I dont need your help! (private)

Her answer was everything Zar hoped for from his aspiring pupil. Her brushes with death have steeled her heart from the fears of dying. She would be invaluable in the most treacherous of experiments. Zar turned from the doorway and re-entered the hallway, expecting her to follow suit. They came back into the main living quarters, passing the throne and entering the laboratory where the carcasses still lie. The one bandit who Zar had left alive was still groaning unconsciously from the damage he sustained as they entered. Multiple operating tables were spaced evenly in the center of the room with various surgical tools and waste bins. Various herbal ingredients, animal matter, and tools of torture decorated the rest of the room giving off a dark aura of wickedness on the verge of the abyss, but not quite stepping over the threshold.

Zar walked over to the still breathing bandit and proceeded to lift him onto the operating table. He thumbed the many sharp tools at his disposal and picked out the largest hunting knife he had in his collection. The blade itself was the length of his forearm, adorned with an ivory grip and serrated blade; it was a torturers weapon. He flipped the pointed end of the blade into his hand and offered the grip to Rei. "Now that I've given you a place to beat out your weakness, rest your weathered body, and keep you safe from the elements, it's time you prove your dedication to me and restoring yourself. Kill this man, and strip him of what you've lost. Only then will you have my full backing in crafting you into a powerful mage."

Rei felt extremely uneasy as they entered the lab... tools that had been used on her by her own torturer lingered on the walls. this was the first thing that she had not been okay with... she swallowed nervously, her body language expressing her discomfort for her. But when Zar grabbed that certain blade, and put that man on the table.. Rei's eyes went wide. He turned to hand her the handle of the blade... she was shaking at this point. she was having trouble controlling herself... she wanted to prove herself worthy to be apprenticed by him. but he had scouted out her greatest weakness, one she always had, and the only way to overcome it.

Rei swallowed... she couldn't back out now. what use would she be in this world if she backed out on an opportunity like this? She'd be more useful off dead, and he was barely unconscious anyways... Rei tried to re-assure herself over and over. But her heart was racing out of her chest, she could only handle it so much longer... she was beginning to panic, uncontrollably panicking... she needed to do it before she went into a full panic attack.

she saw the man's eyes open and stare at her with his pleading eyes. Through her clenched teeth and nearly hyperventilating breath, she rose the blade above her head and slammed it into his chest. hearing his scream in agony and the blood splattered all over her arms. she reached it up again, he wasn't dead yet. and slammed it down, she was desperately waiting for him to stop moving... but with each swing, more and more blood splattered across the table, on Zar, and on her. the last time she was covered in this much blood was when she lost her arm. Through her own screaming and the man's desperate cries for mercy... she slammed it down again.

the man's cries ceased.

Rei looked at the mess she'd made, a feeling of horror overwhelmed her like she hadn't felt since she had left... since the last time she was tortured. she did it, he was dead, but all the weaponds on the walls were making her memories play out in front of her. "no.. no.. PLEASE! STOP!" she shrank to the floor and sat against the wall trying to sheild herself from an imaginary being. "not again.. not again notagainnotagainnonononononono" she sat there desperately covered in blood, Zar would probably kill her for showing such weakness...

Zar's smile grew under his helmeted visage as she took the knife from his hand and approached the bandit lying helpless on the operating table. She noticed as she gripped it that she visibly trembled while holding the knife, but still continued toward the now conscious and whimpering man. Her body was trying to fight against her wishes, but her will to prove herself to him was far greater than her fears at this crucial moment in her life. His eyes locked with her and the blade looming over his body. The desperate pleas fell on deaf ears as she took her first plunge of the knife into the man's chest cavity, shooting blood onto Rei and Zar. The man's screams echoed throughout the empty halls and were ignored as she continued to plunge her knife into the man as he squirmed and convulsed from his agonizing death that would soon come. When he finally stopped moving, Rei was covered in a mass of blood and left a gaping hole in the man's chest.

When she finished the unholy mutilation of the highway scums corpse, Rei abruptly knelt to the floor in horror as she began to remember her past torture experience. She had come so far, and if she were to falter now all this progress would be lost. He hoisted her up off the floor and put the knife back in her hand and shook her back into reality. "Rei, look at me! You're almost there. The last thing you need to fulfill your debt to me is regain what your friend stole from you. Take back your missing eye and dismembered arm from that which you have slaughtered and I shall do the rest."

Rei screamed as she was lifted up, her first thought was when Lucius had pulled her up by her hair to cut out her eye.... But his words sank deep into her mind, and suddenly caused her soul to feel like it was being enveloped in something.. something dark...

When she turned to look at the now dead mutilated man on the table, he didn't look like the theif she'd killed, all she saw was her torturers body laying here with a gaping hole in his chest. The sudden realization that surged through her being at the satisfaction death could bring to help bring her own soul to peace, seeing him dead, and knowing it was her doing, even though she knew it wasn't actually the man that had hurt her so much, both of them had hurt her so much...

Her fear was draining, turning into a whole different type of energy. It traveled from all ends of her body and to her heart, she could feel the sudden surge of power running through her yet it still felt dark... but she welcomed it. The shadowy darkness collected over her heart, she screamed at the pain and clenched her chest with her left hand, but she suddenly felt the energy drain from her torso, and out the right side of her body... she gasped for air, closing her eye shut tight. when she opened it, she realized she had both hands on the cold cement floor, though her "right arm" looked as if to be only a shadow, a three dimensional shadow she could stick her other hand through, but when it interacted with the world it acted as a solid, She sat back in shock, looking at what she had basically created herself by channeling all her dark thoughts and memories into a single mass. she examined its dark features, how it trailed up her shoulder, how her fingers moved, the way it felt, the way she could sense touch again with that hand... 

With Zar's help... she had her arm back.

Unbeknownst to Rei, Zar's control of the shadows had been seeping into her own shadow as she mutilated the man's corpse. These shadows were being infused with his own magical powers as well as her own blood to reform the limb and eye she had lost. The growing darkness inside her heart only served to feed and energize the energies that took the shape of the missing parts taken from her by her ex-friend. The arm was a gift of loyalty toward one who had strived so hard to prove herself to that which saved her from starvation and ridicule. As the arm finished molding itself into place from her shoulder down to the individual joints and finger's that made up her remaining hand, the energies focus then turned to her empty eye socket as it seeped into the hole, filling it with the same properties of the arm.

The eye that formed in place of her original was that of a milky gray retina, common in those who've become blind, but as it continued to take shape, the gray hue turned to that of liquid black, swirling around within her newly acquired eye. It would serve her as a connection through the shadows. With it, she could see through any nearby shadows that resonated with the eye and peer through them as a form of scouting tool. It also granted her a limited control over various aspects of the Realm of Shadow, mainly limited to short range teleportation and drawing power from shadows to strengthen herself. The new arm, however, was a far more useful tool as it could take the shape of anything the user willed it to through its connection to her eye. It amplified her strength past her normal abilities when she focused any melee attacks through the shadowy arm toward objects or foes. While she still remained awestruck at having her body whole again, Zar turned Rei to face his direction to better assess that which he had given her. "It would seem the arm and eye are a perfect match for you. I would take the day to get used to your new body parts in preparation for your training," said Zar, his eyes falling on the bleeding carcass still lying on the table. "Now as for the mess I had you make, I will dispose of it myself. While I do so is there anything you'd like to say to me at this current time? Perhaps what you're thinking?"

As Rei looked at her arm she began to notice a similar feeling like before but this time, it felt as if energy was gathering and building itself up over the scar that covered where her right eye once was. Pressure began to build as she felt like the scar tissue around her eye was being torn open. She covered her face with both of her hands, trying to contain the screams as the flesh ripped away and formed a new perfectly good eyeball, using a shadowy matter to reconnect it with her brain in order to restore her vision. It had been a sudden burst of pain as it had happened so fast, but the pain soon dissapated as the eye had settled in its spot. She took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the aching in her head. She looked at the ground, noticing.... she could see again. Everything looked more proportional, more three dimensional and realistic. it was amazing what having two eyes could help you see... 

she was sitting on the ground with her knees close to her chest. Zar had asked her if she had anything she wanted to tell him... 

Rei could feel, she could see again. It was like the old religious stories of a savior who would restore sight to the blind and make the lame walk.. 

Perhaps what she was thinking? She owed her life to this man for doing such a deed for her... she didn't know why he felt like he could do this for her, of all people living on the entire planet... Rei's teeth gritted and tears streamed down her face. she cupped her face in her hands, the feeling of having tears dripping down both her cheeks was even something to cherish. "Th-thank you..." she murmured quietly. she owed this man a great dept, but the only way to repay it was to become the best that she could be through Zar's harsh training. Though she seemed a bit emotional, her heart was finally ready to begin.

As she knelt before him, sobbing into her hands and uttering a muffled word of thanks to him, Zar couldn't help but feel a sense of enjoyment in seeing a person so grateful for being given the ultimatum of taking one's life from them for their own needs to come first. She was lost in her ability to shed tears from both of her eyes and touch the world with both hands that she was intended to use from birth. It was a miracle of heavenly proportions as she had described, but enacted upon from tasks many would consider unorthodox and brutish. He didn't mind the ridicule but would also take every precaution to keep this between himself and Rei. It was the very reason why he gave her the blade instead of doing it himself to prove her devotion to him as a Sensei.

Zar brought Rei to her feet with his shadows and clasped an armored hand on her new arm, a sign of intimidation or dominance, but in this case a sign of approval. "You have taken your first steps into a larger world, Rei Katsura. Take pleasure in your victory over life and your willingness to become stronger. We will begin training after you've had time to cope and rest after such a heavy ordeal. The kitchen is at your full disposal and fully stocked for your culinary delights. All I ask of you is if you do use it that you clean up after yourself. I will remain here and tend to your handiwork. Now run along Apprentice."

Rei wiped the tears from her face, and smiled a little. Zar was extremely intimidating due to his outer shell, not to say that he didn't still intimidate her, he still did, but he seemed a bit more genuine now that she had passed all his tests to prove her determination to be his apprentice. She nodded at Zar and looked over at the body on the table. A moment ago, the site would have horrified her. But now... she didn't think about it as a person, a person that had hopes and dreams, killed mercilessly by her hands. It just looked like a pile of useless meat. Those shadows definitely altered something within her being, but... she didn't really care. 

She turned to exit out of the dark room, it was much easier to see now with her new eye. She felt as if it had some night vision properties as well. She was able to find the kitchen, opening a large cold refridgerator to find an assortment of ingridients. she hadn't cooked in who knows how long, but she was excited to try again, maybe with something basic she always knew how to make. An omlette with some bacon, and some complimentary orange juice on the top shelf of the fridge. 

Rei had cooked and ate her entire meal, it had taken her about an hour to do all of those tasks. But yet, she still wasn't sure if she was allowed to leave the kitchen, so after she had eaten, she cleaned up her mess, and put everything in its place. and took a moment to examine her surroundings. she looked down the hall, to see if Zar might be done putting the bodies... where ever he put them.

When she finally left the room, Zar summoned up his shadowy spectres to begin cleaning up the mess she made of the body. They chopped up the remainder of his limbs and carved out the organs that weren't damaged by her repeated stabbings into the chest cavity. This continued for a few moments, going through each body and finally finishing with the dead Vulkan whose bones and organs were stored away in jars or crushed into fine powders for alchemical use later on in his research. Once the lab had been cleared of remains and the blood had been soaked off the operating table, Zar walked out of the lab, locking the door behind him, and walked into the kitchen where Rei stood.

She had followed his directions well, leaving not a single scrap of food or a dirty dish in sight. He nodded in approval and beckoned her to follow him down the hallway to the training room. Upon entering the room, he directed her to the center dueling circle. "Please position yourself against one of the ends of the ring once you are in and we will begin your first lesson."

Rei had quietly followed him down the hallway, looking left and right at the dim walls. until they came into the training room. 

There were all sorts of.... training devices, though they all looked similar to torture weapons. They didn't seem to scare her now, like they had only a mere hour or so earlier. She looked at Zar, then got into the ring, excited to see what she would learn first. "Whats my first lesson, Sensei?" she asked.

Zar brought his greatsword to bear, muttering an incoheremt incantation to it and pointing it toward Rei. "Your first lesson will be one I mentioned earlier to you; knowing yourself is half the battle." As he spoke, Rei's shadow took the form of herself, standing at the exact height and displaying similar features to her. Zar let out a deep chuckle as he pointed to the shadow. "What better way to know yourself than to fight yourself."

With little to no notice, the shadowy version of Rei slammed her new arm into Rei's gut, following through with an elbow slam overtop the head. It backed off, if only to laugh at her while she lie face down in the ring.

Rei was caught completely off guard, she didn't see it coming at all when she felt a sudden pain in her stomach only to be knocked back and thrown to the floor of the ring. she coughed up some saliva as she rolled across the ground skipping like a stone. She coughed in a daze, but she quickly realized she needed to start fighting back, and ignore the pain. which she knew was one of her strengths, She quickly rose to her feet and fixed her clothes before using one of her speed buff spells to attack the shadow, who had dodged out of the way and Rei hit nothing but air, leaving her unbalanced and vulnerable as the dark version of herself took advantage of the moment, slamming her again into the floor by kicking her in the back. Rei grunted, getting up and turning around to try and hit the shadow before it disappeared again. "DAMMIT!" she shouted, She was still trying to figure out how to use her arm again, now that she had a new one. she was used to fighting with one arm at this point.

"You must focus on yourself if you're ever going to defeat your own shadow. Find your weaknesses and exploit them. Do not throw away your chance at growing stronger moments after regaining your integrity!" said Zar, barking orders as any good instructor would to get her blood boiling and ready to prove him wrong. Her shadow had more control over its body that Rei did of her own. It dodged her attacks effortlessly while simultaneously delivering blow after blow to her. Even after charging her attacks, there still wasn't enough speed and precision to land a hit on the shadow before it brought her to the ground.

To make her learn through pain, Zar ordered the shadow to continue the relentless attack on Rei as she lay prone on the ground. She would either get up and take control of the battle or be ground into paste on the dueling ring floor. If she wasn't able to defend herself and adapt quickly then she wouldn't last five minutes in a real job that threatened her life.

Rei was being beaten to a pulp by her own shadow. She was curled in a ball on the floor, unsure of what she should do. Shadow Rei was kicking her in the stomach over and over making her cough, she was on the brink of breaking down again, she couldn't let it happen... Not again.

Shadow Rei kicked her again in the stomach, sending a trickle of blood down her chin. With the taste of blood, even though it was her own, something snapped inside her sanity.

She reached up and grabbed Dark Rei's leg by surprise, and throwing her by her ankle over her own head and into the hard cement ground of the ring. Rei roared in fury as she had completely lost herself, growling like a dog as she charged at the now dazed Shadowy Rei, head butting her in the chest with such force she hit the cement wall and dented it, But before she could react Rei ran at her while she was pinned against the wall and dug her teeth into the dark shadows throat, if it could've, the dark mass would have been screaming as Rei let the motionless "body" of absence of light hit the floor. Rei breathed heavily, wiping her lips clean of her now second victim. Turning to look at Zar until her sudden rush of energy faded. She leaned against the wall herself, clenching her internally bleeding stomach.

Zar watched as Dark Rei continued to beat Rei into submission, throttling her and making a mockery of the power Zar had gifted her. he still believed she would turn this around, but part of him was beginning to doubt that was still possible this far into the brawl. As she laid on the ground, bleeding and bruised, he felt something awaken inside of her; a feeling of anguish and dread took over the room as Rei snapped to life, taking control of the battle by grabbing Dark Rei and throwing her over her body onto the ground. She went into a primal rage, charging into Dark Rei, slamming her into the wall and soon after, bringing the battle to an end with a throat bite.

Zar saw from the way she held herself against the wall there was more internal damage to her body than external damage. To remedy this he passed her a few health potions and brought in a chair for her sit and rest in. His faith in her wasn't misplaced; she wasn't about to let herself be beaten after coming so far and that was her greatest quality. "I'm impressed with your resilience after getting thrown around like a ragdoll. If you can keep this up you may even surpass me some day as much as that would disturb me to have a subordinate stronger than myself," said Zar chuckling at the thought and letting a puff of tobacco smoke out from under his helmet.

Rei sat in the chair that was provided for her, and gulped down the potions that Zar had given her. Sighing quietly at the relief that now filled her body. She wiped her lips of the sparkling liquid, "so uhm... Are we doing anything else today, sensei?" She asked

Zar thought about putting her through more stressful workouts to test her endurance, but after sustaining that many injuries in one fight, he couldn't bring himself to cause her unnecessary harm. "No Rei, we'll wait for you to recover properly. Pressing you further like this test and you will surely die. For now, you may do as you please except go into the lab. There's things in there you're not ready to see."