A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 247: Chapter 233

Step forward, slash down.

Left.

Right.

My sword moved rhythmically. Having done these motions so many times, it'd been ingrained deep into my subconscious to the points where it's practically instinct.

It was soothing. Being able to push any stray thoughts away and just focus on swinging my sword. To feel my arms begin to get sore, and sweat drip down my brow. It was difficult finding a way to work my body as it was now. That is to say, now that I've gained Divinity and gone through a metamorphosis of sorts.

I stood atop a Magic Circle that I constantly channeled Magical Energy into. It was reminiscent of the room I created back at the College of Winterhold, if applied in at more sloppy fashion. It anchored a Bounded Field around me that constantly changed the gravitational pull at different intervals and in different ways.

I then forced myself to keep steady and perform the same strike perfectly each time. It was mentally exhausting and even grated on me physically.

"Haaah." I let out a breath as my sword came down to my side and with a thought, I turned off the Magic Circle.

While the application of the whole thing was Magical in nature, the outcome was more of a natural phenomenon, so my Magic Resistance wasn't hindering my training.

"I was wondering where you had gotten off to." I saw Scáthach approach from the side. "My student snuck away to train and didn't even have the decency to tell me. Should I be offended?" She gave a little grin.

I blinked in realization. "I didn't mean to offend –"

I did choose a rather isolated place located within Yasaka's Kyoto. It wasn't 'only' a city that existed here. There were forests and otherwise undeveloped areas. The more 'permanent' residents would probably get too stir crazy if there wasn't a more complete setting in this small dimension.

"Oh hush." She laughed. "I'm merely jesting. Taking some time alone for yourself is no crime."

I pursed my lips. "I don't want to be neglectful. I could have maybe – "

She flicked her finger, a small compression of air shot forward and smacked into my Aura. I blinked again in response at her action. "None of that." She chided. "None of us are young maidens that require your presence at every moment. We all have things we're busy with, an honest effort and sincere affection is all we desire from you." That warm smile she flashed, it always made my heart melt

"And just like that, you know how to cheer me up." I stretched my back. "Speaking of effort. I have a date with Yasaka planned for the upcoming festival she's preparing for. I'm going to surprise Jinn with a date too, maybe take her to the beach since I don't think she's ever been. I'm going to surprise Meridia and see what she wants to do." Yeah, Meridia's the hardest to plan things with. It's best to not try to surprise her with anything that would take too much focus away from her duties. "Artoria, I don't think she's in the mindset right now for a date with both Mordred and the Pendragon family still being things she's fretting over." That being said, I was still going to be there to support her as her boyfriend.

Honestly, that whole thing was still a big mess. She'd been talking with Agravain the past few days, being kept abreast of the situation, but it's still slow going. Even Mordred took a second trip over there to check things out in person. There's that strange feeling in the air like we're all waiting for the second shoe to drop.

"And Raikou?" Scáthach asked.

"I didn't forget about her." I chuckled. "I sorta had a plan, but I was going to ask for an opinion. I thought maybe taking her to get some family photos made? I know she has a.....strange mindset about our relationship. But I wanted to show her that she really means a lot to me, so I was going to get some pictures of us together and set them up along side the one I have with my mom." Some 'mom and son' pictures I thought would make her elated.

"My student..." Scáthach said softly.

"What? Bad? Should I go with something else?"

She walked up and pulled me into a huge, my face pressed into her ample cleavage. "I should say it's surprising that you are able to act as sweet as you do in relation to the foolish things you often partake in. However, I've discovered that this is a normal occurrence since I've been returned to your side."

She smelled nice.

I tilted my head up, eyes meeting her as I moved in for a kiss, only for her finger to press against my lips.

"Hmm. You wish to claim this Scáthach's lips? Are you not forgetting something before taking such a prize from me? Perhaps a women whom you had yet to mention?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Nope." I gave her a cheeky smile.

Seeing her puff up was extremely cute. "You are bold to tease this old woman. It does not matter how much stronger you become; you will always be Scáthach's student." She gave my forehead a little flick.

"Does my Scáthach want a date?"

"Hmph."

"A romantic evening? A candlelight dinner? Holding hands as we take a stroll under the moonlight?" I rattled off, as I noticed her complexion grow increasingly more red. It even made me pause in my teasing. "Are you.....blushing?"

"O-of course not." She scoffed. "Do you think the Immortal Witch of Dun Scaith would blush at such a thing? I'm not some inexperienced girl."

"Cute." I poked her cheek, ignoring her indignations.

"You are asking for a beating!" She huffed, turning away.

"Maybe I am." I smirked.

"Hmph. Perhaps I have been too lenient on you." She removed her arms, taking a step back. Though she sported a bright smile as she took out her spear.

"Well, I've been wanting to test a few things." I hummed, hefting my sword up.

"Fufu, I've also been wanting to test a few things of yours as well~" That bloodthirsty smile adorned her face.

I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what Scáthach would want in a date. But.....this would probably satisfy her for a while.

She took a slow step forward, her spear swung down and thrusted at me from several different positions. Each one of them was a blow that would leave me wounded if I allowed the strike to connect with my body but not outright kill me.

I planted my feet firmly, and swung my sword, matching her strikes as sparks flew with the collision of our weapons.

Scáthach twirled her spear in hand, and then her grip slid down her spear as it was launched forward with a sudden, bursting, speed. With an almost nonchalant movement, her spear had turned into a red blur as it was thrust towards my heart. The combination of thrust it forward, and letting it jerk out of her grip slightly had momentarily made me surprised at the distorted movement.

However, I never lost track of that deadly tip.

My Mirage flashed out, the tip colliding with her spear. And with a flick of my wrist, Mirage tilted slightly, deflecting it away from me harmlessly.

"I guess you haven't been lazing around after all." She laughed, pulling her spear back. She spun it in place a few times, never moving from her spot. Without any words, her spear lashed out once more. A straightforward stab right for my neck.

It was an easy deflection, but she immediately followed up by sliding down to her knee and swiped the shaft of her spear at my legs. I slammed my sword into the ground, blocking it, but she just spun on the spot, regaining her momentum as the spear arched back towards my other side.

It was like a hurricane as she was relentless in her attacks, a continuous barrage that didn't allow me a moments respite. As soon as I blocked or deflected one attack, another was on the opposite side coming right at me. She continued to speed up until the point where her spear tip became nothing more than a red streak of light, almost as if it was attacking me simultaneously from every angle.

This dance continued, neither of us moving from the spot we were in as we each tried to win this spontaneous game that came about.

No, it only came to a head when her spear slipped through my guard, flying by my face and tore apart a small opening in my aura.

I let out a breath, my sword went slack in my hand and a sigh escaped from my lips. "Point to you then?"

She smiled, pulling her spear back, the butt of it slamming into the ground. She lightly leaned on it, looking all too smug. "Fufu. My precious Student, where did your bravado go, hmm?" Her little giggled turned into outright laughter.

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not ashamed to admit you still got me beat on the skill side of things." Yeah, as far as pure skills went, she still outclasses me.

It felt a bit like tennis, where your opponent continuously pulled you more and more to each corner of the court until you just can't respond in time. Except.....with deadly weapons...and a sadist teacher.

"Don't get depressed, boyo." She stood back up straight, spinning her spear again, almost out of habit. "Not many people can match my skills. You have come far since I first taught you." Her words a genuine praise.

"It's nice to hear you say that." I nodded. "But I have a retort."

"Hmm?"

I snapped my fingers, a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky ontop of her.

The kickup of dirt did nothing to hide the look of utter annoyance on her face. Not at my sudden attack, mind you. No, it was the fact that her face was now covered and dirty. She wiped her hand down her face, brushing it off. "You play a dangerous game." She looked at my intently.

I gripped my sword and smiled towards her. "Bring it, bitch."

That maniac grin appeared again as her center of gravity slowly moved towards the ground. Her spear erupted in bloodlust, taking a familiar position. "With pleasure~"

Like a coiled spring that was finally let loose, she shot forward. Her Magical Energy enveloped her in a thick hue, a palpable bloodlust that rolled off her in every direction. That deadly spear sailed right towards me as I took a step to the side, pushed my feet into the ground and swung up at the bottom of it, pushing it to the side.

With a quick spin of her spear, her feet were already planted into the ground, the butt of her weapon aimed towards my temple.

I ducked under it, the sheer force managing to make my Aura flare up as it passed overhead. She followed up with her foot flying towards my stomach. I gathered my Aura into my hand and met her kick. An explosion of energy erupted at the focal point, blowing us both a few meters back.

"This is the Aura you spoke of then?" She laughed. "I can see its utility and strengths. I am quite impressed."

I rolled my neck before I started walking forward, an action matched by her. Her predatory steps looked as intimidating as every, however I was not that same person from back then. I had come a long way from the Land of Shadows and I had quite a few tricks she hadn't seen yet.

With a wave of my hand, one of my other swords appeared next to me.

She looked a bit more serious as she eyed the blade spinning around me protectively. With a flick of her hand, her Gae Bolg stabbed into the ground, flinging up large swathes of dirt. I noticed immediately that she hid Runes within the cloud of dirt as the Spells actualized and began to bombard me.

I didn't move from my spot, my Sword of Destruction igniting with my Power of Destruction and shot forward in a straight line through all the Magical Power coming at me.

Her eyes widened as she was forced to jump out of the way.

She eyed it warily as it curved in air and came back towards her.

I could see her fingers around her spear tighten as she drew upon a large amount of Magical Energy and met my Sword head on. The explosive power of hers managed to send my sword hurling away.

"How do you like my Bloodline ability?" I grinned.

"What a frightening power." She acknowledged, turning back towards me. "I would be forced to divert my attention to make sure I keep it at bay."

"The Concept of Destruction." I explained. "I'm still exploring its uses."

"It was a bit straight forward in application. We will need train with it more in the future." She decided. "I imagine that it has shifted since your new additions?"

"Yeah." I scratched my head. "Bit stronger, and it felt like it.....opened up more if that makes sense." I needed to fully develop it now.

"Good. I would be upset if you didn't acknowledge your immature use of it." She smiled but leapt up into the air without warning. As fast as she ascended, she was shooting towards me once more.

"Dammit, give a guy some warning." I grunted, her spear meeting the flat of my blade. Our faces were only a foot apart at this point.

"Here is a warning." She raised one hand off her spear, drawing a Rune. "I do enjoy your face, I hope you will not be too hurt."

It wasn't just a normal string of runes, there was a Primordial Rune mixed in.

"Fus!" I shouted out at her.

Her eyes narrowed as the invisible force rippled. It wasn't the full shout, but it would be enough to push her way, or so I thought. Instead, Runes appeared behind her, actualizing and offset the attack I used.

The String of Runes she created infront of me finalized and came together as they turned extremely bright.

Just as they gathered into a ball of light and erupted into a beam of pure destruction, bursting towards me, I fed Aura into my Semblance.

The parts of me that were hit turned into Lightning, crackling around the spells destructive properties instead of fighting it. It was large enough that a good portion of my body turned completely into lightning to avoid it.

"Feim." I whispered out in my lightning-form. The first part of the Become Ethereal Shout in the dragon language. It had a....strange reaction with my semblance. Instead of becoming ethereal, to become a spirit that existed on a different plane of existence, I instead turned completely into my element and entered the same plane. I jutted around and slammed back down a few dozen feet away, returning to my complete shape.

She paused, looking at the spot I had been in, then back at me. She opened her mouth then closed it, clearly contemplating what she just saw.

"My Semblance." I grinned. "I can burn my Aura to turn myself into Lightning – the more of my body I turn, the more it costs. And with my new Divinity, it's turned into Divine Lightning. I used a 'Shout' to make myself ethereal and ease into the complete element transformation since I'm still working it all out."

Hadn't had much time to really train all this new stuff. With Scáthach with me now, though....

She knew about the Dragon Language. It was something I used a little bit back in the Land of Shadows as I had picked up a couple words before leaving Skyrim for the first time.

"Impressive." She looked very intrigued. "Now that I've seen it, I will do my own research. I believe Jinn will have ample resources for me to peruse as I understand it clearly. Both this Aura and Semblance are things I have too small of a foundation to better help you."

"Well, add it to the list of things I would love your help training with."

"Asking me for more training?" She raised an eyebrow. "Your flirting has certainly improved."

"Well, I know how much you enjoy beating me up." I snorted with a small laugh.

"I will not deny it."

"Sadist."

"Masochist." She shot back without hesitation. That smug look of hers, she knew it made me groan. "The Truth is hard to hear, my Student." She laughed.

"You know what." I clicked my tongue. "I have one more thing I want to show you."

She smiled again, looking ready for battle. "Show me everything you have, my student." The way she said it sounded almost.... sensual.

Was this foreplay for her?

I gripped Mirage tightly, pulling it back with a thrusting motion. "I had this idea after my fight with Susanoo in the other world. The technique I used to finish him off with. You can consider it a ...variation of that."

"Oh?" She looked....excited.

"Don't die." I added with a stern tone.

The Kaleidoscope rolled infront of me. The possibilities that existed from the point I was standing, and every action I could take towards Scáthach. The influx of information, the infinite extensions of myself that filled my vision.

It was a single, slow thrust into the air towards her.

One possibility of me that simply thrust forward. Another that stepped to the side and did the same. Another that went in the opposite direction. A third that jumped into the air and stabbed downwards. They continued as I grabbed all of them and then anchored them all onto my singular attack.

Scáthach's eyes widened. It was an almost instantaneous reaction on her part as Runes lit up and she jumped backwards, spinning in the air before landing on the ground. There were now an uncountable number of gouges taken out of the ground around her.

With my Myriad Sword Strike, it held all those possibilities onto my blade, and slashes to a single slash. With this technique, all of the possibilities were 'released' for lack of a better word. Whereas my 'Birds' were me layering myself onto my singular slash many – many times, this technique differs further from that as it allowed for a different set of outcomes than just the slash from where I stood.

Scáthach shook a little as she roused herself back to her feet. She lifted her head up, her breathing was a bit...uneven. Her clothes were cut up and there was blood seeping from several cuts all over her body.

I was worried for a moment that she was hurt until I noticed the flush on her face and the sultry look she gave me. It threw me off that I didn't even contemplate the method by which she avoided the majority of my attack.

She sauntered towards me ignoring her injuries. She literally jumped into my arms as I caught her, her lips pushed against mine with a forceful motion, her tongue invading my mouth.

"Take me home." She growled, pulling away.

I blinked in realization of what she wanted. Not wasting any words, I quickly opened a new portal right to my bedroom.

***

Sorry for late chapter, didn't like the chapter I wrote for p at re on, so i rewrote it after i basically finished it. Things are settling down a little bit after the Pendragon family, getting some training in and Scáthach getting a Lewd next chapter.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my / astoryforone