Acheron, or by her true name, Raiden Bosenmori Mei, was a Self-Annihilator who had ventured deep enough into the IX's shadows and became what was thought to be impossible: an Emanator of Nihility.
How does one become an Emanator of an Aeon who cares nothing for anyone or anything? No one knew, perhaps not even herself, but that impossibility made her likely to be one of the strongest beings below Aeons.
And yet, here she was, sitting beside me, holding a half-eaten peach.
"Have we met before?"
Acheron asked, tilting her head slightly, which was honestly kinda cute. I sensed no hostility or wariness from her, and even after I called her by her alias, there was nothing besides curiosity in her purple eyes.
"No, I don't think so, at least not directly like now." I shook my head. "But I've heard stories about you before."
"Is that so?" She seemed totally unconcerned about it, even taking another bite off her peach.
"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Welt Royce, just an ordinary researcher. Nice to meet you."
Acheron nodded. "As you already know, I am Acheron, just a Self-Annihilator. Nice to meet you."
'Not a Galaxy Ranger?' I paused, recalling everything I knew about her. 'Perhaps, she took that fake identity after meeting with the dead spirit of the Nameless, as a way to enter Penacony. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for her to introduce me like that.'
"Do you know where we are?"
Acheron looked at me briefly, as if weighing something in her mind, then sighed.
"This is the border between the living and the dead," Acheron replied, watching my face as if she was trying to gauge my reaction. "Those with regrets tend to linger here, and eventually get caught in Nihility's shadow."
"Humn, that explains a lot." I leaned back, thoughtful. "The last thing I remember is having my chest cut open by the Lord of Silence. It hurt a lot." I said, shivering as I recalled the scene.
"…You are taking it easier than I had thought. And that doesn't sound like what an ordinary researcher would experience." She said it in a monotone voice, which made me chuckle.
"Honestly, it was an accident. I didn't count on her to jump on me so soon," I shrugged. "What about you, Acheron? Why are you here?"
"...As a Self-Annihilator, my memories are one of the least reliable aspects about me, a consequence of walking this path." She raises her head and looks up, her expression growing distant. "A lot of names, faces, events, sceneries are constantly threatening to slip away from my memories that I learned how to memorize through the emotions it gives rather than recollection." Then her gaze returned to me. "Even so, there are still a few things that have accompanied me in this long journey, never seem to fade no matter how much time passes…such like this duty that I took on myself, to guide the lost back to their arduous journey to the beyond the veil of Nihility."
I picked up a stick and started poking the ground with it. "Isn't it lonely, doing this by yourself? I can only imagine what you've been through."
"It's fine. This loneliness…I had long grown accustomed to it." Acheron answered, with a hint of melancholy in her voice. "Sorry, I didn't expect to say this much…"
"Don't worry about it, sometimes it's better to share it with someone than holding everything in your heart."
"I see…thank you."
"You're welcome."
A peaceful silence settled between us. The air was filled with the smell of petrichor, as the steady sound of raindrops falling on leaves echoed through the whole forest…some people called it brown noise or something like that.
'I could fall asleep now, if I wanted to.'
My eyes drifted lazily around the space until they landed on the sword at her hip. Then an idea popped up in my head.
"I know this is sudden," I said. "But could I bother you with a request?" She gave me a puzzled look, but still nodded anyway. "Can you teach me how to fight?"
The lack of combat experience and skills were one of the aspects that I knew I was lacking, and I planned to address it after I finished the assignment, but who knew it would bite me so soon. It felt like an author was in a rush to kill a character right at the start of a story.
"I don't mind it, but…" Acheron paused, looked at me with hesitation before shaking her head. "No, never mind."
She got up from her seat, proceeding to scan me from head to toe before nodding, muttering something about having potential.
"I have trained in the arts of combat for as long as I can remember, but I have never instructed anyone. I may commit mistakes along the way," Acheron reached up and gripped the hilt of her sword. "Even so, I still have one question for you first."
She swung the sheathed sword until it hovered directly in front of my face.
"Have you ever swung a sword with your life on the line?"
Ah, I might regret this…
——
What has it been, ten years since this torture started?
[Report: It's been four days since your 'training arc' started.]
'Thank you Great Sage, I really needed that reality check.' I commented sarcastically and I could've sworn I heard a sigh in the back of my mind.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the cloth that was wrapping from my hand to my elbow, as I leaned on the ice spear I had conjured, when a shadow fell over me.
"You are doing great." Acheron said, completely spotless despite everything she put me through. "Your reaction speed and precision are already excellent for a beginner. Compared to when you just started, you're making fewer mistakes and starting to read the flow of battle better." Sha paused. "However, you're still thinking too much."
"It can't be helped, it's an occupational habit." I shrugged my shoulders. "It's hard to switch off."
"It's a matter of balance between logic and instinct. Too little of either, or too much if either will become counterproductive in the long run." Acheron explained, folding her arms. "It's difficult to comprehend it unless you experience it yourself. Most people call it the Zone."
"I've heard about it." I began stretching, a crucial step if you want to avoid muscle pains. "So I just need to land a Black Flash."
"Black flash? What's that?" Acheron tilted her head, clearly intrigued at this new terminology.
"Ugh…It's nothing, just something I saw on television." I smiled wryly as she obviously didn't get the reference, but that was what to be expected.
Suddenly, I imagined Acheron in Jujutsu Kaisen, landing Black Flashes consistently…truly a terrifying thought.
"I see." She let it go without a fuss and sat next to me. "Regardless, what I meant to say is there is no need to rush. You still have much to learn until you reach that stage, or it arrives sooner than expected." Acheron paused briefly as if she remembered something, before looking at me. "I have noticed you studying my movements and adapting them into your own style. That's commendable and I won't stop you for it, but I want to warn you that imitation alone won't close the gap in experience. Great combat experience produces great skills, but great skills alone won't give you combat experience."
"Understood, Master Acheron." I replied, giving a playful salute.
I said it lightly, but I took her words seriously. I wasn't foolish enough to dismiss the perspective of someone who had more experience than the double of my lifetime behind her. Besides, I found myself agreeing with her.
"I already told you don't need to call me that." She said, and turned her head to the side.
"But I want to."
I was fairly certain that she liked being called Master, I just couldn't prove it yet.
——
We had spent the past few days like this, in the middle of woods, though I suspected it wasn't really a forest though. I detected no life within the trees. According to Great Sage, it was some sort of mirage created by the collective consciousness of people who were once here. I let go of the subject after I learned it didn't pose an imminent threat.
Beyond some exercises to familiarize myself with the weapon and sparring, Acheron had also guided me through meditation, and also taught some philosophy and history behind her fighting style. In short, she was passing down what she herself once had been taught.
I had tried a katana at first, just like her, but I didn't feel like it suited me. After experimenting with other types of weapons, I settled on a spear.
The training was exhausting, but fulfilling at the same time. Similar to eating a great dinner after an intense workout.
Acheron approached me after I brushed the dust off my clothes.
"There is something I have been meaning to ask." Acheron said suddenly, her gazing landing on my left arm.
"What is it?"
"I noticed that you've been trying to conceal it, so I held back from saying anything, but it has been clearly affecting you during our sessions." Acheron looked up at me with a stern expression. "These purple lines spreading through your arm, what is it?"