The days began to pass by quickly as Maric received tutelage from Sir Seraph & eventually Sir Seraph was called off planet to meet with Varys so Maric began to familiarize himself with Lady Ishmael & Lady Artemis. At first Maric could barely focus, the beauty of these two was unparalleled to any woman he had seen up until this point although he didn't really have a point of reference for womanly beauty he simply felt that way. Although Artemis could be considered unladylike due to her wild silver hair and oppressive aura she was still quite beautiful.
One morning Lady Ishmael requested Maric to come down to his fathers office, As he made his way through the familiar halls he felt strange like somebody was watching him. Maric scanned the hall for a presence but he sensed nothing.
"Erm.. Miss Ishmael?
Maric called out sheepishly but in this moment he realized something. His voice didn't actually travel anywhere, it was as if the very sound waves were drowned out by the walls. Eventually a pressure began to creep upon Maric's shoulders, he felt like he was carrying two sandbags instantly as he began to panic a bit.
"Release"
A soft voice called out from the end of the hall as the very shadows began to whirl and twist like torrents of water. The owner of this voice was Lady Ishmael. She donned a set of silver and blue armor that fit her body perfectly, her brown hair was in a high ponytail and her indigo eyes glowed slightly as she looked towards Maric with a disapproving but doting gaze before speaking again.
"Lesson one. Awareness. If you had been an enemy you would have fallen directly under the control of Yin Water Style: Dark Vortex. Lord Varys asked us to look after you and give you tips, so please, never forget this basic concept. It will keep you alive."
Ishmael was beautiful, yes, but the tone in which she spoke seemed deadly. Maric felt actual fear for a brief moment only to be reassured by his mysterious empathy ability. It was like this with Ludo, He looked into her eyes and felt only Loyalty & Duty. He knew she wasn't merely just toying with him or attempting to bully him, of course most weren't stupid enough to mess with a child of a Lord like himself but through a veil of supremacy some surely would.
"Maric..? Are you listening?"
Ishmael questioned him due to the deep blankness in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking something after the moment his eyes met hers but she dismissed it as the boy being a bit taken aback.
"Of course Lady Ishmael! I'm sorry, I should take your words seriously. But is this what you called me for?"
Maric was curious if this was the full lesson for the day or not and to his surprise this was only the beginning of a long drawn out technical lecture on awareness. At the end of the several hour lesson Ishmael had given Maric a meditation technique known as Sumeru Void. This was a Sutra for those with a darkness affinity, since he had a fusion affinity that contained the darkness element he could easily cast it's simpler parts. It also increased one's sensory ability by learning to connect to residual shadows and expand your perception to the scope of the shadows' reach and depth.
A couple hours later in a dim room only used by his father while training Maric could be seen practicing the Sumeru Void meditation technique. At first he could vaguely sense the darkness element in the shadows but eventually he felt like it was more like an ocean of particles clumped together in a disorderly manner and with this sutra he could control and feel through these darkness element particles. As he fell deeper and deeper into Sumeru Void he became unaware that the shadows around his fathers training room were enveloped in a cyan blue light. This light was emulating the Elemental Sutra but using the shadows as extensions of Maric.. If he or anyone were aware of what was happening they would be stunned to the point of paralysis.
"Phew! I'm exhausted after that. I think I managed to comprehend Sumeru Void to a basic level though. If I keep practicing it seems like I will progress quickly!"
Maric layed on the wooden floor with his fist hanging in the air. His words floated in the air as if they were meant to be heard by someone. His father? His mentors? No. These words were meant solely for him. As long as Maric could remember he has had this warrior-like drive, he wouldn't stop until he felt his growth was in danger of pushing further. A combination of this attitude and wit spells the way for disaster but Maric wasn't old enough yet to consider his own hubris.
Eventually he fell asleep just like that, his fist in the air and a smile on his face. Lady Ishmael giggled from behind the open door. She appreciated the amount of work he put in today, it was more than she could have asked of any common child of the Scarlet Empire. She had high hopes for him in truth due to her respect for Lord Varys. Before she could admire him for too long she heard Lady Artemis enter the room behind her.
"Snooping on the young one little sister? Tsk tsk he is far far too young for you."
Artemis let out a bellowing laugh that annoyed Ishmael. Although they were Indeed sisters they couldn't be any more different, Ishmael was dainty and orderly while Artemis on the other hand was rugged and wild. She had a similar armor to Ishmael but styled more like a military half plate, her hair was stark white and wild but somehow when it came to her face she was still honestly enchanting. She looked to be like a valiant Valkyrie that happened to be a bit overzealous..
"Artemis! If Lord Varys were to hear that he would definitely take you to the sparring room! In fact, should I tell him that you wanted to make that joke even when I warned you beforehand?"
Ishmael smirked. She loved toying with her sister like this, she had always been the more clever one.eventually Artemis shrugged her shoulders and walked off. Before she left the room she yelled to Ishmael.
"Send the kid my way in the morning. I wanna see what he's made of for real this time"
Ishmael frowned upon hearing these words but eventually she sighed and went back to watching over Maric. He was really an adorable kid, and he had heart. Ishmael couldn't help but see Varys in him but there was something else to him that she didn't understand. For instance, where was he even born? And who was his mother? Varys never properly explained these things to the Lords Hall and if he did it would probably be to the Inquisition. Eventually Ishmael disregarded these thoughts, she could only keep them to herself and maybe one day she could properly investigate.
Once she cleared her mind she opened the door to Varys's training room and scooped Maric into her arms. She lightly hummed a tune as she walked through the manors halls that were illuminated by the silver moonlight. Despite being in a deep sleep Maric felt warmth, a smile crept to his face and eventually he felt the embrace of his bed.