Chapter 3751: Whine Knight (Part 2) Friya bit Acala, sprayed him with liters of venom, and cut and burned him more times than she could count. Friya also learned never to let down her guard after an alleged deathblow, since Acala kept fighting after his heart or head was pierced. He stopped only if decapitated. "Can I give you one piece of unsolicited advice?" He asked while Friya and Nalrond devoured a hearty meal to make up for the nutrients lost after healing the many wounds they had suffered during their respective spars. "Sure. Shoot." Friya nodded, and her newfound familiarity with Nalrond’s nemesis irked the Agni to no end. "I noticed that even with light fusion and healing spells, you get slower with each wound you suffer." Acala pointed out. "It’s normal." Friya shrugged. "We are not using armor, and every cut you inflict on me goes deep. Normal people need nutrients to recover. We don’t have white crystals that conveniently replace the bits we lose." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 "But you’re not normal people." Acala replied. "You have seven necks and, more importantly, seven mouths. Why don’t you wear a dimensional ring filled with nutrient potions on one of your serpentine necks? "This way, you can take the potions out and drink them even in the middle of a fight since you still have six heads left to keep an eye on your opponents." "That’s... actually brilliant." Friya stopped eating. "If at the same time I also use Invigoration with another head, I can metabolize the nutrients and recover my full strength mid-fight like an undead feeding on life force." "Is this your idea or Dawn’s?" Nalrond half asked and half growled. "I admit I wouldn’t be half the fighter I am without her teachings, but this one is all me." Acala replied, ignoring the underlying barb. "At least half of your skill is your own, darling." Dawn clung to the traitorous Ranger while emitting a purring sound. "This loser is all me. Even the incompetent part. Especially the incompetent part." The Agni wanted to reply in kind, but the Horseman had bested him too many times inside and outside the battlefield already. Nalrond couldn’t deny her words about the cruelty of the Rezars towards her, nor those about his kin’s arrogant stupidity. Dawn had every reason to hate Nalrond, just like he had every reason to hate Acala. ’And the worst part is that he’s a monster to me and a savior to her.’ Nalrond munched his food in fury, as if it had helped Acala to massacre his people. "Hey, Nalrond. Can I spectate your training? I suck at Light Mastery and I can learn a lot just by watching two masters at work." Tista entered the training hall and looked at the stranger in curiosity. "Who is this guy?" At least until she used Life Vision on him. "Whiny!" Tista pointed her finger at Acala, making him blush in embarrassment. "Are you Dawn’s new host? How did you two meet?" "You know him?" Dawn and Nalrond asked in unison. "Yes." Acala nodded, trying to change the topic. "We met briefly during the War of the Griffons. She-" "Of course I know him!" Tista cut him short. "I told you about the Whine Knight. My knight in whining armor who saved my life during the battle for the White Griffon." "Can you please not call me like that?" Acala cleared his throat. "Whine Knight?" Dawn chuckled. "Well, yes." Tista nodded. "There was the White Knight fighting the Golden Knight. Solus was also the Golden Knight who fought beside my brother, the Dark Knight. Calling my savior the Whine Knight was fitting, since whining was his most remarkable trait." "I’m no one. Call me however you like." Her voice was dour and sad, making her best impression of Acala. "Well, then, allow me to introduce you to Zepho Acala. The man who murdered my people, Dawn’s host, and the one you know as the Whine Knight." Nalrond said. "Acala, this is Tista, Lith’s sister." "I know who she is." Acala accepted Tista’s shocked stare and gave her a deep bow. "Everything you’ve heard about me is true, Tista. Especially the bad parts." "You are Acala?" Tista was flabbergasted. "The guy who tried to kill my brother? The envious, gullible Ranger who bonded with Dawn out of greed? The same guy who betrayed the Rezars? That Acala?" "Yes." He just nodded in reply. "Everyone makes mistakes." Dawn shrugged. "Bonding with me was no mistake, though." "Indeed." Acala was proud of their bond, but felt no desire to brag about something that had been paid for with the blood of many innocents. "Why are you here?" Tista asked, and Friya explained the terms of their deal to her. From their grudging alliance against Meln to the training arrangements. "Damn, I wish I could join you." Tista sighed. "I lack real sparring partners, and no one wants to take on my Flames." "Yeah, I’ll pass on that." Dawn snorted. "They hurt like a bitch and I have nothing to learn from your Cursed Flames. I don’t plan on fighting Lith, and Meln can’t use them. For everything else, I’m at your service." "Can I join?" Acala asked. "My track record against Divine Beasts is awful, and if we ever fight Meln, I need to do better." "It’s too soon for you to fight a Divine Beast alone. Even as my host." Dawn shook her head. "I can fight Tista, and you can fight by my side to learn a few things, though. I’ve always fought alone, and I’m curious to see how far I can go with my host’s help." "It’s all I ask." Acala nodded, taking her hand in his and kissing it. As Dawn squealed like a little girl, Tista couldn’t help but wonder. ’I wonder if that’s how Solus would look if she had spent the last seven hundred years going from one tyrannical host to another.’ She thought. ’I don’t like Acala, but I can understand why Dawn does.’ "I’m sorry, but if you saved Tista’s life, why didn’t you open with that?" Friya asked, snapping the Hekate out of her daze. "It doesn’t change much, but it’s a start." "Because I didn’t do it to get in Verhen’s good grace or get praised." Acala replied. "I’m not so arrogant that I think that any number of good deeds can outweigh or outdo my past crimes. "There is no changing the past. I can bring my dead victims back to life no more than I can ask the forgiveness of those still alive. All I can do is admit my mistakes, learn from them, and make only decisions of which I can be proud. "As I told you before, Friya, I’m the only one who can forgive me. I’ll never be free from my past and guilt, but I can work hard so that I get a little better every day." *** Verhen Mansion, a few days later. While Friya, Nalrond, and Tista endured constant battle to the death against Dawn and Acala, Quylla’s pregnancy approached term. On the one hand, it pushed her to give her all to her magical research. She spent every waking moment studying the life forces of the people of Zelex, Lith, and Morok.