Chapter 145: Meditation and Decision

As Lily finally reached the perfect, clear state and found the clarity she needed, Aiden and Number 3 have already begun the second round of their duel. Aiden's silhouette flickered and in the next instant, appeared in front of Number 3 with his right fist flying towards her Master's abdomen at incredibly high speeds.

Compared to his previous attempts, this attack seemed to be simple. His muscles weren't stressed to the brim, it was as if he leisurely swung his arm at the woman. However, the speed behind it was immense, his visage actually blurred, and a hollow afterimage could be seen lingering as the arc continued, closing in on its intended target.

Seeing the incoming attack Number 3 gently raised her right palm, ready to block it. Just like before, as her hand made the upward motion, the arc it left behind blurred and created several afterimages. The whole movement was contradicting on several levels. It looked gentle, simple, and casual yet it carried incredible power. It looked slow to the naked eye, yet it seemed to distort the space with the speed behind it. 

Reaching the end of its movement, her palm intercepted Aiden's fist effortlessly. She didn't retaliate, but simply deflected the blow by pushing it to the side. At the same time, since Aiden already expected his first hit to miss, his left fist was flying in its curve in the air against her chest area.

In response, Number 3's left palm was already in position, blocking the hit once again. As his fist collided with her palm, Number 3 calmly spoke.

"You can do better than this Aiden! Come on, kick it up a notch!"

Aiden jumped back immediately after his first two attacks failed to connect. However even before he landed, his figure seemingly vanished, only to appear behind Number 3. His clenched fist was already in mid-air by the time he reappeared ready to connect with her master's nape.

However, just as Aiden's hit would have connected, his fist went through Number 3 without any resistance, dispersing the silhouette as it was yet another afterimage created by her. At the moment he felt pain from his right side and was sent flying several meters to the left, tumbling in the grass and dirt.

He rolled and tumbled several meters before he eventually stopped. Although he felt a small sensation in the area where his master hit him, he didn't react to it and jumped back up to action once again. As he launched himself back into action, Number 3 couldn't help but notice the small smirk on Aiden's face. As his figure vanished once again, she also spotted the momentary golden flash in his eyes.

The battle went on without any progress for several minutes. Aiden kept flickering and reappearing trying to land a hit from all directions. Even though Number 3 kept parrying and deflecting all his hits, even as he noticed how his [Soul Power] reserves kept depleting rapidly he didn't falter. 

Even though he was eager to jump back into completing the quest that the system has tasked him with, right now he just wanted to enjoy this thrilling battle. There was no place for anything else in his mind at this moment besides the joy he felt as they fought. He didn't get frustrated, angered, annoyed, or emotional in any sense of the way as they fought, he felt clarity, he was still himself.

Deciding to increase the difficulty a level, this time he pooled some of his energy into his muscles, enhancing them as well, while still keeping the same amount making sure he would not lose any of his speed. While this effectively doubled the usage, it would also significantly make it harder for his Master to block them.

Immediately the veins in his arms bulged, and his muscles contorted. As he reappeared at Number 3's left, he was already mid-way of his right hook. His fist actually blurred once again, leaving behind a couple of afterimages hoovering in the air as it continued on its arc.

Number 3 noticed the increased power behind this attack. The smile on her face curved higher, turning into a satisfied grin. Responding in kind, she also added a bit more power behind her palm, as she raised it to get ready to intercept and block the incoming swing. However, just before the attack would have connected with her palm, Aiden smirked and vanished only to reappear at the other side.

Before he could enjoy the sensation of his victory, he once again suddenly felt a pressure in his chest and was sent back down to the ground. He looked at her master with a quizzical look who was somehow facing him with her open right palm still held in the air, at the spot where she hit him. 

Seeing his puzzled expression, Number 3 chuckled. 

"Nice try, great effort on that last attack, Aiden!" 

She raised her arm towards him to help him stand up. Neither of them had to say it, they both knew; he had lost once again.

Accepting her hand, he stood up and quickly dusted himself from the mud and grass he collected. He took a few breaths to collect himself before he opened his mouth to respond.

"Nevertheless, I still lost the duel." He calmly said, after a while.

Number 3 shook her head, as she continued.

"No, Aiden, you did not lose. In the end, I had to actually turn serious to block that last attack. Think about it, if you could have used your abilities and transform with the boost you would have gained that attack would have connected."

As she said, her face revealed a meaningful smile.

Hearing her words, Aiden's mood immediately turned for the better. With a hopeful glint shining in his golden eyes, he looked at Master, asking in a wavering tone.

"Master, do you mean that I...?" 

Before Aiden could finish, Number 3 nodded. With a gentle smile on her face, she completed his thought.

"Yes, this win should go to you, Aiden."

Although he felt joy and was excited upon hearing her words, he still remained relatively calm and collected on the outside. He made a slight bow towards Number 3, speaking up with a respectful tone.

"Thank you, Master!"

Number 3 spoke with the same smile.

"You should take the rest of the day to rest, you spent a lot of energy, you are probably already feeling tired." Looking at the meditating Lily a bit further way in the back yard, with her two dogs also calmly resting in her legs, she continued. "However, I think you will be going out alone this time. Lily will want to stay and continue with the training."

Turning around, Aiden looked at Lily. Seeing how she emitted a faint green light around her, Aiden smiled and nodded, understanding what his master was referring to.

"Yes, that is for the best." he muttered into the air. 

Without waiting or expecting any response, he turned around and silently left the yard through the door. His part of the training was now done, he wanted to give some space for his master to focus on his sister. He wanted to find Granny and talk to her about a few matters anyway.

---

After some unknown amount of time, Lily's eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, revealing a calm and entirely new look from the usually cheerful girl. She seemed calm, at peace with herself. Something she was struggling with ever since that night in that awful place. Although she seemed happy and cheerful most of the time, All three of them knew that this was just her usual mask, she liked to put on, burying her real emotions deep inside. Only her brother could grant her some temporary solace, that's why she was so eager to be around him as much as she could. He was her guiding light in the darkness, her oasis in the middle of the desert.

As her eyes slowly opened and she regained some of her vision, even if it was still blurred, she saw a familiar, feminine silhouette sitting in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the figure in front of her again.

In front of her, Number 3 was sitting cross-legged just like she was, looking at her with a kind, loving smile on her face. She didn't say anything, she patiently waited for Lily to speak up and ask the questions that she most likely will have. This was her first time experiencing this state, she just opened up herself to a completely new realm.

Lily looked at her Master, thinking about what she just experienced. After a while, she finally asked in a calm tone.

"What happened, Master?"

Looking at this little girl in front of her, seeing the changes that were already visible in her demeanor, Number 3 felt proud of her. She didn't know when, but she realized that this little girl and the boy meant more to her than mere students she decided to teach.

"What happened you ask? Instead, I have a much better question for you... You have reached a decision, am I right Lily?" Number 3 spoke with a knowing smile on her face.