Winter Storm (Esdeath x Male Reader)

No Sanctuary

Sure enough, the pain remained throughout the days that followed. Every step with your left leg had fire shoot up through the spine. The only treatable way to deal with the it was to allow Esdeath to chill the ankle via ice surrounded by cloth. Needless to say, your wound would be a major hinderance and thus you largely kept in the cathedral with the Path of Peace.

You did not regret the decision however. It was that or a painful death by poisoning. Truth be told, it was something to commemorate. You had faced Akame with her Muramasa, and survived to tell about it. The wound and the likely scar would be a reminder of that encounter.

It was also a reminder to improve. You may not have held a grudge against Akame like her sister, but the fact of the matter was you had to be better or else you would not survive the next fight. But what was there to do when you were wounded?

The answer became quite simple. Contemplation came first and foremost. As long as Galen Marek and Stormbreaker were in contact, they functioned. But when you were disarmed, you were vulnerable. So you had to find a way around this weakness.

"You're lost in thought again."

You snapped out of your thoughts. You were presently having lunch with Esdeath. She held out a spoonful of stew in front of you.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"No problem. Say 'Ahh'." She said. You opted to roll with it and let the general spoon feed you. There was not much else to do in this stalemate with Night Raid. Weeks had passed with no further activity. Jaeger and Night Raid had near All of their assets placed in this religious town, wondering which side was going to make the daring move.

"I was just thinking on how to do better again."

"Mmm. Any new ideas?" Esdeath asked.

"Other than honing my skills with Arms, none."

Of course, that revolved around sparing with Esdeath, as she was the closest equivalent to fighting Akame. The aforementioned treatment by her prevented pain from being a problem and let you focus. Practice let the improvised speed enhancement from Stormbreaker become easier and easier. Upon her suggestion, you chose to name it Time Alter.

The increased speed also increased the tempo of the spars with Esdeath. You could not beat her one on one but you could make her work for it. You also found she had a big counter to something like seizing her in a telekinetic grip or choke. In one instance, you had done it on her when she goaded you, but found her straddling you on the ground in the blink of an eye. It had been explained that she had used her secret Trump Card, in which she froze time itself. With no limits, she easily broke the grip. The problem with it was that it was only useful once before a days rest was required to reuse.

"At least it's enjoyable." Esdeath smiled.

"It is." You agreed. There was always a thrill to a nonlethal spar much like one found in an exciting game.

"General." Run stepped into the room you and Esdeath shared. "Bolic wants to see you."

"As if timed to ruin the moment." You grumbled. Esdeath giggled. She clearly was in agreement considering she also rolled her eyes. Nonetheless, you and Esdeath ventured further into the church. There you found Bolic, closely guarded by Seryu.

Run sat down to resume a game of chess against the fake priest. You simply stood there with Esdeath.

"What is it Bolic?" The general asked.

"I need to be guarded for about two more weeks." He replied.

"For what purpose?" Esdeath further questioned. Then her eyes twinkled. "That would coincide with the anniversary of the Path of Peace's founding. They will have festival for it."