually reached our destination. According to the direction of the sun, Renee suggested we were slightly two bells afternoon, meaning it was two o’clock. We still had a lot of time to work with before returning to Elyonda tomorrow evening.
However, when we got off the wagon, I was shocked to see a huge ball of thorny vines before me, towering over me like a mansion. The area, on the other hand, looked extremely pretty though. The earth ground was paved well and it looked like an expert gardener took care of the garden and foliage. If it weren’t for the thorny ball, it would have been eye candy.
“Uuuh, what is this?”
“Just wait,” Neill replied to me before pointing at Renee walking slowly up to the place.
Holding her hands around her mouth, she gave a loud shout, “HEY, RITA! We’re here!”
From a section of the garden, a flower suddenly grew in size, to the point it shared the size of a giant rafflesia flower. Its petals then closed up, growing taller before they opened up, only for a green-looking person to appear from it.
Light green skin, ivy-like hair, and two pronounced ruby-colored eyes stared at us before they began to stretch. Their green flower-embroidered shirt and skirt fitted their slender body loosely, fluttering around as the person moved around.
Once they were done, they opened their eyes again and responded to Renee, “Heyoooo, you guys—”
But her feminine voice stopped as she noticed me. She clapped her hands together as her eyes sparkled, before rushing over to me. To my surprise, I was about to shake her hand, only for her to slip around me and grab my tail, raising it up as she began inspecting it.
“You… Yes! This should work! Wow, you brought another dragon for me, Renee!”
Completely enamored by my tail, little did she notice she was lifting my skirt up, exposing my shorts to the world.
Comments
Oh, right. That is correct.
KazukiNero
Thanks for the chapter. I only found one problem with this sentence, "What exactly does it entail? Specifics? You can leave that to gluttony and lust." since they are working on gluttony shouldn't it be greed and lust?
Np! Enjoy the story!
The Rage!
Diego Rossi
Sigh, and now you had me checking Birth of the world tree. Then first chapters seem interesting. Thanks for the chapter.
Imp
Rage against the machi... Past?
