WITCH OF THE END

'So this is the Dancing Maiden's true method. Impressive…'

Luna's world once again changed as the vibrant world of nature transformed back to her bathroom ceiling. The memory had come to an end. And now, it vaguely felt like hers.

Quickly, she jumped out of the bathtub, reached for her bathrobe, and rushed to the training room before the memory became a blur or she forgot it.

When Luna entered the training room in her house, she first locked the doors and picked up a fully charged plasma sword after making sure she was alone in this room. Then, she quickly got to work. Luna inherited techniques and important knowledge. Each time she acquired one, she would have to train her body to memorize it too before it became difficult to remember.

'Dancing maiden?' she sighed as she thought back to the memory…imagining herself as Jau Feng once again. He was tall and muscular so the imagery wasn't perfect, comparing her shape to his was pathetic and fruitless. But alas, the show must go on. First, she began with simple footwork and slowly moved the rest of her body, mirroring whatever he did during the session with Alaster.

Once Luna was sure she had a clear hang of it, she began to involve her sword, making a few swings carefully as if fighting someone delicate.

'Wow.' Slowly, the technique started to look like a sword dance performance as she let the memory guide her. By controlling her breathing to match Jau's, Luna was mimicking her ancestor's movements. His steps were now her steps and how he controlled his body overall, now matched her rhythm.

Soon, her blade was moving perfectly as if she were Jau himself. The small fight and information he gave were enough for her to clear out his errors and develop even more from the concept. In this era, the Dancing Maiden wasn't in its original state due to how weapons and technology had evolved over the centuries. Turning it into a difficult technique for most swordsmen.

Luna continued this for about an hour until she was sure her body was familiar with the essence of the technique itself.

What came next was confirming if her body had memorized the technique. This was usually done through a sparring session with a master martial artist. The people Luna trained with her masters of each technique she awakened. Sometimes she won and even gave tips, others she lost miserably till she fully absorbed them.

It was a win-win situation at Feng Sect. That's how she could describe it without jumping to the fact that a little girl was fighting against experienced warriors.

And the twisting fact was she enjoyed it!

"Well, I might not have the masters to help me. But I happen to teach martial combat in a prestigious academy." A mischievous smile appeared on her face as an idea crossed her mind.

Without wasting any more time, Luna rushed to her bedroom, dressed up real quick, picked up her family sword, and ran to the main academy building like her life depended on it.

***

After locking the doors to her lecture room, Luna walked down the stairs with a sheathed black sword in her hand. The academy had recently purchased training dummies to test the student's abilities. They weren't better than the real deal but they were going to have to work for now.

She reached for the touch screen control system and cranked up the gravity around the platform by 60% then chose her robotic dummy.

Luna preferred fighting in high-gravity spaces as It was a method her family used to teach her how to regulate the magnitude of her physical strength.

Stepping onto the platform, a barrier surfaced around it as a dummy also appeared. The thing looked like a cross between a mannequin and a knight with thin a steel layer of skin and two glowing lights where the eyes were supposed to be. By looking at it, Luna already recognized the unique magical technology used to create the training dummy.

Luna unsheathed her sword. A black katana with black steel shimmered in the darkness, its edges cut through space itself.

The dummy lunged for its plasma sword with a metallic hiss and swung with fierce precision. Luna's reflexes kicked in as she rolled out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding the glowing blade as it crashed into the platform with a thunderous clang.

She sprang back to her feet, her movements a blur as she danced through the dummy's subsequent attacks. Her footwork mimicked the fluid motions of Jau but with added adjustments to fit her smaller frame. She expected mistakes and missed steps, but thankfully, the dummy was no master in combat.

As she moved, Luna mentally logged each misstep and near-miss. Jau's technique was powerful and suited to his muscular build, but Luna had to find a version that worked for her petite size.

A sudden flash of light made her gasp—she barely avoided the plasma sword's razor edge, ducking just inches from a potentially devastating cut. Seizing the moment, she swung her black weapon with precision at the dummy's torso, aiming for its core. The blade clanged off its sturdy frame, leaving Luna startled.

Strength was not her ally in this fight; focus was. She needed to exploit the dummy's weak spots. Dodging another swing, Luna blocked the second attack with all her might. The dummy's force was immense, pushing her back with ease. But she retaliated with a well-aimed kick to its ankle, feeling a jarring impact as she shattered half of its leg.

"Damn, I thought it was tougher!" Luna muttered, frustration evident. The dummy's broken leg revealed a hidden blade, which now swung at her with renewed aggression. Luna dodged the initial strike, but the blade shifted direction, grazing her shirt with a sharp edge.

Her heart pounded as she noticed something unsettling about the dummy's kick. It was too precise, too reminiscent of the move she had just executed.

"That's my move. How did it—"

Before she could finish her thought, the dummy launched into a series of attacks, mirroring her every action with uncanny accuracy. It danced with the same fluid grace she had used, swinging its weapon with deliberate precision. Their swords clashed in a flurry of blinding light and force, each strike a testament to raw power.

As Luna fought, she gained valuable insights into the technique. Her perception sharpened, and her understanding of Jau's movements expanded.

The dummy, though formidable, was merely imitating her actions. With each parry and thrust, Luna adapted and evolved her technique, exploiting the gaps in its replication.

It was like she was fighting against herself.

With a final burst of agility, Luna evaded a searing swipe of plasma light and delivered a flawlessly executed cut through the dummy's torso. This time, the blade sliced through its core effortlessly, as though the machine were made of paper. It was cut in two and the sound of its collapse echoed back to her ears.

Sweat gleamed on her face, and her breaths came in rapid, ragged bursts.

Exhausted but exhilarated, she looked at the defeated dummy with a mixture of triumph and disbelief. "It worked. It actually freaking worked!"

She exhaled deeply and jumped off the platform after the shield was off. The shift in gravity barely affected her as she walked and turned off the gravitational field.

"Since when could dummies copy someone? I need to check the manuals."

"And clean up." She added solemnly as she looked at the mess lying on the platform.

After putting away the dummy's parts, Luna fixed up the cracks with a weak smile on her pretty face. Today's accomplishment was a great one.

She had mastered a deadly technique—mastered wasn't the right word, yet. But she was definitely somewhere.

When she was done cleaning up, Luna sat on the platform's edge and stared at the lecture room with her sword resting on her thighs.

Luna didn't go to academies like the rest because her whole childhood was dedicated to making her a worthy successor to House Feng.

Now that she couldn't ascend, Luna wasn't sure if she was next line for the title of heiress. What was next for her then? Who was she without the legacy of Feng?

'I don't know.'

Suddenly, the feeling of accomplishment was gone. Replaced by the bitterness she hadn't felt in a while.