Chapter 14: Advancement of Power

Caine

(13 weeks 2 days after arrival in Kalichi)

"Val, on your left!"

Not wasting time on a response Vallia quickly uses one of Divine Dividing's wings to block a ball of blue Senjutsu fire that comes out of seemingly nowhere while I send one of my 4 Shades snapping towards my best guess of where it was launched from. I've gotten alot faster with my Family powers over the last month, and I've been able to make the Shades way tougher too. Still nowhere near enough control to make them able to actually cut anything, but they're solid enough that a chuck of metal wouldn't lose by comparison.

…Not that any of that matters if I can't even hit anything.

I frustratedly pull the Shade back to join the others as I have them slowly circle around Vallia and myself, who shoots me a questioning glance.

I shake my head and quickly reply, "Nothing. This mist is a real pain in the ass…"

She just gives a small noise of agreement and goes back to carefully watching our surroundings.

Right now she and I are engaged in a practice match against Kuroka and Shirone, no holds barred.

Which puts me and Val at a serious disadvantage. Kuroka has advanced her control of Senjutsu enough that she can create a strange mist-like substance around us that blocks vision and even stifles hearing a bit, while Shirone's Toki proficiency just seems to get better every time we fight.

Which means she punches harder and harder.

"Caine, in front of us."

I immediately snap my gaze to where Vallia is pointing, gently moving beside her and readying myself for whatever comes our way.

Vallia's senses are way sharper than mine, probably a side effect of housing a Dragon's soul, so when she says she senses something, I'm inclined to believe her.

Sure enough there's a brief rustling noise…and then Shirone darts out of the mist, headed right for us.

I don't hesitate in the slightest and swing all 4 of my Shades directly at her as hard as I can, hoping to tangle her up long enough for Vallia to use Divine Dividing on her. Just to increase the odds of success a bit I raise my hand and shout, "[Air Shot!]", causing a powerful gust of air to head directly towards her.

A low-level Elemental spell of this strength probably won't do much other than briefly inconvenience her, but I'll take what I can get.

What I wasn't counting on was for the sudden barrage of fireballs to fly past the charging Nekoshou and burn away my Shades, leaving only the air spell itself to slow down Shirone.

Which it hardly even does.

The albino haired Yokai bulldozes right through the thing and gets to within 2 meters of me, hardly what I'd call a winning scenario.

Luckily I've been getting in lots of practice.

"[Earth Wall!]"

A meter tall and wide spike of rock suddenly shoots up from the ground in between the 2 of us, giving me a brief moment to gather my bearings.

Is she going to punch through the wall or go around it…

That question is answered barely a second later as I get a face full of pulverized stone, courtesy of Shirone's fists as she charges right through my impromptu barrier.

A smirk comes over my face as she does so…since that brief moment gave Vallia a chance to get close. She reaches out with her hand-

-and can only offer up a look of frustration as her grab phases through the illusion, the real Shirone suddenly appearing at her side and promptly throwing her a good 3 meters away before turning her gaze on me.

While I won't pretend our teamwork is perfect, far from it really, Vallia and I have learned to play to each other's strengths.

With that in mind I snap out 2 Shades and grab the flailing Longinus holder mid-throw and promptly tug her back towards Shirone, who isn't expecting the impromptu yo-yo strategy. The little Yokai does her best to jump aside, but is a hair too slow.

[Divide!]

Vallia manages to reduce Shirone's strength enough so that she can briefly lock the Nekoshou's arms in her own while I raise my hand to use [Shock Bolt]…and promptly find myself flat on my stomach with my arms stretched rather painfully behind my back, a playful voice suddenly whispering in my ear, "Surprise surprise~!"

…Forgot about Kuroka.

Heaving a sigh I glance up at Val and find her in a similar position, Shirone managing to overpower her since I wasn't able to disable her with my Magic.

We lose.

Again.

"Alright, alright…victory goes to you 2. Sorry Val, she caught me by surprise."

The grey-haired girl just offers an embarrassed shrug and shyly mutters, "I didn't do so well either…"

I can't help but smile as Shirone let's go of Vallia and offers her a hand up, all while saying, "But you tried anyway, and forced me and Sis to use most of our powers. That's progress."

Shirone has really taken the lead in drawing Vallia out of her shell this past month, constantly encouraging and praising her, albeit in her blunt and taciturn manner.

But hey, it's self-evidently working. Val has been a bit more vocal with her opinions and ideas around most of us and while she's still worryingly timid and withdrawn most of the time, progress is progress.

…

Why am I still on the ground?

"Kuroka?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna let me go anytime soon, or are you trying to lever my arms out of my sockets?"

I can practically taste the glee in her voice as she coos, "But I like being on top…or would you prefer to trade positions?"

Fighting back the blush that never seems to go away these days when talking to the raven-haired Yokai I instead roll my eyes and send a Shade sneaking up behind her, aiming to grab her tail.

"Oh? Nothing to say Caine? Normally you're such a smartass-MREOW!"

I burst out laughing at Kuroka's catlike exclamation of alarm as my Shade grabbed and pulled her tail, causing her to practically jump off my back in one sudden motion. A quick glance behind me reveals the slightest of blushes on her face as her tail protectively wraps itself around her waist.

"That's not funny!"

"Again, it's not the act itslef but your reaction that is."

Shirone snickers at her Big Sister's expense while even Vallia cracks a small smile, Kuroka just fixing me with a death glare.

"That's very sweet and all, but can you 4 stop screwing around and get back to what you're supposed to be doing?"

I roll my eyes at Mittelt's usual tone of passive-aggressive boredom as she leans against a nearby wall, keeping an eye on our little match.

"Sure thing, Grandma.", is my dryly delivered response.

As usual she shoots me a death stare that I ignore.

I've taken the worst she can dish out the past month and for all her apparent dislike of me, she's never done anything crippling, so I'm not afraid to push her buttons a bit.

[The Fallen raises a valid point, as crudely put as it was.]

I glance towards the manifested wings on Vallia's back and curiously ask, "Yah, on that note when are you gonna start teaching me stuff about my family's powers? The past few weeks Val and I haven't really done much aside from just knock each other around and get beaten down by everyone else."

The Longinus wielder just offers a simple nod of agreement with my inquiry and Albion heaves a sigh.

[Such impatience…why, when I was a hatchling it would often take decades before my sires would offer me even scraps of advice!]

I shoot Vallia a covert glance and silently mouth, 'totally old'.

She suddenly turns away in a failed attempt to hide her mirth as a certain Dragon growls and mutters, [I saw that. Damned disrespectful whelps…]

With a good deal of grumbling Albion finally gets to the point with, [Anyway, like I was saying, these past few weeks were necessary for me to properly grasp some of your less obvious strengths and weaknesses. We can move on to actually improving your respective powers now, rather than just increasing your general combat effectiveness.]

A strangely intense look comes over Vallia's face and she quietly asks, "Will you finally start teaching me how to use Balance Breaker?"

I can't help but raise an eyebrow at her rather loaded question. I thought I was ambitious with my training regimen, but attempting to learn Balance Breaker when she's as young as she is? The Balance Breaker of a Longinus no less, something that will definitely take more effort than your average Sacred Gear to unlock.

Albion seems to agree with my thoughts as he sighs and gently replies, [Vallia, the quickest, and most powerful, of my prior hosts achieved Balance Breaker through a freak combination of 12 years of intensive training and an unexpected threat to his life. While you are undoubtably the most naturally gifted and powerful of all my hosts, Balance Breaker is no easy goal to reach. If you achieved Balance Breaker in 6 years I would be both shocked, and proud, beyond words.]

The grey-haired girl had seem subdued at his words, but Albion's last statement seems to bring a bit of life back to her expression.

[Simply work on advancing your mastery of Divine Dividing and Balance Breaker will be achieved in due time. On that note…Caine.]

"What's up?"

[I have a few ideas about how you can further your repertoire of control over shadows, but first let me ask you this. Is dividing the opponent's power always the best use of the ability to halve something?]

I frown as I consider this, Val curiously watching me before I slowly reply, "Well against most opponents I imagine it would be…but against people who favor long ranged combat…I dunno, can you divide the distance between yourselves or something like that?"

The Dragon chuckles before happily saying, [Clever thinking, and yes, it is as you said. Vallia, the limitation you have is that Dividing requires physical contact, and even Balance Breaker doesn't change that. What would you do if you encounter a foe beyond your reach, or who's power is centered around a weapon, not their level of energy? Divine Dividing is not limited to a single form of reduction, you can weaken structures, shrink the distance between a foe…this is what I will be instructing you on. Now, as for you Caine…I think you are ready to begin learning how to travel through shadows.]

…About freaking time!

"I'm in, where do we start?!"

There's a disembodied snort before Albion replies, [Calm yourself Caine. To start, what exactly are your Shades? Think on how you manipulate them, and what that potentially means.]

I force myself to calm down and think about what Albion said. How I manipulate my Shades…hmm.

"Um…didn't you say that you use your Magic to move them like a part of your body?"

A month spending time together hasn't dulled Kuroka's attempts at trying to outdo Vallia for whatever reason as suddenly jumps in with, "Yah! He told us that awhile ago, but if you can manipulate your Magic like a part of your body, shouldn't you be able to do more with them than just, you know, move them?"

[The Yokai is on the right track. Simply using your Magic to manipulate Shadows is, like Vallia merely using me to divide an opponent's energy, limiting yourself.]

Their words give me pause and I try to figure out what it is that I'm missing.

Mom always said using Shadow Walk was like swimming while standing still…although I don't have a clue what that means…and she was always standing on top of a shadow when she used it, before seemingly 'sinking' into it within an eye-blink.

Maybe if I use my Magic to try 'melding' with a shadow…

Deciding to test out my theory I walk over to one of the various bits of shade around the courtyard and stand directly on top of it. Closing my eyes I carefully extend my Magic towards it, as if I was manifesting a Shade, but hold it steady for the moment. I instead gently focus on finding my body's source of Magic and attempt to 'slip' it through the Shade I'm standing on.

Imagine my surprise when all of the sudden there's a bizarre sense of vertigo and I stumble forward, completely thrown off balance by the weird sensation of slipping through the ground, but also not really.

…Adjectives fail me.

Mittelt starts laughing uproariously and chokes out, "W-what was that supposed to be?! Did you forget how your legs work or something?"

I give her an annoyed glare that she happily ignores while Shirone looks at me questioningly.

"…Did it work?"

Good question.

To my surprise it's Albion who makes a brief snort of amusement as he speaks up with, [Well well! Not bad for a first attempt. I saw your legs briefly sink into the ground before you shot back up, likely because you surprised yourself and cut off the flow of Magic. That certainly matched the tactics of your ancestor.]

"Heh, got it on my first try! Well…sorta."

Kuroka snorts and jokes, "Sorta seems like a pretty strong word Kid, not one I'd use."

"Can it, Kuroneko."

She just giggles at my little nickname for her, which apparently came out correctly in her native language.

Our Devil ability to automatically translate languages can screw with auditory wordplay most of the time, but as long as we focus on a certain phrase it usually comes out sounding like we imagine it.

"Well if you all don't mind, I'm going to be over here working on this new technique with my incredible levels of intellect and talent…"

There's a collection of eye-rolls while Mittelt derisively snorts and says, "Don't knock yourself over while patting yourself on the back there…"

Vallia just looks confused.

Well this is awkward…after my little boast of having incredible smarts and power, this is more than a little embarrassing.

Said embarrassment being that I haven't really made, well…any progress on Shadow Walking. According to Albion I got the initial steps right, meshing my Magic with shadows and trying to merge with them, but…keeping that connection going as I fall into them is freaking hard. It's gonna take me awhile to properly pull off this little trick.

That said, I'm strangely…happy. I'm finally learning one of my family's powers that isn't just simple Shade manipulation, something that was considered a sort of coming of age thing for Valefors.

An odd sense of peace comes over me as I take a deep breath and re-focus on my Senjutsu meditation, searching for that supposed sense of natural energy that Shirone and Kuroka are talking about.

I know they said it would likely take a few months, but by now you would think I'd have found even a trace of that supposed power that feels warm, wild and all encompassing…sort of like that sensation I can sense right now, gently flowing around me like…like…

…Holy crap! Did I finally find it?!

Barely able to restrain my rising excitement I drop the meditation and take a deep breath before re-entering that level of zen. I have to spend a few minutes sufficiently calming myself before I'm able to properly begin, but sure enough I can once again sense the presence of energy ebbing and flowing around me, like some untamed river of pure power meandering without a care in the world…

HECK YES!

I jump up and run full-tilt towards the Church's kitchen where everybody else is, practically bursting at the seams with excitement.

Without any preamble I heave open the door and am met by several pairs of eyes clearly wondering what my big rush is.

Mittelt and Raynare were apparently showing Vallia a map of Kalichi while David, Lisa and the Yokai sisters were working on some kind of math lesson although all of that is quickly put on hold while I try to catch my breath.

David raises an eyebrow and asks, "Well Caine? What seems to be the matter?"

"Guess…" I manage to stammer out in between breaths, "Who's…awesome?"

Mittelt offers an aggravated sigh and dryly says, "I'm sure you're gonna tell us anywa-"

"This guy!"

Her eye twitches in annoyance, much to my satisfaction.

Pretty sure pissing off the blonde Fallen is a dangerous game that one day is gonna bite me in the ass, but it's just so much fun.

I bring myself back to reality as Kuroka rests her elbow on the table with a thump, head propped up on her hand and disinterestedly asks, "Ok Mr. Awesome, why don't you go ahead and tell us what the big news is?"

"Oh nothing too big…just that I finally managed to sense Senjutsu energy a minute ago."

The 2 cats are silent for a second before all of the sudden they just seem to teleport in front of me, Kuroka excitedly asking questions while Shirone just nods enthusiastically at her older sister's words.

"You managed it?! How did it look? Was it more like mist hanging around you or was it like a river, or was it kinda like bits of string hanging throughout the air? Senjutsu energy looks sorta different to everybody so what was yours? You didn't try to actually absorb any did you? Well if you did you'd probably have gone a little crazy so-"

I hold up my hands in mock surrender and quickly interrupt with, "Ok slow down there, I think your excitement just surpassed mine for a second…"

"Well duh we're excited! We've got another Senjutsu user in the gang and that calls for celebration!"

Shirone accentuates her sister's proclamation with one last nod and I heave a defeated sigh, my smile of pride turning into one of relaxation.

"Well we have the staff required to host such an event, what do you say we get started?"

"That means we buy food, right?"

I snort at Shirone's predictable question and glance at Kuroka, who just shrugs and replies, "I don't mind spending a little bit today, what's the point of money if it's just gonna lie around?"

…Well she's not wrong, but as soon as we get our first 'paycheck' from Azazel I'm gonna have to sit them down and start delving into the unfortunate necessity that is basic economics.

That'll be a fun conversation to have, especially since Kuroka gets bored easily…

"So if you're all done with your little circle-jerk over there, what's this I hear about food? It's almost lunch time you know."

Predictably it's Mittelt who kills the moment and I shoot her an exasperated look, Kuroka just rolling her eyes at the Fallen.

"Well is there anything you'd like your Highness? I mean, our sole purpose is only to serve you after all."

Raynare snorts at my retort and Mittelt looks like she's winding up for a rebuttal when a quiet voice interrupts us.

"Um…what do you 3 usually have?"

All of us turn to Vallia in surprise, predictably causing her to shrink in her seat the sudden shift in attention.

Shirone comes to the rescue and calmly says, "Why don't we have someone go pick up food from Chow?"

Kuroka suddenly has a gleam in her eye and says, "You know what? That's a good idea…"

Her head slowly turns around, the motion oddly predatory and I feel a chill crawl up my spine.

"Why don't we have Caine go pick it up?"

…Nope.

Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope!

"Are you trying to get me killed?! The last time I saw Chow was weeks ago after we took out Adder and that was after he told me I had to pay extra the next time I saw him since I basically just hoodwinked him and all! He'll kill me if I go back now!"

Mittelt and Raynare give me a bizarre look while Vallia has a look on her face like she can't decide if I've taken leave of my senses.

David is just laughing, the bastard.

"Aw what's the matter Caine? Scared of little old Chow?"

I angrily snap back, "And you're not?! The guy's a walking death machine! You're so brave, you go then!"

That wipes the smile off her face and she hesitantly says, "Ah, I uh…my leg hurts?"

All of the sudden there's an irritated growl as Mittelt annoyedly asks, "Ok who the heck is Chow and why is everybody so scared of him?"

I'm about to answer that he's the scariest old man I've ever met that could kill me in the blink of an eye when David suddenly sports a wicked grin and airily says, "Oh he's just a grumpy old fellow that tends to scare the children. He's actually not that bad but I doubt those 3 will be in any hurry to purchase a meal from him. You'd likely be better off just going and buying it yourself if you're in a rush…"

Raynare scoffs and gives me and the sisters a patronizing look before announcing, "C'mon then Mittelt, never leave an adult's job to a kid apparently…"

The smaller Fallen grins maliciously at me before walking over and pinching my cheek.

"Aww…would da widdle baby like to place an orwda?"

I just stonily glare at her and reply in monotone, "Your funeral."

She just chuckles at me walks out with Raynare, apparently content with placing our orders for us. I turn back to David who's sporting an entirely too smug grin and curiously ask, "So what inspired you to turn to a life of arranged murder by proxy?"

This time he laughs out loud while Lisa and Vallia look at him worriedly.

"While I have nothing against Raynare, Mittelt has been rather…arrogant, as of late. I think a meeting with Chow will humble her a bit. No offense meant to your companions Miss Vallia."

Val looks briefly surprised at his consideration but quickly replies, "Um…none taken…"

Lisa just sighs at the whole situation and mutters under her breath, "How did a party turn into this?"

The Church's main door opens and 2 shell-shocked Fallen carrying bags of food walk in.

Raynare looks like she's seen some serious shit and distractedly whispers under his breath, "U-ugly skank? He was so mean…"

Mittelt seems a bit more composed but as soon as I get close she fixes me with an oddly blank stare and without any preamble asks, "You said you hoodwinked that guy before?"

Their behavior is starting to freak me out a bit.

"Um, yah. Why?"

She just gives a small shake of her head and says, "I'll admit it. I'm impressed."

She seems to realize what she just said and hastily adds, "You're still a brat though."

…Meh, I'll take it.

The day came and went and it's time for the Fallen and Vallia to return to the Grigori again.

I can't help but smile at the sight of Shirone and Val having a quiet conversation together, both of them visibly sad at seeing the other go provided you know what to look for.

Shirone's ears are slightly drooped from their normal position while Vallia is even more subdued than usual. Well, they'll see each other again in less than 2 weeks, so it's not the end of the world.

"Hey, brat."

I resist the urge to sigh as a certain Fallen Angel walks up beside me and I boredly reply, "Yes, what is it Grandma?"

Obviously biting back on her initial urge to slap me with a Lightspear she instead stiffly says, "You're gonna be here when I inevitably have to come back to this dump, right?"

Confusion no doubt written all across my face I carefully reply, "Well as long as I don't die during the interim or anything unfortunate like that…then yah."

She suddenly grins and happily states, "Good! I'm starting to like you Kid, you make a good punching bag that fights back just hard enough that things never get boring. See you in awhile now!"

With a violently cheery smile she walks off, leaving me wincing in anticipation of yet another round of beatdowns.

Well…at least she cares in her own special way.

All of the sudden there's a sultry giggle behind me and I notice Raynare slip me a wink.

"Careful Caine, keep up that attitude and the Midget might actually start to fall head over heels for you…"

That drags an amused snort out of me and I respond, "Yah, well if she ever does so, I'll probably still just rate a bit higher than a rabid Dog to her."

"Oh, you never know…besides, she could use a good fucking sooner rather than later~"

I choke on my tongue at the sudden insinuation and Raynare starts cackling at my expression.

Damn Fallen and their horniness!

"Hey, Bigtits McBitch, you coming this year or not?!"

Raynare just dramatically sighs and testily says, "Yes yes, I'm coming Miss Washboard…Come along Vallia, it's time to go."

As the 2 Fallen start staring daggers at each other Vallia gives Shirone a quick nod before turning towards me and stiffly walking over.

She gets within a meter…and promptly bows, quickly stammering out, "U-um…thank you for all your help this past month Caine. I wouldn't be getting better nearly as fast if you hand't been-"

I start laughing and quickly interrupt her with, "Val, seriously, you don't have to thank me, in fact it's downright uncomfortable. You and Albion have been giving me just as much in return."

I offer a winning smile and finish with, "It's what friends do for each other after all."

The girl is quiet for a moment before she get's that unfairly adorable smile and her cheeks turn moderately red before quietly replying, "I-I see…thank you Caine. Oh, Albion wants to talk to you, one moment…Divine Dividing."

Her Sacred Gear's wings manifest and Albion's voice echoes throughout the room.

[Caine, I expect you to focus on what I taught you in regards to Shadow Walking, don't just focus on your newly acquired Senjutsu powers.]

"Sheesh Albion," I wryly reply, "Don't get overly emotional during this goodbye or anything…"

The Dragon's voice takes on a definite amused tone as he says, [Well I say this out of concern for you Caine. Come our next visit it would be rather embarrassing if Vallia put you on your back in a matter of minutes due to my personal tutelage…]

"Albion!"

I can't help but snicker at Vallia's sudden squeak of embarrassment and just wave my hand.

"I'll see you in a few weeks Val, take care."

She just jerkily nods before seemingly making up her mind about something and marching over to Kuroka, who's off talking to Lisa. The older Yokai raises an eyebrow at Val's approach and I briefly wonder if this is going to end well. Kuroka has been kinda standoffish to Vallia this whole time and I can't help but hope that Kuroka gets over whatever issue it is she has with the Longinus wielder.

…And I sure as Hell hope it doesn't have to do with me!

"Um, Miss Kuroka? Thank you for all your help these past few weeks…I really do appreciate it."

Kuroka gives Vallia a neutral glare for a few seconds…before Lisa gives her an expectant stare and the Nekoshou sighs in defeat. Fixing Vallia with a wry smile she resignedly replies, "Sure…don't mention it Kid. See you next time."

Well, it's the most I think I could hope for.

With all the goodbyes said Vallia, along with Mittelt and Raynare, step into their Transport Circle and with a flash of light they're gone.

We're all quiet for a moment before Kuroka stretches and turns to me with a grin on her face.

"So about that Senjutsu training…"

…I'm not sure how I feel about constantly coming back to this forest everytime someone has to practice Senjutsu energy manipulation. It's more than a little inconvenient having to travel 8 plus kilometers away so that the energy given off by Kalichi doesn't end up driving one of the sisters off the deep end.

Although I guess I can be included in that grouping now…

I'm snapped out of my musings as Kuroka suddenly turns to me with a look that's equal parts seriousness and excitement.

"Alright Kid, you ready to start learning about Senjutsu for real?"

"Would I have bothered following you 2 out here otherwise? Also when are you gonna stop calling me 'Kid'?"

"I'll stop calling you Kid as soon as you…well, let's leave that for a later date, shall we~?"

…This cat is going to be the death of what little innocence I have left, I just know it.

Shirone tugs on my arm and blandly tells me, "Use your Senjutsu meditation and look at how Big Sis and I build the house. It'll be important for later."

Taking her advice I sit down on a nearby root and watch as she and Kuroka adopt a sort of meditative pose, both seeming to collapse inward upon themselves. I do the same and extend my senses outward, quickly recognizing and observing the eddies of life energy like Shirone advised me to.

I pay close attention to what the sisters are doing and rapidly find myself impressed. With my normal eyeballs I see the ground heave upwards while grasping branches and roots intertwine and create the shell of a decent sized hut.

With my not so normal senses however? Well…it's different.

I have a newfound respect for the difficulty this kind of manipulation takes, now that I'm actually seeing the process in action. Kuroka and Shirone aren't so much just forcing life energy into the ground, causing a growth of plants, they're modifying and changing it on the fly, constantly altering how much energy is provided to each small grouping of flora and making sure it grows to their whims, not the plant's.

…I have my work cut out for me.

They both cut off the flow of Senjutsu after another few minutes of this and Kuroka turns to me with a smug smile.

"So? Pretty impressive, isn't it Kid?"

I could agree with her, but instead I shrug and reply, "Meh, I can learn that in just a few days. Didn't look too hard."

Her eye twitches while Shirone has to hide her laugh, clearly getting that I'm just doing this to rile up the older Yokai.

"All right then hot stuff, what do you say we get started right now then?"

Well, I figured she'd call me out on this…

"Sure thing, what do we do?"

"Hmm…well firstly you've gotta learn how to separate natural energy from the bad stuff, so how about you try meditating and I'll talk you through it?"

"Alright, I'm in."

I re-enter my meditation state after a moment of concentration and slow my breathing. Kuroka's voice seems to come from far away despite her proximity, her voice oddly subdued as she asks, "What does the life energy look like to you, Caine?"

"It's a river…a river that flows endlessly, looping back on itself and twisting every direction…"

My own voice sounds as if it's spoken by another person, my perceptions apparently far enough removed that I'm having a near out-of-body experience.

"Interesting…alright, examine that river. Look for the parts of it that flow smoothly, peacefully. Imagine those calm patches entering your body, nourishing your soul…be careful of the rapids and violent currents. That symbolizes the unrestrained power of nature and while a little bit here and there doesn't hurt, I want you to pull away if any of it heads your way…"

"Ok…"

I focus and try to do as she says, carefully examining each portion of the 'river' that I absorb…but it's difficult. A river is apparently a difficult thing to manipulate, and trying to find and separate distinct parts of it is taking a toll on my mind.

Sure enough, my concentration slips for just a second and one of the more 'rough' streams of power is absorbed by my body-

-and a burning sensation that's hotter than an open flame sears through my veins, setting my brain on fire and what in the name of Satan is happening-

And just like that I tear myself away from my meditation, heaving and gasping for breath, a migraine that could kill a Dragon tearing it's way through my head.

2 heads enter my field of view and I hear Kuroka anxiously asking, "Hey, Caine, you all right?!"

I groan and pick myself up from the forest floor, apparently having toppled over during this little practice session.

"Ugh…I'm ok, but damn…is learning how to filter Natural Energy always this…extreme?"

Shirone thinks about it for a second before shrugging.

"Not for Nekoshou."

I playfully scowl despite the pain in my skull and Kuroka gives a relieved sigh before elaborating with, "Most people that aren't naturally gifted with Senjutsu like me and little sis tend to suffer pretty badly when first learning how to manipulate Senjutsu energy into a usable form. Sorry Kid, but these first couple days are probably gonna be a little rough…on the plus side I see you managed to get a bit of energy for your efforts!"

I turn my gaze inwards and notice that I do, in fact, feel slightly different. The purified Senjutsu Energy feels…comforting. Like the sun did the one time I visited the Human world, all-encompassing and warm.

Heck, it even makes me feel a bit stronger just by sitting here.

Kuroka must have seen my expression of wonderment because she suddenly grins and says, "Feel like giving it another go?"

My own grin is positively feral in nature.

"You're damn right I do!"

In the blink of an eye a few days pass and my specialties in Senjutsu quickly make themselves apparent.

Put simply, I'm complete and total garbage at Youjutsu. Illusions, Life Energy manipulation…these require a very calm and very methodical approach to Senjutsu control, which I have next to none of, my Devil upbringing once again rearing it's head.

It took me months just to learn how to actually access the 2 different types of Natural Energy, figuring out how to turn Life Energy into semi-real illusions and have it serve as fuel for a specific type of plant growth is gonna be one heck of an uphill battle…

On the more positive side of things, Toki was almost laughably easy to get the hang of. Whether it's due to my pretty intense physical regimen or I'm just naturally good at it, the act of using my 'Life Force' as a physical enhancement tool is coming along nicely.

"Oh cra-!"

Which is good, because Shirone hasn't been holding back in our spars ever since I managed to first start using the damn technique.

I barely manage to get my open palms up in front of her fist that's approaching my ribs at what looks like terminal velocity, hoping to whatever Maous will hear me that this works.

Thankfully it does, my block spreading out enough of the transferred force that instead of collapsing on the ground coughing up spit and blood, as I would have done a few weeks ago, I merely end up on unsteady legs, wheezing pitifully.

It's not fair that this miniature albino is so freaking strong!

"…Good. You didn't collapse."

I offer a shaky thumbs up in reply and while her face remains expressionless Shirone's tails start gently waving back and forth, kinda giving away her amusement.

"…Let's go again."

Resigned to the fact that I'll probably be throwing up a lung later today I just nod and painfully draw myself upright before cladding my body in raw Toki, earning a stoic nod from Shirone as her vastly superior power flares around her.

…Gotta remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body.

One week can go by pretty quick when you're spending it getting thrashed around.

Much like all the previous training sessions though, it's paying dividends.

"Ugh, look Kid, I'll make it simple for you. Don't try to force nature to do your bidding. Just let it start doing it's own thing and try to guide it along here and there."

…At least in the physical aspect of things. No such luck with Youjutsu.

I offer up a frustrated growl and sharply retort, "I get the method Kuroka, but I keep telling you this is the exact opposite of how I work practically every single one of my powers! It's not as simple as just flicking a switch!"

She just gives a hmph and imperiously replies, "Well it better get to that point, because I'm feeling unappreciated here! You learned little sis's side of things no problem, so what's the deal with just generally sucking at my disciplines?"

"It might have something to do with the teacher…" I mumble under my breath.

Apparently not quiet enough though since her open palm smacks the back of my head.

"I heard that! Ugh, you don't know what you're missing out on Kid, learning how to use some of the more subtle bits of Senjutsu can be pretty, shall we say, entertaining?"

The way she says that triggers warning bells in my brain and against my better judgement I ask, "What exactly does 'entertaining' mean to you?"

Her eyes take on a predatory gleam and she quickly slips behind me where I'm sitting cross legged on a boulder, her breath tickling my ear as she whispers, "Well, if you properly learn to control and regulate the Natural Energy around you, you'd be able to heal others quite effectively through, oh, shall we say…skinship? I mean, that is how we healed you after little sis found you, remember? And let's not forget Bouchujutsu, nothing like a little sex to accelerate the healing process, am I right? Doesn't that sound like fun~?"

This last line coincides with her licking my ear and oh no, I am not gonna let her embarrass me again! Turnabout is fair play!

Fighting down the flush that was about to come to my face I instead spin around in my seat so that I'm facing her directly and let a playful smile come to my face as I gently raise a hand and cup her chin with it.

"Oh it certainly does…are you proposing something, Kuroneko?"

She's dead silent for a second and I take a wholly inappropriate moment to revel in my victory…before I realize what it is I just tried to do.

I just tried to out-seduce Kuroka.

I'm so STUPID!

The next thing I know I'm flat on my back with a purring Nekoshou straddling me, an expression on her face that's somewhere in between smug and amused.

I audibly gulp as she lowers her face, starts rocking her hips and throatily whispers, "Oh, does this little kitty have claws?"

Abandon ship, ABANDON SHIP!

"Let him go big sis, he looks like he's about to cry…"

I roll my eyes up in my head and see Shirone calmly munching on one of the bags of chips she brought, neutrally watching the proceedings like it's just another day at the office.

"Heh, he brought this on himself little sis. Now Caine, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

I don't even try responding to this and just let my head fall back against the ground with a thump.

Relying on the little sister to save me from the big sister's crazed advances…I don't know if there's anything lower than rock-bottom, but if there is my self-esteem just found it…

Well I have some unfortunate news for all my readers of this particular story. While I've been having alot of fun writing it and enjoying all of the feedback provided, my schedule with school and other projects has left me unable to continue King of Thieves and Shadows.

Huge thanks to all who have followed, favorited, reviewed and viewed this story, my only regret is that as of now, King of Thieves and Shadows is discontinued.

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April Fools!

(Please don't crucify me :D)

So yah, lame holiday jokes aside this story will be updated as always, onwards to the real AN notes!

No doubt many of you are wondering why I mentioned Divine Dividing's Balance Breaker still requiring physical contact in order to Divide, but there's a reason for that since I'm shaking up some of the ways the Longinus Gears work. Put bluntly, they'll be a bit more 'fair' than they are in the LN. Seriously, has anyone ever read the descriptions of how the Dragon Longinus gears work? It's like, 'achieve Balance Brekaer and congrats! There's no conceivable way you should lose to anything except the strongest Gods and Dragons'! I think that makes for dogshite stakes in battle so there's gonna be some changes there.

By that I mean the Gear will grow in power with the Host, and in a meaningful way. Vallia won't just be able to spam Dividing, it'll take some clever usages of the Gear to come out on top. Next chapter will have a revised list of how exactly that'll work, and it'll be addressed in the story itself.

Hmm...might as well asnwer a few questions then.

One reader asked if Caine will have any catchphrases since he grew up with those 90's cartoons, to which I reply, COWABUNGA! (But yes, he'll have the occasional reference or snide remark, haven't really decided if he'll have a catchphrase though)

Another question was about characters ages, so a quick refresher is Kuroka=14 Caine=10 Shirone=10 Ravel=10 Jonah=15 Sylvi=13 Rossweisse=15 Riser=16 Vallia=11. Everyone else not listed is still their canon age, so far these are the only characters with an altered birth date.

Lastly one reviewer inquired about how Vallia was speaking in complete sentences rather than fragmentary or terse ones like Shirone given her social anxiety. Technically Vallia was always using complete sentances, while Shirone is just naturally quiet and doesn't speak much. And in this chapter, while she's getting better, Vallia is still unused to being the center of attention, it's less a matter of 'incomplete sentences=trauma' than it is each character having their own manner of speaking :D

I think that's about it, I'm loving all this feedback and people asking questions, it's critical as a writer that constructive questions are posed, if only because it keeps me on my toes, lol.

Till next chapter!

...And yes, Chow is indeed best girl. He's a hardcore Tsundere.