Moon me Blind x2

[Tetsu]

Aimi: +40 Dude…that was deep 0.0

Loki: You’ve learned it my friend +8

Nira: +38 Keep up the good work Senpai ^.^

[Madame Loki]

Learning: 0/110 

SPOILER: Click to show

Faking the Dead
Rank: "S"
Skill: GenJutsu
Effect: User creates a dead body of themselves and then cloak themselves as undetectable.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: ---
Description: Affects anyone who sees the user. The user is able to perform this technique on themselves. The duration of this technique lasts for 5 days per class level. This technique may be disbelieved once interacted with. This Jutsu discharges only when an effect would result in the user being considered dead. It negates that effect and creates a perfect illusion of the user's death that matches the normal results of that effect; it also leaves a greater shadow conjuration of their remains. It takes a successful disbelief, requiring interaction with the remains (save) to realize the user's remains is an illusion. The Jutsu renders the user invisible (as Greater Invisibility) and inaudible, the user is also undetectable by blindsense, blindsight, lifesense, scent and tremorsense, it also grants pass without trace and the ability to Shadow Walk for 1 round per level. This Jutsu can only negate an effect that would result in their death or destruction once a day. Also, effects such as petrification, or trapping the soul, are not negated since they do not result in the dead condition.
Limit: Must know the Glamour and Shadow Perception. Must know Shadow Walk

Loki raised an eyebrow when he heard what Elsie had said, "Not liking the sound of that." Loki sighed when he saw her summoning forth the weapons . As he Looked at them, he shook his head and then said, "Yep... knew I didn't like the sound of that." Loki looked back to where Elsie's voice was coming from, and knew what he had to do... sort of. Loki gathered his chakra and and made a series of Hand seals. After his seal where formed, and channeled the chakra around his body. Much like Elsie had done before him, he drew on the power of the shadows. What he had planned was much like the Play Along genjutsu that was at his disposal, but this was going to be far more intense. First the shadows that he drew on, would lash out much like they did in the shadow walk genjutsu. 

During this time anyone looking at Loki would blank out for just a moment. During this moment of blank out, all the magic would happen. A cloak of invisibility would quickly make it's way up Loki's body, shielding him off visually from the world. The cloak reflected the light as it wrapped itself around Loki's leg, his waist and his shoulders and then it would final close itself of the peak of Loki's head.  The chakra settled in quickly and Loki would now be invisible to the naked eye. However this was only the beginning of the jutsu. After the cloak of invisibility was place on Loki his chakra would interact with the shadows that he now stood on. 

After causing the blank out, the shadows would rise around Loki's body, and how latch on tight to his figure, as it need to create and exact copy of his person. The shadows oozed across Loki's person, imitating his form. It copied everything from his long blue hair to his right eye that changed color with his mood, everything had to be absolutely perfect if this was to work properly. The shadows finished his body, and the clothes formed immediately after the creation of the body. This all seemed to take for forever, but naught but a moment had passed since Loki had began to jutsu, and to on lookers not even that much had passed. Loki stared down those weapons and then then said with conviction, "Alright try me.... I guess." 

Loki chuckled nervously, as he started to think about his next step. He needed to make it seem as if he had been hit by whatever attack was to come . Loki focused in on the situation for just a moment, as he tried to impress on the shadow image of himself the various different options for motions it could that, after taking the hit. Alas Loki had no idea what he was doing on this front, he didn't know how to program an illusion.  Loki had to think quickly before Elsie had launched her attack, other wise everything up till this point would have been meaningless. Loki tried to channel his thoughts through to the shadow copy of himself that was know wrapped around his body ready to take his complete form when needed. This method was ineffective, but he had an idea of what he would try next. 

This time Loki instead focused in on the chakra that was inside of the technique. As he focused his chakra into the image of himself and waited to see if he could feel something, anything. Luckily he did feel the jutsu, and he also felt as if he would be able to freely move the jutsu. He moved his chakra through every fiber of the shadow that now occupied his shape. He felt every curve, every hair that the shadows had created, and he was sue that he would be able to do this. At least to a certain extent, he doubted the jutsu could be performed flawless on his first go around. He doubled his focus, and stared down the shadows in front of him that had taken the forms of weapons. Loki let out a deep breath, as he got a grip on his chakra, and hoped that he would be able to time this right.  

[Aimi Kaguya]

40/110

Taking in a deep breath, Aimi continued with his cheeks now wet with tears. He wanted to stop, he truly did, but this was an important lesson he couldn't afford to just turn away from. Elsie had without knowing it presented him with a problem that was more than just a sword technique, and yet it wasn't. The two were the same on a fundamental level and if he had any chance of actually comprehending this thing that was before him, he'd have to tackle them at the same time. For better or for worse.

It's a powerful sword swing... the most powerful one I've ever seen. he said, holding up the sword in front of him in his mind and wiping his cheeks, a bit of reality bleeding through to his meditation.

What else? he asked himself.

It's... it's frightening. It's the most frightening thing I've ever seen with a sword.

No it's not. What's scary is the realization that you're capable of this powerful swing. You can use it, and that's frightening. Is it not beautiful? He started to answer himself, thinking that it still wasn't something to be admired for it's beauty when more words appeared in front of him. Think of it like your father would. See the beauty in everything, but more importantly, see it in yourself. This thing, this technique, you can see yourself using it. That's easy. How would you use it? Would it be graceful?

Turning from the words, he reflected upon himself and actually using the technique presented in front of him. He saw himself in the same position that he always took before using his sword. Dominant foot forward, legs spread and hips squared, sheathed sword on his left him and right hand on the hilt near the blade. He drew the sword with such speed and thunderous might that it cut more than just the air, it cut the energy off the world. Though he still didn't understand what that meant, he envisioned it as a bright blue patch that when ruptured by his blade sporadically shot outward in all different directions in lashes six meters long, almost exactly as it had been shown to him. Yes he could see himself do it but that didn't mean he comprehended it.

Backing up, he tried to look at things from a slightly different angle; a slower perspective. In a blink he was reset in his minds eyes, standing perfectly still. Though he couldn't normally see various angles of his body, his imagination was vivid enough that he could watch himself from several different perspectives. Ever so slowly he started to pull the blade out from the sheath and he paid attention to the shape of his muscles. If he was to try and see the beauty as well as the ferocity in this technique, and by extension all those associated with it, he had to start with what he knew. His first lessons of beauty had been with his own body after all, it was as good of a place to start as any.

He came to realize that it was all connected, that every piece of his body worked together as one as a tireless machine to produce such raw speed and power. This wasn't some great big realization, it was just a start for him to understand that the human body was capable of amazing things. That people could move so fast or so strong... it filled him with determination.

Do you see it yet?

I think so... or I'm starting to... body, mind and soul... when working together they make extra ordinary things... I... I don't know how to put it into words...

Don't worry about it. The words aren't important, that you're feeling is enough. Now, what was it that Elsie said? Something like "When you cut, focus all your strength and speed into dividing the energy around you. Let your nonliving sword mold the energy of the world that you yourself can not touch. Cut with enough force to leave a gaping opening where the chakra was." Let's forget about what that does or doesn't mean, just visualize that okay?

But Aimi couldn't, not yet. He shook his head vigorously within his own vision, a refusal so violent his head vibrated. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he just couldn't. He was too emotional for that, much too unstable with the wall he'd built starting to crack for the first time in over a decade. The words came again, asking the same question as before:

How would you use it? Would it be graceful?

Deciding how to use such a powerful technique was just as important as learning how to use it in his book. He'd done the same for the gates, he would do so for this. Turning away from the words, the landscape inside of his mind shifted and he saw himself in a field surrounded by people on all sides. This was his training field, the one just outside of the village he called home. His own little secret get away where he'd go to train in private and had learned so many things in over the years... He used its familiar landscape to give himself some baring to answer the questions. How would he use it?

For defense, was the first thing that popped into his head. He watched as these figments of his imagination attacked his own self image, rushing forward and slinging jutsu at him. He dodged what he could for as long as possible, but when it became too much he would shunt away and from his now favorable position, he would unleash the Slash Dimension, decimating the figments in a single blow. He didn't know if it would be as powerful as to defeat an entire group of enemies like that, but he knew it would cause tremendous amounts of damage to whoever it hit. As for what he'd be defending, Aimi already knew. Himself, his own, his identity, his ideals - anything that he felt was worth defending.

As for would it be graceful... he didn't know if he knew how to be graceful anymore. Grace in his mind was him dancing, his bones in full view and his movements unhindered. Grace was pride in your technique, in your heritage, given physical form. He tried to imagine what using this technique and being graceful would be like without those things. A single swing of his sword and the world itself would tremble at his might, or so Elsie his impromptu master had made clear. Erasing the clearing from his mind, he tried to imagine practicing this technique atop a cliff, during sunset, on a windy day. He gave himself as much scenery as he could stand to imagine, put his mental image into fine clothing and gave himself a splendid sword. Would it look graceful in reality as he unleashed his blade and tore a piece of the world open? He pictured it in his head, and while it might have appeared to be grand, he didn't know if he could call it graceful.

Maybe you're over thinking this. Understanding that you need spirituality and your fathers' teachings to work together is fine, but remember the very first thing she said?It's all brawn. Come on, let's give it a shot. There's some things you can do before hand to practice.

Aimi opened his eyes, now red and puffy from crying. He took in a deep breath and let it out with a quiet sob. He hadn't even noticed that he was actually crying, or that Loki had braided his hair. He hadn't cried in a long, long time. Reaching up, he wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffled before standing up, picking the sword up from his lap and hopping down from off of the fallen tree. He walked away from the other three towards the second tree that Elsie had fell. He was going to need room for this, a lot of room, and he didn't need any of them seeing him so emotional right then and there.

[Nira]

38/100

"Let the journey begin!" Elsie yelled. "May you do well."

Elsie's thermal vision was still activated from when she observed Aimi, and so her eyes immediately fell upon the concealed Loki.

A ripple went through the shadowy flames as they were called to command. The shades, normally harmless in their underground home, were now given the power to harm. The entire illusionary tattoo seemed to cause a thump in the air as it gained its partial reality. A drumbeat resounded. As every inch of solidity fell into place, a rhythm of destruction eased into place.

Aryia was the first to take command on the tattoos. She called to the shadows, but urged them to move by asking for such a favor. She did not give orders. Instead, though the shadows did not have much of a mind to exert free will, she still moved them through an attempt at compassion. Considering the actions that had to be taken, it didn't seem like the most fitting route. Asking deadly weapons to kill was something a commander would request from soldiers.

Still, the shadows seemed to respond well to the request. They acted like the young children that they were, and eagerly floated down toward the target. Though Elsie's thermal vision gave a clear idea of where Loki was located, Aryia didn't shoot the tattoo's polearms directly at him. Instead, they aimed into a haphazard ring around him.

Though the polearms wouldn't pierce through Loki, or come too close to him, the wave of gray flames still followed though. A flash flood of gray collided with the area around Loki. The partially real flames licked and scorched whatever they touched, though their mostly intangible nature failed to truly cause any sort of fire.

Elsie watched to see how Loki would deal with the destruction, and waited to see if a convincing illusion was left for her to believe.

[Madame Loki]

Learning: ?/110 

Elsie didn't make a move yet, which meant that Loki still had time to sure out his jutsu. Loki he kept his eyes on Elsie's weapons and focused in on his chakra. He followed the chakra around his body. He sensed how the the chakra was weaved together, and felt how study his copy's form was.  It left room for improvement, and improve was exactly what Loki was going to do. He channeled more chakra into the shadows at his feet, and sent out another wave of non-perceivable darkness, to cause another blank out. As he cause the blank out, he focused chakra into the shadows, and rose them from the ground. The shadows wrapped the already form copy of himself making a stronger base then what was there before. While it was stronger, Loki felt that he may be able to do more. 

The shadowy figure took the shape of Loki, and the new blank out period would have needed. After applying more power to the shadow replicate. Loki honed in on his own chakra, to feel the apparition that he had created. He needed to make sure that he would be able to control the creature he had created. He tugged every so slightly at the shadowed creature and was convinced that he would be able to move it how he saw fit. While he was still focusing on the chakra that ran through his prepared jutsu, he heard Elsie voice. He then looked up to see that she was now on the attack. Loki watched the the shadowed polearm came to bare, as the pole arms rained down on Loki. 

Loki looked around at the faux weapons in a panic as they didn't seemed to have been aimed at him. He did look like he understood what was going on or what he was suppose to do. Then the flames of gray bared down on the blue haired trickster. The flames rose up the side of Loki's body, and soon his entire person was covered in flames. His skin peeled off as the shadowed flames flickered across his alabaster skin. His leather coat, become more akin to charcoal, than animal hide. Even his once beautiful blue hair seemed to be engulfed by the terrifying flames. Loki let out a truly horrific scream of horror and pain, and seemed to go into shock as he feel over to the ground. He's once bright beautiful eyes looked up in Elsie direction. The wonder and life that were once in started to fade, into emptiness, devastated by what could have been. 

Loki let out his last breath as his hand reached up, as if he was trying to grab at the direction where Elsie stood, as if he was trying to use his last bit of strength just to claw at her. His hand clawed fingers weaken and fell to the ground. The soft crackling of fire, and  burning flesh could be heard, as the gurgled sounds of Loki's screams echoed out of a, out of a damaged trachea. Loki's body soon came to a complete stand still, as life finally seemed to have left his body completely. Pieces of his charred remains  started to crumble away, as the wind blew by. This was truly a gruesome end for one with so much potential. At least that is what one would be lead to believe. 

This was all an illusion, one played at fairly well by his i shadow double, if Loki did say so himself. Loki was already on the move by the time the polearms started their decent. He was now current watching the events unfold from the safety from the branches of a nearby tree. Actin was always a strong point of Loki's, so it was no big deal to whip up convincing scene. Loki slowly started to move through the area after hoping down from the tree. He was now invisible take to one of the any positive side affects of the genjutsu. He was going to try an use this invisibility well, so he crept in a little closer to that a better look at Elsie's attack. They seemed like shadows, so he wondered if the fire he was "killed" with burned at all. This question was a good one to ask, as he would better help him to understand the proper time to use this jutsu in the future.  However, if the fire didn't actually burn, then she'd would have relive that it's an illusion, and she could take steps to prevent, him taking advantage of the current situation. Loki would have to wait to see how she would respond. 

[Aimi Kaguya]

??/110

One Aimi was at the second fallen tree he stopped and looked down at his sword. What had she said before...? Use his blade to cut the nonliving energy around him that he couldn't touch? That felt like an important detail, and it was one that he kept in mind as he stepped up and over the tree, standing tall atop it with his sword at his side. The cool ocean breeze blew through the remaining standing trees, sending a small chill down Aimi's spine. He'd left his shirt and jacket back at the other tree... he wasn't going back for it now though. He'd deal with the cold. After all, for the first half of his life he'd lived in the Land of Snow. He could deal with a cool ocean breeze.

He still didn't know how to perform the Slash Dimension technique, he didn't feel he as even close to understanding it. He had two important clues though and they weren't some cryptic words. Solid, tangible evidence that he was closer to this than he might believe. Looking off into the distance, he picked out another tree - one that was small and looked as though he was rotting, perhaps struck by lightning at some point. With that tree as his target and n his sights, he took up the stance and prepared to draw his blade and go over the first clue.

With blistering speed and mighty strength, he unleashed his blade and send a shock-wave of air flying forwards, striking the rotting tree with enough force to practically make it explode, bits of rotten bark going flying in every which way direction. He watched as the debris went flying as he sheathed his sword, running the spine over the top of the sheath before sliding it in with that familiar singing. Judgement Cut was the first clue to how this technique worked. It was the raw power that Elsie had spoken of, or the equivalent to it that he knew about at least. It was a technique that broke the sound barrier and turned the very air in front of him into a weapon. It required enormous amounts of speed and strength, unrestrained even. For Slash Dimension he would need even more he feared.

Hopping down from the fallen tree, Aimi walked over towards what remained of the rotten tree; a small sliver sticking up from the ground and the dank, musty smell of old mulch. Standing in front of it, he'd go over the second clue. With a blinding fast strike he'd send the sliver of rotten wood fling back through the grove before the force of his strike tore it to shreds, the energy bouncing off of the air itself to achieve this. As it fell to ruin on the ground he sheathed his blade and went over in his head the second clue, Perfect Slice, and how it related to the first. Perfect Slice wasn't as fast of a draw as Judgement Cut was, but it was controlled, restrained. To achieve the specific effect he had to force himself to draw the blade out slower than he normally would have when performing judgement cut. The result of that control though was an attack that was much more devastating to a single target. What was being cut in half compared to being torn asunder after all?

The raw power of Judgement Cut, the control of Perfect Slice, and a speed that surpassed both of them. This was what Slash Dimension was... or at least what he'd figured it out to be thus far. How it tore through chakra he still didn't understand... but he was getting there. This wasn't just about pure power, speed and control. The element he was still lacking, or perhaps just weak in, was spirit. He needed something, a sort off reason for him to learn this. Self defense wasn't enough as that was synonymous with lying for him. He didn't understand the beauty in bloodshed either. He was a shinobi, it was going to be part of his job to hurt people and even take life occasionally, but to find beauty in that... he just couldn't see it yet. He lacked the grace that his father wanted him to possess in order to see that beauty, and it was something he feared he could only get here in the outside world. Sitting in the village, constantly training and occasionally going on a mission when he was assigned one wasn't going to teach him what it meant to be beautiful on the battle field...

What about Elsie then? Why did she fight with this mighty sword style? Turning back the way he came, Aimi started to walk in that direction intent on asking her just that. If he found out why it was she'd turned to the sword in the first place, he might find a reason or a goal that he could set for himself, a way to achieve the sort of fluidity and grace that the Kaguya were known for. He knew that he'd still need to mesh together the power of Judgement Cut and control of Perfect Slice to obtain it, but those were just physical limits that he could break. That wasn't hard for him to do. Getting over this wall that he'd built however, finding a reason to do it... that was something else entirely, not to mention the mystery of how it cut through chakra. That as also something he'd need to figure out.

Hopping up over the fallen tree and jogging back over towards the others, Aimi saw Loki and Elsie working together to achieve something while Amarante watched. Their auras all seemed calm and collected for the most part, not having changed from hen he last set eyes on them. He wondered how his might look at that moment in time. Jogging over towards Elsie, trying to stay out of the way of their shadows, he called out, "Elsie-sensei," being respectful towards her since she was teaching him after all. "I need to know something... why do you use a sword? What's your reason for going so far as to learn something as powerful as the Slash Dimension technique? What purpose does it serve you?"

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

106/110

As she watched the flare she had created rain down red and orange flames she felt the intense heat of her jutsu. If she wanted, she could use this jutsu to level the entire forest. The thought came to her mind and she felt her curse mark begin to burn and a pained expression appeared on her face. Mind mind began to race and she envisioned herself beginning to form hand signs, her fingers interlocking with one another as she uilt up chakra. The intense chakra she created flooded her lungs and in an instant she saw herself spewing forth an intense beam of fire that brushed through the trees and engulfed the forms of the trio she was standing with. All three members were wrapped up within the intense heat and as the wind chakra took hold she swore she could see them burn to cinders. Her jutsu began to rage on through the forest and in an instant she had completely leveled the area. Her lungs burned, her lips were scorched. Red and orange were the only colours she could see and the crackling of fire all she could hear.

She could feel the jutsu as if it were every bit real though she knew it to be false. The image drifted from her mind and she saw Aimi training with the Elise individual and Loki playing with his shadows. Her heart was racing though she maintained her breathing at a steady level. Regaining her composure she looked down at her hands. They were locked in the tiger seal, the name sake of all fire jutsu. She tore her hands apart from one another and set them by her side. What was she trying to do? Behind her she could feel the curse mark retreating back to its innate state as if it had began to activate itself for some reason.

She retracted from conversation for a moment so she could regain her sanity. Such a force within her was threatening to escape. Was this her life from this point forth?

[Nira]

?/100

Elsie nodded her head toward her tattoo, causing it to pause its great barrage. The illusionary polearms and energy all came rushing back toward Elsie. They stamped themselves back into her skin, and it flowed once again beneath her clothing. Having put away her new toy, she hopped over to the corpse that Loki had constructed.

As Elsie moved forward, her tattoos experimented with where they could roam on their host's body. The backside seemed to be the default region. Whenever the tattoos weren't moving to anywhere in particular, they snapped back into her back. The further from the spine the shadows crept, the more difficult it was for them to stay in place.

Elsie didn't need to expend any effort to move the tattoo around. They were perfectly willing to move on their own. It was the one free power granted to them, for the intense cost of spiritual force needed to draw them onto living flesh. Unlike natural chakra, the shadows were all too willing to latch themselves onto any provider of shade.

The technique was a bit deceptive like that. Elsie tricked the shadows into thinking that they were where they belonged. Whenever they moved, they were trapped beneath a hollow of chakra. In the empty space of the construction was where the shadows rested. The container was so insignificant that the darkness appeared flat on her skin. In their resting position, they were actually locked right beneath the outer layer of her skin.

Shadows had to be a void. In the case of the animated tattoo, they had to be devoid of all things. Though they had a home made within a hollow rift, their strength didn't draw from the chakra. The tattoos could be enlarged by a huge amount. There wasn't enough chakra dedicated to the technique to make sure chakra objects like the chakra sword. Summoning two solid swords already took roughly half the amount of chakra that was needed to etch the shadows in place. Stretched to the tattoo technique's maximum size, no one would even consider there being enough chakra to make solid objects.

Instead, the nature of rejection was what gave the shadows their power. When something collided with the tattoo, existence began to breach the abyss that was held inside. As the shadow rejected the existence with all its might, damage was inflicted to the external force. The forceful push provided the harm.

Upon Elsie's skin, the rejection was stricter. It didn't reject all existence. Only light was barred from being upon the shadows. The color was an expression of that. The pitch black was when energy was denied existence and slid into the sight. White was the color from the reflection of light, evenly mixed between all colors so that white would be the result. The grays were a mixture of the two processes.

Having so much power on one's flesh was a slight risk, yes. Given how much energy Elsie stored inside herself from day to day. If any person had the power to overturn the swirling spiritual energy in everyone else, they'd be a terrifying force. Considering this, Elsie ponder whether or not she should display the great weakness of bolstering shadows. She and Loki had bathed themselves in chakra that aligned with darkness, and that carried an exploit with it.

That was something to ponder later, as Elsie reached the corpse left behind by Loki. She inspected its remains, then gave an applause. "Very dramatic," she said. "A joy to watch, and certainly a great end to an exciting play. However, upon our world, the horrors of flame are first masked by the byproduct. To find fire, we look around for the nebulous smoke."

Aimi had called from the side, and so Elsie perked her ears up to listen. A delighted grin was plastered on her unseen face at the sound of being recognized as a teacher. It was more than enough to bring about a cheery answer.

"By the sword, we see the internal world," Elsie said. "A blade with flattened sharpness, it is the cleanest divider. That which is hidden from us may be revealed, layer by layer. It may be as physical as these trees, or as glorious as the other realms. Upon us there are three layers by which we move from place to place, one for time to fly, and all the others that are hidden right before us. The slash dimension is among the most beautiful of its forms. We rip apart the world beyond ours, so that we may watch something beautiful as that world repairs itself. As powerful as it is, there are faster and cheaper ways to tear apart chakra that hinders us. I unleash the slash dimension for how it is, not what it can do for me."

Elsie glanced at Amarante as she twisted her fingers about. That was one person who hadn't draw her attention yet, not asked of it. There was no disturbance coming from the handseal that Amarante formed, so still no focus was drawn.

[Aimi Kaguya]

??/110

Because it's beautiful. Such a simple answer wrapped in words upon words that it left Aimi in stunned silence. It's just the sort of thing his father would have said about the Kaguya dances, in not so many words... and yet it wasn't enough of an answer for him. When his father had spoken of the dances, he said yes indeed, he practiced them because they were beautiful but he also practiced for grace and balance. To him, they were more than just ways to kill before you were killed. They were meditation, a philosophy. When Aimi had picked up the sword, it was purely for defensive purposes. He'd forgotten about the beauty and grace of it all and had instead focused on raw ferocity in order to protect himself. Here he was all those years later, on this day of all the days when so much has come crashing down on his head, and he was being told that she went to such lengths just for beauty.

He didn't believe it, couldn't even. She had to have another reason, more of a reason than that! Between the riddles, staying invisible, and her mastery of the sword for the sake of beauty and beauty alone she was like some sort of spirit rather than a real person! No one mastered something to such an extent for sheer beauty, why dedicate the time and effort into simply looking good!? It made no sense to him and infuriated him at the same time. Gritting his teeth and lowering his eyes, he bowed his head and turned back away from Elsie and headed back towards the trees. 'For beauty' wasn't enough for him. He had to find his own way.

As he stepped away from the group and back towards the trees for his solitude, he drew his blade out from the sheath slowly and held it down at his right side, gripping the hilt so tight his knuckles were white. What a day today had been for him, oh what a day indeed. First he'd flown, then he'd fought. Then he killed, then he found a sword master. Now he was left with a riddle wrapped in an enigma that was Elsie who gave him all sorts of cryptic tellings that were as unhelpful to him understanding as they were poetic. He couldn't use them, couldn't understand and that made him all the more angry. The anger that had been quelled into submission before when Loki tore Dustin's skeleton from his body resurfaced in full blood. Sheathing his sword just as he got past the first fallen tree, Aimi took a step forward, practically stomping on the ground, and withdrew his blade from it's hiding place as fast and as hard as he could will himself to with a roar of frustration.

The result was... nothing. The air in front of his face seemed to ripple and crack for a moment before a similar effect took place to when he or Elsie had performed the Perfect Slice, but it was sloppy, uncoordinated, and it's range was erratic. Standing up and sheathing his blade, he took another step forward and withdrew the sword, trying to force himself to make it faster and harder without tapping into the gates. The same phenomenon occurred about fifteen meters away from him with a crack like a tree snapping in half. It went like this, each step preceding a violent and viscous strike of his katana that tore at the air wildly without any focus. Each time he let out a grunt or bared his teeth in anger, his eyes on fire as everything in front of him from the ground and the flora growing from it was cut in haphazard, unorthodox ways. For a few brief moments, he might as well have been unconscious as he vented his ineptitude upon the world.

You're doing it wrong.

The words came, clear as a neon sign in his head as his mind went blank with fury. He didn't have anything to say back to himself though, not while he was cutting away at nothing and his muscles grew hotter and hotter with the pure physical exertion he was putting them through.

You weren't listening to what she said, of course you weren't. It's okay, Stupid. Everyone has bad days, this is one of yours. Calm down, think it through.

Through exhaustion more than than actual restraint Aimi began to slow down and with him the rest of the world around him. Through his raging emotions and limitations his own inner voice range true and helped put the pieces together as they fell into place in his subconscious, all the while he continued slashing faster and harder, trying to force himself to go beyond what he was previously capable of, his arms a blinding blur of motion.

What did she say? That which we can't see can be revealed to us with a sharp enough blade, right? Layer by layer? Think about that for a moment - she said three layers right? Air, time and space maybe? Air's easy enough to cut through, done that, time is impossible to cut, so what about space? What did some of those scrolls back at the academy say about space itself, physics and all that? It wasn't your best subject, but you remember. Everything is made up of smaller stuff, and that smaller stuff has energy like chakra.

Gradually, as each step became slower and slower, Aimi's pace improved. His draws became cleaner and the disturbances in the air several meters in front of him became more and more like that of Perfect Slice, a ricochet effect of the energy from his slash bouncing off the air. Yet it was still wild, still erratic and not to the right shape. Not that he noticed between his spouts of frustrated cries and the thunderous clap of his sword moving in and out of its sheath. He wasn't angry at Elsie, and not even really all that angry at how the day at turned out. His lack of understanding, his own short comings, were what was making him angry, yet bit by bit...

Animals have chakra, plants ha minute amounts of chakra that can be tapped into if you know how, even water can have chakra. That's what they said, right? It's not the same as chakra within people because they can't utilize it, but a well trained shinobi knows how to utilize chakra in all forms or when he can't, he makes up for it. Elsie said you had to cut through the energy of the world, right? Don't you think that might be what she was talking about? Ripping the world apart just to watch it repair itself sounds like a fancy way of saying "use your sword to disrupt the natural chakra in the air".

He improved. It wasn't really noticeable at first, not by him or any of the three on lookers present who might know what to look for, which as far as Aimi knew was only the invisible woman (And now that he thought about it, where had Loki gotten off to?). Still, gradually, as he vented out his frustrations and his form improved a pattern began to emerge. Aimi would take a step forward, draw out his sword, there would be a loud rush of air as it was torn apart and then a moment later some dozen meters or so ahead of Aimi a distortion in space would take place where the energy from his swing would flail out wildly. Yet that too seemed to shape up with every swing. Then he'd repeat with a slightly better results.

Come on, shape up! You're better than this and you know it. You don't normally let your anger get to you and that's twice in one day! Look at yourself, your sword play is so sloppy! This isn't beautiful in the slightest, nor is it graceful! It's just down right messy, and you're better than messy. Chin up already, you've figured it out! All you need to do is draw out your sword fast enough and hard enough that it disrupts the chakra in the air and creates a vortex. Easy. You've already broken and dented the sound barrier, what's shattering the chakra in the air compared to that? It's all a matter of control. Control yourself to draw faster and harder than ever before, but don't let your swing go wild! Control. Control. Control. With control, there's nothing you can't do.

Then, all at once and quite by accident - it happened. Through a fluke that was fueled by rage and overexertion and the perfect balance of trial and error and dumb hotheadedness, Aimi drew his sword with such a fury that the flora in front of him bowed away from him in reverence to his slice as it cut through the air and created a rift through which several bright blue shards of cutting energy rained down in rapid, almost too fast to see succession about twenty meters ahead of him, a strike so powerful the braids in his hair fell apart. Standing away from the others, shoulders heaving as he panted for breath and sweat running down his skin, he narrowed his eyes at the realization that he'd done it, if only that one time.

Now, how do you do that again?

[Madame Loki]

Learning: ?/110

Loki groaned when he heard what Elsie had said. How could he have missed something so obvious? Loki knew he had to do better if this jutsu was going to be a success, and now he understood that it was more than just getting the seals and chakra just right. The execution was the the key. Loki replied what he had done over in his mind so that he could make sure he could improve upon what he already knew. He envisioned his shadowed body burning once again. He remembered channeling the chakra of the shadows to move to his will. The shadows melded and bent the way he wanted to create the appropriate image. He focused his chakra into the surface of the shadow, and with the slightest of movement he was able to create the effect of burning flesh, but he had forgot to add the smoke.

Loki looked over at the still downed shadow after image of himself on the ground. He focused on the chakra that ran through the creature, and focused in on the shadows that composed it.  It felt the dark energy as he i somehow lingered on without the constant resilience of his chakra. He stared own at the charred corpse that was his copy, and felt the energies is was compose of as he closed his eyes. He had screwed this attempt but if he could learn from it than it would not be nearly as big a lost. His mind raced as it followed the twinning links of shadow chakra through body of this doomed being. He felt how the shadows linked to together, and how they cold be manipulate even now. Loki then opened his eyes and began to channel his chakra. It was about time for him to try to rectify his mistake.

 Focusing his chakra he caused he caused some of the links that had been formed on the imaginary corpse to become undone. As the link began to part, the shadowy figure would soon began to loose its' resemblance to Loki, he could not have this. As the form began to change he focused more chakra through the shadows that laid bare at his feet, and those swiftly and stealthy, crept their way over to the burned corpse. The shadows latched on to their shadowy brethren without hesitation, and the two parties  became one. It didn't take long for Loki to realize that is wasn't so much that he had forgotten the smoke, as much as he had added enough shadow, so he simply omitted the smoke, to save room and make due with what he had. Loki realized that this was probably a subconscious action, and was ashamed that his mind had such a lazy default setting. 

After stabilizing the shadow's  body Loki turned his attention back to thee strands that he had free when he loosened the links of the shadows. as he focused on them, an began to make them move. They're movement wasn't fast it wasn't graceful, but it had certain ominousness to it.  The strands of shadow began to move together side by side. Loki began to move them into clutters to give them a more thick look to them. The strands of shadows connected, at different Location all over the body of the down corpse. Loki twink he motions of the strands of shadow by just a bit more and then. The now some of the clusters move at different interval than the other, and the effect that he wanted was finally created. 

He focused his chakra giving the shadow one final touch. He than began to watched as the body started to slowly produce smoke from its coarse.  IT felt like an entirety to Loki, but adding the smoke only took his moment, if not less. He knew it was a little too late to be adding it now, but he would at least like to know that he could have. He examined the shadow version of himself on the ground. He felt the chakra that was running through it, and tried to memorize what it felt like so he wouldn't have to waste much time when he would inevitability, be forced to use this technique in battle. He zone in on the shadows that wrapped and intertwined together to form the dead creature before him. His face also perked up a bit, as he felt the chakra that ran through the burned creature. 

With some sleight use of Chakra the dead body, started to heal itself and then it stood up. The shadowy strands that bound the figure moving into place to recreate the figure that was Loki. He made have made a fatal mistake his first time around but he still had more opportunities to learn with this technique. The downed Loki now stood up renewed and ready for a new beating. Loki harnessing the powers of the shadows as best he could locked in on the situation, and then spoke, still wrapped the the invisibility this technique afforded him as a favorable side effect, "So, let's try this again." Loki mused as he prepared himself for what may come next. 

[Tetsu]

Loki: +60

Aimi: +60

JimmyZ: *learned*

Nira: +36

[Nira]

74/100

Partially real, that was the goal when it came to shadows. Elsie lifted her arms up into the air, and called on the shadows that embraced her. Again they appeared along her hand and forearm as they rushed away from the cloak of invisibility that guarded them. Once Elsie raised her arms up far enough, so that she stood with the stance of a tree, the shadows poured into the sky in a great torrent, once more.

The gray flames filled the open expanse. The air quivered as it was consumed by a flame. Usually, air was sucked away in massive amounts when it came to an open flame, but these flames were partially. They barely disrupted the air that they touched. Similarly, the weapons that darted up toward the clouds also failed to whistle as their speed should have allowed. The air was late to getting away from them, and in far fewer numbers than they should.

The lightning-lit spearheads decorated the sky with blurs of shining white. Their crackling filled the air with muffled noise. A thousand crumpling papers into a cacophony that bared down on the quartet that was stationed on the grown. It grew fainter as the polearms reached the maximum range that she could stand to be apart from Elsie. Like an elastic leash at its end, the weapons stopped as they closed in on a forty meter distance away from Elsie.

Once finished with that, Elsie gently spun her wrists. The horde of weapon, flame, and lightning turned from their current directions. They began to face downward. A shower, or perhaps a hailstorm of shadowy force, pointed down at the gathering below. The spearheads were ready on Elsie's call to strike wherever she directed them to go.

The commands were completed at a bit of a slow pace. Elsie's connection was dampened by the distance when it shouldn't be. She flicked at her mental connection and tried to decipher how she was transmitting her thoughts to it. It should have been consistent, but had accidentally been entwined with the properties of distance, making it stretch to a thin strand now that the storm had gone off to the limit.

With some effort, Elsie began the process of undoing the rope that the two forms of connection had formed in their dance. As she peeled them apart, the storm above seemed to gain a deeper hue.

A majority of the spears finally got the last message that was being relayed to them. They turned so that they faced Loki in particular. The flame itself reared in the sky, ready to pounce downward.

Though the creation was far from her down, Elsie still felt them prickling her skin. Now at such a distance, the creations itched to be back to their host, and so there was an unfitting chill upon Elsie. That shouldn't have been there. She took a mental saw to the extra connection and began chipping away at it. The entire field, at an eighty meter diameter, should have been as comfortable to the shadows as Elsie's body. That should be the full influence, and so that mentality had to be instilled in the shadows themselves.

[Madame Loki]

Learning: 60/110  

Loki was waiting for Elsie to make her move again, it she was indeed going to make another move. While he waited he once again though to take this chance to increase the stability of this genjutsu. He didn’t want to suffer the same failure as before and needed everything to be perfect. He focused on his chakra that flowed through the shadow projection of himself. The shadows that it consisted of, was quasi real, so the illusion would seem more real than any other perception could manage He locked in on the chakra that it was composed of, starting at the head. He felt the shadows that weaved together to form his hair. His hair was very long, and elegant, so the manipulation of it during the genjutsu would have to be very precise. So closed his eyes and focused in on the weaving shadows, and wanted to add more to it to improve upon its’ possibilities. 

He focused his chakra into the shadow at his feet, and the it sprang up through the figure and quickly made to his head. The shadow re weaved themselves into the Loki clones hair. As the shadow added another layer of illusion, Loki’s hair seemed to remain unchanged. However Loki knew better. Under the surface of the visible hair, Loki was playing with the underlining area. He moved then weaving threads of shadows around, simulating what he would have to do when the jutsu would actually take effect. Controlling the body of shadows was much easier than it was before, and it was clear that Loki was now moving along the right track. He stopped fooling around with the shadow in the hair, and decided it was time to move on to the head. 

The shadows underneath the copy reacted to Loki’s chakra, and then went up the its’ body. The shadows proceeded to wrapped himself around the underlying surface of the fakes face. The added shadows weaved into the shadows underneath, and added a new layer. After the weaving had completed, Loki started to manipulate the shadows underneath the initial surface. As he moved the underlying layer around the face started to move in weird way. It started to make odd faces, as Loki was experimenting with everything he could make the face do now. He had a much better fine tune control over the facial movements, and it was obvious with the way, he moved different parts of the face, in odd ways. He raised the eyebrows alternating, and then made his mouth and lips move in odd ways. At this point he was just playing with it.  

Loki eventually came to stop, and observed what he had managed to do as a whole up to this point. He went back through the hair, and took control of the underlying layer, after grabbing hold of the layer, he began to move the hair as if it was caught in the wind that currently was not present. The air seemed to become weightless as it flowed in the non-existence wind. The silk blue blue floated like air borne feathers. Loki watched as the fake hair glided in the non wind, and then smiled as he stopped the activity of the shadows underneath. As he stopped the shadows activity he noticed something important. The hair became impossible still. Loki shook his head ass he now understood exactly how much control over this jutsu he was going to need. Loki took a deep breath, and smiled.  

What every the lull in Elsie attack was for he was grateful, as it gave him time to fully understand the ins and out of this jutsu. Loki once again focused on the shadows that composed the hair, and activated it’s actively again. This time he did it with a gentle touch as he didn’t want the hair to move a great deal. As focused in and the hair, began to sway ever so lightly, as if it was moving by the effects, of Loki’s heaving chest. Loki continued this for a moment, before realizing that the chest of his creation was moving at all either. To anyone paying close attention the shadow copy of himself, held no signs of actually be alive. Loki chuckled and then focused his chakra back to the hair, and the head specifically. He was going to start from the head and work his way down.  

Loki was satisfied with the way he could handle the hair, and now he focused on the motions of the face. The mouth of the clone started to move, as Loki manipulated shadows under the surface, as he notice, that just the mouth was moving, and not the small twitch muscles around the mouth and eyes. Loki corrected his mistake and did his best to cover every minute detail that he could think of. Loki then looked on ass he continued to manipulate the chakra of the shadows that now formed his body. He nodded as he thought it was about time he moved on to the rest up the body. He looked over towards Elsie’s shadow weapons, and was about to open his mouth to say something to her, but decided against. He felt that maybe it would be best if he just kept quiet to give himself a little more time, as it appeared she was doing a little maintenance herself

[Nira]

?/100

As the last of the connections were grafted into place, Elsie tore her eyes away from her tattoo and looked back upon her target. The illusion seemed to be blending into the heat signature of Loki, which was exacted what was needed to make the technique proper. Partially real shadows, like her own creations, though much more concentrated in scope.

The full might of the tattoo was ready and waiting. They needed only the confirmation to fall. This time, Loki seemed ready to take the full force of the attack. That meant needing to replicate electrocution and punctures along the body. Of course, for such injuries to be fitting, Elsie needed to solidify the reality of her own shadows.

To one another, the different shadows had to treat each other respectfully. The had to withstand the might, offensive and defensive, that they would bring down in their dance together.

"Give life to you shadow!" Elsie proclaimed. "It is made real by your power, and so will act on its own accord! Do not concentrate upon every attack, only concentrate on what would appear should you be only flesh."

There was an audible slamming down as Elsie slapped her hands into the ground. She didn't need to, but wanted to give an indication of some sort that the offensive was beginning.

Right along with the sound, the great fiery tattoo fell to earth. It took on the nature of a meteor, being so fast that the mass of polearms could hardly be seen. They became less like objects, and more like bolts of speed and power. Altogether the force of a corrosive tsunami came down on the group.

It all came centered on Loki. The massive storm seemed to dwindle in size as all the pieces concentrated on hitting at and near a single point.

[Madame Loki]

Learning: ?/110  

Loki gave Elsie one more glance before he began to channel his chakra into his shadow copy again. If he was going to make it perform a convincing death, he was going to need to have absolute control over every aspect of the shadow copy. He focused his chakra through the shadows at the feet of his shadow copies, and those shadows once again made their way up the body of the shadow, and then merged into the arms and fingers of the fake. The shadows then began to weave into the underlying layer like it had done before. After weaving itself into the other shadows that made up the whole, Loki felt the individual weaved of shadows, so that he would know exactly how to manipulate them when the time would come. After moving his chakra through the weaves, and becoming familiar, and shifted his attention back to Elsie to see if she was going to attack him yet. 

It didn’t seem like it, so he still had a little time to himself, before he would have to worry about it. He channeled his chakra into the shadows, and they raised up and entered into the body of Loki’s fake. The shadows weaved into the torso of the fake, and much like he had done before, and he move the surface underneath. But the torso was a little different. It included Loki’s long coat, so he would also need to concentrate on that as well, everything needed to be perfect. The shadows seeped into the coat as well, and weaved into the coats design. Loki then focused in on the weaving shadows, and began to move the coat much like he had done the hair before. He didn’t have it to move too much. He wanted the movement to be as realistic as possible. The leather coat, now seemed to have a very real weight to it. It swayed from side to side under its’ own perceived weight. 

Loki didn’t spend too much time on this as he was sure that his prep time was running low. He gathered more chakra and then then sent the shadows throughout the rest of the body. The shadows weaved into the existing shadows and formed an underlying layer, a layer that Loki would use to great effect to control the fine movements of the shadow body. As the last of the weaving happened, Loki sighed with relief as he was sure that he was ready. He focused in on the shadow weaving once more, and focused on the they structure and how the moved. He tugged at them a little bit to see how they enacted with other parts of the body. Loki was satisfied that he could make this thing moved the way he wanted to, and make his opponent see what he wanted. He just needed to test it out now. Loki looked over for Elsie and made prepared himself for what may come. 

He tensed up as he heard Elsie's voice call out, both giving him advice and announce her attack. Loki looked up as the pole-arms rained down on him from above. Their end coated in lightning. The spears crashed down on Loki, and the force of the attack jerk Loki's body back as the spears crashed into his body. As the spear pierced through his flesh, blood shot out of the wounds, and spilled over the side of his body, and over his clothing. The blood seemed to seep into the cotton, but rolled down the leather, until they would eventually dry. At least the blood would have dried if not for what came next. The electricity that ran through the spear, ignited, and Loki's body convulsed, his shouts of pain erratic as the electricity surged through his entire body. Loki's body then went limp as he fell backwards

Loki had learned his listen well from his previous failure. When the body fell on it back, it's dead body continued to  convulse in small area on the body, as the over load of electricity would still be present. There were also singe marks all over his body where the flesh was viable, small lines of smoke came of his body, because of the burns the body would have suffer thanks to the heat emitted by the electric current. The pierced body laid there bare,  the illusion spare no detail, in displaying his death scene. Loki was confident that every was perfect with the scene as he stood at a safe distance, 10 meters away from were the event had taken place. Loki stood there at the ready as he waited to hear Elsie's take on his attempt this time. While he wanted he would be thinking back on the jutsu itself. While he was sure this was a success, he  needed to improve its' speed. 

Loki stared at his shadow copy, and saw through its outer shell as he pierced through the surface, and glance into the shadow weaving of the fake.  He looked at how everything fit together, and he was going to compete what he saw and felt to memory. It was going to be the only way he was going to increase the speed of his jutsu. 

[Solus]

Nira: ~Learned

Loki: +40

[Nira]

Magic Finale
Rank: B
Skill: Ninjutsu, Instrumental
Effect: ‘De-Buffs’ an enemy.
Special: Melody Hand Seals
Drawback: Only works on a single target.
Description: This skill works to ‘de-buff’ a single enemy within forty meters of the bard. The vibrations of this song bring the body back to ‘base’. This means that any non-supplementary technique that has given them a boost such as increased chakra, increased defense, and the like will be cancelled out. This does not work on supplementary skills and is mostly meant for counteracting the added bonuses given by another bard.
Limit: Art of the Bard. Must be used with an instrument.

0/40

"Oh wonderful, very convincing." Elsie said as she observed the aftermath. She wasn't even entirely sure that the corpse was fake, though the heat signature that separated earlier from it was probably Loki. "Let's see if we can rip that automatic defense from your hide. Hold onto it as hard as you can."

Elsie sang a little call toward the cave that she sat upon a while ago. From its depths, one of her possessions was urged to return to her hand. A black and velvet guitar flew out from the depths, and landed in Elsie's invisible hands.

The strings of the guitar were strummed. Its vibration filled the air with a simple tune. It was a song of the inner body, a song of a person's most natural form. The beat of it mimicked a heartbeat. It was a steady rhythm that reached into every portion of a person's body. The heart, by which blood pumps life through every vein, was called to match the song.

That which resisted the natural flow of the body was called into question. This was a song to reset things, to cleanse the body of chakra that had been placed outside the body. Unnatural fortifications were struck violently by Elsie's steady song. Though they weren't the target, Elsie's tattoos shuddered upon hearing the tune that came from the guitar. It seemed to almost deny them, to reveal that their new home was not the norm.

Elsie aimed for the two defenses that were provided by the advanced technique that Loki called upon. There was the defense of negation, to disable otherwise deadly damage that struck a person. Loki didn't seem to rely upon this portion of the technique enough, which was why she could still touch upon it with her song.

The vibrations questioned the negation, and told it that it should not be allowed to persist. When death visited the body, the defense was set to block out that death. Elsie's song gained an additional melody, one that sounded of laughter. It mocked the technique itself, telling it that avoiding death was meaningless. Fate demanded that death come for all, to color life with meaning. Should the body die of sickness or age, the song asked the defense if it could save its host.

Even if Loki didn't pay any attention to an attack coming his way, the technique would function as it should. It nullified what had to be lethal, be it an arrow to the skull or a piano dropped from the sky.

The song to bring an end to magic laughed further. It pointed out the limited nature of it, how even the technique itself was fated to die. Then came the question for the mindless defense of negation. Would it remain to protect the user, or would it turn its defenses inward and protect itself?

The second of the defenses was the defense of concealment. It hid Loki, protecting him from those who relied on glistening eyes. Yet, as much as it tried to hide, there was never an invisibility in all the world that could hide it all. The invisibility wouldn't dare harm Loki. However, the heat that was released by living human bodies was a giveaway. The song threw a dare into its melody, challenging the invisibility to truly protect its user. Would the invisibility turn? Would it make its host cold, so that it could fade into the radiation of the surrounding world?

All other possibilities were challenged. Any bit of energy that dared to latch to Loki's surface was brought before the judge. True benefits were as much a part of the body as the skin. If chakra, soul, or any other force left from their homes in the internal world of their host, there had to be a good reason for them to leave. They had to have a new home in the external world. There needed to be an anchor. Those that were called out for a temporary stay by molding energies, they were merely visitors.

Elsie strummed her guitar, and made it clear. Visitors were being kicked out. For Loki, only his body's truest family could remain.

[Aimi Kaguya]

100/110

The question of "how did I do that" was in fact an important one. Aimi didn't know exactly what he'd done differently as opposed to all the other swings, and he couldn't just go back in time and watch himself... oh wait, yes he could. It was a facet of his soul that he so rarely utilized that he often forgot it was even possible! Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused his soul, looking backwards into the past several minutes but trying not to skip too far back so that he'd have to watch things unnecessarily.

When he opened his eyes, he was in the past... so to speak. His soul was looking backwards and he was perceiving the past around him as different colors of energy, the earth and flora different shades of dark blue while the auras of everyone, including himself, stood out. Turning on the spot, he looked around to try and find a clue as to how far back he'd gone. Looking over, he saw the shape of Loki, the same twisting colors of blue as his aura was, himself, Elsie and Amarante off in the distance. It must have been only a couple of minutes ago, exactly where he needed to be.

Turning on the spot, he walked backwards as the shade of his past self turned away from the others and began to walk forward. Aimi was still fuming from the tantrum he was about to throw. In truth he was lucky to have remembered that he could go into the past like this at all. Stepping beside his past shade, Aimi paid close attention to how he moved as he drew his sword as well as the effects it had on the world around him. In this past image of things, his sword caused great ripples like static through the air, a precursor for what was to come.

Keeping an eye on himself, he walked step by step along the lines he had gone through only a couple of minutes before, trying to pinpoint the moment that he used the Slash Dimension. He knew that it would be towards the end of this vision, but figuring out the steps he'd taken to get there was as good of a time to spend as any (Ironically in the past). By watching himself like this he was able to see just what his stance was and how his body moved at the exact moment that he achieved his goal.

He did this a few times, looking back into the past to watch himself move. In the present, he was only standing still for a handful of seconds. Time and souls were strange in that regard, but what felt like several minutes of watching and studying to him was actually only about a minute at the most. He only went back so far as he felt he needed to. When he opened his grey eyes again, he was prepared and determined to try once more. Getting into the stance, Aimi looked out in front of him and took a deep breath, calmer now that he had taken time from his perspective to watch and see how he himself and done what he'd previously couldn't understand.

There came a flash of steel and a blur of motion followed by a vortex of cutting energy about thirty meters out in front of him, bright blue in color and lasting for only and instant but tearing up everything in a six meter radius. That was the second time that he'd done it and this replication filled him up with some emotion he couldn't properly name. It felt like there was a ball in his chest and he wanted to cry... but he had more work to do.

Sheathing his blade, he endeavored to see just how far he could make this attack fly. The second the tsuba touched the sheath he ripped it out again, creating another vortex of bright blue energy as he cut through the chakra in the air. Again and again he repeated this process until he was panting heavily and dripping with sweat, the muscles in his arms and back aching from so much continuous exertion. He couldn't do it anymore, he just didn't think he could draw his blade one more time so quickly. He estimated the distance between himself and the final cut to be about forty five meters and that was good enough for now... he needed to rest.

Putting his sword back into his sheath one more time, Aimi turned back and heading back through the treeline towards the rest of the group. Stepping in front of the first fallen tree where his shirt and jacket was, Aimi sat down and leaned against the rigid bark, letting his sword fall down at his side. His feet were dirty and his hair matted with sweat. He felt... different somehow, and he looked weary. "I did it Elsie-sensei... I hope you saw too, because I can't do anymore right now... I need to rest for a bit... ugh..." With that said, he leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes, thinking on the technique he'd just learned and how he planned to use it in the future, imagining why he would need to use it in the first place. An image of the instant in which the energy lashed out at the world around it drifted into the forefront of his mind, and he focused on it. Looking at the various shades of blues it made, the wild, reckless slices of earth that it tore up, the momentary existence it held before blinking away... there was only one word for it.

Beautiful.

[Nira]

?/40

Elsie heard, from the side, the sound of a sword that had reached the realm of chakra. She turned away, still strumming her guitar, as she approached where Aimi practiced. Her eyes saw a vision glimmering soul around the swordsman, swirling and inconsequential. She let Aimi use the soul how he wish, but once the soul appeared to snap away from Aimi, it was targeted by the song coming from the guitar.

The technique, the melody, put an end to all mystical arts. Among those were the arts the manipulated soul. Although the energy had already been used up, it was still existing where it should not be. The vibrations of the guitar left from the world of chakra to strike at the souls instead.

Lives, within the legion of every person, were now under review by the judge forged by music. The heartbeat rhythm was turned to step forward, to become more prominent than ever before. Matter vibrated at nearly every moment. The song was a method to bring out a particular vibration.

Normally, with any technique pressed upon a life, the song of their body becomes muffled. It was like placing random objects on the surface of a drum. Their presence disrupted the music of the drum, making muffles and erratic beats. Still, as the drum was the origin of the sound, its sound was a greater presence than the others. No matter what, it was available for all to hear. That was why it could be called forth at any time to take on its natural beat.

Elsie's song was a symphony missing a single piece. It desired to be completed, and that missing sound called out to the audience. The soul that Elsie targeted was shaken violently by the vibrations of rejection. It didn't fit into the narrative of a natural body. It was something called forth by desire. When the desire for it was silenced by the progression of time, the unfitting piece revealed its true nature. It would not dare to remain for a moment after the desire passed.

These unreliable bits were to be purged. Even if they were already discarded by the body, they were still annihilated by the passing pulse. The incomplete symphony was a creature of hunger. Though it could be satisfied by the tune of the rightful heartbeat, it gladly ate up everything else it came in contact with.

As the sound saturated Aimi's surroundings, his body became isolated by the tune. The undecorated life had been called to the spotlight. All the better to rid the body of anything unnecessary, given how tired Aimi appeared to be after he cut through the barriers of reality. It was a shame that tiredness was a part of the natural body, and thus the song had no power to chase it away. To be tired was a natural response to effort, and so was properly rewarded to those that practiced to the very limit of their abilities.

The temporary strands were brushed aside. Even lingering effects, that had long since been muted, had their remnants chased away my Elsie's music. The melody picked out only what felt right for the target. The invisibility about Aimi, which had gone off when disrupted by the actions of attack, had the last shreds of existence eaten up and spit off into the world's natural flow.

Soul, having been discard by its original mass, was chased off to the fate of all souls. The realm of the dead, paradise for the bodiless, welcome the shred of soul as it was struck to pieces by the end of magic.

So it came by to the swordsman too. The mystical had no place, as humans were not mystical beings. Instead, they were partially mystical, and so only substances such as that were given a place to stay. Life was the answer to the song's whims. Life, without any other tangles, were the patron bridges of the physical and the mystical.

"Yes, it was a wondrous sight," Elsie agreed, after she watched the display of blades and listened to Aimi's hopes. "My, you've learned fast. The repair of the world is a sight, a creature of strength and grace. Though it seeks only to return to peace, its method is so incredibly destructive. It is as our bodies are, they grow so angry at our wounds, and attack it with all their might so that our flesh may heal. The body of the world's realms are much the same."

[Madame Loki]

Learning: 100/110

Loki grinned when he heard her complement his jutsu. He didn’t know why but for some reason he craved the approval of this women. This women he had yet to lay eyes on. However that feeling soon stared to fade when the sounds a guitar echoed through the area. The sound waves started to strip away the defenses the genjutsu had set in place, and Loki could feel them being vibrated away. Loki looked down as he felt the negation leave his body and he suddenly felt vurnerable. He then began to feel name as his invisibility began to be striped away. He felt the coating of chakra leaving him, and his body would slowly come back into view. Whatever she was doing was dismantling his jutsu, well most of it at least. Loki tried to maintain, what was being stolen from him, and the panic  in his eyes could be seen. But this was all a ruse. Loki knew what he would have to do next if thus happened in a battle situation. 

As his body would come back into view Loki simply took one step backward, on the shadows that were behind him. This technique had negation, invisiblity as well as the ability to use shadow walk. As Loki stepped backwards and his foot hit the shadow, he found his chakra into it, the shadow would leap from the ground and expand out rapidly. Even if she could see Loki’s heat, the unpercievable blast of shadow would comprimise her vision and anyone else's who gazed upon Loki. He would once again seep into the shadows. In that moment when Elsie  would blankout, he would quickly move through the area, while he didn't  have an exact location of her, based on everything that had happened he could guess. Loki would appear out of the shadows  behind where he assumed Elsie to be standing. Loki would let out a playful laugh like a child hiding from his mother. He would then once again take a step back into the shadows.

Loki would again, appear out of the shadows some distance away, with a smile on his face, before he would step into the shadows one more time. This last time he would emerge next to Aimi whistling at his progress. Loki started to chuckle and then said, "Remind me not to stand in front of that sword of yours ok?" Loki then fade away as he took a step back and became one with the share one more time.