‘I’m angry! Dammit!’ Luttrena growled as she walked past the stalls one after another.
“Excuse me…” Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to her, causing her to turn around and stare in the direction of the voice. She immediately knew who the caller was, ‘He’s the student that makes the portraits. His name…’
“Inala, right?” Luttrena stared at her caller in confusion, “Do you have something to do with me?”
“Ahh, yes.” Inala smiled wryly and asked, “You’re someone affluent, right?”
“Why are you asking that?” Luttrena frowned. She was already in a bad mood, so she felt like she might snap at him if he talked to her anymore.
“I noticed that you’re in a bad mood. I don’t mean to overstep my boundary, but if you wish to take a breather and relax, I can help with that. I can make portraits that calm you at a glance.” He spoke.
“I’m not in the mood.” Luttrena huffed, about to walk away, “Don’t bother me.”
“You’re on the verge of a collapse.” Inala’s voice turned serious, “Your emotional state is very strained at present. With the slightest nudge, your Spirit Containers might break. At least twenty Prana might leak out as a result.”
“You…” Luttrena was stunned. She intended to snap at him, but the cultivator’s instinct drilled into her since young made her think for a moment. If what Inala said was right, she might lose twenty Prana. That was dangerous. Even for her, losing that much would imply she wasn’t good at controlling her emotions.
Her father’s already low attention on her might completely vanish after that. She was irritated upon being denied a child of her own. That affected her tremendously, especially since births were treated as sacred. 𝓞𝑽𝗅xt.𝒸𝚘𝔪
Even though it was because of Virala’s actions, it was in her body that a childbirth had been denied. That was taking a mental toll on her.
She glared at Inala, “I’m the 43rd Settlement Leader’s daughter, Luttrena. I’m not weak enough that a minor emotional fluctuation would cause my Spirit Containers to…”
“I have the Fragment Disease,” Inala made eye contact, sporting a solemn expression as he said, observing her flinch in surprise at his reveal, “At the slightest change in my emotional state, my Spirit Container shatters. I have gone through the process enough times to recognise it with a glance. You’re at that state presently.”
“Thanks to my disease, I believe I have the expertise to comment on your condition.”
“Fragment Disease…” She muttered, calming down. She took in deep breaths and circulated the Mystic Bone Art, gradually clearing out her thoughts.
She had a friend that had the Fragment Disease.
When he graduated and proved useless to the clan, he was tossed into a Pranic Beast’s mouth. She had personally witnessed the sight. By emitting her Prana, she sensed the faint cracks in his body, verifying that he indeed had the disease. Therefore, she knew the weight behind Inala’s statement.
“Thank you, I have calmed down enough.” She said after a couple of minutes had passed, “But I apologise. I don’t need any help. I can naturally control my emotions.”
“I’m glad you’re able to do so,” Inala broke into a smile, “As a Death Row student, I’m always desperate to make myself useful to the clan. And when I saw your condition, I knew I had to alert you about it.”
“Moreover, you paid me 20 Parute. So, you’re an important customer of mine.” He grinned, behaving like a novice, penny-pincher merchant. His intentions were clear. By helping her now, he was hoping for more business from her in the future. As he didn’t even display a shred of cunning, Luttrena only amounted to his child’s play scheme as being cute.
“Haha!” Luttrena chuckled and extended her hand for a shake, “Inala, right? Can you make larger portraits?”
“I can,” Inala patted his chest, “There’s no limit to the size. As big as you want, I can make it, whether it be a portrait or a sculpture, from one person to your entire family. I can do them all. Also,”
He sported a smug expression, “I can also make Imagination Art.”
“Imagination Art?” Luttrena tilted her head in confusion, “What’s that?”
“What if you were born a male? I can draw a realistic version of that.” He continued, “I can draw a scene of you fighting against a Mud Viper, I can make it as if you’re raiding a Mud Viper nest, and so on. Or I can make emotional portraits of yourself or anyone of your choosing. Whether it be an intense display of anger, sadness, or happiness, I can make a vivid display.”
He pointed at her, “Just now, you were angry. I can make an art of something that at a glance would make you angry, very angry.”
“What’s the use of…” Luttrena trailed off, webbed by his explanation.
“Training, what else?” Inala grinned, “Every time your emotion is affected, you can use the Mystic Bone Art to calm yourself. That’ll serve as valuable training to control your emotions. For all sorts of emotions you can ever experience, I can make you feel them through my art. In a controlled and safe environment, you can practice enduring them without causing a loss in your Prana.”
“I don’t need to explain further, right?”
“Now I understand why you asked if I was affluent,” Luttrena nodded and stared at him, calm, “These Imagination Art…would be expensive, right?”
“Yes, since they need to be detailed and explosive enough to evoke the related emotion in you. It’ll take time to make.” Inala replied, “But in terms of use, either you alone can use it or you can sell it to your settlement’s Academy of Refinement for the benefit of all students.”
“You want money in exchange for it, right?” Luttrena turned silent, saying after a while, “Give me two days to think it through. And please prepare a piece of Imagination Art as a sample. If it’s as effective as you proclaim, I’ll use my funds to support you.”
“Thank you for giving me a chance,” Inala bowed respectively, “I won’t waste your valuable time anymore. Please head back safely.”
“Alright,” Luttrena smiled and turned around, intending to return home. She stopped all of a sudden and glanced at him, “You’re from the 44th Settlement…”
“Yes, I am.” Inala nodded, relieved, ‘Finally, she asked the question. Now I’ll be able to probe what Virala did to her. It took enough time, haaah!’
“Do you know someone named Virala?” She asked.
“Oh, I know him very well.” Inala spoke with great familiarity, “The two of us share the same fate.”
“We’re both Death Row students.”
