Griffin soaring back to Edward with venison held in both its front and back legs, is happy that she had gotten a meal so quick
Lady Azlan had turned off the feeding mechanic of the array for Shadys territory after Edward took him away, leaving the group to hunt for their own meal
Stopping his internal training, Edward slices the legs from one of the rank 5 Frost Antlered Bucks, tossing them at Verdant
"This is yours, fuel up we will continue training later"
Handing the remainder of the corpse to Brisk via his Chi, Edward remarks to his other two beast that they would need to find more for themselves
Searing the remaining deer and enjoying his own meal, Edward looks through Rheas ring to check her progress
Standing parallel with the pool of water at cliff she was left, Rhea is practicing her sword arts
Going through the motions of her technique, Edward is surprised by the movements that roughly yet elegantly connect into different forms
Rheas sword art was something created by her mother, Emery Albet, who was a sword cultivator
The technique was imitations of animals, a bear's bite and scratch flowed into a hawks downward dive
Rheas sword imitating seven different animals, seven forms with each form having over a dozen movements that connected into any of the other form
[This sword play is quite advanced. Harnessing the essence of nature's predators, and connecting them in a large variety of attacks, the founder of this art is a genius]
Continuing through her training, the upwards thrust of a Tusk Boar then a slowed strike of an alligators tail
[Hm, I take it back this art is counterable with only strength and not much intelligence. Using your Chi to materialize the shape of the beast is a waste and a mistake]
Standing in haste telling his beasts to stay in the area then using is divine art, Edward steps to the top of the cliff above where Rhea is training
Watching as she goes through her forms not wanting to break her concentration, Edward jumps from the cliff once she finishes her forms
"Rhea" Edward hovering above the child, causes her to turn and point her sword at him
"Oh. Brother, why are here? Is it time to leave?!" Rhea asking with excitement as she is ready to get back to civilization
"Not quite, we are only a little over halfway through our stay. I came because I was tired of watching you practice suboptimal sword technique."
Edwards words widen Rheas eyes and cause her to lung forward at Edward, swinging her weapon at his neck
Rasing his left hand and catching the edge of her sword between his middle and index finger
"Why are you attacking me?"
Not angered but amused that Rhea is showing mild bloodlust, ability gained through her battles within the forest
"You said suboptimal? You dare disrespect our mother in such a way? Slandering the effort she made"
Memories flash through Edwards mind, scenes of Emery Albert dancing with her sword art throughout a garden. Edward Albert a child, in the arms of Jean Albert and Rhea a baby held by Patriarch Kayce.
Letting go the sword and holding his head in pain [What is this? Why am I sad at the memories of this vessel, I should have burned all of its emotion out]
Taking deep and sharp inhales of breath, the lions blood inside his vessel is pumping faster and faster as his heart aches
"Brother, whats wrong?!" Rhea drops her weapon and catches Edward in her arms as he falls forward
With his chin over the shoulder of Rhea, Edward grabs his chest and circulates his Chi while pressing his spirit veins against his internal organs and bones
The discomfort from the pressure inside his body makes the headache he is experiencing fade, with a clearer mind and a couple deep breathes, Edward centers himself
Still flowing his Chi but not putting pressure on his body, Edward pushes himself out of Rheas embrace and loses himself in thoughts of the biological reaction
"Brother?"
[I felt such deep sorrow at the sight of this vessels mother and brother, but for what? I never met them and they mean less to me than the deer I just consumed]
"EDWARD!"
Snapping out from his thought to Rheas loud voice and worried face, Edward smiles and pats the top of his sisters head
"Rhea, dont worry. I am just tired from doing this and that all day. Haha"
Stomping her foot "Dont lie to me! Everyone always lies to me, whats worse is they know that I see through them, yet they keep it up anyway!"
Looking up at Edward with eyes that are moist, his heart begins to squeeze again
Reaching out both hands and placing them on Rheas cheeks, Edward wipes the tears that are welling in her eyes with his thumbs
"Little sister, dont worry. Truly I am just tired, I have done a few things that were draining recently"
Knocking his hands away "Seriously, you had a panic attack and say its from wear" turning her back to Edward, Rhea picks up her sword "I dont even know why I worry for you!"
"Did you see that bright and wide stretch of light earlier?"
"What about it? Liar"
"That light was something of my creation, the founding of an array I placed inside this forest"
"You still lie to me, before we entered the forest you said you was an array master and now you take credit for natural phenomenon!"
"Haha, I remember how wound up you got about my proficiency regarding arrays. So now I will prove it, so you can't claim me to be a liar." Bringing his hands together with signs weaved, the Differential Space Monitoring arrays design rises into the air
"This array is something that will, in and of itself, raise our clans already high reputation." Smiling at Rhea who had a shocked expression drawn on her face
"Brother... you made this?"
"Yes, and it took nearly all of my energy to do so"
"What is its purpose?"
"Haha, you will find out later dear sister!"
Stomping her foot down again "Brother you can't even say the purpose of your array, maybe you really are one of those stuck up array masters. Or you found this already completed array and activated it?" Scoffing at Edward, Rhea is still upset with him
"This array is only half complete, I will lay down its better half when we return. I can allow you to witness me completing it, if you are interested"
"I guess I will grace you with my presence!" Rhea cutting the air with her sword continues on her practice
"HAHAAH" [This girl is really amusing, a tornado of emotions and impulse]
Watching the progression of Rheas forms, form 1 a bear connecting into form 4 a boar, into form 2 a hawk and then into form 7 a lion
As he watches her swing her weapon, Edward becomes more certain that the technique is flawed. Using Chi to activate the characteristics of the animals was a major hinderance in the flow of the art. Each characteristic is different in size and shape, some forms take longer to materialize than the swing of the sword, which makes the user have to slow down their tempo for their Chi to become complete
"Rhea what is the name of this art?"
"Mother named it, 7 Beastly Replicas"
"Our mother definitely put in great effort to create this art, but I stand by what I said earlier, it is suboptimal. Its not just suboptimal, it has flaws that could be deadly to its wielder."
Rhea uncaring for Edwards critique continues through the forms "What are you saying, liar?"
"The movement of the sword is already an imitation of animals, so why use your Chi to further imitate? The way inner energy is used with this art is very flawed, it hinders the speed and concentration of the user. You become very conscious of how you use your energy and what form to connect with next. That level of thinking when you are fighting for your life means, you're not concentrating as much as should on what is trying to kill you. Sword arts even at their most complex, should be able to be wielded without much thought, the sword should become an extension of your body, not a means to funnel Chi into expressions."
Halfway through Edwards explanation, Rhea had stopped to actively listen and take in the wisdom. Staring down at her sword the words were not lost on her, but she was still conflicted
"Brother-"
"Just watch for now Rhea, pay close attention to my sword"
Summoning the sword he refined for Rhea, Edward uses the forms of her and his mother. Unlike them however, Edward is not using Chi for the characteristics of the animals in each form. He only compresses his inner energy onto the sword, the Chi cracking and popping from the edges of the sword as Edward gains speed in his progression of connecting the forms.
After connecting each form to multiple others multiple times, Edward stops his demonstration and looks at Rhea
"If you were able to keep up with that, the trajectory of each sword movement was the exact same. I unlike you didn't use my Chi in an unnecessary manner, I rotated my inner energy in ways that made it violent upon release, unlike a normal Chi reinforcement. This was the optimal way to use this sword art."
Unable to deny the statement aloud, Rhea is still rebuking it in her heart. Wanting to learn the method Edward demonstrated but also wanting to honor her mother's version, she is conflicted.
"Rhea, I know you. You are someone that loves our mother, but also someone that is driven to become strong. Taking our mothers art and improving upon it, is a way to honor her. She would be proud to know you have taken what she dedicated herself to and enhanced it, then used it to earn a place higher in our memorial garden than she did."
Nodding her head "I understand brother! Then teach me your way."
"Alright, you have made the correct decision Rhea." handing her the treasured sword
Looking at the sword with awe, feeling the aura from it much more clear now that it is in her hands, Rhea asks "What should we call the new version of moms technique?"
"Hmm, how about 7 Forms Lightning Blade?"
"Even though is not a blade technique, it's a pretty cool name"