Night Thirteen #8

Upon listening to Xeni explain her situation, Inis nodded in understanding. 'It is a common symptom to experience for anyone involved in such traumatic events. I cannot count how many people have come back from a dungeon with similar symptoms.'

It was not just those who had similar experiences to Xeni that had suffered from many mental disorders and difficulties during the Dungeon Era.

There were countless people who just could not mentally cope with the constant violence and anxiety that had been built up during long dungeon expeditions.

Those exposed to violence often and that got their hands bloodied would suffer from traumas from killing other living beings.

Those who survived when others did not were wrecked with survivors guilt.

Those who were constantly exposed to danger at every turn and suffered serious dangers within the dungeons came out in a state of high alertness and were constantly on edge.

The slightest trigger or reminder of their previous terrible experiences could have lead to overreacting to non threatening situations outside of the dungeons and being on high alert towards the slightest things.

They would be far more irritable and could even become violent if they were put in a high stress environment.

If the goblins and the constant threat of danger were what her trauma had become then it would be easy for her to be triggered by anything that could remind her of such things.

Simply sleeping in an unsecured location was enough to make Xeni have difficulties sleeping or getting comfortable for fear of a threat coming through the nearest entrance without any way to stop them.

It would be a constant reminded of how the goblins came to torment her and the other females in the cave.

She would be triggered by reminders especially during the night which could remind her of the darkness within the cave which she had been exposed to for so long.

It was often difficult to see the goblins coming especially when there was no traces of daylight shining inside so whatever attempts at resting during the night could be interrupted at any moment without warning unless she learned to remain vigilant at those times.

It was quite understandable that she would feel like that and it was already quite admirable that Xeni had survived for so long before coming to Inis with her problem.

Inis doubted she could have helped much even if she knew of her condition since she was not a skilled doctor or therapist that could handle such cases. 'I guess I can give in to her if it is only this much but why does she not have those symptoms around me?'

After thinking that, she asked. "So what is the difference between me and the others of my species to you?"

She was wondering how the Gremlins had helped to trigger Xeni's trauma towards the Goblins yet she was considered as someone that did not evoke such negative feelings and responses.

Xeni thought about it for a moment before saying. "I would have to say that it is due to you saving me that I can put my faith in you? Perhaps it could be because you are not like your own kind? I do not get the same feeling from you.. you seem like less of a monster to me?"

She felt like Inis did not possess the same violent and chaotic nature as the Gremlins around her.

Inis was definitely unique among her kind and had shown her many new surprises beyond simply being able to communicate effectively with her.

The growth in power of Inis was something that should have been alarming for Xeni and seen as a potential danger to her life should Inis ever decide to harm her yet several actions taken by Inis during their time together had helped Xeni to trust in her a lot.

It felt like Xeni could leave her back to Inis and not be betrayed when she let her guard down which made her feel safer.

There was an additional reason related to the training method that had been given to her by Inis since once she had started to use it, Xeni had started to feel how amazing what Inis had given her really was.

There were some intelligent species of different races and species that had learned how to refine their Aether Energy in similar ways to how humans did yet they were still very far behind.

Most intelligent species that did have such methods for training their Aether Energy had been gained from humans or they had a very low graded method which could slightly supplement the absorption of Aether Energy gained from elixirs or other sources.

Those of her Mountain Satyr tribe that she had left had a very poor training method which allowed for Aether Energy within resources to be absorbed slightly smoother and faster but it was nothing compared to what Inis had gifted her.

The method taught to her had allowed her to make rapid progress compared to the slow pace of growth she underwent even with the resources available to her tribe.

For Inis to give her such a valuable thing even if it was to test something or was simply a whim of hers, Xeni valued such a gesture greatly and had started to value Inis more since then.

Hearing Xeni's explanation, Inis let out a sigh and waved towards a pile of dried animal pelts to the side. "Take some and find a place to lie down. Just remember to stay on the other side of the room and do not try any funny business like last time."

A blush appeared on the face of Xeni for a moment. "Oh.. okay."

She was reminded of her previous actions that had been taken against Inis during their first night together.