Watcher of Fate

Elara sprinted across the desert sands, her eyes locked on a cluster of large scarabs that blocked their path. Their carapaces gleamed with a mesmerizing array of shifting hues, reflecting the waning sunlight like living gems. Beside her, an exact copy of herself charged forward with the same determined expression. The clone moved in perfect synchronization, its movements fluid and precise.

[Lvl 19 Desert Scarab (Common:126)]

“Come on, engage them already!” the second Elara barked in Lily’s unmistakable voice, her tone a mixture of urgency and exasperation. The illusion was flawless, down to Lily’s irritation from the doppelgänger’s lips.

Elara gritted her teeth and lifted her temporary sword from [Altered Reality], a translucent weapon shimmering with a faint silvery glow. She dashed forward, closing the distance between herself and one of the scarabs. With a swift motion, she brought the blade down, aiming to slice between the insect's joints where the armor plates overlapped.

The blade struck with a sharp crack and shattered like fragile glass.

A shower of silvery shards sprayed across the scarab's iridescent shell, barely leaving a scratch. Elara felt frustration boiling up inside her. "Damn it!" she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing. She quickly dismissed the broken sword and summoned another, this one just as simple but newly formed with [Altered Reality]. She gripped the new blade tightly, her hands trembling slightly with irritation.

This time, she adjusted her stance and began to dance around the scarab, carefully watching for any opening between its shifting, rainbow-like carapace plates. She waited for the precise moment when the plates shifted just enough, then lunged forward, attempting to slice between the vulnerable joints.

The moment her sword touched the carapace, it shattered again, another cascade of illusory fragments scattering across the sand. She hadn’t aligned the blade perfectly. The impact had broken it before it could cut through.

“Argh!” Elara screamed in frustration, her voice echoing across the dunes. She was growing increasingly irritated at her inability to execute what should have been a simple maneuver.

The puppet Elara, still wielding a more ornate and fancier-looking illusory sword, stepped in with an almost graceful fluidity. She moved with an unnatural confidence, swinging her illusory blade precisely between the carapace plates of a scarab. The strike was flawless, swift, and precise, dispatching the creature in one clean motion. The scarab crumbled, its brilliant colors fading as it collapsed.

“See? You can do it too,” said the puppet Elara in Lily's voice, sounding almost smug.

Elara narrowed her eyes at the smug doppelgänger and turned her gaze to the real Lily, who lounged comfortably in a sedan chair, accompanied by two identical Lily puppets. The chair moved gracefully across the uneven desert sands, the two puppet carriers lifting it as if they weighed nothing. Lily reclined in the chair, her tails draped elegantly over the sides, expressing bemused relaxation.

“Is that necessary?” Elara asked, her voice tinged with annoyance as she gestured at the parade-like display of the sedan chair. “And why can’t I just use my real sword? It’d be a lot easier.”

Lily gave a languid stretch as if enjoying a sunny stroll rather than overseeing a training session. “Oh, Elara,” she said from her comfortable perch, “it’s all about practice.” Her voice came from herself and echoed from her puppets, the Elara puppet with the fancy sword, the two sedan carriers, and even herself again as if they were speaking in some bizarre unison.

Lily continued, her real self leaning forward slightly while her puppets carried on the explanation seamlessly. “I’m practicing my [Foxfire] to keep the illusions sharp and convincing. And at the same time, I’m combining it with [Puppet Master],” she gestured with a delicate hand, and the puppet Elara twirled her sword in a perfect arc, “to control each of these lovely copies with precision.”

As she spoke, her puppet doppelgänger mimicked the same motion, their voices overlapping. “And then there’s [Hive Mind],” she said through the real Lily’s lips while the puppets spoke in sync, “to keep everything connected. It allows me to manage multiple threads of thought and action without breaking a sweat. This way, I’m practicing complex multitasking and your,” she smiled, the puppets smiling too, “training isn’t just about hitting things with a blade. It’s about learning to use [Crimson Quill Dance] without relying on Quill to do all the work for you while also getting a better grasp of your illusion magic.”

The explanation came not only from the real Lily but also echoed from her puppets, the Elara puppet with the pristine sword, the two sedan carriers, and herself, all speaking as if in perfect synchronization.

Lily continued, her real self leaning forward slightly while her puppets spoke harmoniously, “You should pull up the [Crimson Quill Dance] skill, Elara. Let's review it.”

Elara sighed and, with a thought, brought up the familiar skill information box:

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Skill: Crimson Quill Dance

Rarity: Unique

Description: A sophisticated skill array that combines elements of the skill [Blade Dance] with the user’s mastery of [Calligraphy] and [Parkour]. This unique combination allows the user to perform elegant, fluid movements that seamlessly blend martial precision with artistic expression. The user can utilize their agility and spatial awareness to navigate complex environments with ease, all while incorporating the graceful and lethal techniques of Blade Dance into their repertoire.*

Linked Skills:

Quill’s Blade Dance (Rare)

Sword Mastery: Calligraphy (Uncommon)

Dancers Grace: Parkour (Uncommon)

Dual Wield:

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“See?” Lily said, her puppets and her real self speaking strangely synchronized. “The core of [Crimson Quill Dance] isn’t just about swinging a sword. It’s about precision and control, using calligraphy to precisely guide each stroke. When you use Quill’s sword, he can align the edge perfectly every time, almost as if he’s dancing with you.”

Lily’s puppet, Elara gracefully demonstrated the dance-like movements, each slash and thrust seamlessly transitioning into the next, the blade never faltering. “But you,” Lily continued, “should be able to do this independently, using the calligraphy-linked skill. You have the talent for it. You just need to practice without Quill’s help. That’s why the illusionary swords are perfect for this. They force you to refine your control and make you aware of every little mistake.”

Quill, perched nearby, let out a reluctant caw, his voice less enthusiastic than usual. “I suppose she’s right, Elara. When you use my sword, I’m subtly guiding your strikes. I don’t mind helping, but there’s a lot you could learn by mastering this on your own.” His tone was resigned but supportive, and he was aware that this was an important step for Elara’s growth.

Elara frowned slightly but nodded, understanding the point they were both making. “Fine,” she said, steeling herself for the challenge ahead. “I guess there’s no better time to start than now.”

The puppet Elara, still in Lily’s voice, chimed in with a chuckle, “You know, my father used to make me practice for hours with a sword, even though I’m primarily a caster like my mother.” Lily's puppet then shifted its tone, and her voice deepened dramatically, imitating the gruff voice of her Oni father. “Your mana will run out before your arm grows tired,” she declared with an exaggerated bravado, waving her illusory sword in a wide arc for emphasis.

Lily’s voice returned to normal, though the puppet still wore a playful smirk. “Of course, that was a bold-faced lie. My mana is my stamina, so when I’m out of mana, I’m out of stamina. But he didn’t care, he just wanted to swing swords with me.” She laughed lightly at the memory, her tone filled with a mix of fondness and exasperation.

“Enough reminiscing,” Lily continued, snapping back to the present. “Let’s get back to killing scarabs.”

Elara summoned another illusory sword with [Altered Reality] and prepared herself for another attempt. She could feel a familiar frustration simmering in her chest, a tightening knot of irritation that twisted with every failure. She moved in swiftly, her focus locked onto the nearest scarab as its iridescent carapace shifted colors under the desert sun. She aimed for the gap between its armor plates and swung, but once again, her sword shattered into countless shimmering fragments. A surge of frustration welled up, the feeling of shattered expectations mirroring the shards of her broken blade. She grit her teeth, the weight of failure heavy in her chest.

Before she could voice her frustration, Lily’s puppet called out, “Are you a numpty, Elara? Use your [Cognizance] to slow your perception of the world and make your swing perfect.”

Why hadn’t she thought of it before? Shame mixed with her frustration, a sting of self-incrimination piercing her thoughts. She’d been so focused on just making the cut that she hadn’t considered using [Cognizance] to slow her perception, to analyze the enemy’s movements and time her strike perfectly. She should have known better. She did know better, but she’d let the ease of cutting down mobs with Quill's help dull her mind.

She pushed aside the shame of missing something so obvious and activated [Cognizance]. Instantly, the world around her seemed to slow. She could see every minute detail, the sand grains drifting lazily on the wind, the slight twitch of the scarabs' legs as they shifted their weight, the subtle hues flickering across their carapaces. A new wave of determination surged through her, washing away the frustration and shame. This time, she would get it right.

She summoned another [Altered Reality] sword, feeling the weight of the ethereal blade form in her hands. The world moved slowly, and her senses sharpened to a razor’s edge. She could now see where the scarab would move, a faint gray outline showed its future position and several weak points were highlighted in a dull red glow. Her breathing steadied, and she felt a clarity settle over her mind.

Elara adjusted her stance, her muscles coiling with focus. She moved with purpose, each step deliberate, her senses fully attuned to the slowed world around her. She waited for the perfect moment, her eyes locked on the scarab’s weak points, and she struck with a fluid, precise slash. The blade cut cleanly through the scarab's carapace, slicing it in two as if the blade had met no resistance at all.

A thrill of excitement shot through her as she watched the creature collapse, its brilliant colors fading into the sand. She had done it. The rush of success washed over her, replacing the frustration she’d felt moments before. She could feel her heart pounding with a mix of triumph and adrenaline.

“Congratulations,” Lily's puppet said with a grin. Then, with a quick change, she switched back to her father's deep voice, “1 is luck, 10,000 is proof!”

Elara couldn’t help but roll her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips despite herself. “Your dad sounds like he was a bit… weird. And maybe a little too hardcore.”

Lily laughed, her real voice breaking through the puppets as she relaxed in her sedan chair, but a hint of sadness flickered across her eyes, a flash of emotion that, with Elara’s heightened perception under [Cognizance], she could see as clear as day. “My father was great,” Lily said, her voice filled with both warmth and a concealed grief that seemed to resonate deeply within her.

Elara’s heart softened, sensing the depth of Lily's emotions behind her words. She understood the pain of holding onto cherished memories that were now tinged with loss, and for a moment, her own excitement was tempered with empathy for her friend.

Elara returned to the moment, pushing aside her thoughts of Lily's emotions. There were still scarabs to deal with, and she wasn’t about to let herself get distracted. She tightened her grip on her illusory [Altered Reality] sword and charged back into the fray, ready to dispatch more of the shimmering creatures swarming around them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lily creating another [Foxfire] powered puppet. The puppet flickered to life with blue flames before solidifying, and without missing a beat, it began to collect the carapaces from the scarabs they had already defeated, stacking them neatly off to one side. Even in the middle of combat, Lily was always thinking ahead, making the most of their situation.

Elara turned her attention back to the scarabs. With each swing of her blade, she cut through the scarabs’ shifting carapaces, her movements empowered by [Cognizance] growing more confident and precise. She dodged and struck with an almost natural rhythm, her sword finding the weak points between their plates.

Another scarab lunged at her, its mandibles snapping. Elara sidestepped smoothly, her blade flashing out to meet it. She aimed carefully, her strike hitting the gap between its armor, and the scarab fell, its vibrant colors fading away.

The scarabs kept coming, but Elara pressed on, each strike a little sharper, each motion more fluid. With each dispatched creature, she could feel her understanding of the [Crimson Quill Dance] deepening, relying less on Quill's guidance and more on her own growing instincts.

Around her, the swarm of scarabs seemed endless, but Elara was determined. She wouldn't stop until they were all cleared out, her blade slicing with ever-increasing mastery.