Progression Of Development [ Training | Solo ]

It wasn’t the first time Dalia had someone threaten her life, but it was the first time they had ever said it to her face. The first time they were acting on it immediately and not as a slow over time sort of thing. The young Dalia looked up with wide eyes gripping with one hand gripping the two around her neck while the other gripped knot the cheek of her attacker her recently fully healed scared up arm sending waves of shock like pains throughout her entier arm as she used it fully for the first time in a long time as she pushed the man chocking her’s face back. She looking up to him with squinted eyes as tears weld up her body trembling from adrenaline and fear. In this moment she looked on as the mans face and his surroundings were replaced with the man who kidnapped her at this point only 1 year ago.

In this moment she went back to the place they destroyed, to the man who was dead. He somehow back and trying to kill her but this time immediately. Her eyes growing wide as dread killed her very being tears streaming down her face. He was no longer the man who owned the house she had burned down. He was her kidnapper. The first person to ever hurt her. As her vision grew dark everything rushed back to full sight and vision everything normal again as she saw her father hit the man so hard in the face the cracking and shattering of his bones could be heard from a distance. Blood splattering from the impact onto Dalia’s face as the man fell backwards into a kick from her motherobliderating the man’s head getting more blood everywhere. She pushed down the fear and shouted at them. “I had him and you stole him he was my kill!” Her father looked over his look of determination to protect turned to annoyance as he shouted back

“He was killing you and what you think you failed or something? You need to calm down and think a bit more Dal!” He started to growl out as her mother walked over.

“He only thought he was killing me! Lure him into a false sense of security then strike duh! And of course tis a failure now I didn’t finish him off-” Dahlias mid shouting cut out as she and her father were pulled into a hug from her mother who hold them tightly.

“You idiots… its okay to be scared… were okay now… were still together.” She said softly as Dalia looked up to her father to see tears rolling down his cheeks his face softening looking back down to Dalia.

“The only way you could ever fail to us is trying to be a failure Dal… you're our little girl… you have nothing to prove.” He said softly kissing the top of her head as her parents held her close she allowing herself to sob into them and feel the fear built up inside her. And they held her. So long as she had them she would be safe, she would be loved. So long as she had her kin everything would be okay. They understood her she understood them. And they all protected each other.

---

Dalia opened her eyes realizing she fell asleep at the local library again she had been taking out books lately to take back to her make shift temporary base till her faction found a new one but lately shes been going in the afternoon before they close which was her midnight so she tensed to fall asleep. She got up and grabbed the books she wanted and nodded to the librarian as she made her way out and back to her base were everyone was seeming to be winding down for bed. Had the librarian let her sleep there until they closed again…? She sighed but kept walking. She wanted to read up more on the anatomy and biology of the body she was hoping such studies would be just as useful for body manipulation as they were for Blood Magic.

There had been so much lost potential in Blood Magic maybe she was missing something with body manipulation. She found a nice corner and sat down to read. She would normally do so outside but her people were benign stupid and apparently felt more safe righ tnow when she was inside or something. As idiotic it was… she wanted them to feel safe. They were her people to protect now. She wouldn’t stay for too long but long enough for them to fall asleep so they didn't have to worry knowing she wasn't there… besides Daichi was here too so when she wasn't there he could easily protect them. She read for a long while and they were likely all sleeping by now so it was time to leave. She though looked up to see a little girl in the corner crying and hugging her knees.

She was one of the slaves she had saved more recently. Her parents apparently had died when she was taken for slavery but the others took care of her. Daia had said so long as she didn’t cause issues and the others paid for her living costs she didn’t care if she stayed with them… They were the girls kin after all… how could she tear her way from them and send the little girl no older than 5 away to fend for herself…? She book marked the book with her finger holding the book in one hand mostly closed walking over to the girl and whispering. “Why aren’t you sleeping…?” The little girl hooked up to her with frowned brows shrugging. Looking onwards towards the building before looking back off. Dalia sat down beside her with a sigh.

“Look idiot… that place wasn’t our home.” The girl shrunk down a bit at Dalias words though looked at her as Dalia motioned to the people looking over to the others resting. “They… are our home. And so long as we have them we are safe, and we have a place in this world to run back to… this place isn’t home… but with everyone here you are home.” She said softly though blinked as the girl suddenly hugged her side. Dalia looking down at her with a blink but sighed and smiled slightly, gently stroking her hair and holding her gently. “It’s not a story book but would you like me to read to you…?” She whispered softly to her. The girl nodding gripping her tighter. Dalia nodded and opened the book resting it in her lap. “Chapter 8 Oral Organs, Subsection Tongues…”

---

The next day as Dalia walked into the building Daichi caught her eye and his stupid grin. “What loser?” He chuckled and shook his head.

“Nothing I just didn't expect you to be so good with kids… that girl from last night was talking you up to the others.” He said with a pleased look making Dalia roll her eyes. He sighed though and looked to her gently. “They need you… are you still going to that Summit knowing Hyperion will be there…?” He asked concerned.

Dalia sighed looking off. “I’ not a fool, there is no guarantee that the Kina wont strike us all at the summit, nor that the fact were at an official event will stop Hyperion from trying something causing more issues. As much as it hurts my pride to admit this… I’m not currently in a place to handle a possible dangerous event with more likelihood to hurt then gain our faction anything at the same time of watching my own back for the man ready to stab it and kill me. I may be prideful but I’m not dumb enough to stick around when I know I can’t win and should run… besides… I returned the swords and without naming myself admitted to the crimes against their people that i participated in… this puts your people in the spot light though…” She said looking to Daichi who closed his eyes but nodded.

“I understand but… you and these people… your my people now…. I’m glad you came clean in a way though Dalia…. So what’s the plan.?”

“Figure out how to get stronger. And it seems there is a lot I’m missing about the body… I believe I was looking at my body manipulation in a very narrow minded manner. So I’m in a studying process and coming up with theories. I’ll be testing them later. I would like to plan out things for our people but they need time to recuperate from losing our last base. So I’m takign this time to train… could you run for food while I’m here?” He nodded gently walking by patting her on the shoulder.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.” She said softly before walking over to her book corner to go back to studying and taking notes though blinked seeing the girl rushing over and sitting down by the books looking to her expectantly. “Heh” She let out with a slight smile walking over. “Move over weirdo… I need somewhere to sit to.” She said sitting down as the girl made room for her before snuggling up next to her smiling happily. Dalia grabbing her book she was working on and opened it up positioning her notes out of the way but where she could reach and began reading out loud.

---

She had been studying for the last few days and came up with some theories. If they were true she really had been misunderstanding the limitations of body manipulation. She had been thinking about it just at surface level. The body went down to a core not using a surface. And everything leading up to that core could be used, manipulated and turned to a weapon. The human body had so many veritable abilities that were meant to make the body function. It would hurt and would be dangerous to use them all but the limitations if the man concept of body manipulation lowered significantly the moment she opened the possibilities of using some methods.

She was less afraid to get hurt and let her body be damaged than most given how much pain and destruction of her own body she had already experienced at a young age. The entire body was one of an armory, and she had only been looking at it as if she could only use one single item out of all of them. Some methods she would have to wait until she was at a higher level of understanding of the body manipulation fighting arts. But if her theories were correct she could really blow anyone out of the waters in the long haul of life using them and her body manipulation especially if she paired it with her Blood Magic for some of them. That was much further down the line though and currently she needed to test some base ideas.

---

The next day she stood in the forest out of view of anyone else, she needed to test her theories. If the immediate ones she could test worked then that meant she really could form and alter her inner workings of her body to bring outwards to use a weapon. It would mean though also how she was using them if they were cut off they would horribly hurt her but she would later come up with a method to deal with that as well for minimizing the damage but if they weren’t cut off and work flawlessly then she would have a large number of attacks and moves. And when she finished with them she could turn it all back to normal. If she didn't sustain each one for too long then it should have minimal costs and tools on her body… it would likely still beat her up over time but for now it would work just fine.

She would then start testing her theories one by one just to at least see if they were plausible even if she didn't fully do what she planned on doing these few trial runs. Her goal wasn’t to form new abilities right here and now, but it was to see if they could work in theory to be formed and perfected later. She didn’t need them all too powerful now either she just needed versatile new ways to use her abilities. It would take a couple nights to run through them all but by the end she at least knew she was right on one thing at the very least. She was benign very narrow minded on how to deal with Body Manipulation and she has so much potential she could have been using to further her skills and abilities and that was truly a shame that she would work to correct.

[ 1,606 / 1,000 Words ]