"You're such a sweetheart, dear and, dare I say, a pretty one."
Miya blushed as the kind, old woman smiled toward her, lying in a hospital bed. Wires connected themselves to her in various places as Miya knelt beside the bed, her eyes sparkling as the woman continued to sing her praises, Miya having assisted her with a bout of frequent nightmares, nightmares so vivid that she'd sometimes skip a heartbeat, activating her pacemaker.
"There's no need to thank me, Mrs. Worst. I'd gladly come see such a diva any day."
They both laughed, and Bo and Fable watched quietly at the front of the critical care unit, a young man sitting in a seat beside them, tears swelling in his eyes as he watched the woman's eyes light up. He looked up at Fable who wore his embroidered suit and tie.
"I... I was so scared when she didn't answer me this morning... I'd known about the pacemaker and her reoccurring nightmares, but I didn't... Thank you. Thank you with all of my heart for taking care of my grandmother."
Fable pointed toward Miya, a slight grin forming on his face.
"The one you really should be thanking is her. Thanks to Miya, your grandmother shouldn't have to worry about those nightmares again. I just stabilized her vitals."
The man looked toward Miya, mesmerized by the sight of his grandmother's joy as she conversed with Miya, Miya returning the favor. He looked back at Fable.
"Yes!"
...
Since her conversation with Mrs. Boudreaux, Miya was more determined than ever, studying for her classes, practicing her techniques, and helping those around the outskirts of Hinansho City, where she is stationed. In the mornings, Bo would bring her to school, meeting up with their friends along the way before tending to her studies, and at night, she would use her sleep to her advantage, training even more in the dream world as time was completely under her control.
When it came to knowledge, she quickly absorbed it, being able to argue her points thoroughly and without flaw. Her peers became aware of this, silently observing her constant growth as they approached the week's close, and her new friends helped nurture this growth, feeling the potential she held.
...
"Once you control that flow, it's then up for your creativity to take the wheel."
Miya sat in front of Sarah in the dreamworld, her eyes closed as Sarah observed. Sarah'd taken off her glasses, being able to see clearly without them, and she spoke properly, careful not to miss a single detail as she taught. Miya peeked at Sarah, her eyes only opening slightly.
"And this will really transfer into the real world? Stuff's a lot easier here than outside."
"Did I tell you to open your eyes?!"
Miya quickly shut them, and she tried to concentrate again.
"Eep!"
She could feel the flow of her power in the air around them, but she couldn't quite alter it. It just remained in a constant current, forever reaching outward unless something other than herself interacted with it or Miya subdued it. Sarah, on the other hand, changed the flow of the air itself, able to deflect Miya's spell without effort.
As much as she tried, she couldn't change it, and she quickly grew impatient.
"Do I have to learn how to use this?! Once Headmaster teaches me sword skills, I'd just be able to fight bad guys head on!"
"Are you going to perfect your form on your own time or someone else's?!"
Miya pouted, knowing Sarah was right, but she didn't know of any way to alter the flow of her power. She found no point in continuing as there were no leads that she could follow nor could she comprehend how she was supposed to move it anyway.
Regardless, she closed her eyes again, still determined to find some way to change it despite the odds. She thought to herself, traveling through any thing that could act as even a hint toward a lead.
'Sarah does it so effortlessly as if she's not even thinking about it? I don't get it! How am I supposed to do this?!"
As Miya thought, she suddenly stopped, and a smile grew on Sarah's face as she saw the realization set in. Miya began emptying her mind, her only thoughts being of the flow, following the flow of sleep energy that seeped through every pore in her body, every strand of hair until she could feel it changing, morphing at her will.
She opened her eyes, ecstatic as she was able to bend the flow, spiraling violently around herself.
"I get it now! I get it!"
Sarah continued to silently watch as Miya jumped around, pumping her fist in excitement. She thought to herself, a proud inner voice praising her.
'You're growing quickly, Miya. A little too quickly...'
Miya stopped, noticing the tears pouring from Sarah's eyes, and she approached her quickly, worried at what might've happened, but Sarah stopped her approach with a strong bear hug, squeezing her without mercy. Miya tried desperately to escape as Sarah relished the moment, reminiscing.
< "Daddy, who's that?"
Sarah's little hand pointed toward another girl who stood across the white, barren room, her eyes of a clear blue and an ominous air exuding from her body. Sarah's father, a man with short, blonde hair, looked toward the little girl as well, wearing a clear lab coat that Sarah clung to for warmth. He spoke softly, slowly nudging Sarah toward the girl.
"Go on, my little princess. Why don't you ask the young lady herself? Maybe, you could become friends."
Sarah's eyes lit up, excited about the opportunity, but at the same time, the blue-haired girl seemed so cool, and she quickly became discouraged.
"Do... Do you really think she'd wanna be friends with me, daddy?"
Her father smiled, gently nudging her even further toward the blue-haired girl. Sarah remained hesitant as he continued to reassure her.
"I'm sure, Sarah. She's just never been here before. Don't you think you'd be a little scared in an unfamiliar place like this?"
Sarah continued to inspect the girl, mesmerized as the girl looked off into space. She became a bit confident as her father, once again, spoke softly into her ear.
"... Don't you think... She'd want a friend right about now?">
The sleep world quickly broke down, and the two of them were inside the combat room, the room pitch black rather than a stainless white. Miya continued to hug Sarah tightly, her face turning red as she smiled.
"You know, Sarah. For some odd reason, I get this feeling when I'm around you, like I wanna be near you forever."
Sarah patted Miya on the head, unaffected by the spell as she smiled sweetly and spoke softly as if speaking to her own child.
"You're right, Miya... That's pretty odd."