Last day, Mining, and Hope.

POV: Devas Asura. [Sixth day]

"How much longer are you going to linger here?" I asked Tanjuro, who was beside me. Both of us were leaning on the bridge, watching the river.

We had arrived in the village some time ago, and the rest of the journey unfolded without interferences or attacks. I guess I was getting paranoid, as I was sure that a Upper Moon would jump out of nowhere while I was driving at night and attack us.

Luckily, it didn't happen. Tanjuro and I together could be enough to deal with most onis, including some Upper Moons, but doing that while protecting the Kamado family? That was a whole different story.

Speaking of the Kamado family, Tanjuro and I were just watching the river because we were biding our time while Kie and the kids went out to explore the village.

"A few more minutes, let the kids have some fun," the man commented as he stretched. "It's their first time out of our little village, let them explore, have some fun," Tanjuro explained.

"Fair enough," I commented briefly. "Especially since I'm sure you'll make them tidy up the new house, won't you?" While Kie and the rest of the Kamado squad roamed the village, we had already gone to Tanjuro's acquaintance and talked to him.

It didn't take long to arrange a house, especially with me footing the bill. Tanjuro said it wasn't necessary, but I wanted to help, and frankly, that amount of money was nothing.

Damn, things were quite different back then; the economy was way different.

I could buy a house here with the money I would spend to buy a car nowadays, and it wouldn't even be a good car! A used two-door Celta would be enough!

Tanjuro laughed, pulling me out of my thoughts on how the economy had gone to shit over the years, and explained.

"I won't even need to force them or anything. I'm sure when they realize they'll have rooms just for them, they'll tidy everything up quickly on their own," the man said before starting to walk.

"I'm going to look for Kie and the kids, are you coming?" Tanjuro asked me.

I had already explained to him that I would only stay today and tomorrow in Japan before heading back home.

"I'll take a look at your new house and say goodbye to your squad and your wife. After that, I should leave," I joked, following the man who always seemed amused whenever I called his children an "army."

I also wanted to see if I could create a matrix of Mystic Symbols around their house, something basic that I had thought of.

I just wasn't sure how I would use spiritual energy instead of mana, but I had some ideas...

[...]

Finding Kie and the kids was easy, after all, they were the only green dots besides Tanjuro in the village.

After that, with the Kamado family reunited, Tanjuro led the way to the new house.

It was a spacious house, something large compared to the old Kamado house. It was funny how seeing the house made them more excited than seeing me literally pull the Humvee out of "nowhere."

While the kids ran around exploring the house with Tanjiro and Nezuko supervising them, Kie and Tanjuro got things started after I took the boxes out of the inventory.

While the couple arranged the house, I took the opportunity to go to the backyard and circulate the house. After a few minutes locating the key points, I started drawing Mystic Symbols near the ground, using a paint made from DayBloom and Sunflowers.

It was a simple matrix that I had copied from Terraria's greenhouses. Basically, it absorbed sunlight during the day and illuminated the area with solar light at night.

The coolest part of all this? It didn't need anything to function since the sun was literally the battery for this matrix. For this world with low mana, it was great!

This was one of my trump cards against onis, or, in this case, the Upper Moons. In case I encountered any of them in these few days in Kimetsu and couldn't face them, I had this matrix loaded in my inventory.

All it would take is to pull it out, and the night would shine...

Would it be enough to kill one of the Upper Moon? Maybe, I honestly wasn't sure, but it would be a good delay.

I had some UV lanterns prepared too, and when I say lanterns, I mean spotlights... Speaking of which, I'll give some as gifts to the Kamados...

While I turned the Kamado house into an anti-Michael Jackson fortress, I took advantage of it being an easy matrix to make and kept reading the (CHAT).

[(MOD)RedHuntressLive] Weiss and Yang are the organizers of the dance, as CFVY team was delayed due to a mission. The two are now arguing all the time and can't decide on the organization and decorations; it's a pain! Blake also has an obsession with finding Torchwick! (Emote of an annoyed Little Red Riding Hood).

[BlakeHuntressLive] It's not an obsession! I'm looking for him because if Vale's police won't do anything, I will! (Emote of a screaming black cat).

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: A warrior school having a dance? Well, it's not the weirdest thing I've seen; that post goes to DS, but still, it's weird. (Emote of Iron Man shrugging).

[(MOD)GryffinHouseMatron]: Even though Beacon students are warriors, or Huntsman and Huntress in this case, they are still teenagers. It's good for them to have some peaceful time to enjoy their adolescence. (Emote of a black cat with a witch hat nodding).

[(MOD)JackMom]: A dance is an important part of adolescence. I still remember mine; it was one of the best nights I had! By the way, girls, have you been invited or invited any boys? It can be a girl too, I don't judge! (Emote of a gossiping goldfish).

[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Dance? Socialize?! Urk! No, I've had enough of dealing with that useless goddess and that explosive dwarf on my team... (Emote of a generic guy shuddering).

[TohsakaHeiress]: Wouldn't this matrix be the main point of all the others? I know Mana Stones and Artificial Sapphires exist, but still, wouldn't using a matrix that uses the sun as energy be easier? (Emote of a Chibi Rin taking notes while shaking her head).

A dance at a warrior school of all things?

Damn, that reeked of some important episode, I'm sure! Some shit was going to happen, one hundred percent, no! Two hundred, three hundred percent.

"Is this dance something celebratory?" I asked the (CHAT). "Some kind of event or something before an important event?"

While Ruby and Blake typed, I took the opportunity to respond to Rin.

"Not this one," I commented briefly as I drew the Mystic Symbols. "There are better models; this matrix here is basically just for greenhouses and streetlights. Since their effectiveness for energy transfer is quite weak." For lighting, it was great; for transfer and as an energy container? Not so much.

There were other matrices that were better than this in that sense, but the ink used in creating those matrices was something... Expensive, Desert Rose Yellow Topaz (Adenium obesum) and Lucky Bamboo were some of the ingredients.

Could I buy them? Sure, but still, it was expensive.

This specific matrix, the "evolution" of the one I was painting in the Kamado house, was part of my next project: Turning the Humvee into a tank.

It was the first thing I would do when I returned to Terraria, filling the Humvee with Mystic Symbols, both for defense and mobility.

Mystic Symbols for aquatic mobility, sandy terrains, rocky terrains, forests, everything! This damn car will be able to drive even in the air if I have something to say about it!

And when I got my hands on some ore stronger than the current Humvee chassis...

The ultimate goal was to be able to drive while bombs exploded outside and not even feel the explosions!

While I dreamed about the car I would have in the future, Ruby and Blake finished typing.

Basically, the dance was the preparation Beacon did as part of the upcoming Vytal Festival that would take place in Vale.

Ruby, being the angel she was, explained to me what the Vytal Festival was without me even having to ask. Essentially, the Vytal Festival is an international festival held every two years in one of the Remnant Kingdoms, celebrating the end of the Great War.

From what she had explained, during the festival, the various cultures of her world, Remnant, were celebrated with dances, parades, and combat tournaments.

It was basically a combination of the World Cup and the Olympics on Earth, and that was the problem; just like in the World Cup and the Olympics, there were plenty of tourists!

In Ruby's words, or in this case, the letters of her message: The hosting kingdom of the festival rotates every two years and opens its borders to visitors from other kingdoms.

This shit was getting worse and worse, seriously, what better place for shit to happen than at a festival where people from all over the world would visit one place?

Especially in a world where negative emotion attracts monsters that populate the entire planet!

It wasn't even a matter of it getting worse; it was a matter of the shit already being knee-deep!

I spent the next few minutes explaining my theories to Ruby and company, who initially thought I was being paranoid or overthinking it, as Weiss put it: The Vytal Festival was one of the safest events, if not the safest event in the world; it's impossible for something bad to happen.

I've never read such foolish words in my life; I swear my IQ dropped by at least one or two digits reading that message.

The only one who really seemed to take my words seriously was Ruby, who wanted to go tell the Beacon headmaster about my explanation. I stopped her, of course, since if something really happened, she would be a suspect.

In the end, I managed to at least get the four of them to stay alert in case something happened and pay attention to any suspicious individuals.

I really hoped nothing would happen, but as I'm usually right about these things, the bad ones, I knew something would happen...

So when, not if, I seriously hoped the emergency mission ticket would activate.

I hadn't watched their world series, but anything with the name "Grimm" involved wasn't a story about flowers and rainbows.

I really hoped that ticket would activate...

[...]

It took me about an hour to surround the entire Kamado house with Mystic Symbols and another hour to paint the roof.

It looked pretty weird, like the house was some kind of ritualistic place or something, so I ended up applying another layer of paint that would conceal the Mystic Symbols' ink.

Would it decrease the effectiveness of the matrix? Well, a bit, but it was better than the people in this village thinking that the Kamado family was some kind of cult or something.

I took advantage of being at it and made an on/off button for the matrix, as this thing would shine quite a bit. Was it acceptable for defense in case of an attack? Yes, every night while bothering everyone? No.

This on/off button was something that could be used by anyone as well since it was something that didn't require mana. This button had a "battery" that was rechargeable with the sun.

It was basically the same matrix that I had painted on the house, but with a difference: it turned everything off and on when someone pressed the button in the center of the matrix. It took me a little while to set everything up, but I was satisfied with the result.

It was already late afternoon when I finished painting everything. Without further ado, I went to say goodbye to the Kamado family.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" Tanjuro asked me, looking at the sky. "It's getting dark."

I shook my head, denying. "As much as I would like to, I still have things to do, so I won't be able to stay." I looked at the Kamado children playing with the UV lanterns I had given them as gifts.

"Remember to recharge everything in the sun." I pointed to the matrix control and the small solar panel to recharge the lanterns.

Tanjuro nodded. "I won't forget, don't worry." As he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and asked me to wait while he went back into the house.

I didn't have to wait long until he came running back outside holding something in his hands: a wooden sword, one that I recognized.

"Here, a farewell gift," he said, handing me the sword that I remembered seeing him use while dancing in the anime.

I took the sword carefully and observed it. "Why?" I asked. "Isn't it a family heirloom or something?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Yes, it is, that's why I'm giving it to you." He slapped my shoulder. "We may have known each other for a short time, but after everything you've done, you're family." He didn't hesitate for a moment to say those words.

"Besides, you might need it more than I do." He shook his head playfully. "I can order another one, keep this."

I squeezed the sword lightly and nodded, determined as I took out one of the tickets I had from the inventory, the invitation ticket.

"Here, take it." I handed the ticket to Tanjuro. "It's a way to contact me, tear it when necessary." I explained how the ticket worked.

At first, I wasn't going to invite anyone from the Kamado family to watch the stream, as I only had five invitations, but losing one wouldn't hurt...

Besides, the sword that Tanjuro had given me was more special than I expected.

-//-

[Shichishitō (Solar)]

Type: WeaponPrefix: None

Damage: 50 ~ 300Recoil: 2 (Extremely low) ~ 66 (When used on spirits/ghosts - Extremely high)Durability: 128/178Rarity: Orange

Unique Ability: Capable of damaging the immaterial: Ghosts, spirits, specters... etc.

Special Ability: When used against spiritual beings, beings with evil alignment, or beings of the night, damage is increased by 300%.

Special Ability: When used by a bearer of the ability: Solar Breath (Included variants), damage is increased by 300%.

[..]

Description: Made from "Matsu" (松) pine wood, the Shichishitō is a ritualistic sword used for generations by the Kamado family.

After hundreds of years being used alongside the Hinokami Kagura dance, the sword ended up absorbing enough solar energy to transform into a weapon against the night, evil beings, and immaterial beings.

-//-

Was it inferior compared to Houtengeki? Yes, but that was only if I considered raw power.

But the comparison wasn't even something to be made here; while Houtengeki was a weapon used for war, Shichishitō was a ritualistic sword, with a catch.

This thing was a damn sword against ghosts!

Damn, did I currently have something to damage ghosts and spirits? Maybe, mana and spiritual energy could probably be used in the right way, but I would be an idiot not to be happy with this gift.

Especially since I could paint it using Mystic Symbols with paint connected to the sun, further reinforcing its usefulness against this type of enemy.

I just had to be careful with its durability; it would be good to use it only against spiritual beings since it was the "specialty" of the weapon, otherwise, Houtengeki should serve.

After saying goodbye to all the Kamados once again, I left while they waved to me from afar.

Outside the village, I looked at the darkening sky and took out the map I had bought in the village and started walking while analyzing it.

I was serious when I told Tanjuro that I had things to do, the main one being to find a mountain bathed in the Sun.

From what I remembered, the ore that the nichirins were made of was an ore that existed only on mountain peaks bathed in the Sun.

This would normally be a problem; since, in addition to needing to find a mountain, I would have to dig and mine until I found the ore, that is if I didn't have the Minimap.

A Minimap that pointed out where the ores were...

Locating the first and nearest mountain, I began to run. At first, it was slow, well, my slow, which should by this point be faster than a hundred kilometers per hour.

Then, I started to accelerate, regulating my breathing and increasing my speed.

I felt the environment begin to slow down at the same time my mana and spiritual energy came into action, circulating rapidly through my body at the same speed as my breath.

I regulated my speed below supersonic, as even though I felt that I could accelerate to more than the speed of sound, I didn't have the confidence to run on mountainous terrain at that speed without tripping or worse.

After a few minutes, I reached the top of the first mountain and circled it, using the Minimap as a guide. No ore here...

I looked momentarily at the sun setting on the horizon and took a deep breath. Then, again, I started running.

"Next mountain..." I murmured, my voice muffled by the strong winds around me...

[...]

About four hours later, with the moon already high in the sky and several kilometers covered, I found the mountain that had the ore I wanted.

-//-

[Scarlet Ore (Shōjōhi Kōseki)]

Type: MaterialRarity: Orange

Description: An ore found on the tops of mountains that are perpetually bathed in sunlight.

After hundreds or even thousands of years, the ore ends up absorbing solar energy, becoming imbued with that energy.

Scarlet Ore is an extremely effective ore in creating weapons, armor, and accessories used against creatures of darkness and the night.

[...]

-//-

The ore vein I had found was a medium-sized vein with about ten tons of ore, or that's what the stream said, as I had no idea what the small, medium, and large sizes of an ore vein were.

And besides that, I had found something called Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand (Shōjōhi Satetsu) that I didn't even remember existed, but it was the sand used in forging Scarlet Ore.

So, here I was, mining alone at night, at two-thirty in the morning. At least I had the company of the (CHAT).

[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: It's a very beautiful ore, it's red! And you said it's effective against creatures of darkness?! Would it work on Grimm?!!! Can you send me some?... Crescent Rose would look beautiful in that color... (Little Red Riding Hood emote with puppy dog eyes).

[(MOD)WhiteHuntressLive]: I don't have the same cheek as Ruby, so I'll ask that, if possible, you could sell me this ore. If it really is effective against Grimm, it will be extremely useful for Huntsmen. (Snow White emote doing the math).

[TohsakaHeiress]: Hmm... This Scarlet Ore is quite similar to some of the ores I've heard about in the Department of Mineralogy at the Clock Tower. But this one seems to be more "accessible" since it's something found in nature and not made in workshops... (Chibi Rin thinking emote).

[BestToadSannin]: I can see the appeal of items made with such material. If done correctly, the weapons and armor will be on a level at least on par with some of the swords of the seven mist swordsmen. (Sap watching TV emote).

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: I would like to know how the composition of this ore is made, if it's something that can be replicated in the laboratory... But before that, let's put on some music to liven up the night! (Iron Man DJ emote).

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy added the song "Diggy Diggy Hole" to the Playlist!]

"Can I send you some later, Ruby, and what would be the price of this sale, Weiss?" I asked as the music started.

Was it unfair of me to send the ore for free to Ruby and sell it to Weiss?... No, especially since she had requested the sale.

I just needed to know if the "Dust" this material that existed on their planet would work in Terraria, if so, I already knew what my future bullets would be made of...

Well, that was something for later; first, let's mine this entire vein and move on to the next. Until I return to Terraria, I want at least a hundred tons of this ore because, after all, I was nothing but...

"~I am a dwarf and I'm digging a holeDiggy diggy hole, diggy diggy holeI am a dwarf and I'm digging a holeDiggy diggy hole, digging a hole~"

Was Stark a jerk? Yes, but he had good taste in music...

[...]

POV: Devas Asura. [Seventh and final day]

I didn't know if it was luck or bad luck since, even though I mined the entire night while traveling from mountain to mountain, I hadn't encountered any Oni.

Lucky because meeting any moon above three would be a pretty risky battle, and unlucky because I wanted to see if I could get some pieces of those Onis to put in the inventory...

Well, I'll treat it as luck, after all, without having to fight, I had more time to continue my night mining.

When it was four in the afternoon the next day, I had almost two hundred tons of Scarlet Ore and at least twice as much Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand. Was it more than enough for what I wanted? Probably, so I decided it was a good time to stop mining.

I would have continued, but I didn't want to end up depleting the Demon Slayer Corps' ore stock.

After stopping mining, I took a break to rest, not because I was tired. My body was fine; my absurd stamina and regeneration ensured that even after a whole night of intense exercise like mining, I was still as good as new.

But still, I thought I deserved a break, a bath as well, since mining wasn't the cleanest job...

So here I was, floating in a river wearing just swim trunks, letting the current slowly take me wherever the river wanted.

Speaking of which, water was one of my weaknesses, not literally, but a weakness for my breathing, after all, I couldn't breathe underwater...

That was bad because, after all, the Sun Breathing (Devas Style) was my best technique currently...

"Hmm..." I murmured while floating in the river.

I had the ink made with Aqua's hair, a water goddess... If I combined that with some other materials, could I make a necklace or ring that would give me the ability to breathe underwater?... Maybe...

A necklace would be better in this regard... Made with aquamarine and strands of Aqua's hair for the chains and part of the core, plus the ink... That could work...

Speaking of necklaces, Shadowflame had become more friendly these last few days. I thought it would be the opposite since I was taking her out of the inventory just to feed her, but no, she seemed more... Subdued?

It probably had something to do with the Sun Breathing. Did she see me as a "flame" hotter than her for some reason? Or the bearer of a stronger/hotter flame?...

"Hmm..." Questions, questions...

My thoughts were interrupted when my eyes went to the (CHAT).

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Are you going to float like shit there for how long? Didn't you say you were going to meditate to try to go to that place in your soul again? (Iron Man emote in the pool).

[WiseWizardGleam]: I would say it's dangerous to float in a river when you don't know what dwells in it, but in this case, I think the only things in danger would be the fish. (Emote of an old wizard sunbathing peacefully).

[JackSon]: I wanted to go to the beach... But only at the end of the year unfortunately... School sucks! (Sea horse emote sighing sadly).

[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: I met a mage today, thought she would be useful. Finally, a group companion who could help me, since Aqua is useless at everything except drinking... I was wrong... (Emote of a generic guy sad and crying).

[YellowHuntressLive]: Hey DS, The ball is tomorrow. Ruby looked adorable in her dress, want a pho-

[BlakeHuntressLive]: I'll wait for Weiss to arrive to separate them; they almost ripped off my ear the last time I tried... (Black cat emote sighing).

Huh? Kazuma finally met Megumin? Now only Darkness, or in this case, Lalatina, for the three stooges to be reunited... Wasn't her cat some kind of ancient god or something?... Could its fur be useful even with its power sealed?

Well, that's something for later. Stark was right; I was procrastinating here... I had to see if I could return to the Spiritual Core.

I jumped out of the river quickly and got dressed before running back to the top of the mountain where I could see the sun setting.

I checked the clock, indicating the remaining time I had in this world, and saw that I had only two more hours. Without wasting time...

After creating a protective barrier around me, I sat down and began to meditate. It didn't take long for me to be able to "see" my soul again.

Basically, nothing had changed, except that I could feel the [Divine Anathema] in the "brain" of my soul. Had it found a home or something?

My other two racial traits were still in the Mana Core without moving, only the [Divine Anathema] had decided to move. Why?

The best theory I had was because of Spiritual Energy, that and because of how it had originated. After all, the "gods" created and killed by humans in my world were imaginary, as the supernatural was only fictional.

What better place, then, for the [Divine Anathema] to make its "home" than the Spiritual Core? Basically, the imaginary center of my soul.

Well, that or it just decided to go there; they were just theories and assumptions from what I had.

Without further ado, I "touched" the Spiritual Core. This time, I was prepared, so when I felt my consciousness being "pulled" there, I resisted, and as expected, nothing happened.

With a second "touch," I let my consciousness go inside the Spiritual Core, and this time, before I knew it, like the last time I came here, I "woke up" in my child's body.

I got up, leaving the bed where I was lying, and went to the window. Only to realize that I couldn't reach it entirely.

"Damn, damn small body..." I muttered while imagining a chair to climb.

Interestingly, this time, probably because I was calmer and really analyzing everything, when creating this chair, I felt part of my Spiritual Energy being spent.

"Hmm... Curious..." I murmured looking at the chair before climbing it and looking outside.

The storm that existed before had diminished considerably, now just a normal summer rain on the beach.

The weather seemed to have improved a lot too; the wind was no longer as strong, and the dark clouds in the sky seemed to have dispersed, leaving only gray rain clouds.

It was still night, but it seemed earlier, as if it were almost dawn.

I looked at the (CHAT) and saw that they could see me; the stream had switched the camera to the spiritual camera alone. Good.

Descending from the chair, I created a lantern to start going down the stairs since the lights still weren't working.

I felt my spiritual energy being spent again when I created the lantern, this time, more energy than before when I created the chair.

Was it based on the knowledge I had about the object?... I knew how a chair was made and how to make one, but not a lantern. Well, I had some idea, but I didn't know for sure the internal workings of a lantern, probably why it "cost" more to be created.

Going down the stairs, I saw that the house seemed the same as before, even the frame I had placed down was still lying there.

I explored the house for some time, reviewing some memories I had as I walked. I looked at the kitchen, the rooms, the living room, the basement. Everything was the same as I remembered it; the only difference was that I was alone in the house...

After spending some time just looking inside the house, I went to the living room window and looked at the sea.

I could see a black shadow in the distance on the ocean, just below the full moon that seemed to be setting. The sea was more illuminated this time...

Interestingly, the stream had the peak of viewers since I became "The Streamer," about three thousand people. But somehow, the (CHAT) seemed silent, with few messages here and there.

The (CHAT - FATES) then had no messages; it was as if everyone was just waiting to see what I would do, not wanting to disturb me...

I took my eyes off the (CHAT) and turned my attention back to the sea, where the huge shadow was standing...

I took a deep breath as I opened the door, leaving the house. "Let's end this once and for all..." I muttered as I walked outside.

As I took my first step out of the house, the shadow in the sea began to rise, like the last time, first the hands, then the torso, leaving the legs below sea level... Or rather, the lack of them.

With the sky clearer, I, along with the stream, had a better view of what that shadow was. No surprises, it was what I expected...

It must have been about a hundred meters, perhaps even more, well more, actually, as it was hard to distinguish due to the distance. Nevertheless, it was a colossal creature...

The first thing that was recognizable was the bright green eyes on its head, especially the one on its forehead, which seemed to pulsate with malice as it watched me.

Moving downward, the arms, I could see that they were thin and twisted, in the hands, but palms I could see two more eyes that seemed closed.

Finally, the chest, where I could see part of its ribs and a shell that seemed to cover something in the center of the chest, the heart.

It was clear that that "thing" was not well. The body seemed worn out, as if it were decaying about to die, a few minutes, no, seconds from its last breath.

The body was illusory, as if it were a mirage, something out of a distant dream, or rather, a nightmare that had somehow come too close...

It was as if that existed at the same time it shouldn't exist, something constantly changing and at the same time, stable and immovable, where everything that existed tried to erase it, but somehow, it remained anchored in reality by the simple weight of its own existence...

"What a monstrous thing..." I muttered, feeling my hair stand on end as its presence permeated the environment, weighing on me like something inevitable...

Even knowing that "that" was only the result of my fears, a part of my imagination, it was still inconceivable... How could something like that exist?...

I hesitated to speak its name, hesitated even to think its name...

I felt my muscles lock, my breathing begin to become erratic, along with my heart that seemed to speed up with fear.

I held onto the balcony bars with force, feeling that if at any moment I let go, this child body of mine would run back home, to the room, under the covers, to hide...

Looking at the sky, I could tell that the rain was starting to intensify, the weather getting worse, reflecting my mental state...

"Damn, no!". Not this time, not anymore, never again...

I growled angrily to myself, to my fear, and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, as I had done in the past few days. Just breathed, breathed like the Sun.

It was something gradual but constant. I felt that presence being pushed away from my body, the weather returning to what it was before, as my fears were contained, the rain decreasing as I calmed down, as I breathed.

Opening my eyes, I stared at that "thing" that seemed to just be looking at me from afar, standing still, mocking me, as if mocking my attempts to stay calm.

"Hope... isn't it?..." I murmured, taking a step forward, feeling the rain wet my body. Then, I took another step, and another.

I kept walking one step at a time, ignoring the rain that soaked me from head to toe, kept walking until I felt the ground change from stone to beach sand, kept walking, never once diverting my gaze from "it."

I stopped walking only when I felt the cold sea water wet my feet, reaching up to my ankles, causing a shiver to run through my already wet body.

"You're not real..." I muttered to myself, an affirmation of a fact.

"That" wasn't real, couldn't be. It was just a pale imitation of something much older, evil, and powerful...

I closed my eyes and calmed down, focusing only on breathing...

I knew I could "defeat" that "thing," after all, this was my domain, my mind, or at least a part of it, created by the Spiritual Core.

I just needed a weapon, something strong enough to destroy that, something that could simply sweep it off the map...

The problem was that everything created here cost spiritual energy, and I knew I didn't have enough energy to create something that could defeat it, destroy that "thing"...

Even so, I left my right hand slightly open, as if holding something invisible, and murmured.

"I am not him, I am not her, but still, I need help..." I muttered, calling for something that did not exist, a weapon that did not exist in this world.

It was a vain wish. I had no way to recreate such a weapon, no capabilities, much less was worthy of wielding such a weapon. But even so, after finishing my appeal, I felt something appear in my slightly open palm. The hilt of a sword.

I didn't feel my spiritual energy decrease or diminish; in fact, it didn't even move. It was as if this hilt, this sword, had appeared on its own.

I didn't hesitate to close my hand tightly, holding the sword's hilt as if it would disappear at any moment.

I didn't dare to open my eyes. After all, I knew that, the moment I opened them, the sword would disappear as if it had never existed in the first place.

Like "that" in the sea, the sword was not real, not something physical. It was just an illusion...

... The strongest illusion...

I took a deep breath and held the sword's hilt with both hands. As I lifted the sword, I felt the muscles of my body tense, the weight being too much for this child's body to lift. But still, I persisted, holding it next to my body.

The moment I held it, wielded it, I felt my fears disappear, the falling rain decreasing until it disappeared, heard the wind and the waves calm down.

Like "that" in the sea, the sword was a pale imitation of something much... more.

The sword I held didn't have the divinity it should have, didn't have the absolute presence it should have.

It didn't contain what it should, the hope of humanity, only contained my hope... The hope of a single and simple human...

But it was enough...

I didn't dare to call its name; I knew that, the moment its name was called, the illusion would be undone, shattered into pieces by the power, by the presence that such a name held.

So, I attacked as usual. A simple strike.

I took a deep breath, took a step forward, and held the sword beside my body. In doing so, I felt something resonate within me, alongside the sword.

Without hesitation, I twisted the upper part of my body slightly to the side. Then, I thrust forward, transferring not only physical strength but everything I had in just one strike.

All my hope in a single attack.

It was instantaneous; I felt the blow connect. Even at this distance of kilometers between me and "that," I felt something emanate from the sword and hit it.

It was weak, like a spark about to extinguish, a fire that lingered on by sheer will.

A ray of sunshine that remained present only by sheer force of will.

But it was enough...

Moments after the blow was delivered, there was no sound, no movement or light, nothing.

But I knew it had been enough. After all, the sword in my hands had disappeared, its purpose, its work fulfilled.

I could still feel the presence of the sword somewhere within this illusory world, but it was far away, out of my reach, yet still, remaining present.

I sighed in relief and opened my eyes. The landscape had completely changed.

The rain had disappeared, the weather was calm, the sea was serene.

In the sky, the few clouds that existed were white, drifting slowly in a clear blue sky.

On the horizon, I could see a beautiful twilight. I didn't know if it was dawn or dusk, but it didn't matter, after all, I knew the meaning of such a scene.

The twilight alongside the small shadow that existed in the sea for kilometers, almost out of sight, represented only one thing.

I still had fear, after all, how could I not? I was human, it was part of what being human meant, to be afraid.

But what I did about this fear was what mattered.

The twilight was that, after all, it could be something that was the harbinger of a dark night of nightmares or a clear morning of dreams...

I felt a laugh starting to rise in the center of my chest, and then I began to laugh.

It was a genuine laugh, a truly joyful laughter that, coming from my child's body, was even happier.

I didn't know if what would come from behind that twilight would be a Moon bringing the night or a Sun bringing the day, but it didn't matter...

I opened my eyes only to find myself back in the clearing in Terraria.

In the end, all I had to do was keep moving forward, with the hope of a dawn...

I stood up, still laughing, and began to walk vaguely back to the kingdom, enjoying the sweet morning that existed at that moment, appreciating the Sun rising on the horizon.

After all, every night ends...

-//-

[Sun Breathing (Devas Style) - Rank B (Incomplete)]

Description: A breathing style created from the original breathing technique.

Created to be used in conjunction with mana or other energies, this breathing style is incomplete, capable of evolving, adapting to the user and the energies used.

Like the representation of a "real" Sun, when using the breathing technique, people with heightened spiritual energy or very familiar with other breathing techniques may see plasma emanating from the weapon used in each attack, unlike the usual "Solar Fire."

[...]

Function: Greatly increases all physical parameters of the user.

Greatly increases damage dealt to all beings with the attribute "Moon," "Lunar," "Oni," "Demon," "Devil," "Malevolent," "Evil," or "Foreign."

Greatly decreases regeneration of beings with the attribute "Moon," "Lunar," "Oni," "Demon," "Devil," "Malevolent," "Evil," or "Foreign."

Moderately increases all damage dealt to all types of divine beings and greatly increases all damage dealt to divine beings with the attribute "Moon," "Lunar," or "Foreign."

Moderately decreases all damage received by any type of divine beings and greatly decreases all damage received by divine beings with the attribute "Moon," "Lunar," or "Foreign."

Moderately increases hostility from deities with the attribute "Moon," "Lunar," or "Foreign."

Greatly increases favor from divine beings with the attribute "Sun," "Solar," or "Fox."

[...]

~ In the end, all that remains is the hope for a brighter dawn. ~

=//=