"And… jump!"
Killua snarled and threw himself across the canyon. Gon was close at his side, both of them sore as a bitch and sweating their weight twice an hour. This was so damned annoying! It really wasn't a difficult exercise, just keeping their Ren activated as they traveled. What made it difficult was the damned hag and the unrealistic pace she'd set.
There she was, skipping on ahead of them like it was nothing. She hadn't even broken a sweat once! It was seriously pissing Killua off. They'd been sprinting nonstop for an entire week so far, covering an entire month's worth of ground in no time at all. They were only allowed two hours of sleep a night!
Wing's training was a walk in the park compared to this sadistic hag's absurd exercises.
Killua hated Bisky.
With the burning passion of a thousand million suns!
She was just a stupid old hag! How the hell was she this powerful?! It was so annoying! Killua wasn't misogynistic or anything, but it just really pissed him off the way Bisky just expected them to follow all of her orders! Killua hated following orders! At least Wing had been a pretty cool dude, Bisky was a total psycho!
Gon liked her a whole lot, but that wasn't surprising. Gon liked everyone.
He was just a cuddly little puppy. Not an ounce of darkness in him.
Killua knew he was just being dramatic, stubborn even. But still. He really wished it could have just continued with only him and Gon… they had no idea what they'd encounter once they finally caught Ging, so this was their last guaranteed one on one time. And Bisky had ruined the peace with more work and training. Though, Killua supposed that that was just how life was. Just one inconvenience after another, and you had no choice but to work through them.
No point in complaining… at least not too much.
Killua was always a complainer.
But… even through all this gruesome training, Gon was right here with him. And if Gon was here then Killua was happy. Being in love really was incredible… Just the slightest peek of Gon was enough to brighten Killua's mood for an entire day.
Finally arriving at their first stop would be nice, but when they only got two hour breaks a night it made Killua appreciate Gon's presence at his side even more. Every night, even if it was only for two hours, Killua got to crash next to Gon. They'd make a fire, and immediately fall asleep against each other. Gon was enough to make him happy, even if he was still trapped behind the barrier of a platonic relationship.
But nothing could stop him from flirting and pushing that boundary.
If Killua had learned anything at all, it was that Gon was too damn dense to figure out what his advances even meant in the first place. It was really freaking annoying, but it also meant that Killua was free to be incredibly forward without worrying about Gon shying away from the breach of what would generally be accepted as "friendship."
So he'd keep dropping hints, and hoping that maybe Gon would pick up on them and reciprocate.
"Alright, boys!" Bisky cheered, flipping through the air and landing gracefully down on the top of one of the canyon walls. "Welcome to our first stop!"
"Really? We're here?" Gon exclaimed, stumbling to a halt.
"It's about damn time," Killua gasped out, stopping next to Gon and leaning on him for balance. The two boys stood hunched over and panting, finally able to release their Ren.
"Ow!" Gon yelled, gripping his head. "That hurttt."
Bisky shook her head and crossed her arms. "It seems you've pushed yourself past your boundaries again, Gon. We'll have to work on cleaning up the use of your Ren, but not to worry! We have four more travel weeks to do that!"
The two boys groaned, dreading that inevitability, and collapsed to the ground. Bisky chuckled, shuffling her wings. Their second stage of training was organized using repeating periods of traveling and stopping. There were five stops planned out, for five months. During the first week of each month, they would travel constantly, making up for all the traveling for that month. While moving, they would practice using their Magic in action. The remaining three weeks would be spent learning and perfecting new techniques. Then the process would start all over again, and by the time they reached Nesting and Sky Gon and Killua would be master Sorcerers.
"The two of you rest up," Bisky cooed. "I'll set up our shelter for the next three weeks! Get a full night of rest, you deserve it! Training will begin first thing tomorrow morning!"
With that, she spread her wings and flew off.
"How does she still have energy after all that running?" Killua grumbled, flopping onto his back.
"I dunno, but she's really cool!" Gon declared. "It's like she's our mother or something!"
"Kurapika is our mother! That hag is nothing of the sort!"
Gon flicked Killua in the nose, "Hey! Be nice! She's our master, we have to show respect!"
"I'll show respect when I wanna show respect," Killua retorted with a mischievous grin, reaching up and flicking Gon back. "Now if you'll excuse me," Killua crawled in between Gon's legs, wrapping his arms around the hybrid's waist and using his lap as a pillow.. "I'm gonna take the fattest nap of my entire life."
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Gon whined, poking the back of Killua's head.
"You just won't. Too bad, shoulda claimed your space faster~"
Gon grumbled in annoyance, and then collapsed flat on his back. Killua giggled, and then shut his eyes, scooting upwards to sleep on Gon's chest instead, it was more comfortable that way.
Bisky touched down, arms full of enormous branches to begin constructing their shelter. She found her two students collapsed on the ground, Gon turned into a makeshift bed. The Angel chuckled, affection stirring in her chest. She'd trained her fair share of students over the course of her 357 years of age (Angels lived to be quite long, mind you!), but she had to say that Gon and Killua were worming their way into her heart.
…
The next morning, Gon and Killua stood in line before Bisky, ready to begin the first phase of their training.
"First off, I wanted to congratulate the two of you on your incredible display last week! Both of you were able to keep up with me no matter how fast I set the pace. The both of you hold a true master over the basics, even if it may be a little unpolished in some places. Thanks to your hard work during your first stage training, there is no need for us to brush up on the basics! We can dive right in!"
Gon cheered, pumping his fists in the air. Killua just blew his bangs out of his eyes.
Typical behavior Bisky would expect from each of them.
"We are going to dive right in, and today I will teach the two of you Bloodletting."
"Already?" Gon gasped.
"Just like that?" Killua added.
"Correct! Normally some introductory exercises would be required, but it seems that the two of you can handle it without any preemptive training. Just goes to show how much natural talent the both of you hold."
Gon and Killua bowed their heads in thanks for the praise.
"Now then, let's get started. The second phase of a Sorcerer's training consists of mastering Bloodletting and perfecting your personal Hatsu spells. The first thing we will be learning is how to enhance your raw Magical Energy using your blood. At the moment, both of you can fight perfectly using Ren. However, when put up against a truly powerful master, you would surely lose. The only reason Gon was able to win his battle against Nobunaga was due to the fact that the battle was casual, not a serious fight. With the basic forms of Bloodletting that I am going to teach you, you will be able to hold out against greatly superior opponents."
Bisky drew three knives.
"Today I will be teaching the most basic application of Bloodletting: Ko," she tossed a knife to each of the boys.
"Bloodletting in and of itself is a way to exponentially increase the amount of power your existing Magic can release. As you already know, Ten is constantly at work in your bodies, building up a vast reserve of Magical Energy. You were turned into Raw Energy making machines during your Awakening Ritual, and were granted access to this Demonic version of Magic. As all Demonic power goes, there is always an initial amount of power to be accessed, and then more to be sacrificed for along the way. In order to truly unlock the extent of your power, you must add either your own blood or the blood of others to the power you already have, granting you access to incredible potential.
"Killua, as a Dragonite Valkyrie, and Gon, as a high ranking hybrid, neither of you will require the blood of another. However, I will teach you both of the Bloodletting techniques just to be as thorough as possible."
Bisky drew three vials of blood from her pocket, and tossed one to each of her students. "Bloodletting is a dangerous process, and if not executed correctly can drain all of your blood, killing you in the process. For your first Bloodletting, I will have each of you use this Chimera Ant blood, so you are used to the sensation of absorbing it into your Ren. To start, activate your Ren shields, but I only want them a single centimeter thick."
The boys complied with ease, just what Bisky would expect from such sparkling gems of potential.
"I want both of you to completely clear your minds. Eliminate any bothersome thoughts that might trigger an unwanted Magical reaction once you add the blood. Bloodletting serves as a booster fuel, giving you an incredible kick of strength. It is incredibly easy to lose control of your Magic once it receives this incredible burst of power, and you must be prepared to be at the reins of a dangerous beast."
Gon and Killua nodded, the surface of their Ren turning smooth and even.
"Good. Now, I will walk you through the process of activating Ko. As an advanced Blood Magic technique, the activation of Ko requires Bloodletting. I measured out a very specific amount of Chimera blood for the two of you, based on the amount of Energy you were able to control at once over the course of the past week. Now uncork your vials."
Bisky uncorked her own vial, and her Ren immediately began to stir.
"Feel how your Ren responds?"
Both of the boys nodded.
"Good. Now very carefully absorb the blood into your Ren. It will be instinctual, and you should be able to complete this without issue."
Bisky absorbed the blood, and then watched as Gon and Killua each did the same. The hybrid sucked it out of the vial in one quick spurt, where it quickly dispersed throughout his entire Ren shield, tinting it that Chimera blood blue. Killua, on the other hand, proceeded with much more caution. Slowly dragging it out and keeping it flowing across the surface of his Ren in a long and winding string of blood.
"Perfect. Now the next part can easily blow up in your face. Literally. Follow my instructions exactly. As you can sense your Ren beckoning you to do, slowly allow your Magic to mix with the blood."
Bisky did just this, and watched carefully as the boys did the same. The blood mixed with each of their Ren shields, combining together and resulting in a glowing white energy. Unrefined Magical Power, but Magical Power nonetheless.
"You're doing a lovely job. Notice how the blood sucks all of your Ren up, and converts all of it into the glowing power. Do not excrete any more Ren than you already have, allow all of it to be consumed. This is Ko, allowing a set amount of Ren to be fully converted into a higher form of Magical power."
Bisky watched as glowing balls of raw Ko energy suspended in the air before each of the boys. The reaction was fully complete, and both were trembling with the effort of keeping it under control.
"Wonderful job," Bisky said, not having any issues controlling her Ko, which was a smooth and lazy sphere, rather than an unstable clump of Magic. With practice Gon and Killua would possess the same control and skill. "Memorize the feeling of that reaction, the amount of blood you used and the amount of Energy you sacrificed for the resulting Magic. This will be crucial for when you begin letting your own blood."
"It's… hard to keep steady!" Gon choked out through gritted teeth.
"Correct, Ko is difficult to get the hang of at first. Focusing an entire shield of energy into one small point is not an easy feat. Now, I want you to release the Magic. But do so carefully! Steel your will, and push it up into the sky."
Bisky did just this, and the bundle of Magic burst several feet above them in a showering of heat and sparks of Magical energy. Killua slowly edged his Ko into the sky, where it shattered, knocking him to the ground with its unrefined blast. Gon had the same result, though he pushed his Ko into the sky in one frantic burst rather than in a slow and steady climb.
Both of the boys stood back up, bending over and panting.
"That's a hell of a lot more energy than any ball of Ren I could summon!" Gon exclaimed.
"That is correct! Ren can only get you so far. With blood added, Blood Magic rises to its true potential. Now, we will do the same thing, but with your own blood. I want each of you to activate the same amount of Ren as before, and I want each of you to slit your wrist. However, before doing so, I want you to envision the amount of blood that was in the vial. The second the cut is opened, your blood will begin to be sucked out into your Ren. You must control the reaction, and only use enough blood to match the amount of Ren you have. Mastering the measurements will be difficult indeed, but just try it out. You will find that using your Ren, you can prevent your wound from bleeding. Once the reaction is complete and all of the Ren is converted into Ko, it will continue to bleed openly, but once we are able to use Ko and Ren at the same time you will be able to open and close a single wound at will. Only allowing it to bleed when necessary."
Steam started rising up from Gon's ears.
Bisky threw back her head and laughed. "Don't get discouraged, now! Remember that your body was molded for this purpose during your Awakening Ritual, so even if you are not able to fully understand what is going on, your instincts will tell you what to do. Now, practice Bloodletting using your own blood. For the three weeks we are spending at this stop, we will continue practicing and mastering Ko."
Bisky watched as Gon and Killua slit each of their wrists, and began experimenting with their blood. They caught on incredibly quickly, and were able to extract the exact amount of blood and complete the exact same reaction without any explosions. Very impressive.
Ko was incredibly difficult to control, and could be an incredible weapon. While focusing one's Ren in their fist could pack a serious punch, Ko could obliterate anything in its path. Control was key in learning Ko, and the ability in and of itself was the perfect tool for mastering the art of Bloodletting.
Over the course of the next three weeks, Gon and Killua would find that accidentally adding too much blood or too much Ren to the reaction would result in an explosion. It was crucial that they master their sense of combining the right amount of Energy and blood.
Once they got the hang of only releasing enough Ren for the reaction, Bisky would have them release too much Ren, and have them activate Ko from an excess of available Ren. This ability would be crucial to mastering having Ko and Ren in use at the same time.
Gon and Killua would also find that they could only control a certain amount of Ko at the same time, and that only with practice would they be able to control more at once. Magical Stamina played into one's use of every single ability under the Blood Magic umbrella, and Ko was no different. Gon and Killua would work themselves up in the use of Ko until they could control vast amounts of it at once. Only then could they move on to the next ability, Ken.
Bisky grinned as the two boys completed their third flawless reactions in a row.
Their files had not been exaggerations, these two were true prodigies! That meant that Bisky would need to go EXTRA hard on them! It wouldn't be proper Blood Magic training unless blood, sweat, and a fair amount of pain were sacrificed in the process!
