Damn, time had been on a marathon.
I swear it moved either ten times faster or an hour was forty minutes.
But I had hope because I had her. Makena.
I was back in my hellhole of broken dreams and despair.
The grave of thousands of bright dreams.
You could feel and taste death aura everywhere.
So much of it that it broke your will to live.
A crazy tightness gripped my heart and shoulders.
It felt like I'd burst and explode from the inside.
Makena was my hope.
And my weakness.
Every time I thought of a Meridian or Chakra Bloom near her, fire lit in my chest.
But sadly, I wasn't strong enough yet not strong enough to save myself, and certainly not strong enough to save her.
Like we would've sailed off into the sunset together.
The overseers were proud and confident. Aside from their master Chen Ping, experts at his level existed only in Type 2 or 3 civilizations.
He was a big deterrent a confidence booster for those idiots.
So they got lazy. Petty. Less careful.
I used it to my advantage.
Studying them. Their lifestyles.
Their patterns.
I knew them better than anyone else, and that information would come in handy soon.
Like before, I dashed and passed through them like the wind.
I thundered into Makena's room the moment the noisy guard slammed a gate tight and loud so my noise would hide among theirs.
She was busy admiring her sword.
She tried a sneak attack the blade a little too close to my neck.
"Easy, tiger. You wanna kill me before we escape?"
"Maybe. Or maybe not. I'll wait for you to become a Sovereign and drain you."
"Hahaha. You got jokes. What's a Sovereign?"
"I don't know.
You know me crazy girl saying random shit." She grinned.
"Sorry for the prank. I've been practicing a lot on my own, and you're one hour late."
"I prefer you showing me the stances than how close you can kill me right now."
She moved without another word.
She performed the Waiting Blade. So still, so quiet, that the air trembled and shook in fear.
Next, the Serpent Striking her blade became lightning fast.
Then she jumped and performed the Falling Petal. She dropped beautiful, like a shedding flower.
Rising Moon she was outlined in blond gold when the blade sliced into a moon arc.
"Four stances in twenty three nights," I said. "Not bad for a girl who used wooden swords more. Your turn, little ghost."
I collapsed on the bed to feel a little warmth an actual bed.
Oh my gosh. Damn. It was soft.
"I've been thinking about the wedding."
"What happens if everything goes south?"
"Hey, don't turn into me, little ghost.
You're supposed to be the one who believes in all the good."
"I know. Just saying it as a possibility."
"Let me get your mind off it, then."
She opened the manual to the last pages. But they all seemed blank.
"It's empty. What's there to see?"
"Look closely. You'll see it."
I focused. Looked harder. That was when I saw it twelve stances.
Four that Makena had just mastered.
Eight she hadn't yet. It was named Sword Empress Legacy.
But there was a thirteenth stance. One that could only be performed by lovers.
One rhythm. Two blades. Two hearts.
Called the Lovers' Dance.
"We have to fight together."
"No. We have to survive and thrive together."
Then
Ding. Ding. Ding.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[A hidden quest has been triggered: The Lovers' Dance. A perfect synchronization.]
[Reward: 1,000x learning speed for both partners.]
[The bond must be real, or it backfires. Each partner's learning drops by 10,000x.]
"Can you see that, Makena?"
"See what, little ghost?"
"How happy I am with you." I lied to throw her off.
Then she saw the terms, and I had to come clean.
"I know what it says. The system told me.
It has to be done by two true hearts or our learning and comprehension drops ten thousand times."
"Do you believe we can do it?"
"I know we can master it and perfect it. Don't you believe?"
[System has activated the Lovers' Dance. Your time starts now.]
[1,000x learning and comprehension speed activated.]
[It lasts forever until both partners master all thirteen stances.]
[Waste this opportunity, and this chance might never come again for a long time.]
My worldview of reality changed. I could sense her fingers holding the hilt. The sharp edges of her blade. How her breathing felt.
I became one with nature.
I was energy. Everything was energy. Energy couldn't be destroyed only transformed.
"I understand now."
"Understand what?"
"All the stances. All thirteen of them." I paused. "Show me the fifth stance."
"I don't know how. How do you want me to show it?"
"Fine. Watch me."
I moved and performed the Fifth Stance: The Cycling Eclipse.
I rotated and spun like it was an opera dance.
A shield of steel formed around my body. Nothing could come close. Nothing could leave.
Her pupils bloomed with surprise.
"How did you do that?"
Sixth Stance: The Weeping Willow.
My sword went low. I swept it around, and it created a dome of cuts around my body.
Seventh Stance: The Dragon Tail.
My body twisted like a serpent. Spinning back kick into a blind invisible slice.
Eighth Stance: The Phoenix Reborn.
I jumped higher than I ever could, leaping forward with a downward arc.
Ninth Stance: The Thunder Clap.
I performed two lightning fast horizontal slashes the second one stronger and faster, with the sound of thunder following.
"How is that humanly possible? That's like a million times learning speed."
"Let's just say my system gave me a priceless gift.
And I took it.
But it works even better if we both understand all thirteen stances."
"Okay. Teach me. I'm ready."
She ended up cutting herself trying the Sixth Stance.
Her body twisted wrong trying the Seventh.
The Eighth she jumped, landed, almost fell, caught herself at the last minute.
The Ninth her second slash came slow as a tortoise. She tried again. And again.
Tenth Stance: Mountain Shadow. The sword became a defensive wall.
Eleventh Stance: The River Flows. Continuous slicing no beginning, no ending.
Twelfth Stance: The Starry Sky. Multiple strikes in multiple directions, like dying stars falling.
She fainted. Breathless.
After an hour, she got up. We did it over and over again until she got it until her form was perfect.
Then it was time for the Thirteenth Stance.
The Lovers' Dance.
We stood facing each other, as if in a dance. We moved together in coordination. Step one. Step two. Step three.
We practically became one her slice became mine. The world was bliss. We were dancing. We were one.
We moved in rhythm over and over again until we loved what we were doing.
We were out of breath. Then
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Quest completed: Lovers' Dance.]
[Both partners have mastered all thirteen stances of the Sword Empress Manual.]
[Fighting together gives a 500% attack boost and a 10,000% defense boost.]
She gave me a passionate kiss on the lips.
I returned to my cell, sleeping with a smile on my face.