Elyonari's Boon and Bane (2)

The following morning, Elyonari woke up early, her body still slightly sore from the night before.

She lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling of their apartment. Her mind wandered, replaying the conversation he had with Vastarael over dinner the night before.

Extreme Luck and Dependency Curse... Her thoughts circled back to those words, each repetition making more sense as he dissected the situation. Elyonari's Boon and Bane were undeniably powerful, but in a way that was both incredibly rare and unpredictable.

She had the most broken Boon and Bane he ever heard.

Elyonari's Boon gave her the kind of luck that made the impossible possible. She could get out of any situation, avoid any danger, and succeed where others would fail. But the more she relied on her luck, the more dangerous it became. And according to her, anyone close to her is affected by her luck.

She thought back to all the times they spent together with Vastarael. She woke up earlier than any other Seventh Enlightenment Students because of her luck.

They contained a Passageway so easily without effort.

Vastarael's mystic circle was about to fail because of the flickering but because of her luck, it worked.

However, this didn't mean that she couldn't die.

Her Bane, Dependency Curse, didn't just make her lucky. It made her dependent on that luck to function. The more she leaned on it, the worse her luck would become.

Take, for example, a battle scenario. Elyonari, knowing her luck was with her, could rush into combat with complete confidence, completely relying on her Boon to pull her through.

She could take risks, face powerful opponents, and escape unscathed. But what if, in the heat of battle, she became overconfident? What if she started depending on her luck for every move, every decision?

This was where the danger lay. In the middle of an intense fight, if she continued to rely solely on her luck, she would start to see the negative effects of her Bane.

At first, it would be small—a misstep here, a missed strike there—but soon, her luck would begin to betray her. Her perfect chain of good fortune would unravel.

Her luck would hold for a while. She would dodge an arrow that should have pierced her heart. She would narrowly avoid a crushing blow from an enemy's weapon.

But soon, the dependence on her luck would begin to show its cracks. Her opponent might fake a feint, causing Elyonari to miscalculate her response. She'd miss the opening for a counterattack, and her luck would start to slip.

The more she relied on her luck, the more her luck would wane and become unstable. Her opponent, noticing her overconfidence, could predict her moves more easily, eventually landing a hit.

Her Bane wasn't just about bad luck. It was about the price she paid for relying on luck too much. Elyonari was used to her luck guiding her, but when she depended on it too heavily, she became vulnerable.

The flow of her good fortune would become unpredictable and with each reliance, it would backfire harder. It was like trying to outpace a tide. The more she pushed, the faster it would pull her under.

Her dependency on luck was a subtle trap, a paradox. Elyonari needed her luck to function, but the more she relied on it, the worse it would get. She couldn't escape it. The more she used her luck in a situation, the less reliable it became.

And that was a dangerous game to play.

Elyonari had learned the hard way how to navigate the delicate balance between relying on her luck and controlling her dependence on it.

Over the years, she had experienced firsthand just how dangerous it could be to let her Boon take the reins of her life. Each lesson had taught her that she couldn't just let her fortune dictate her every action.

But that was easier said than done.

Her Boon was always there, a constant angel whisper in the back of her mind, encouraging her to take chances, to gamble on the outcomes, to push her limits, to test her fate.

And her Bane was the devil's voice. It was almost like an addiction. When her luck was with her, she felt invincible and unstoppable. And in those moments, it was all too easy to give in to the temptation of relying on it.

Slowly, she began to develop methods to resist the pull of her dependency, to regain control over her own decisions.

The first method she learned was to grow stronger, physically and mentally.

The more she strengthened her own abilities and talents, the less she needed to depend on her luc in battle.

For example, she began to focus less on dodging strikes with pure luck and more on honing her reflexes and combat instincts. She drilled her combat skills every day, training herself to be faster, sharper, and more precise. When she sparred with others, she didn't rely on her luck to get her out of sticky situations. Instead, she relied on her strength, skill, and knowledge.

She told Vastarael a tale that one of her most difficult battles had come when she faced an opponent who was faster, stronger, and more skilled than her, someone whose power was greater than hers. It was a battle where her luck would've been the only thing that could turn the tide in her favor. But Elyonari had made a vow to herself:

'No matter what, I won't rely on luck.'

She stood her ground, focusing on every movement, every breath. When her opponent aimed a deadly strike toward her, Elyonari didn't wait for luck to pull her out of harm's way.

She moved.

Her body had learned the choreography of battle and her mind had been sharpened by countless years of training. She stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the blow. She responded quickly, countering with a strike of her own.

Her luck might've been with her that day, but it wasn't the deciding factor in her victory. It was her strength, her discipline, and her ability to resist the lure of instant success.

With every battle she fought, Elyonari had learned that she couldn't just rely on luck for the big wins. She had to earn them through her own hard work and skill.

Mentally, Elyonari had also worked hard to control her dependency. Her Boon was a source of temptation, but her Bane was a constant reminder of her need to remain grounded. She began to understand that relying too much on luck was a weakness, not a strength.

In moments of uncertainty, when she felt the familiar tug of her luck, she would stop and take a breath. She would ask herself;

'Do I really need to rely on luck here, or can I do this myself?'

It was a mental exercise, one that required immense self-discipline. And in those moments, she learned to trust herself, her judgment, her strength and her abilities more than the idea that luck would simply carry her through.

It wasn't an easy task, and there were moments when the addiction to luck nearly took over again.

But Elyonari found ways to keep her dependency in check. She realized that she could use her luck, but never let it control her. It was about recognizing when it was beneficial and when it was just a crutch. It was a constant game of checks and balances, never letting one side dominate.

In her quieter moments, when she wasn't in battle or facing challenges, Elyonari would reflect on how far she'd come. She had learned to use her luck as a tool, not a lifeline.

And though it still called to her, she knew she was no longer the same person who had once relied on it blindly.

She was stronger now, strong enough to face the world without needing to trust in chance. Elyonari knew that if ever she found herself without her luck, she would be fine. Her strength, her mind, and her heart would carry her through.

So, she used it as a tool instead.

And when she thought about it more, she began to realize something else. Her luck wasn't something she had to fight against. It could be a powerful ally if used carefully.

In the moments she had spent with Vastarael, she had seen the perfect opportunity to wield her luck not as a crutch, but as a tool.

---

When he had fallen asleep on her lap that afternoon, a small part of her felt the pull of her luck, whispering softly to her.

'This is a moment of peace you know. It's a chance for you to be here, with him, without distractions. Let it be perfect.'

At first, Elyonari resisted, forcing herself to focus on the present, on what was important. But why fight it? Why deny herself this fleeting moment of tranquility, when luck itself was guiding her to appreciate it?

So, Elyonari gave in.

She let herself soak in the quiet comfort of Vastarael's presence. She didn't push him to wake, didn't interrupt his rest, and instead, let herself enjoy the peace that came with it. As she watched him sleep, her luck gently amplified the feeling of contentment, making the air between them feel warm, calm, and almost magical.

When Vastarael cheered and then instinctively hugged her after his success with the mystic circle, Elyonari initially froze. The surge of emotions in that instant caught her off guard.

The idea of pulling back, of keeping herself emotionally distant, crossed her mind, but her luck whispered again:

'Let go. This moment can be perfect. Let him feel the warmth of your embrace, and let yourself feel it too.'

Without thinking too much, Elyonari let herself sink into the hug, the warmth of Vastarael's arms around her becoming an unexpected source of comfort.

In that moment, Elyonari didn't fight it. She didn't hold back from being the one to give in to the luck, from letting it turn a simple act of celebration into something deeper.

As she held him for those brief seconds, she could feel her luck at work, gently smoothing over the moment, making it more meaningful than it ever could have been without it.

That's why Vastarael wasn't shocked by what he did.

Later, as they sat down to dinner, Elyonari found herself once again at the mercy of her own luck. As Vastarael asked about her Boon and Bane, and she shared her struggles with her dependency on luck, she felt the subtle guidance of her luck once more.

The moment was slipping into a serious conversation but she let herself feel the natural flow of it, letting her words fall into place as her luck whispered a little nudge.

'This conversation is important,' her luck told her. 'Let it happen naturally. Let him understand you. Let him feel the truth in your words.'

And so she did, allowing herself to speak openly, but also letting her luck shape the atmosphere around them. The easy warmth between them grew stronger as they shared their vulnerabilities, and her luck danced around them both, creating a connection that went beyond words.

---

Elyonari knew she couldn't rely solely on her luck to shape every moment of her life. But she also understood that her luck was there for a reason.

It was a tool she had been given to help navigate the world, to open doors, and to create wonderful moments. As long as she was careful, as long as she kept her strength intact, Elyonari would use her luck when it felt right. And when it did, it made everything just a little bit better, a little more connected, and a little more perfect.

In those moments with Vastarael, her luck had helped her open up, allowed her to give in to the bond they shared, and amplified the deepening connection between them.

Her dependency on her luck didn't control her. It simply made moments like those a little more special, a little more beautiful. And in a world where everything was uncertain, Elyonari had learned that sometimes, letting luck guide you wasn't such a bad thing.

This is why Elyonari was the person she was; carefree and friendly. She relied on luck on day to day situations and less on battles.

But today, her luck went a little too far.