20 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------------------------::
(Davian's P.O.V)
The next morning saw me standing in the middle of the training yard at 5. The air was chilly and the horizon was a pale red, an indication of the soon to rise sun.
The training Gi I wore was a bit tight on the shoulders and chest but still left my arms bare.
The Gi was similar to what Goku usually had on in DBZ, one of the only other anime I'd even bothered to watch, though the fillers eventually turned me off.
However, different from Goku's Gi, mine was black instead of orange.
"Ugh...She says to meet her here at exactly 5 and then gets late."
I grumbled.
"I wouldn't be so sure..."
Chase said as his phantom appeared on my shoulders.
He could apparently manifest in the real world now. Though it was only in his cat form. Unlocking Bankai had essentially given him some cool new abilities.
"What do you mean?"
I questioned, my tone full of suspicion.
"Hahaha. You'll see."
He giggled, looking at his claws while extracting pleasure from my ignorance.
Stupid cat.
Feeling my suspicion was justified, I stretched out my Reikaku to it's full range, encompassing the entire Training Yard.
Nothing seemed off though. I was alone in...
My Reikaku immediately deactivated, jarring me with the lack of perception. I blinked, looking around while slowly unsheathing my Zanpakuto.
"Welp that's my cue to leave."
Chase said before disappearing back into the Inner Dimension.
"Wait what..."
My words were interrupted by a burning sensation across my cheek.
"Argh!"
Touching the spot, my fingers came up bloody.
I narrowed my eyes, cautiously falling into a battle stance, Chesha Neko firmly grasped in my hands.
I reached out to my Reiryoku and came up empty. I knew what this was, a magical formation.
I couldn't rely on Reikaku so I spread out my sensory organs. Immediately, I begun receiving a lot of external stimuli.
I knew I had absorbed Savage's control over flesh but that particular ability hadn't manifested ever since I woke up.
But now it did. To a small degree anyway.
I could see better, hear better and my nose...one sniff and...
Shiva's next sword slash was blocked by Chesha Neko's bladed edge. The clash of metal produced sparks as we pushed against each other.
"You smell like Jasmine. Too conspicuous."
I told her as we strained; Shiva was deceptively stronger now. Neither of us could overpower the other.
She leaned in.
"And like Jasmine, pull them in before striking with lethal precision."
She said, stepping back suddenly.
I stumbled forward just as she strafed to the right, palmed the handle of a dagger and sent it straight through my ribs.
"Fuck! Mother...Gah!! You crazy bitch!"
I cursed out at the dagger sticking out of my left palm.
"Quick thinking. Won't help you with me."
She snickered, before backhanding me away harder than I'd ever been backhanded before.
My body bounced along the field before I smacked onto something hard. I fell to my knees, looking around to see a blue dome of energy around us.
"Oh come the fuck on..."
I couldn't believe this shit. Why does it always have to be a stupid dome?
"I see you recognize my little surprise."
Shiva said, smiling as she stalked forward, twirling her Katana expertly.
"A spirit energy draining formation." I spat out.
"And with the slight hum in the air, I'm thinking divine energy, there's only one person who could achieve that. Rama."
Shiva didn't acknowledge the question in my statement, instead she begun to criticize me.
"Your fighting technique is sloppy. You're a street fighter given a sword. So of course you'll use it like you a bat. No grace or skill. Just hack and hack and hack away like a butcher."
She stopped before me.
"I'll break you down and build you back up. By the time I'm done, you will be a force to be reckoned with."
She promised.
I got to my feet, glaring at her. She thought she could bitch slap me huh? I rubbed my jaw, setting it back with a click.
I winced at the surge of pain before it died away, leaving a dull ache behind. There wasn't much I could do. In a spirit suppressing zone, I couldn't even pull on my Spirit energy to heal myself.
I looked around.
"Rama if you can hear me...the Magic formation didn't work in the first place. Why do you think it will work now? It's seems counterproductive to training doesn't it?"
Shiva raised an eyebrow.
"She's not going to help you. Now will you stop moaning like a little bitch and..."
Ok. I've had enough of her.
I cut her off by lunging forward, body leaned to the front and left hand pulled back.
"Bite me."
My words were punctuated with a punch aimed straight for her belly.
The fist landed smack in the middle of her belly. A pressure wave rippled out, ruffling my Gi.
My pony tail came undone, causing the hair to fall before my eyes.
"Impossible...how OP did she make you?!"
I muttered.
Shiva had received that attack like a pro. She hadn't even moved a single step.
Her eyes glowed blue. For a second, I saw Rama Kushna stare at me cheekily through Lady Shiva's eyes.
"Tut Tut... disappointing."
She shook her head.
A nano second later, I was digging grooves on the sand with my feet. She had lashed out with her Katana. My forearms smarted as I had received the attack on both Chesha Neko and the Sheath.
This... wasn't going to be easy.
The dust around cleared, showing Shiva calmly walking towards me.
"A real warrior would keep on fighting without limbs. They will hold their weapon with their jaws if they need. A real warrior doesn't lose because he's missing an advantage. He wins because he. Never. Stops. Fighting."
She concluded, streaking forward.
Another sword slash, this one from the right. I stopped closer to her body like she'd demonstrated before. Then I leaned to the side.
Shiva changed tactics at the last second, opting for a sweep of my feet.
I fell to my back, pushing out my arms and using them to flip away. Then I jumped a few meters away, creating distance between us.
We begun to circle each other.
"You want to know why this formation targets you and you alone...it's because you're pampered by your strength, Davian. You have no real foundation."
She pointed her Katana at me.
"Every morning for this entire month, we will spar with swords, fists and everything else you can use to survive battle. We don't have the luxury to teach you fighting styles and stances. And even if we do, you will learn nothing! A true warrior is forged in life and death situations. Training will be meaningless if you don't have the will to face death end on and spit on it. So I ask you, Davian Mabuz, are you ready?"
She asked, this time deadly serious.
I could tell we had just been playing around before. The real training would begin now.
I concentrated on the cut on my cheek, the pain in my jaw, the ache in my forearms. Shiva already had access to Ki, now that she had been supercharged with Rama, she was a genuine threat.
However, I wasn't helpless. Without Spirit Energy, I could now better sense this other type of power within me.
It wasn't as gathered around one place like Spirit Energy usually was. This new energy seemed to be in every cell, every ligament, blood, bones and flesh.
The cut on my cheek healed, closing up without leaving a scar.
I stretched my neck and shoulders.
"I don't give a shit about all that philosophy. I don't need Reiryoku to fight. I was doing that even before I had it. I will beat you Shiva. You can count on that. "
I threw at Shiva.
She smiled.
"Oh really? Then show me."
******
(General P.O.V)
Davian's voice could be heard cursing out through the entire compound.
His hair was matted to his sweaty forehead. His left hand was covered with blood that flowed to the handle of Chesha Neko, making the grip slippery.
Yet he never stopped swinging. He was in the middle of a storm. Blocking and Parrying attacks that seemed to come from every direction.
His heart beat wildly inside his chest.
"On your left."
The monster's husky and sexy voice stated, leaving Davian scrambling to defend his left side.
His right thigh was slashed open. He gritted his teeth, putting more weight on the left leg while retaliating with his own attacks.
He was finding it hard to heal his body as fast as Shiva was destroying it but he was persistent if nothing else.
"Behind you."
Shiva's voice sounded out again, this time from the back.
Davian immediately rolled forward, getting to his feet just in time to see Shiva point her palm his away and with the build up of energy, a blue beam escaped her hand.
Davian was too late to dodge and the attack landed. His flesh boiled, almost melting under the spirit laser.
He pulled on even more flesh energy, his skin regenerating while Shiva walked towards him.
"A warrior never allows himself to be cornered."
Her slightly derisive tone angered Davian. His eyes flashed red like Savage's. A roar escaped his lips.
Flesh knitted, stronger than before. Steam started rising from his muscles. He exhaled visibly, pushing off his feet and coming down on top of Shiva with all the rage of a Flesh God.
Shiva's eyes flashed blue.
"I knew this was going to be fun."
******
On the outskirts of the training yard, Cheshire and Deadman watched the fight disguised as training, from a vantage point on the roof of a dojo.
The two down on the yard were actually trying to kill each other. Cheshire could sense bloodlust and killing intent and the amounts they were exuding was enough to freeze anyone in fear.
"How long have they been fighting?"
Deadman asked her, a feeling of Deja Vu hitting him.
Cheshire for her part stared up at the sky. The sun was almost directly above them.
"Almost 6 hours."
The Training Yard was devastated with craters, sword grooves and cracks on the walls of the dojos along the perimeter.
The most unwelcome sight was all the patches of dried blood covering the ground and walls.
Davian roared again, the sound sending a pressure wave out.
"He looks...out of control."
Deadman commented.
"He is. But I think that's the point. She's teaching him combat awareness. Davian is powerful, that leads to him jumping head on to any altercation."
She shrugged.
"He needs to learn how to calmly assess the situation at all times. Pain is a distraction. So is emotion."
Cheshire explained.
Deadman blinked, staring at her strangely.
"I'd forgotten you were trained by the league of shadows."
The female assassin said nothing to that.
Down on the yard below them, the tempo of the spar changed.
"Ouch. That looks painful."
Deadman pointed out, wincing.
Both went silent as the sounds of battle quieted down.
A minute later, Shiva appeared, Davian's large body slung over her shoulders. He was missing an arm and his training Gi was torn apart, revealing deep lacerations and slashes across his body.
She didn't acknowledge them as she left for the hot springs, a thoughtful look on her face.
Cheshire watched her go before standing up and facing the devastated Training Yard. The dome around it glowed and right before their eyes, the entire compound was restored.
Good. At least she could now train. There was no time to waste. Davian had pointed out a few things she needed to work on. So that's what she was going to do.
(Davian's P.O.V)
I took a deep breath as I felt the rest of my wounds knit. Now that I had access to Spirit Energy, I bolstered my healing by using Fullbring.
Flesh Energy was used to deal with any and all internal injuries as well as the sword cuts across my entire body.
The water of the hot spring popped with bubbles and sweet warmth that forced my body into a relaxing mode.
Enough that I didn't fight my teacher as she rubbed circles around my body, blue energy crackling across her fingers while she kneaded my muscles, stabilizing the connection between my body and soul.
"You cut off my right hand."
I accused, slightly miffed about that.
"And?" She snorted.
"You're more than welcome to try revenge."
I narrowed my eyes. You know what, I think I will.
*****
My revenge didn't happen the first week.
Nor the second. Or the third for that matter.
Yeah, not even the fourth.
Shiva and I would meet in the mornings where we would fight with no holds barred. It was brutal, it was cruel but it was effective.
As long as you got over the nauseating part, where I would puke my guts or leave a body part and loads of blood inside the training yard.
It was painful. Oh so painful. Fighting had always come naturally to me, however infront of someone with Shiva's talent, mastery and experience, I found out I wasn't shit.
I wasn't shit but I was on the way to becoming it. I still hadn't landed a single attack though.
After the morning session of trying to kill each other, she would carry or drag me towards the hot spring, where I would regenerate, then she would help heal my soul damage before we moved on to meditation.
We would meditate the rest of the day. In the evenings, I would meet her on the training yard again.
There under the light of a setting sun throughout the bright and unrestrained starry night, she would lead me through a variant of Qi Gong exercises.
Or better yet, Tairyoku.
A dance of some sort that helped me understand more about how to move the Flesh Energy within me.
The exercises seemed to be geared towards physical energies more than spiritual ones.
It wasn't surprising as Shiva had access to Life Force (ki) which was just another name for what I termed as Flesh Energy(Tairyoku).
Mine seemed to be geared towards deep manipulation rather than simple surface manipulation and reinforcement.
Something told me at high levels Tairyoku was just as impressive as Spirit Energy.
Throughout the second week, the deal remained the same.
We would meet up, she would terrorize me, I would try to retaliate, fail, get bodied, heal, meditate and then Tairyoku exercises.
By the third week, I was feeling a difference in the way I stood and moved.
My body was constantly on edge. I felt closer to my sword, almost feeling the way it cut through the air when I swung it.
On the fourth week, I was lasting longer with Shiva, ensuring that we could even fight the entire day without stopping. These types of soars were good at building endurance.
The spectacle was enough that we would usually get a few spectators.
Shadows would watch on as I tried to give back what Shiva threw my way. Despite growing leaps and bounds in skill, I was yet to even land a single blow.
By the end of the month, I was less hopeful about actually landing a blow.
Also at the end of the month, Cheshire joined our spars.
Everything from then changed.
20 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------------------------::
(Davian's P.O.V)
The next morning saw me standing in the middle of the training yard at 5. The air was chilly and the horizon was a pale red, an indication of the soon to rise sun.
The training Gi I wore was a bit tight on the shoulders and chest but still left my arms bare.
The Gi was similar to what Goku usually had on in DBZ, one of the only other anime I'd even bothered to watch, though the fillers eventually turned me off.
However, different from Goku's Gi, mine was black instead of orange.
"Ugh...She says to meet her here at exactly 5 and then gets late."
I grumbled.
"I wouldn't be so sure..."
Chase said as his phantom appeared on my shoulders.
He could apparently manifest in the real world now. Though it was only in his cat form. Unlocking Bankai had essentially given him some cool new abilities.
"What do you mean?"
I questioned, my tone full of suspicion.
"Hahaha. You'll see."
He giggled, looking at his claws while extracting pleasure from my ignorance.
Stupid cat.
Feeling my suspicion was justified, I stretched out my Reikaku to it's full range, encompassing the entire Training Yard.
Nothing seemed off though. I was alone in...
My Reikaku immediately deactivated, jarring me with the lack of perception. I blinked, looking around while slowly unsheathing my Zanpakuto.
"Welp that's my cue to leave."
Chase said before disappearing back into the Inner Dimension.
"Wait what..."
My words were interrupted by a burning sensation across my cheek.
"Argh!"
Touching the spot, my fingers came up bloody.
I narrowed my eyes, cautiously falling into a battle stance, Chesha Neko firmly grasped in my hands.
I reached out to my Reiryoku and came up empty. I knew what this was, a magical formation.
I couldn't rely on Reikaku so I spread out my sensory organs. Immediately, I begun receiving a lot of external stimuli.
I knew I had absorbed Savage's control over flesh but that particular ability hadn't manifested ever since I woke up.
But now it did. To a small degree anyway.
I could see better, hear better and my nose...one sniff and...
Shiva's next sword slash was blocked by Chesha Neko's bladed edge. The clash of metal produced sparks as we pushed against each other.
"You smell like Jasmine. Too conspicuous."
I told her as we strained; Shiva was deceptively stronger now. Neither of us could overpower the other.
She leaned in.
"And like Jasmine, pull them in before striking with lethal precision."
She said, stepping back suddenly.
I stumbled forward just as she strafed to the right, palmed the handle of a dagger and sent it straight through my ribs.
"Fuck! Mother...Gah!! You crazy bitch!"
I cursed out at the dagger sticking out of my left palm.
"Quick thinking. Won't help you with me."
She snickered, before backhanding me away harder than I'd ever been backhanded before.
My body bounced along the field before I smacked onto something hard. I fell to my knees, looking around to see a blue dome of energy around us.
"Oh come the fuck on..."
I couldn't believe this shit. Why does it always have to be a stupid dome?
"I see you recognize my little surprise."
Shiva said, smiling as she stalked forward, twirling her Katana expertly.
"A spirit energy draining formation." I spat out.
"And with the slight hum in the air, I'm thinking divine energy, there's only one person who could achieve that. Rama."
Shiva didn't acknowledge the question in my statement, instead she begun to criticize me.
"Your fighting technique is sloppy. You're a street fighter given a sword. So of course you'll use it like you a bat. No grace or skill. Just hack and hack and hack away like a butcher."
She stopped before me.
"I'll break you down and build you back up. By the time I'm done, you will be a force to be reckoned with."
She promised.
I got to my feet, glaring at her. She thought she could bitch slap me huh? I rubbed my jaw, setting it back with a click.
I winced at the surge of pain before it died away, leaving a dull ache behind. There wasn't much I could do. In a spirit suppressing zone, I couldn't even pull on my Spirit energy to heal myself.
I looked around.
"Rama if you can hear me...the Magic formation didn't work in the first place. Why do you think it will work now? It's seems counterproductive to training doesn't it?"
Shiva raised an eyebrow.
"She's not going to help you. Now will you stop moaning like a little bitch and..."
Ok. I've had enough of her.
I cut her off by lunging forward, body leaned to the front and left hand pulled back.
"Bite me."
My words were punctuated with a punch aimed straight for her belly.
The fist landed smack in the middle of her belly. A pressure wave rippled out, ruffling my Gi.
My pony tail came undone, causing the hair to fall before my eyes.
"Impossible...how OP did she make you?!"
I muttered.
Shiva had received that attack like a pro. She hadn't even moved a single step.
Her eyes glowed blue. For a second, I saw Rama Kushna stare at me cheekily through Lady Shiva's eyes.
"Tut Tut... disappointing."
She shook her head.
A nano second later, I was digging grooves on the sand with my feet. She had lashed out with her Katana. My forearms smarted as I had received the attack on both Chesha Neko and the Sheath.
This... wasn't going to be easy.
The dust around cleared, showing Shiva calmly walking towards me.
"A real warrior would keep on fighting without limbs. They will hold their weapon with their jaws if they need. A real warrior doesn't lose because he's missing an advantage. He wins because he. Never. Stops. Fighting."
She concluded, streaking forward.
Another sword slash, this one from the right. I stopped closer to her body like she'd demonstrated before. Then I leaned to the side.
Shiva changed tactics at the last second, opting for a sweep of my feet.
I fell to my back, pushing out my arms and using them to flip away. Then I jumped a few meters away, creating distance between us.
We begun to circle each other.
"You want to know why this formation targets you and you alone...it's because you're pampered by your strength, Davian. You have no real foundation."
She pointed her Katana at me.
"Every morning for this entire month, we will spar with swords, fists and everything else you can use to survive battle. We don't have the luxury to teach you fighting styles and stances. And even if we do, you will learn nothing! A true warrior is forged in life and death situations. Training will be meaningless if you don't have the will to face death end on and spit on it. So I ask you, Davian Mabuz, are you ready?"
She asked, this time deadly serious.
I could tell we had just been playing around before. The real training would begin now.
I concentrated on the cut on my cheek, the pain in my jaw, the ache in my forearms. Shiva already had access to Ki, now that she had been supercharged with Rama, she was a genuine threat.
However, I wasn't helpless. Without Spirit Energy, I could now better sense this other type of power within me.
It wasn't as gathered around one place like Spirit Energy usually was. This new energy seemed to be in every cell, every ligament, blood, bones and flesh.
The cut on my cheek healed, closing up without leaving a scar.
I stretched my neck and shoulders.
"I don't give a shit about all that philosophy. I don't need Reiryoku to fight. I was doing that even before I had it. I will beat you Shiva. You can count on that. "
I threw at Shiva.
She smiled.
"Oh really? Then show me."
******
(General P.O.V)
Davian's voice could be heard cursing out through the entire compound.
His hair was matted to his sweaty forehead. His left hand was covered with blood that flowed to the handle of Chesha Neko, making the grip slippery.
Yet he never stopped swinging. He was in the middle of a storm. Blocking and Parrying attacks that seemed to come from every direction.
His heart beat wildly inside his chest.
"On your left."
The monster's husky and sexy voice stated, leaving Davian scrambling to defend his left side.
His right thigh was slashed open. He gritted his teeth, putting more weight on the left leg while retaliating with his own attacks.
He was finding it hard to heal his body as fast as Shiva was destroying it but he was persistent if nothing else.
"Behind you."
Shiva's voice sounded out again, this time from the back.
Davian immediately rolled forward, getting to his feet just in time to see Shiva point her palm his away and with the build up of energy, a blue beam escaped her hand.
Davian was too late to dodge and the attack landed. His flesh boiled, almost melting under the spirit laser.
He pulled on even more flesh energy, his skin regenerating while Shiva walked towards him.
"A warrior never allows himself to be cornered."
Her slightly derisive tone angered Davian. His eyes flashed red like Savage's. A roar escaped his lips.
Flesh knitted, stronger than before. Steam started rising from his muscles. He exhaled visibly, pushing off his feet and coming down on top of Shiva with all the rage of a Flesh God.
Shiva's eyes flashed blue.
"I knew this was going to be fun."
******
On the outskirts of the training yard, Cheshire and Deadman watched the fight disguised as training, from a vantage point on the roof of a dojo.
The two down on the yard were actually trying to kill each other. Cheshire could sense bloodlust and killing intent and the amounts they were exuding was enough to freeze anyone in fear.
"How long have they been fighting?"
Deadman asked her, a feeling of Deja Vu hitting him.
Cheshire for her part stared up at the sky. The sun was almost directly above them.
"Almost 6 hours."
The Training Yard was devastated with craters, sword grooves and cracks on the walls of the dojos along the perimeter.
The most unwelcome sight was all the patches of dried blood covering the ground and walls.
Davian roared again, the sound sending a pressure wave out.
"He looks...out of control."
Deadman commented.
"He is. But I think that's the point. She's teaching him combat awareness. Davian is powerful, that leads to him jumping head on to any altercation."
She shrugged.
"He needs to learn how to calmly assess the situation at all times. Pain is a distraction. So is emotion."
Cheshire explained.
Deadman blinked, staring at her strangely.
"I'd forgotten you were trained by the league of shadows."
The female assassin said nothing to that.
Down on the yard below them, the tempo of the spar changed.
"Ouch. That looks painful."
Deadman pointed out, wincing.
Both went silent as the sounds of battle quieted down.
A minute later, Shiva appeared, Davian's large body slung over her shoulders. He was missing an arm and his training Gi was torn apart, revealing deep lacerations and slashes across his body.
She didn't acknowledge them as she left for the hot springs, a thoughtful look on her face.
Cheshire watched her go before standing up and facing the devastated Training Yard. The dome around it glowed and right before their eyes, the entire compound was restored.
Good. At least she could now train. There was no time to waste. Davian had pointed out a few things she needed to work on. So that's what she was going to do.
(Davian's P.O.V)
I took a deep breath as I felt the rest of my wounds knit. Now that I had access to Spirit Energy, I bolstered my healing by using Fullbring.
Flesh Energy was used to deal with any and all internal injuries as well as the sword cuts across my entire body.
The water of the hot spring popped with bubbles and sweet warmth that forced my body into a relaxing mode.
Enough that I didn't fight my teacher as she rubbed circles around my body, blue energy crackling across her fingers while she kneaded my muscles, stabilizing the connection between my body and soul.
"You cut off my right hand."
I accused, slightly miffed about that.
"And?" She snorted.
"You're more than welcome to try revenge."
I narrowed my eyes. You know what, I think I will.
*****
My revenge didn't happen the first week.
Nor the second. Or the third for that matter.
Yeah, not even the fourth.
Shiva and I would meet in the mornings where we would fight with no holds barred. It was brutal, it was cruel but it was effective.
As long as you got over the nauseating part, where I would puke my guts or leave a body part and loads of blood inside the training yard.
It was painful. Oh so painful. Fighting had always come naturally to me, however infront of someone with Shiva's talent, mastery and experience, I found out I wasn't shit.
I wasn't shit but I was on the way to becoming it. I still hadn't landed a single attack though.
After the morning session of trying to kill each other, she would carry or drag me towards the hot spring, where I would regenerate, then she would help heal my soul damage before we moved on to meditation.
We would meditate the rest of the day. In the evenings, I would meet her on the training yard again.
There under the light of a setting sun throughout the bright and unrestrained starry night, she would lead me through a variant of Qi Gong exercises.
Or better yet, Tairyoku.
A dance of some sort that helped me understand more about how to move the Flesh Energy within me.
The exercises seemed to be geared towards physical energies more than spiritual ones.
It wasn't surprising as Shiva had access to Life Force (ki) which was just another name for what I termed as Flesh Energy(Tairyoku).
Mine seemed to be geared towards deep manipulation rather than simple surface manipulation and reinforcement.
Something told me at high levels Tairyoku was just as impressive as Spirit Energy.
Throughout the second week, the deal remained the same.
We would meet up, she would terrorize me, I would try to retaliate, fail, get bodied, heal, meditate and then Tairyoku exercises.
By the third week, I was feeling a difference in the way I stood and moved.
My body was constantly on edge. I felt closer to my sword, almost feeling the way it cut through the air when I swung it.
On the fourth week, I was lasting longer with Shiva, ensuring that we could even fight the entire day without stopping. These types of soars were good at building endurance.
The spectacle was enough that we would usually get a few spectators.
Shadows would watch on as I tried to give back what Shiva threw my way. Despite growing leaps and bounds in skill, I was yet to even land a single blow.
By the end of the month, I was less hopeful about actually landing a blow.
Also at the end of the month, Cheshire joined our spars.
Everything from then changed.
