Enter The Sandman

Surasshu Kagayaite

"You're telling me that we just so happened to find the woman that had failed one of the most crucial missions in history... completely by accident?" Zerin says blankly.

"Surprisingly... it looks like that way... but... what in the world?  Just what happened back then?  She... hasn't aged a bit since that time!" the general replies.

"The Assassins must have a lot to do with this... I wonder what they possibly could have been doing for the past 18 years?"

"Please... leave me be for a while.  You will be rewarded through the mail... I need time to think" the general says quietly.

"Understood."

"Kiruh... how much longer are you going to take with this!?" Lisa struggles to say.

"Sorry... it's not easy concentrating on two separate things!" I reply.  I sit down, my eyes shut tight, floating in the air.  In reality, Lisa's shadow element is holding me up.  Why?  Even the tiniest movement will disrupt my flow to get my shining element.  There is also nothing but a shadow box around me.  In order to retrieve the shining beta, there must be nothing but pitch dark blackness around me.  Not a single source of light.  But that is the tricky part... it must be outside.  In order to retrieve the shining beta without having to go in shining mode for the first time, I need to use the beta that is flowing in the air.  Not my own beta.  I've already managed to retrieve the beta in the air... now I'm trying to use it to get my shining beta.  After that, all I have to do is shape it like a blade attached to the front of my arm.

"This is a lot harder to do without his help..." I say quietly.

"His help?  What?" Lisa asks in a confused tone.

"Oh... nothing..." 

After a few minutes of nothing, I say "What do I do after I've managed to get this technique down for the first time?  Would I be able to use my own beta after that?"

"You aren't using the outside beta just to get the shining beta for the blade.  Then this training would be pointless.  Instead you are using the outside beta to add an extra coarse to your shining mode beta, that leads to your arm.  That's when you can easily just form the blade."

"Wish you told me that sooner... but whatever... let's try it..."

"You do know how to add a new flow direction... right?"

"I've done very similar training... this should be easy..."

After several hours of complete failure, I manage to make a few path to my arm.  

"Lisa... I think I've got it!" I shout with joy.

"H-huh!?  What!?" I hear Lisa say from outside the shadow box.

I stay in silence for a second before saying "Were you sleeping!?"

"O-oh, no!  I was just... napping.  That's it, napping."

I sigh.  "Look... just let me out of this box, I want to try and see if I managed to do this correctly!"

I start to slowly drop to the ground, and the box around me disperses away.

"Okay... now in order to to form the blade, you surround your arm with beta.  This allows your shining beta to form on top of it.  You can just gather your shining beta and your regular beta at the same time."

"I've... never done that before..."

"What?"

"Gathered my shining beta and my regular beta at the same time and place..."