Sasaki and Beatrice stand in the middle of an empty mountain.
The wind is extremely strong at this height. They are so close to the clouds that several of them drift around the mountain.
Sasaki sits cross-legged, meditating as he releases as much Renshi as possible.
"This is no different from yesterday, Reaper. You need to release more."
Beatrice watches him closely.
"Push yourself until you feel like you're about to die. Only then will the Renshi hidden deep inside you begin to surface. That's the first step. After that, you need to learn how to control it."
Sasaki continues releasing more and more Renshi.
Soon, thick red fog covers the entire mountaintop.
The fog begins spinning.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
It forms into a massive tornado.
"Don't lose control, Reaper! Focus!" Beatrice shouts.
The giant tornado rises into the clouds.
Red lightning begins striking the mountain.
This damn Sasaki...
Beatrice switches from place to place, avoiding the lightning.
If I leave him like this any longer, he's going to kill himself.
She looks toward Sasaki.
His body has grown almost three times larger.
"Enough!"
Beatrice immediately switches behind him and places a Renshi concealing seal against the back of his head.
Instantly, Sasaki's Renshi is pulled back into his body.
His body returns to its normal size.
Beatrice removes the seal.
Sasaki opens his eyes, breathing heavily as sweat runs down his face.
"That... was the most Renshi I've ever released at once."
"We're not making enough progress."
Beatrice's expression remains serious.
Sasaki stands and exhales.
"Listen, Beatrice. I'm trying my best. I can guarantee you that."
"It's not even close to enough."
She pauses.
"And don't call me by my name just because you heard my brother call me that."
"There's no way I'm calling you Teacher. You know that's never going to happen."
"Whatever. That's the least of my problems right now."
Beatrice turns around.
"Let's try something different. Sit down."
Sasaki obeys.
"This time, release a large amount of Renshi all at once."
"Not gradually?"
"No."
Sasaki exhales and closes his eyes.
Then.....
BOOM!
A massive amount of red Renshi bursts from his body.
The entire mountaintop is flooded with thick red fog.
The force pushes Beatrice backward.
Sasaki opens his eyes and immediately pulls all the Renshi back into his body.
A trail of lightning follows it.
Beatrice shakes her head.
"That's the best you can do?"
She steps forward.
"Let me show you what releasing Renshi really looks like."
Golden Renshi suddenly erupts from her body.
BOOM!
The force sends Sasaki flying backward.
He lands safely on his feet.
His eyes widen.
Massive golden Renshi surrounds the entire mountain, reaching all the way into the clouds.
It's nearly twice the amount Sasaki released.
"Wow..."
Beatrice calmly pulls all of her Renshi back inside.
"If you can push yourself to your limit, you'll gain access to all the hidden Renshi inside you."
Sasaki sits back down.
"Try again," Beatrice says. "But this time, don't increase the size of your body."
"That's impossible. Making my body bigger is the only reason I can release this much Renshi."
"Exactly. That's what you need to overcome."
Beatrice looks directly at him.
"You're limiting yourself because you believe your body will explode if you release too much Renshi without increasing its size."
She pauses.
"So don't make your body bigger."
Sasaki doesn't answer.
He closes his eyes and begins releasing his Renshi again.
For a moment, nothing happens.
Then the red Renshi slowly begins to gather around him.
But....
Sasaki suddenly stops and opens his eyes, breathing heavily.
"I can't... I can't do it."
"Of course you can."
Beatrice remains calm.
"You just need to focus. Clear your mind of every distraction."
Sasaki looks at her.
Then he exhales.
"Okay... all right."
He closes his eyes again.
"Clear my mind of every distraction."
He begins releasing his Renshi once more.
Slowly.
Then more.
And more.
The red Renshi gathers around him until it begins forming another tornado.
Beatrice watches closely.
"You can do it..."
Her voice becomes softer.
"Just breathe. Keep breathing."
Sasaki continues.
The amount of Renshi reaches the same level as before.
The thick red tornado spins faster, growing larger and larger.
Red lightning begins striking across the mountain.
Beatrice creates a golden shield around herself.
The lightning doesn't reach Sasaki.
And this time.....
His body remains completely normal.
Sasaki's eyes suddenly open.
He immediately pulls all the Renshi back into himself.
Beatrice's eyes widen.
"Why did you stop?!"
She rushes toward him.
"I was about to die, you idiot!" Sasaki snaps. "My body couldn't hold it anymore, and I didn't want to increase its size."
"You were almost there!"
Beatrice shouts.
"Why couldn't you wait a few more seconds?!"
"Calm down."
Sasaki stands.
"We still have two months. It's only been two days into the first month. This is already a lot of progress. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Two months... really?"
Beatrice mutters under her breath.
"That old bastard..."
She turns around and walks toward the edge of the mountain.
Sasaki watches her.
Beatrice jumps.
As she falls, she activates her Renshical skate beneath her feet and flies downward.
She lands on a small rock below the mountaintop and sits down.
"What was that?"
Did she just call their clan head an old bastard?
He narrows his eyes.
Something isn't adding up.
Sasaki walks to the edge and jumps down.
Tiny tornadoes immediately form beneath his feet, slowing his descent before he lands gently.
He walks toward Beatrice.
"Hey..."
Beatrice remains silent.
"Is there something you guys are hiding from us?"
She doesn't answer.
"Something we're not supposed to know?"
After several seconds, Beatrice finally speaks.
"No. Not at all."
Her voice is unusually quiet.
She stands.
"Let's go back to the top."
Beatrice activates her Renshical skate and flies upward.
Sasaki follows, using the tiny tornadoes beneath his feet.
They land back on the mountaintop.
Sasaki looks at her seriously.
"I know something is going on here. I just don't know what."
He pauses.
"And whatever it is, it's connected to me and the boys getting stronger as quickly as possible."
He steps closer.
"Whatever we're preparing for, you need to tell us so we can prepare ourselves our way."
"You think you have a way to prepare?"
Beatrice looks at him.
"Don't make me laugh."
She crosses her arms.
"If you were preparing properly all your life, you wouldn't still be this weak with all the Renshi you have."
Sasaki's expression darkens.
"Then tell me what's going on."
"We're your best option while Lucy is gone. And even if she were here, she wouldn't be rushing things like we are. Nothing is coming after her time."
Sasaki's eyes narrow.
"So what exactly is coming after our time?"
Beatrice remains silent.
"You better tell me," Sasaki says. "I thought I had two months, and I was ready to take things slowly. Now you're acting like we don't have that much time."
He takes a step closer.
"I need to know what's going on."
Beatrice exhales.
"One week."
Sasaki freezes.
"In one week... I'll tell you everything."
She looks directly at him.
"For now, just trust me and gain control of your Renshi before tomorrow."
She pauses.
"Before this week is over, you'll have almost the remaining three Chronicles."
Sasaki stares at her in disbelief.
"In one week?"
He points at himself.
"Are you serious?"