I was in my room, it was morning, and Liza was teaching me how to increase control over my mana.
"You must feel it as a part of your body, a part of which you are aware, it must be like a river that flows autonomously most of the time, but at which you can change intensity and speed of flow at will."
"For now ... go back to your Inner world ..."
I closed my eyes, my world had become even windier, but the rising sand didn't bother me.
Lise appeared before me, in the form of an illusion.
-Now you are just seeing your world, you are like a spectator, to be able to increase your consciousness about your mana, you will have to become more than just a spectator, it will no longer be enough to "see" you will have to "be" your world in everything and for everything-
Liza was talking to me, her words vibrating in me, it was as if she had infused those words with mana, or something like that.
'I must "be" this world, I "am" this world'
It was this that I had to understand, that was not my inner world, it was not a "thing" that I owned, I myself was that world.
This thinking brought me back to my memory, I had already heard these thoughts about "being" somewhere, and I remembered how I was interested in these philosophical things.
An image came back to my mind: I was sitting on a chair, in front of me I had a wooden desk, I was at school, 'what school?' I didn't remember that; in front of me a gentleman with a smile on his face was passionately explaining something, 'What?' I did not remember exactly, the words of the 'Professor' were distant and confused.
I remember, however, that I liked the passion and dedication with which he carried out the lesson.
The "being", I remembered how many times it was quoted by many authors, how at times it could not be contradictory and how at other times it contained opposites. My mind began to wander even more. I remembered how some thought of the existence of "right", of what "justice" is, while others thought of its non-existence.
What is right to do, man has always asked himself, and I, at that moment, perhaps due to the fact that I was so far from 'Reality', I wondered precisely this: 'What is right? Besides, what was I supposed to do from here on out?
Was it really that bad to live a life inside this arena? '
I instantly regretted this purely selfish thought, however, maybe it was selfish to get out of here too, 'how many people would we have brought to the bottom if we failed?'
'I want to know who I was, but if I remembered, would it change the me of now?'
'Then maybe I don't even want to remember ... but I feel that a part of me wants to see the faces of my mother and father again, even if they were just images in my memories ...'
I opened my eyes again.
"Total failure" said Liza.
"At some point, I lost you completely, did you get lost in your thoughts?"
I stayed silent, I was still mulling those thoughts.
"Oh well, anyway we will resume this training tomorrow, now I would like to talk to you about the next steps of us Rings"
I looked at her, with my eyes still a little lost.
"In a month from today we will attack a laboratory here in the arena, namely Lab46B, it is located a few kilometers from here, it is a small laboratory, from what one of our informants told us, it mainly deals with data collection during battles, and has a staff of only two researchers and three guards. "
'But even if they succeeded in the operation ... how would they hide ... ah right, Libert's ability ...'
"It will be a plan based on speed and Libert's power, right?"
"Heh, right, and the others also want your participation, It will be Ron, Libert, you, and me who will participate in the plan ..."
"Me ?!"
"Eh, I too had the same reaction as you ... apparently Libert and David have a great respect for you, and in your power."
'So it was an idea of those two ...'
"This means only one thing: within a month you will have to become at least doubly strong compared to now … the three of you will attack the guards and gather the intel we are looking for while I'll stand guard"
'She makes it simple ... I still have problems with my power ... but all of this is thrilling me, for some reason ... '
Liza left, greeting me coldly, and I got ready to go to a bar, the so-called "Solario" bar, where Hel was waiting for me.
She told me she had an important proposal for me.
…
'Oh, there she is'
Hel was sitting at a copper coffee table for two, in the center of the table, there was a virtual menu.
The bar itself was vintage, the predominant colors were watercolor green and copper red; there was, near the shop window, in which it was written "SOLARIO" in large size, a greenish bicycle without wheels with rusty details and vases with flowers of a thousand perfumes hanging from it. I found the whole place beautiful.
"Hi"
"Oh, Zeto! You're finally here." She said with a sweet smile, and as if she had been waiting for me for a long time.
"Sorry for being late ..."
"Ah, no no, I'm the one who is early ..."
She looked different than she was during the event, I didn't see the usual "madness" in her eyes.
Her clothes were also slightly less "dark".
'Maybe I should buy some other clothes besides these too…'
[Updated Zeto stats
Strength: 15 → 32
Agility: 21 → 41
Intelligence: 16
Stamina: 11 → 21 + 10%
Favorite Weapon: short sword
Mana: 60Mp Regeneration Mp : 0.5Mp per minute
Health: 450Hp → 550Hp Regeneration Hp: 2Hp per minute
Power: Predictive Gaze
Secondary Abilities: Wind Cut (lv2); Wind Movement (lv1); Improved Breathing]