'Huh, Phin. You're really happy... Phin? Are you alright?' Willow shakes his shoulder with a concerned look.
Phin stares back blankly with a crazed smile on his face. His eyes bloodshot, teeth clenched, the corners of his mouth stretch unnaturally across his face. He trembles twice. They're all mine. Mine.
Thousands of images flash in his head, passing too quickly to comprehend. But Phin knows what they are. In each scene, he stands over a dead Flora. Its thick, murky blood stains the soil, its exposed Core slashed to pieces.
But... what then?
***
Multicolored leaves fall gently, like rain from a color palette. A light breeze whisks tiny particles along the mossy path. A rhythmic hollow tapping breaks the forest's stark silence.
'Greed corrupts the human. It is quite the tragedy that... such sinful behaviors run so rampant in their society.'
A pause.
'I don't think greed is so bad. It's the progenitor of all treasures, all trinkets, all wealth, and of glory itself...'
Soft jingling noises briefly blend with the metronomic tapping.
A sigh.
'Of everything, you chose to adopt their materialism. You're vain as always, sister.'
'Don't be so harsh. At least I'm not trying to uproot this whole world.'
'Ah. The angry one is... another story. Come, walk with me, sister.'
***
Phin suddenly lurches forward, coughing violently. The seax knife clatters to the ground.
Willow barely catches him by the shoulders. 'Phin - are you okay?' she asks, worry lining her soft voice.
'I - I... I don't know what came over me. I really don't,' Phin stammers, shivering.
Willow offers a gentle smile, brushing it off with a shrug. 'It's fine - and if you're this enthusiastic, maybe one day you can join our ranks as a Botanist yourself!' She helps Phin to his feet, scooping up his dropped seax with her other hand. 'Come on. Let's head back.'
When they return outside, Phin remains shaken by the extracorporeal experience. What the hell happened to me? Has that 'side' of me... always existed?! His eyes linger on the ground with a dull expression.
'Hey.' Willow puts a hand on his back. 'Don't worry about it. If you've never been exposed directly to violence, it's natural for it to come as a shock.'
But I have... Phin quietly thinks. All those times when I witnessed or was almost involved in a Regal altercation... I never had any real thoughts of violence. That's - that's not me.
But he ignores those nagging thoughts. 'Alright... thanks for the reassurance.' He smiles weakly at Willow, who stands at the same height as him.
'Great! Let's begin with light melee basics.' She hands Phin the seax. 'Try slicing the air, like there's an invisible target.'
He half-expects himself to snap again, but thankfully nothing happens. He tests his grip and performs several lazy slashes.
'Huh... not bad at all,' Willow remarks, tilting her head. 'Your fundamentals are surprisingly solid. No major issues I can see.'
Phin shrugs. 'I examined the blade and hilt geometry beforehand to estimate optimal grip and swing styles.'
Willow chuckles. 'Looks like our new guide might actually know what he's doing! But all jokes aside - this is really helpful. Your technique learning curve is much simpler now, so we can focus more on the physical component.'
She reaches into a satchel and produces a sleek bracelet. 'Our Terrasuits have inbuilt Aptitude trackers. You don't have one yet, so here's a portable model,' she explains. 'Aptitude is measured on an open scale, but we rarely see anything above 100. For newbies like yourself, a score in the 10s is respectable - so don't beat yourself up.'
Phin straps the bracelet on and pauses in anticipation as it calibrates. Blue pixels shimmer on the tiny screen, slowly forming a number.
2
'Damn.' Phin lets out a shaky laugh. 2?? his mind screams.
'How is it?' Willow glances over.
'Uh...' Phin trails off, smothering the screen with his hand. 'You have to promise not to laugh.'
'Don't worry, I won't. Whatever it is, I've definitely seen worse.'
'... Alright. 2.'
A strange expression spreads across Willow's face - a blend of a smile, frown, and pure disbelief. 'Never mind. I haven't seen worse. But on the upside - you have much more room for growth!'
Phin slumps. Even Captain Shirasagi doesn't take me seriously... maybe this was all a mistake. Nevertheless, he steels his resolve. He thinks of his Genetic Appraisals, of the beautiful mysteries they hold. I'll never be able to look at a Seed the same way again. And I still haven't found out what that 'Greed' is... damn it. How could I quit now?
'How do I improve?' he snaps upright. 'I want to prepare myself as best as I can.'
Willow smiles. 'Honestly, a good mindset outweighs all physical setbacks, and you definitely have one.' She reaches behind and unsheathes what appears to be a long chain. 'Let's start off easy.'
That's one of her dual Kusarigamas - the chain-whip scythes! Phin watches in awe as she effortlessly sends the razor tip sailing, its chain-link tail unraveling and elongating. The tip lodges into a nearby bin with a satisfying pop, and with a casual flick of the wrist, Willow retracts it.
From the tangle of steel, she retrieves a small silver orb, its surface etched with intricate markings.
Willow lets it rest in her palm and holds it out. 'This is a morphosphere, one of the many ergonomic training equipment we use.' She tosses it in the air and steps back. 'Try cutting it with your seax.'
The morphosphere falls sluggishly despite its volume, like a solid bubble. That's easy... even for me! Phin lunges forward and delivers a pinpoint strike, grinning in satisfaction as his knife cleanly slices through the morphosphere's jelly-like insides.
However, to his surprise, the gelatinous ball bounces off his blade before he can finish the cut. The gash reseals itself in an instant, and the morphosphere hits the ground with a quiet wobble - as if nothing had happened.
'They require a precise blade velocity to be fully cut, which emulates the function of a Flora's Core. Most Botanists struggle with angular accuracy, but you've got that part down. However, your swing power needs work,' Willow explains.
'Do I have to lift weights? Or do calisthenics?'
'No need - the morphosphere itself works better. I have to leave now, but try to get as many reps in as you can.'
Phin nods, scooping up the squishy object. He observes its smooth, lustrous surface, gripping his weapon in his other hand. I'm not gonna be dead weight... I'll carve a name for myself, starting here!