《The Black Pits》


 Falling Snow

    "Wow..." Amidst the falling snow, a young man who was sixteen-years of age was sitting on the edge of a tall building with his feet dangling in the air as he let out a chuckle.


    His gaze, which was mostly unfocused, suddenly regained it''s focus as he looked at the distant buildings ¡ª The skyscrapers that stood tall amidst the snowy night, with their bright lights coming out from the windows illuminating the hectic street.


    The young man, who had sparkling eyes, spoke to himself. "Snow... Snow, it''s been a while. It really was unexpected isn''t it?"


    He nodded to himself as if he was talking to someone else. "Right... The Blevoics'' are almost in the midst of a war, what a peaceful weather it is, to welcome war!"


    "...But if the snow persists, I doubt we will see some action. After all, restocking supplies in the snowy weathers are very difficult and the terrain advantage would be given to Mercoixs."


    With a dissapointed gaze, he looked up at the sky which was filled with endless stars as his mood brightened.


    "Atleast the stars remain the same, representing the old world..." He suddenly sighed. "I still remember those starless nights before the Last Embers that old man Armado had recounted, those days must''ve been depressing..."


    Boom!


    Just as he was talking to himself, his eyes suddenly sparkled as he gazed at a distance, where there were black smokes and fires raising up in the air.


    "Damn, exciting things just at the start of the snow?" He supported his chin on his palms. "I was just thinking of jumping off this building you know, but too bad... Gotta grasp those opportunities."


    With eyes full of vigor, he stood up as he left the terrace of the building, going through the seemingly endless stairs as he jumped through the gap in the centre at a safe distance to arrive at the ground floor.


    Looking around and noticing that a few people had already taken out their cellphones and were rushing towards the explosion, he scrutinized the smoke carefully before running towards it.


    He mostly used the shadows of the buildings as cover as he avoided the street lights, shielding half his face (upto his nose) with a bright red scarf as he rushed towards the explosion.


    ...And what he saw there didn''t dissapoint him at all as he let out a laugh before rushing over.


    The vehicle that had caused the explosion was an Arms and Machinery truck that was under Blevoics'' blessings, but the blessings were now torn apart.


    It was probably their rival, he thought.


    Looking at the truck, he noticed that there was already a neat circle of crowd formed around the truck while few took pictures of it with their smart watches and smart phones while a few tried to take the opportunity into account and try their luck.


    The sixteen-year boy belonged to the group of the latter as he skipped past the crowd with skilfull footsteps which were honed throughout the years and closed in on the truck.


    Looking around, he noticed that the members of Blevoics'' and their rivals had already left, the only ones remaining were the Cvoilics Police Force, who were trying to bring the situation under their control with steel batons and strangely, riot shields and taser guns in their hands.


    "It''s gonna be a bit difficult..." The boy who was sixteen-years of age clicked his tongue as he took the situation into account before deciding to take the most optimal route.


    He slid past the Police Force that were already busy dealing with opportunists who were trying to take advantage of the situation.


    "Hey! Who do you think you are to stop us!"


    "Do these retards still think they are incharge of the Alliance and the streets after the Last Embers?"


    "Move aside, I have a hidden superpower!"


    "This damned Skien Family!"


    The stupid and enraged comments of the ambitious people went into his ears and passed through another as he meticulously neared the truck, finally reaching its behind where the real "stuff" were kept.


    Licking his lips, he placed his hand on the cloth which covered a small part of the "goods" as he tried to sneakily remove it when...


    "Belite!!" An angry and strained shout reached his ears as panic finally appeared in his eyes.


    ''Crap!''


    He instantly abandoned the "goods" which he painstakingly laid his hands on and tucked his tails between his legs as he ran as fast as he can.


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    Bang!


    His panic-filled eyes suddenly turned into horror as a bullet hit right next to his face upon a random wall, but the sixteen-year old boy, Belite didn''t actually panic much.


    He used a Garbage Can that had moderate height as a leverage to perform a higher jump as he landed on the roof of a small store, and with great familiarity, he hunched his back slightly as he sneakily slid down in-between a gap on the roof and arrived at a familiar place.


    The current place he was in was in-between two buildings, they were very narrow and even Belite, who wasn''t fat from any angle could barely navigate throughout it.


    His back placed against the walls, he took one step at a time as he arrived in front of a ruined cathedral.


    Using the railings as a leverage to speed-up, he skated on them with his worn-out shoes as he jumped before the railing came to an end, landing on solid floor.


    Then, seeing the fence in front of him, he placed his foot in the right gaps with familiar ease as he finally reached the other side ¡ª a vast grass field.


    ''Safe?''


    Clang!


    He shuddered as he felt like a scared kitten as he looked at the iron fence behind him, which was slightly bent due to getting pierced by a bullet.


    Belite''s pupils instantly dilated as he heard an exhausted sigh.


    "You. You are that brat Belite, aren''t you? The one that scavenges the city when others are amidst a chaos."


    Seeing Belite''s silence, the voice pondered for a few moments before saying out of boredom. "Chasing kids is already too low on my paycheck, but oh well. Since it''s the ''Unwanted Hand'' Belite, I guess it''s fine."


    Belite, who was titled the famous ''Unwanted Hand'', looked at the trembling 2 metre fence as a figure jumped over.


    The figure had a short stature of 1.6 metres of height and wore brownish-blue uniform with stars embroidered on his shoulders.


    He looked at Belite with an interested expression he recalled about this boy''s past.


    ''Name, Belite. No last name,


    Parents, dead.


    Friends or affiliates, unknown.


    Current gang or organisation, unknown.''


    He then remembered the words his comrade and his friend, Nanchoko had said when looking at the report.


    "Ha, this kid Belite? He''s a remarkable individual. He''s appeared in atleast 7 accidents and he''s in suspicion of being involved in activities such as weapon trades and sellings of fake Bright Emblem armours in the Black Market."


    "Oh. He was also seen hanging out around the Bright Days caf¨¦ of Lower Street District but the owner denies his visitings and we don''t have substantial proofs either."


    "Even though no Superhuman cares about him and there are barely any available in Lower Street District, the ordinary people such as the Police are quite irritated by this fellow born in the Year 68... And he has quite an interesting past as well."


    Dwelling on his friend''s words, Clite shook his head slightly to look at the figure in front of him as he grinned.


    "Well kid. Unfortunately for you, I''m unlike those of the Police Force. You know, right?"


    Belite looked at the Bright Emblem armour on the short figure''s torso and sighed as he nodded reluctantly, hanging his arms in the air in front of him as he looked like one of those Zombies mentioned in the novels.


    Clite looked at the sixteen-year old in front of him as he then raised his left arm and looked at the smart watch wrapped on the wrist as he started typing something.


    Soon after, he nodded to himself as he looked at Belite with a sly grin, making Belite gulp as his head immediately came up with multiple grim possibilities.


    ...


    Woosh!


    A few hours later, a Police Officer adorned in a red and blue uniform arrived in front of an iron fence with a frown on his face as he pondered over the words of his superior.


    ''Manifestation... What?''


    Sighing softly, he struggled to climb the fence and arrived at the other side where he saw a kid wearing white and black clothes tied to the fence with a rope.


    "Yo..." The kid immediately greeted him with a smile that looked quite awkward. "Took you long enough! I really thought I was going to get eaten by the wolves here you know..."


    However, the Police Officer didn''t pay any attention to his words as he pulled out a crudely drawn potrait from his pocket which was mostly wrinkled at this point.


    Looking at the figure drawn on the paper, the officer nodded. ''Its him, indeed.


    The kid who steals everything ¡ª From food to guns, to make a living.''


    Confirming the identity of the kid, he smiled in satisfaction as he heard the kid say. "Um... Can you please take me off of here? It''s... Uncomfortable you know?"


    Coming back to his senses, the officer looked at the kid who was tied with his arms and feet apart.


    He would''ve felt pity for the kid and would have helped him if it wasn''t for who he was.


    Right now, all he did was laugh which made Belite''s expression contort as he retorted.


    "Hey! This is a living being we are talking about, moreover a kid! Isn''t this more of a child abuse? H-how dare you?"


    "Serves you right kid." The officer chuckled as he took out a pocket knife from his boots and started to cut the ropes, keeping a cautious eye upon Belite in the process.


    Even though he had a smile on his face, he¡ª Liam could never be cautious enough while dealing with kids, the major headache for every Police Department.


    After the Last Embers eighty-four years ago, may it be the increase in theft, robberies, smuggling or even fake beggers and scammers ¡ª kids ranging below sixteen and eighteen were frequently involved in them.


    But most of these kids were ones sent on errands by various gangs and undercover spies, so even though they were annoying, they were quickly dealt with once traced back to their origin.


    But the kid in front of him, someone of unknown origins and affiliation, was one of the hardest ones to catch.


    He was better at escaping even than some criminals that were on the top of the list and were famous enough for their cunningness.


    ''But he''s still a kid afterall. Someone who has lived in Cvoilics longer than others. The only reason he can escape so well is because he''s familiar with narrow routes and crevices, along with abandoned routes and buildings.''


    He looked at the boy who was different from his peers. ''Most of the kids who rely on illegal activities to earn a living either have pale faces or suffer from short heights due to malnourishment... But he...''


    Looking at his bright and lively face, the officer couldn''t help but comment. "Looks like you are living well?"


    He didn''t actually expect a reply but the boy in front of him, ''Unwanted Hand'' Belite sighed.


    "You call this a living? Running around, hiding in the shadows and changing locations once in a while and trying to earn a living by stealing food and locating people and memorizing them and the landmarks in the new surroundings... While being on the edge while not touching the Cvoilics Law Enforcements bottom-line in order to not attract those superhumans from higher streets? Yeah I''m indeed living lavishly."


    The officer, Liam, looked at the boy in front of him with an astonished gaze.


    ''Bottom line? This means he could''ve done worse things than he already has?


    What else could be worse than theft, robbery, stealing identites, fraud, scam of items worth 1200 Crystals and vandalism for a sixteen-year old!?''

 Struggles of a Sixteen-year old

    More than eighty years ago, Science which was said to be the ''Mother of Reason'' by the citizens, was at a loss of words when fissures started to appear on space, tearing apart realities.


    Scientists racked their brains and conducted research and wrote thesis, which, at that point could be just written off as uncertain theories.


    The fissures which had opened up in plain space itself made them research back upon atoms, making them unfamiliar with the molecules and gravity itself. In fact, they even doubted the origin and creation of the world.


    In despair, they provided a ''valid'' confirmation about the fissures... Until, something crawled out of the large fissure.


    The grotesque being had no eyes, had four arms and 3 legs, it''s mutated brain visible upon pure sight as a mouth hung on its abdomen, it''s tail wagging like a puppy.


    But it was by no means, a puppy. But a creature that had bought upon the destruction of the old world, and bought upon the creation of a new one.


    As large fissures started appearing in all places over the world, "Wells" started to bulge out of earth, splitting apart continents and rewriting landscapes as a strange energy welled out from it


    Scientists finally were able to conclude that it was due to the earth core, although their efficiency and accuracy were at doubt, the people had no choice but to trust them... Until, a new forms of beings emerged.


    These "beings" emerged amongst humans, possessing extraordinary might that could make the skies tremble, their might above that of mere skyscrapers.


    People liked to call them Superhumans, but as time went by, their opinions about these so-called Superhumans changed.


    The Superhumans as they called, helped them against the monsters and at last, after years of struggles, they finally prevailed.


    But that was in the past, the world remained peaceful even with the constant changes as the citizens occupations changed, so did that of those in hiding.


    ...And to represent the faction of the ones who prevailed against the monsters, the Brightly-lit Everlasting Alliance(BEA) was formed.


    ...


    Blurb Blurb Blurb


    "Ah... This is straight...!" Before he had the chance to speak, Belite was once again thrust into the sink as he closed his mouth and eyes while holding his breath.


    "Tell me! Where did you hide those Imperial Guns?" A seemingly young man who aged between 20-25 years of age pulled Belite''s head out of the sink while holding his hair as he let the boy gasp for breath before asking. "They were last seen in-between the intersection of 15th district of the Lower District Market, but they vanished right before our eyes after we had gotten a single trace on them."


    Belite, who had gasped enough air, replied with a solemn voice. "For a hundredth time! I do not know! Just because I was going to steal unknown and highly dangerous technology from yesterday doesn''t mean I had any knowledge of them! Cough, cough! I don''t even know what Imperial Guns are!"


    Under the policeman''s ruminating gaze, he mocked. "Maybe... It''s a skill issues on your end¡ª"


    Before he could continue his sentence, he was thrust into the water-filled sink for one last time before he was thrown on the ground.


    "Cough, cough." He coughed out the accidentally inhaled water out as he beat his chest, looking at the policeman with a cautious gaze.


    "Rest up." The policeman said after scrutinizing Belite for a while. "Don''t think this is the last time though."


    "Yeah, yeah." Belite stood up as he squeezed the ends of his shirt that were wet as a trail of water left them and formed a puddle on the ground. ''What bad luck, even though I was caught many times, none knew my identity. How did that Superhuman know me amongst the thousands of troublemakers? Am I that famous? To attract the attention of a Superhuman nonetheless...'' he thought to himself in disbelief as he sighed.


    Under the gazes of the prison inmates, he slowly walked upto his cell while holding the right side of his stomach, people below the age of sixteen had stopped recieving a lax treatment in prisons since decades ago.


    ''The more the world is seeped in chaos, the worser the rules. But to arrest every troublemakers...''


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    He looked around the prison, which he thought was small from the outside but was no less than an Amusement Park from the inside.


    It had all sorts of facilities ¡ª from drainage and sewage systems to climate fluctuations, plants, rides and many more making it look like a small city from the inside which was peaceful with the citizens(Prision inmates) going on their day-to-day lives while performing various tasks.


    And it was exactly that, except that the citizens were the prison inmates who were used as leverages to fight monsters and maintain the place.


    ''...That''s right, the prison is a freaking dungeon!


    Who knew a small building had a fissure inside it that led to a God forsaken place such as a dungeon!''


    And as far as he knew, the dungeon was being cleaned and used as a prison, barely maintaing the prerequisite of making the fissure stand tall.


    ''What would they do if the fissure suddenly collapses?''


    He felt a chill down his spine as he imagined the outcome. But he quickly shook his head and forced the thought out of his head as he heard the ring of a bell.


    Trriing!


    Belite looked at the stream of prison inmates rushing at the cafeteria as he slowly joined in, cautious to not be stepped over as he stood at the very end of the crowd.


    He still didn''t understand the endless enthusiasm of these inmates for just monster meat though.


    Even though they were highly nutritious, they were served in small portions as the energy brewing within them were dangerous for mundane humans to consume and they were strangely tasteless.


    He looked at the long line in front of him and yawned, he was standing at the very end of the line when even that was snatched by a random stranger.


    He didn''t dare pick a fight as the one in front of him was an adult.


    After waiting for almost an hour, it was finally his turn as he cupped his hands with his palm upwards, recieving the sliced monster meat that resembled a burnt steak as he ate it in one gulp.


    It was merely a handful, less than that even. But it was enough to fill his stomach for half-a-day.


    ''From eating exquisite and lavish dishes to eating this tasteless monster meat... Even water is more tasty.''


    Criticizing it inwardly, he got to his daily work¡ª Maintaining the drainage and sewage systems.


    Most of the prison inmates were used for mundane tasks and maintenance of the Dungeon such as these. Some were even used to fight monsters. Even though "sacrificing themselves" would be a more appropriate term.


    Thankfully, being a sixteen-year old, Belite was considered useless in terms of even lasting a second against the monsters as he was incharged with the wellbeing of the Dungeon.


    There were many drainages and sewers in the Dungeon, but he was only incharge of the ones in the XE intersection, so he descended upon the sewers while pinching his nose with his thumb and index fingers.


    He had already worn the workers cloth, which was just a pair of grey shirt and pants as he held something resembling a shovel and walked amidst the terrible smell of the drainage.


    Then, he noticed a rather huge swarm of "blacks and greens" as he thrusted the shovel and scooped the wastes and threw them on the opposite side of the pathway.


    The other side was already filled with wastes such as these and amidst his five-day stay in the prison as a "Guest", Belite hadn''t seen them being cleaned even once.


    ''Guess such honourable tasks are only upon thy esteemed self.'' Thinking in self-deprication, he resisted the urge to chuckle as he would rather not open his mouth due to the stench. ''I wouldn''t be surprised if they ask me to go to the opposite side, "scoop" up the wastes and throw them elsewhere.''


    Barely breathing, he went forward until he was faced with two-edged wall with a door in the middle and stopped.


    Knock, Knock.


    He then knocked on the door and waited standing upright, he didn''t even want to touch himself nor his clothes.


    After waiting for a while, the door finally opened slightly as a hoarse voice emerged from inside.


    "Yes?"


    "Inmate no.6052, Belite, reporting completion of task 2 of the 5th day."


    The voice didn''t reply for a while, but the hoarse voice resounded again while Belite was starting to get annoyed. "Alright, you can go now."


    "And like I said, mentioning your name isn''t going to get you anywhere."


    "Yes sir!" Belite replied with enthusiasm and a salute while he snorted inwardly.


    It was unnecessary to provide the report with his name, just his inmate number would have sufficed, but since Belite wanted to make connections among the prison in case of an emergency, he gave people and administrators his name wherever he went.


    Not that it was useful, ofcourse.


    Most didn''t even bother asking why he was reporting his name, the only one who bothered was the one in charge of the drainage.


    ''Maybe he''s a low ranked administrator? That''s why he''s administrating the sewers and needs some company?'' Thinking in this way, Belite had tried to engage in conversation with him multiple times but had been shooed away or left unbothered.


    Grumbling, he could only leave the drainages as he changed his clothes and showered in disdain. Atleast there wasn''t a limited supply of water, he bellowed.


    Picking up a list of sheet which already had a few tick marks on them, he left his prison cell as he headed place-to-place in the XE intersection, engaging in conversations with people who were close to his age and marking their name under the ''Completed'' category.


    He had made some progress inside the prison and had gotten favourable impressions from a few Administrators, thus being given a task to marking the inmates tasks done in the XE intersection.


    And this was a very good way to build connections as well, as he threatened the hostile ones to put their names on the ''incomplete'' list.


    But few were bothered while few were enthusiastic while many were indifferent and used death threats upon him.


    He could only shrink down his authority and swallow his words upon seeing the bulging muscles of those who threathened him.


    Sighing tiredly, he thought. ''The so-called ''Unwanted Hand'' being bossed around by eighteen and nineteen year olds.''


    Finishing the task that made him act as a mini-administrator in two hours, he checked the time on the large mottled clock tower.


    ''Half past three...''


    Sighing with regret, he went and informed those thirty year olds to gather in the front of the Dungeon. But as expected...


    "Oi, brat. Who do you think you''re ordering around."


    It wasn''t going to be pleasent.

 Predicament

    It had been a week since Belite had arrived in the Prison which was built inside a Dungeon.


    "Here you go!" He scooped up a big spoonful of soup and handed it over to the prison inmate no.6969 in front of him, but the prison inmate just grumbled.


    "I''m here for thirty years you know... Thirty... Years!" He enunciated every word as he spoke. "But never have I served food or gotten such special treatment such as yourself."


    Sensing the obvious malice from his tone, Belite shrugged nonchalantly. "It just worked... And people pity me since I''m a kid."


    "There are many kids¡ª"


    "Next!"


    Before the prison inmate could continue, Belite waved his hands as he sent him off, the prison inmate merely grumbled and muttered something under his breath before walking away.


    The next-in-line, who wore a grey shirt and pants, took his serving from Belite as he whispered slowly. "Rumours say, that the Lower Street District in Cvoilics has been chaotic recently. Apparently, many Superhumans have gathered together."


    "Rumours say everything..." Belite muttered with a smile. "Next."


    The single week he had stayed here, he had gathered information about this peculiar Prison which was inside a Dungeon. And even though the information he gathered wasn''t as vast as those staying here for years, it was still enough to satisfy him.


    ''After all, it was done in a single week...''


    Since the food that was served was dinner which was served at 10.p.m. after finishing all the work, he went to his prison cell which had a bed, toilet, and a small sink with a small vat of water inside while a curtain was hung on the entry point.


    Sighing, he laid on the bed when a voice rang from outside.


    "Um... Big Brother Belite?"


    Belite half got up from his bed and looked at the entrance of his prison cell, where a figure of a young boy of fourteen was outlined on the curtain.


    Shaking his head, Belite called out. "Yes? Did something happen?"


    The boy aged fourteen looked a bit embarrassed as he spoke. "There... Um, when I was cleaning the sewers today, I noticed a strange thing."


    Belite stood up from his bed and walked over to the boy, he then asked. "That is?"


    "Th-there was this massive group of rats that were gathered," What''s strange in that?Belite thought as he waited for the boy to finish his sentence. "They all um... Had big red eyes and were licking a bone. And when I arrived i-in front of them, they all turned to me simultaneously a-and... And..."


    Before the boy could continue his sentence, Belite patted the head of the boy, who was tall and almost reached his shoulders as he sighed. "Alright, I will inform the authorities... And I will take a look myself."


    The boy''s expression immediately brightened upon hearing this.


    "Which unit''s sewer is it?"


    "Unit 208!" The boy gave him the ready made answer he had repeatedly thought to not forget as he asked. "Big brother, didn''t you also work in the sewers and drainages? Didn''t you face those rats?"


    "I did." Belite replied with a grin. "But they got scared and tucked their tails and ran whenever they saw me."


    "Damn you really are strong... I would''ve gotten scared out of my wits just like today." The fourteen year old boy, who had somewhat recovered from his fear, didn''t miss the opportunity and started flattering Belite who was pretty much some sort of a role-model to all the children.


    After some small talk, the boy felt reassured as he returned to his own cell.


    After the boy left, Belite muttered. "They are all kids... Kids who chose the wrong path." he then chuckled as he added in his mind. ''Well, I''m a kid myself.''


    Since he had to maintain the appearance of a reliable older brother, he had no choice but to get out of his cell and strode over to the sewers after getting the permission from the guards.


    The sewers system were well maintained within the Dungeon as they had a pathway on each side with the dirty water flowing in the middle.


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    It was still as dirty and had a bad stench as before, with people rarely cleaning it. So he pinched his nose as he continued onward.


    There were many pathways and intersections connected to others, but since there were marks signalling them and the unit''s number written on the walls, Belite strode over with familiarity as he reached the administration office and knocked on the door.


    Knock, knock.


    "Hello! Anybody there? I''m here to report an activity of swarm of rats reported by inmate no.4269."


    He waited for a minute and frowned slightly when there was no response from the other side.


    Tap, tap.


    ''Is that guy dead?'' he grumbled as he tapped his shoes on the ground, emiting noises to keep over his boredom and small rats at bay.


    After a minute or two when he had ran out of patience, a shrill voice sounded from the other side. "What?"


    The voice sounded arrogant as if it had been disturbed in the midst of something Important, but Belite knew that the administrators bore harsh behaviours against the inmates so he didn''t mind it and said in an even voice.


    "Inmate no.4269 has reported abnormal activities of rats within the sewers, so I thought I''d bring this issue upto you upon his request."


    Belite had expected the administrator to shoo him away for bringing up such a stupid issue, but the administrator''s next word surprised him. "Elaborate."


    Slightly surprised and curious, Belite elaborated the administrator on what inmate no.4269, the fourteen year old boy had said.


    Creek!


    The door that mostly remained closed opened fully as Belite jumped back in surprise and caution like a scaredy cat.


    The one who emerged out of it along with a gush of green smoke was a thin and pale looking man who had squarish glasses upon his nose bridge.


    He had an annoyed expression as he said to Belite. "Lead me to inmate no. 4269."


    ...


    "Where did you find those rats, brat? That monster''s smell lurks all over you." The administrator of unit 208 asked the fourteen year old boy, who was pretty much trembling at his presence and the word ''monster''.


    "I-I encountered a monster?!" The boy asked with a voice that resembled a fading wind.


    The administrator didn''t bother with him anymore and sighed. "What a pain, there is a monster equivalent to that of 8th Circle lurking inside the sewers."


    ''8th Circle... What does it refer to? Class 8 in terms of Superhuman Ranks?''


    The administrator spared a glance at Belite and told him. "Go to the administrator of unit 302 and ask her to come to my unit''s sewers. Ask her to bring along the 9th Circle Knowlegde Keeper or Flaming White."


    Belite kept the words ''Knowledge Keeper'' and ''Flaming White'' in his mind as he nodded solemnly.


    ...


    "Unit 208?" The administrator of unit 302 sighed. "Alright," She then unequipped the microphone embedded at the edge of her shirt as she held it near her mouth and ordered. "Monster suspected to be ''Ratland'' spotted at unit 208''s sewers. Dispatch Knowlegde Keeper or Flaming white..."


    She then waited for a few seconds and nodded. "...Alright, Blazing Fury works as well."


    It wasn''t the first time Belite heard these names, which seemed to be a coded name at the first glance. But he suspected that there were more to these than mere coded names.


    After giving out several more orders, the administrator of unit 302 looked at Belite and asked him while she stood up. "What''s your age?"


    "...Sixteen."


    Looking at Belite with a suspicious gaze, she asked. "Can you fight?"


    "What?"


    "I said," The administrator took a deep breath. "Can you fight?"


    Frowning slightly, Belite thought. ''Are they trying to kill me in crossfire or something?'' But outwardly, he suppressed all the doubts as he forced out a smile. "Ofcourse, but I can only fight the likes of sixteen or seventeen year olds, and they have to be weakened... Because I''m quite weak you see..."


    "Alright then, come with me."


    "...I received less nutrients and proteins because of... Huh?" Belite, who was in the midst of his rambling, froze as he looked at the administrator in front of him in shock.


    But the administrator merely chuckled before she dragged him out of the building and bought him in front of her vehicle.


    "W-why must I come with you? Like I said, I have no experience in fighting!" Ignoring the futuristic three seater which was coated in silver metal, Belite anxiously asked the administrator. "Madam administrator, I''m just a kid!"


    He even resorted to honorifics but the vile witch in front of him chuckled as if she found it cute.


    He was seized by the wrist and thrown inside the three seater''s back before he could retort as the door closed by itself, his thoughts turning chaotic.


    ''Wh-what is she going to do to me?'' He thought in anxiety as he tried calming himself down. But it didn''t help much with thoughts such as:


    ''She''s an administrator and undoubtedly a Superhuman! How can I escape?''


    ''And even if I do escape, how long is it going to take her to find me? Not to mention her prowess, just her influence alone is enough to convince others to kill me.''


    He then forced himself to calm down as he saw the administrator open the door to the front seat(driver''s seat) and sit down.


    After calming down by regulating his breathing, Belite came to his senses as he thought. ''Just how useful can someone of my stature even be to fight monsters? Are there any sort of sixteen or seventeen year old who''s going to trouble them while they are dealing with it?''


    ''No, it''s unlikely. There''s no way she''s asking me to fight unless...'' A grim possibility took over his mind. ''Unless she wants to kill me for having knowledge about that monster, which could threaten an administrator''s position due to lack of negligence!''


    But it wasn''t rational either. ''Why would she take me that far to kill me? I''ve heard that a drunkard administrator had went on a killing spree of killing more than a hundred inmates before he was finally suspended for a week.''


    He snorted softly as he looked at the women who was in her early-twenties and was driving the vehicle and asked.


    "Can you please mention why I''m coming along, Miss administrator?"


    The "Miss" administrator finally turned around as she spoke. "Looks like you have calmed down," After seeing Belite nod, she said calmly. "You will be recording the entire fight."


    ''Oh?'' Excitement surged within Belite''s entire body as the corners of his mouth curled up, which entirely curled down after the administrator finished her sentence.


    "...And fight the monster."

 Blink

    "Wait... Fight? Me?" Belite looked dumb-foundedly at the administrator in front of him as he gulped and joked. "You aren''t trying to kill me by chance, are you?"


    But to his dread, the woman stayed silent, not bothering to reply as she simply drived the vehicle off into the distance.


    Calming himself down, Belite grimaced as he glanced at his surroundings, he was sitting in a pure white and clean seat while the doors on both his sides were locked tightly. There were windows but he doubted it was feasible for him to break them.


    ''I doubt I could even break them... This looks like the lastest version of HMVs... They use that energy from the Superhumans to work.''


    He whistled as he tried to glean more information. "Um... Miss administrator? If I''m going to fight, why don''t you give me some information?"


    "You might not know it but I had once encountered a brat from Beucrox family who was acting height and mighty in the Coastal City¡ª"


    Squeek!


    Before he could finish his sentence, the HMV vehicle that he thought of, suddenly breaked as the administrator said flatly.


    "We''re here." She then got out of her seat and opened the door to his. "I assume I wouldn''t have to drag you there?"


    Belite shook his head and raised his hands in the air in surrender. Smiling bitterly, he declared. "I yield." While getting out of the vehicle as he glanced around. ''It''s near the sewage systems,'' He then looked at a small brick-building at the front. ''There''s the entry...''


    His hands still up in the air, the administrator led him into the brick building with great familiarity, and when they arrived at the entry, which was two-three metres deep, she just jumped down while Belite used the ladders to descend.


    Splash.


    Jumping down, Belite noticed that the familiar stench around him had vanished and replaced with pleasant smell of Sweet Flowers.


    Belite glanced at the administrator in slight surprise. ''Is this magic?''


    But neither of them said a word as Belite walked behind the administrator, having given up resistance. ''I have lived a good life.''


    While he was buried in his own thoughts, he saw the administrator take the small microphone at the edge of her shirt as she spoke in it.


    "Already in," A voice buzzed through the microphone as she nodded to herself before glancing at Belite. "Target 708, right?"


    ''Is the target me or that monster?'' Belite thought in amusement as the administrator finished talking into the small microphone and slid it into her pocket.


    "Be careful," She said. "We won''t be protecting you if you are in a peril."


    Belite shrugged as he didn''t respond, following behind her until the both of them reached the big metal door, which had eerie noises resounding from within.


    Clang, clang!


    She then threw him her mobile phone as she said plainly. "Record." Before opening the door and heading inside as Belite followed through.


    Creeek~


    As they headed inside, what he saw almost made him gulp in fear.


    There ¡ª into the shadowy distance, was a grotesque being that had it''s figure hidden in the darkness that was feeding upon a skeleton that still had bits of it''s skin on it''s bones, the skeleton''s eyes were on the ground half-eaten while it''s joints were disjointed.


    Belite resisted the urge to puke as he held onto the mobile phone tightly.


    ''What''s going on, didn''t she request for reinforcements?'' Belite looked at the administrator, who was looking at the monster named Ratland with the corners of her mouth curled up. "Didn''t you request reinforcements?"


    He spoke without a tinge of respect, causing the administrator to look at him.


    She stared into his eyes for a few moments and sighed. "You know too much," she said, causing Belite to shudder involuntarily.


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    "Wait!" He immediately shouted. "What do you mean ''I know too much''? Why are you doing this?"


    He took a deep breath as he blurted out all the options he had thought. "If I knew too much and you are afraid that I''ll report it to your supervisors, you could have just killed me in that HMV or even earlier! There''s no reason to bring me here. Surely, no one could question such an esteemed administrator such as yourself if you killed an inmate or two, right?"


    He spoke with a grin. "And what''s up with this ''Unwanted Hand'' bull? A Superhuman knows my name? It''s impossible! I have never crossed the bottom-line of those in the Law Enforcements and have always remained under their radar doing petty things! Even the nickname I got was from a drunkard."


    "So, how do you Superhumans know my name? For one fact, I know that my life in the prison has been too lax, the staffs are friendly to me and I even get special treatment such as serving other inmates food with the portion being that of what I decided."


    "It might not be much in other places but in prison, food is something even those who''ve been in the prison for years wouldn''t dare miss. So don''t you dare tell me that it''s all because I''m a sixteen year old kid who''s a bit smarter than his peers!"


    ''A bit smarter huh?'' The administrator thought to herself as she chuckled.


    "And all this implies to one thing, that is¡ª"


    Before he could continue his sentence with a huff, he was coldy cut off by the administrator and her chilly voice.


    "Boy." She said, staring at his eyes with a chilly gaze. "I do not care nor know about what you''ve said so far. But let me make this clear to you.


    If you were in my place, would you like getting your hands dirty with the blood of a sixteen-year old? Absolutely not!" She then chuckled. "Besides, it would be more entertaining to see you fight the monster, no?"


    Belite''s complexion immediately paled, the words he was about to spout dying in his throat.


    ''That''s right... Humans, they are very weird.'' He had forgotten that even though those so-called people didn''t like to kill animals themselves, they would savour their meat.


    "Good luck." The administrator left, closing the door behind.


    Belite looked at her leave in disbelief as he looked at the mobile phone in his hand and chuckled. ''I had thought I had gotten into the crux of this matter, and I still believe in my own guesses. But oh well,''


    Belite looked at the rat that was savouring upon the bones of the skeleton as he yelled in a low voice and charged forward.


    "Heh, For Glory!"


    The monster''s figure slowly came into his view, it wore a black robe which had a hood that was on where it''s head should have been and then the monster slowly turned around to face him,


    In the darkness, all that glowed were it''s bright red eyes that suddenly became sharper.


    It didn''t do much, it just extended one of it''s sleeves and pointed to Belite''s direction.


    Squeek, squeek squeek!


    Thousands and thousands of rats immediately bursted out of it''s sleeves, heading towards Belite as if it''s own hand has extended.


    But thankfully, as the speed was uniformly low, Belite managed to duck at the last moment as he slid on his knees and closed in on the creature.


    And when he was close enough to it, all it did was raise it''s left ''leg'' and swing it at him.


    He raised both of his arms and held them in place tightly as his tight knuckles faced the ceiling,


    But all he felt was the cold leather of its pant''s sleeve and a squishy and soft texture hitting his arms,


    Then a hard metal hitting his back was the feeling he felt as a bitter taste filled all of his mouth.


    "Pfft." He gave a light laugh as he spat the blood and bought his head slightly forward.


    It hurt,


    ''It hurts...''


    The back of his head felt sticky and wet, giving it a heavy feeling and making it difficult to detach it from the wall that was against his back.


    Moreover, his arms and ribs hurt.


    ''That''s right.''


    Feeling a bit dizzy, he moved his head with great difficulty and looked at his arms, which had turned bright red, then at the figure that was slowly closing in on him.


    ''How foolish.'' He slightly closed his eyes and opened them, gazing at the monster that was nearing him every time he blinked.


    Blink,


    It was now a metre away from him.


    Blink,


    It was now half a metre near him.


    Blink,


    And before he knew it, the monster had crouched down before him as it gazed at his eyes with it''s fiery bright red eyes.


    It then leaned forward slightly and latched it''s face on his neck.


    Belite didn''t yell or mutter anything amidst the searing pain he felt on his neck, instead he extended his arms forward and punched the monster in it''s stomach lightly.


    He doubted it would even kill a mosquito.


    ''Ha.'' A light laughter escaped his mouth.


    After this punch, all he felt was the cold texture of the leather robe it was wearing and the soft and squirming flesh inside.


    ''...How many rats are inside you, mate?''


    He felt a slight pain descend on his heart but compared to the pain all over his body, it just felt numb. He didn''t feel any pain at all, as if it was insignificant.


    This made him remember the quote, "Humans are beings that ignore small problems once they have a bigger problem. But when they have no problems, they scrutinize their small and smallest of their problems and make it big."


    Maybe it applies to physical pain too, he thought as his heat was almost burning.


    Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he saw his world turning black for a second before he returned to reality.


    Scrunch...


    The monster which was latched onto his neck was now a metre away from him as it''s posture was curled up.


    Even though he couldn''t make up the exact distance due to the dizziness, he felt his world turning blank once again as he saw the monster distancing itself from him everytime he blinked.


    His muddled thoughts turned clearer as he felt himself in a new surrounding,


    ''What...''


    His new surroundings were black,


    Ripple.


    A small ripple formed on the black void in front of him as he heard a voice.


    "Congratulations,"


    The next moment he opened his eyes, he saw the monster turning into a frenzy and charging at him with a fervent behaviour.


    But it was immediately intercepted and stopped in its tracks by two people wearing hoods of black and white each as they said.


    "Congratulations Miss, target 708 is a success."


    Belite stared at them in confusion before closing his eyes in relief.


    ''Ha... No wonder...''


    He was right.

 Administrator Nanchoko; Seekers

    "What? Another kid has symptoms of Essential Heart Manifestation?" The administrator of unit 302 sighed. "How''s his condition?"


    The voice from the other side of the phone replied. "Even though he occassionally steals and begs, his condition is far better than his peers. I say, he''s got a shot at this."


    "Fine, report his identity, status and others... according to the protocol."


    "He''s the brat you mentioned before, Nanchoko." The female administrator of unit 302 in her early-twenties, Nanchoko, perked her ears. "He''s that ''Unwanted Hand'' Belite who''s been giving trouble for the local Law Enforcements."


    Nanchoko frowned slightly as she barely remembered that name.


    ''Ah!'' A flood of information entered her brain as she instantly remembered Belite. "The one with no parents or any affiliation to local gangs and often works alone? That sixteen year old?"


    "Yes." The voice from the other side, her best friend nodded. "That''s why I called you, take him to the Bellowing Embers Captivity and Research Foundation(BECRF) and make sure he goes through necessary protocols before experimenting... Don''t mess this up like the one before."


    "Yeah, yeah." Nanchoko sighed softly. ''This one''s likely going to be a failure, there have been more than 500 casualties this year after all.'' She then said. "Charge him with stealings of real Bright Emblem armours and Imperial Guns... And as for how we found out about it, let''s just blame it on that Blevoics'' merchandise truck."


    "Alright."


    ...


    "The bait is in place, Miss Nanchoko. The Target, ''Unwanted Hand'' Belite should be appearing near your unit soon."


    "Got it." She replied, lacking much enthusiasm.


    She had already witnessed hundreds of deaths of people from every age, gender and backgrounds. No one was spared from the ''Essential Heart Manifestation'' may they be sons of nobles or Superhumans themselves.


    ''Even though many beggers and those living in rough environment can be better accustomed to pain, there have been plenty of these who have died before. Their mortality rate is even worse than...'' She softly shook her head as knocks resounded on her door. "Come in." She said plainly.


    Creak.


    The door slowly opened as it revealed a sixteen-year old boy who had an average build and height. His facial features were slightly above average as he had black hair that were short and tidy while he wore grey shirt and pants that were provided by BECRF themselves.


    There was nothing remarkable about this boy, he was someone you would witness everyday on street and would forget easily.


    Nanchoko sighed as she asked him about the situation even though she knew it beforehand as the boy replied expectedly with an expression that showed he was bored and was merely a third person.


    "Alright, let''s go." She dragged him into the V-91 HMV that she had recently bought and shoved him into the back seet. She then opened the door to the front seat and sat down.


    ''Wait, why does he look relieved that I''m sitting in the driver''s seat?'' Slightly puzzled, Nanchoko looked at Belite who wore a relieved expression on his face but she then continued her indifferent act.


    "Um... Excuse me?" The boy started asking questions but there was no reason for her to answer ¡ª she shouldn''t build a sense of familiarity to ones who would die anyway, or else it would come bite her back one day in the future.


    After arriving at the designated unit, she jumped down from the top as the boy climbed slowly into the sewers as she announced her arrival as well as that of the target.


    She then led the target to the rendezvous point her teammates had set-up and handed him her mobile phone which was used to keep track of all the experiments and was quite expensive.


    But it didn''t come from her pocket so it didn''t matter. And as she was getting compensated for the damage...


    Leading the cautious yet calm boy into the room in where he would probably be massacred, Nanchoko sighed to herself.


    ''Another one...''


    Just as the boy, who was calm throughout the whole of their journey and even obeyed her obediently unlike others who tried to run at the smallest of chances looked at the monster ''Ratland'' gnawing at the bones at his front, he finally lost his cool.


    He started blabbering stuff which seemed like nonsense at first but made Nanchoko feel surprised in her heart. But she tried her hardest to make a poker face just like the time she made when the boy held his arms in the air in surrender to stop her laughter.


    She appeared indifferent to the boy''s words, which was accurate to the current situation alot and even chuckled to herself once the boy underestimated himself by calling himself just a ''bit smarter'' than his peers.


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    However, before the boy arrived at his conclusion, she had to cut him off or things would become more complicated than they already were.


    "And all this implies to one thing, that is¡ª"


    "Boy." She said, making her tone heavier than usual and making her gaze chillier than usual. "I do not care nor know about what you''ve said so far. But let me make this clear to you."


    Then, she blabbered some nonsense which the boy was forced to believe due to the grim situation.


    "Honestly, if I knew this boy could remain calm and rational in front of danger, I would''ve devised a better scheme..." She said as she sat down in the room that was situated just above ex-01, where the boy was currently getting beat up by the monster.


    "But because the situation was chaotic, he was forced to believe it with no choice in front of him."


    Flaming white, who was beside her looked at the huge screen in front of them where the boy rushed forward at ''Ratland'' and frowned. "That''s definitely stupid."


    "Maybe the boy has given up," Blazing Fury who stood next to her replied. "It would''ve been far worse if the ''Ratland'' we found was equivalent to 8th Circle."


    "What happened to the one who''s prowess was equal to 8th Circle anyway?" Nanchoko asked in curiousity. "Did the management take it away? I''m a 7th Circle, you know. I could easily handle tens of 8th Circle monsters."


    "Oh," Blazing Fury looked at the screen where Belite was lying down on the floor after getting kicked in the gut. "It is said that the ''Ratland'' equivalent to 8th Circle was killed, reasons;suspects, unknown."


    "But we have dispatched investigators and scouts to investigate it''s death."


    "Just like that?" Nanchoko asked with a frown. But her expression soon relaxed slightly after seeing Belite punch the monster. "It''s a bit funny. ''Ratlands'' are versatile monsters and ''Last'' machineries such as guns are almost useless against them, yet he punches them..."


    "Wait a minute..." Flaming White frowned slightly. "He''s going through Essential Heart Manifestation!" He saw that the boy in the screen had a red flame burn on the left side of his chest as his eyes burned. "If he succeeds... Isn''t that Essential Blazing Fury Heart?"


    Blazing Fury''s expression changed.


    ''Finally! I won''t be the only ''Blazing Fury'' anymore... Succeed, boy!'' Blazing Fury''s eye''s were full of life as he clenched the handrest of a seat beside him, breaking it in the process.


    Seeing his friend''s eyes burning with vigor, Flaming White chuckled softly as he refocused his gaze back on the screen.


    The red flames burning upon the boy''s chest raged as it engulfed his whole body, making the boy''s forehead form beads of sweat as his body sweated profoundly, making him close his eyes.


    The three of them had an unchanging expression until,


    The monster ''Ratland'' instantly backed off in fear.


    ''Succes!'' All three of them shouted in their hearts as Blazing Fury and Flaming White immediately went out to help Belite.


    ''Monsters are more sensitive to Heart Manifestations than humans. Their ''senses'' could compete with those of 6th Circle!'' Nanchoko thought joyously in her heart. "That promotion was mine after all." She jumped around in her chair as she watched the screen, ready to intervene if those two newbies didn''t get the job done properly.


    But thankfully, they did.


    ...


    "Been a while," A young boy with neatly trimmed and tidy black hair looked at his reflection in the puddle. He sneered. "Since I''ve seen this face of mine."


    "Why, you don''t have a mirror at home?" The administrator of unit 302 joked as she appeared in front of him with a smile. "Congratulations, you have successfully manifested an Essential Heart."


    "But was it necessary..." Belite nodded. "To throw a water bucket on my face to wake me up?"


    "You were fast asleep." The administrator of unit 302 said as she pulled out a chair from nowhere as she sat down next to the crouching Belite. "You can call me Miss Nanchoko."


    "Okay, Miss Nanchoko."


    Administrator Nanchoko smiled as she nodded. "Good," she then took a deep breath. "Tell me, how and when were you suspicious?"


    Belite looked up at her. "Its going to be a bit long."


    "I''m all ears."


    Nodding at Nanchoko''s reply, Belite started. "The most suspicious thing I found was my thieving history. I stole these so-called Bright Emblem armours and Imperial Guns? What a joke?"


    "How were you so sure that we didn''t arrive at an conclusion due to the Blevoics'' merchandise truck?" Nanchoko raised her eyebrows. "The truck could have contained extraordinary goods and it was a Blevoics truck. No one dared to touch it even though it has crashed and there was chaos all around, except you..."


    "So it was a merchandise truck..." Belite sighed in disappointment. "First of all, I would''ve believed it if it was one of those local Law Enforcers who bore a grudge talking shit about me. But no, it was the Superhumans. Those who we, mere mortals can''t comprehend."


    ''This kid...'' Nanchoko shook her head at Belite''s obvious flattery as she sighed.


    "Seekers."


    "Huh?" Belite asked in puzzlement.


    "We, Superhumans are called Seekers."


    "Ah, okay."


    Under Nanchoko''s bewildered gaze, he continued. "Besides, I''ve already bribed many Law Enforcers and Policemen whenever I''ve been caught. I''ve even went to lengths to bribe them to the extent of having my name erased in wanted posters and their ''so-called list of crimes'' on my name, even for the pettiest thing.."


    Nanchoko sneered hearing this but Belite paid it no heed, he knew his status was somewhat special right now due to "it" and he doubted his petty crimes would amount to much.


    "I''ve run all sorts of errands for the policemen, to snitching on others ¡ª to snitching on their comrades themselves to gain their favour."


    ''Now snitching on everyone to gain your favour.'' Belite lightly added in his heart.


    Nanchoko narrowed her eyes as she hurried him. "Get to the point."


    Belite spread his hands. "Fine."


    "When I arrived in this Dungeon, the Dungeon itself was suspicious.


    "Experiments on inmates, making inmates throw their bodies onto orcs and eight headed spiders? But what role does a little old me have in all of these? To serve as a meat shield? Nope, I''m too weak and frail for that."


    "That was when my suspicion started to form."


    ''So he was suspicious from the beginning itself...'' Nanchoko sighed lightly. "But what about kids of your age and similar?"


    "That only made my paranoia worse in fact. Even though they could be used for experiments, they were being used for these mini-community services. Why, I wonder, bringing kids to the Dungeon and make them do these petty works when they could be used for other purposes?"


    "Even though it could be excused that they were kids who have done crimes that cannot be compared to others ¡ª Please, I''ve seen it and the so-called ''Superhumans of Humanity'' don''t give..." He paused. "Don''t care about petty things such as these."


    Seeing Nanchoko''s expression turning impatient, Belite shrugged. "And since all the people here were unreasonably kind to me..."


    "False."


    A voice rang out.


    "That isn''t how you were suspicious of us, you were suspicious... From before even arriving at Bellowing Embers Captivity and Research Foundation."


    Belite frowned.

 Seekers Information Disclosure

    Hearing the voice ringing out from nowhere, Belite frowned slightly as he looked around with minimal activity of his eyes, spotting grilled speakers etched into the ceilings in the process.


    ''So these...'' Belite nodded to himself as he looked at Nanchoko who was scrutinizing him carefully as he shrugged. "Whatever. Here, I was suspicious because of that male Superhuman who caught me. How did a Superhuman know a little brat such as me? Besides, the excuse he gave was horrible!"


    Nanchoko sighed lightly. "He''s always been bad at putting up excuses..."


    "Also false." The metallic voice rang once again from the speakers, causing Nanchoko to frown and look at Belite suspiciously.


    "What''s this, a private lie detector?" Belite gave a light smile and decided to tell the truth. "To be honest, everything was suspicious about this. Even before the start."


    Silence.


    Nanchoko frowned as she lifted her head and gazed at the ceiling, realising there was not going to be a reply, she thought. ''What does that mean... Even before the start?''


    But before she could ask anything, Belite shifted the topic. "By the way, did I piss myself?"


    "Ah? Wh-what?" Nanchoko''s expression changed at the suddenly out-of-topic question.


    "Ah, I meant did I urinate myself?" He spoke, thinking the administrator didn''t know the third-rate words. But seeing her stay quiet, he added. "I mean... My bladder was full while I was fighting that... Red eyed monster you see."


    "Ah, that..." Nanchoko regained her composure as she said evenly. "As you are a Seeker now, having gone through Heart Manifestation, let''s just say your digestive acids are stronger... And more ''unreasonable''. The food that you eat and it''s proteins, nutrients and vitamins will be provided to your body naturally or even in amounts higher than usual. Your heart and other parts work different too, but the..."


    "Got it." Seeing that Nanchoko, who was probably some high-class young woman or something was embarrassed to talk about it, he quickly stopped the conversation before it got any more unfavorable. "So tell me more about these ''Seekers'' and ''Heart Manifestation''."


    ''Atleast he isn''t that insensitive...'' Nanchoko revealed a small smile as she said. "I''m not usually the one explaining basics to someone such as you, but since you helped me big time, I''ll do the honours."


    Belite nodded respectfully.


    Nanchoko took a deep breath. "You know the basic information about the Last Embers?" Seeing Belite shake his head, Nanchoko sighed. "In the Year 2034 as depicted by the Imperial Calender, numerous earthquakes of both small and large magnitudes occured, causing great unrest among the public."


    "After the earthquakes finally settled, people had noticed that ''wells'' had formed in many places, may it be schools, offices, rural districts, politicians house and even the old goverment''s headquarters."


    "Later, these were known as Mana Wells." Observing Belite''s excited expression, Nanchoko continued. "When they had first formed, people had noticed that the air around themselves had been cleared, it felt even purer than when it was those days when pollution was almost non-existent."


    "After countless researches, they arrived at a conclusion."


    "It was because of an magical energy named Mana."


    ''Mana...'' Belite repeated the word to himself.


    "What exactly is mana?" She questioned herself. "Mana, can be said to be an energy but also will." She said. "Every living being that possesses a will posses mana even though the quantity might differ ¡ª atleast after the Last Embers."


    Then, her speech grew slightly hurried. "Soon after when fissures tore through the space and Gateway Dungeons formed..."


    ''Gateway Dungeons?''


    Seeing Belite''s confused expression she quickly corrected herself. "Ahem, there are two types of Dungeons ¡ª One of them are the Gateway Dungeons where otherworldly monsters reside and ''spawn'' endlessly and the other ones are Underground Dungeons, which are formed upon exceptional Mana Wells. The Underground Dungeons don''t usually have a monster spawn but monsters come on their own here to build their nests and reside peacefully in an area rich with mana due to the exceptional mana well and as the area is covered enough to protect them from threats as well."


    "But most of the Underground Dungeons are closed off and a few of them are even tourist spots."


    ''Those... Majestic Dungeons I''ve seen on television are tourist spots?'' Belite doubted reality for a moment.


    But Nanchoko continued, unperturbed. "After the formation of Gateway Dungeons, the whole of humanity was under the threat of extinction, until... "


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    "Brave and courageous beings emerged among themselves, fending off the vile creatures back to their place of hidings and even killing them."


    "Those who had participated in the bitter war of survival between monsters and humanity¡ª Last Embers and helped humanity prevail in the Last Embers while making the most contributions ¡ª are known as Five of The World''s Leisure, two of these esteemed one''s are currently the founders of the Brightly-lit Everlasting Alliance, also known as the humanity''s Brightest Defense."


    "The others?" Belite asked.


    "One of them is currently retired while the status of the other two are unknown." Nanchoko replied with a shrug as she took a sip of water, which appeared out of nowhere as well.


    "Do Superhumans such as yourself feel thirsty? Can you even taste water?" He then added after he saw the watter bottle dissapeared into the air. "Is that magic?"


    "Yes, yes, and yes. This is magic, a small pocket dimensional magic." She seemed a bit reluctant to say so but she said it anyway. "It isn''t cast by me but I can only cast it due to this artifact." She raised her hand, pointing to a black ring that was in her index finger.


    "Can I see it?"


    "No."


    Belite sighed. "Since you said these Superhumans... Seekers appeared amongst themselves, they became one in the same process as myself? That Heart Manifestation?"


    "Yes." Nanchoko nodded. "It''s is due to Essential Heart Manifestation, the Essential Heart Manifests unpredictably, and can be successfully manifested after the said person goes through immense pain."


    Belite remembered the seering pain that soared through his heart as he nodded. "I didn''t notice much, probably due to how messed up in the head I was." He touched the back of his head subconsciously as he asked curiously. "This raises a question, what do people die from? The pain?"


    "Yes," Nanchoko replied. "While some are simple incapable of forming an Essential Heart, they die before the manifestation even begins. While few have problems in their body that restricts the mana flow. They die even after manifesting the heart."


    Belite nodded. "And these Seekers can detect when this Heart Manifestation..."


    "Yes, they can detect when a person is in the earliest stages of Heart Manifestation."


    Belite asked, slightly curious. "If it is about pain, what about anesthetics, sleeping pills and other drugs?"


    "It doesn''t work; trying to do so results in the heart exploding."


    "I see." Belite nodded, surprising Nanchoko a bit, prompting himself to think. ''Is my reaction and expression not upto mark? She''s surprised even though she should''ve seen many people die and even people like me?''


    Fixing his expression, he sighed as he asked. "So... Mind filling me about the details about these Seekers?"


    Nanchoko, unexpectedly shook her head. "Those will be mentioned later after you''ve gone through necessary protocols... But since the situation is a bit urgent, we will skip those and get you straight into your first mission."


    "Firstly, you need an identity with a last name... How about... Bretinzier Brosque?"


    Belite''s lips twitched as he shook his head. "No thanks, I would like to choose it myself."


    Nanchoko seemed a bit annoyed but she reluctantly nodded. "Fine," She then spoke into her microphone. "Blazing Fury, bring the boy''s mobile phone and other stuff... As for his clothes, throw them."


    "You should buy me a pair, or give me the money to atleast."


    Belite voiced out his thoughts but Nanchoko ignored him nonchalantly.


    "How much do you know about the Superhuman Society?"


    "Nothing."


    "As expected," Nanchoko nodded to herself. "I''ll finish the main listing and entry of your name etc, choose one fast."


    Belite just stood still in a daze as the corners of his lips twitched suddenly.


    "Levester Bostorne."


    Nanchoko furrowed her brows but she nodded nonetheless.


    "Alright, now focus on the sensation you feel when you focus on your heart."


    Belite nodded his head as he closed his eyes(even though it was opened slightly) and focused on his heart.


    Then, a flood of information overwhelmed his consciousness.


    ''Essential Eternal Chaos Heart: (Cold Touch): Living organisms touching me die,'' His eyebrows twitched slightly but he controlled his expression. ''(Wish): A wish sworn upon one''s heart is always effective... Once.''


    Sighing to himself, Belite opened his eyes as Nanchoko asked. "Well, what is your Essential Heart and Blessing?"


    "Blessing?" Belite asked, slightly confused.


    "A Seeker gets a Blessing of Past or Future based on an event related to their past or the future, the ones who had recieved a Blessing of Future get to walk on the path of advancement and the path of fate... But this will make you embroiled in all sorts of Fate depending on the Blessing you recieved, so the former is better if you want to live a laid back life."


    "Past, future? Blessing? Fate?!" Belite''s voice trembled as he said the last word. ''Ask. Essential Blazing Fury Heart.'' But he hurriedly composed himself as he asked and switched the topic. "These codenames that I have been hearing these past few days, what do they mean?"


    "Their Essential Heart, obviously."


    "Figures," Belite nodded. "My Essential Heart is the Essential Blazing Fury Heart, was wondering why the name was similar."


    Nanchoko nodded in disappointment. "It would''ve been better if it was something else... Like the Knowledge Keeper but nevermind." She open handedly expressed her disappointed as she sighed. "Then Blazing Fury will mention the specifics of Essential Blazing Fury Heart to you, what is your Blessing?"


    ''The girl on the speakers is incapable to detect...''


    Belite frowned slightly as he closed his eyes, pretending to cast a glance upon his Blessings as he opened his eyes.


    ''Trust, huh?'' He chuckled lightly as he sighed. "From how it is, I guess it''s a Blessing from Past, it''s called Cold Touch: Every living being touching me dies."


    Nanchoko''s expression immediately turned into that of a deep frown.


    "... I''m guessing it has to do something with your past in the slums?" Seeing Belite nod, she sighed. "There are usually Blessings that can be activated only through the mana but yours... I doubt it is as so."


    Under Belite''s startled gaze, Nanchoko grabbed his wrist and asked. "How do you feel? Drained?"


    "N-no!" Belite replied cautiously as Nanchoko frowned.


    "It''s a Blessing that''s active everytime then," She sighed once again. "Try wearing gloves, no, in fact ¡ª just don''t touch anyone."


    "I know it might sound harsh but it''s best not to do so..." At a loss of words, she could only say words of comfort. "Don''t worry, it''s a pretty useful ability that can be used to kill... Beginners'' Circle enemies and since you don''t have access to the Imaginary Circles of Fate, you wouldn''t be able to advance, so you''ll be qualified as a 9th Circle Seeker..."


    Not knowing whether her words were causing harm or good, Nanchoko hurriedly said. "It''s necessarily a good thing! Since you don''t have access to Circles of Fate, it means higher Circle beings such as myself are unaffected under your touch." She squeezed his wrist tight, "Don''t worry, okay?"


    Belite just nodded while looking at her pitying gaze as he himself sighed.


    ''What a pain this woman...''

 Involuntarily Involved

    After the awkward conversation with Administrator Nanchoko, Belite was led to the corridors of the unknown place as he and Blazing Fury walked along the corridors.


    "So you have the Essential Blazing Fury Heart... Good, good! I finally have someone to replace me!" Blazing Fury''s laughter rang out loud. "Though it''s a pity you can''t walk on the Circles of Fate... Even though it''s for the betterment of yourself, it''s a pity to me." He didn''t hide his discontent and dissapointment in his eyes as he spoke.


    "So you have a Blessing of Future?" Belite asked, ignoring the middle-aged man''s blabber.


    "Ofcourse," Blazing Fury nodded tiredly. "Even though that has caused me to work atleast eighteen hours a day without rest due to how my Essential Heart works... And I have to continue on this tight schedule till I advance to the 8th Circle..." He scratched his chin. "...Or Class Eight according to normal citizens."


    "Oh..." Even though he still hadn''t properly understood what those so-called Circles of Fate, Essential Heart and the Blessings meant, he managed to gauge a rough estimation of the man''s predicament as he asked cautiously. "What''s your Blessing then?"


    The middle-aged man let out a chuckle, as if it was ridiculous that Belite was asking him the question.


    "You seriously think I would tell you the secret one''s supposed to take to their graves?" He sneered.


    ''As expected... My situation forced me to reveal my Blessings.'' Though he wasn''t that worried as he still had his second Blessing, Wish hidden, it was still unpleasant having revealed the Cold Touch. Though he was sure he had to reveal it in the near future due to how troublesome it was.


    "Didn''t you explain your Blessing for your superiors?" Belite asked.


    "No? I didn''t tell my Blessing for none, my circumstances and Blessing were different from yours kid."


    Belite sighed as he nodded. "Alright," he asked while he pointed at his left chest. "Mind explaining me what an Essential Heart, Essential Heart Manifestation, Blessings, and Circles of Fate are?"


    Blazing Fury chuckled.


    "Aren''t you bored after hearing Miss Nanchoko yap, you still want to get an headache?"


    "Sure, I''m all ears."


    Blazing Fury snorted. "Fine, as a fellow Seeker with the Essential Blazing Fury Heart, I will tell you."


    "But for the convenience of your own and mine, let''s divide the categories into Essential Heart, Blessings and Circles of Fate."


    "Firstly, Essential Heart. What is it and how it is formed? In fact, it''s still a mystery to us on how it''s formed. The Essential Heart Manifestation is almost like a slowly spreading disease and Seekers with Prophetic Blessings have revealed that ¡ª Every single person in the world going through Essential Heart Manifestation is inevitable."


    Belite was stunned but after some thought, he frowned. ''Doesn''t this means I''m not all that special?''


    Observing Belite''s expression, Blazing Fury chuckled. "Don''t worry, there aren''t that many Seekers... Yet." He sighed. "My reaction was almost the same as yours albeit I was a bit disappointed at why I got the Blazing Fury Heart... "


    Belite was slightly curious even though his heart was this so-called Essential Eternal Chaos Heart.


    ''Looks like this Essential Blazing Fury Heart isn''t a main stream?''


    "After going through Essential Heart Manifestation, an exoskeleton forms atop of your Red Heart as we call it now. Remember, It''s also your most robust defence and your most known weakness."


    ''My most robust defence and most known weakness...''


    He lit up a cigarette as he smoked out a puff of rings in the air, showing that he was quite proficient and experienced in smoking.


    "As for the only path of advancement one walks on while they don''t have a Blessing of Future, it''s the Path of Heart.


    "You must''ve gotten general details about mana right? So let me tell you in a short summary, Seekers use magic to cast spells - and to cast spells they need mana - and mana is absorbed by your Essential Heart." He raised his hand as a wand slid down from his sleeves.


    He waved the wand a little as it''s tip glowed, which eventually separated from it''s origin, forming into a star shaped light that flew around Belite, which dispersed after Belite caught it.


    "See this? To perform magic, I need mana and to use and store more mana within my Essential Heart, I need to perform my ''duties'' as a Blazing Fury." He exhaled puffs of rings as he inhaled them back again. "And in fights of attrition, those with the largest mana pools usually win."


    "And for me or everyone, even those with the Blessing of Future, to gain larger pools of mana, they have to follow what their Essential Heart means... No, they just need to be ''swept away by the tides'', not that they could avoid it ofcourse." Noticing Belite''s bewildered expression, Blazing Fury sighed.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "You know how Fate plays a big role in all of this right?" Belite nodded at his question as Blazing Fury sighed, his next words making Belite frown. "Those with Essential Hearts...


    "Attract the Fates'' of their hearts, as well as others."


    "For example, since our Essential Heart is Blazing Fury, we will be embroiled in fates related to Blazing Fury. In fact, don''t be mad at yourself if you get embroiled in something that makes you so furious you want to just take out a gun and shoot everywhere."


    ''Since my Essential Heart is Eternal Chaos... F*ck!'' Belite swore after a very long time, feeling drained. ''This means I will be embroiled in chaos 24/7?!''


    ''I''d rather die!''


    Witnessing Belite''s startled expression, Blazing Fury sighed. "The best Essential Heart according to me is Knowlegde Seeker and Pleasure Keeper. The former makes you come across countless knowledge, which will then be bought out by the Government at a very handsome price and you''ll also be their pet ¡ª as after Last Embers, information is all we need on this unknown yet familiar world."


    Blazing Fury let out a chuckled as he said. "Hehe, as for the latter, you can guess the rest."


    Belite composed himself thoroughly and gave a knowing smile as he nodded. "I presume Seekers who posses both of these don''t need to worry about what Blessings they recieve?"


    "Not at all!" Blazing Fury shook his head furiously. "The former would be pampered by the government all day long and wouldn''t need to care about resources to improve their mana pool... As for Pleasure Keepers... They''ll be leading a different kind of ''lifestyle'' to care about petty powers."


    "Even among the countlessly unknown Essential Hearts, I doubt any of them could triumph Pleasure Keeper."


    ''Countless.'' Belite didn''t pay any heed to the middle-aged man''s degenerate comments as he took a deep breath.


    Belite sighed and nodded as he asked the question he had been deliberatedly avoiding from the beginning in a roundabout manner. "Still, wouldn''t it be better if Seekers who recieved Blessings of Past received another Blessing to make up for the difference?"


    "Hmph." Blazing Fury harrumphed. "Kid, Blessings are on a whole another level, receiving two of them is more or less saying you''re the Sovereign of the world."


    Belite''s heart shook. ''I''m an anomaly, huh?'' He chuckled to himself bitterly. ''Just like everytime...''


    Blazing Fury blew away the remnants of the extinguished cigarette and stamped on it with his foot as he took out a new one.


    "Sigh, ordinary things like caffeine, alcohol and tobacco lose their touch once you become a Seeker. You need them stronger." He lit the expensive and unordinary cigarette as he continued.


    "Alright, we are here." He said, looking at the door in front of him which he soon opened.


    Going inside, Belite noticed that the room was pure white, with a table and two pair of chairs on the opposite ends.


    He went ahead and noticed lengthy papers placed on a side of the table.


    "Please sit." Under Blazing Fury''s watchful gaze, Belite sat down. "What''s in front of you is a Divine Vow. You know how to read and write Common Language right?"


    ''Divine vow?'' Belite''s heart shook. ''This is bad... Hey! You, what should I do?''


    Belite nodded as he asked. "Divine vow?"


    "You know the local temples right?" Blazing Fury asked, feeling surprised that the boy wasn''t illiterate. "Even though the Gods are dead, their remnant powers are still running amok."


    Belite nodded and with slightly trembling hand, he took out an ink pen on the side as he read the lengthy papers.


    It listed the do''s and don''ts of a Seeker and plenty of rules, even going as far as to explaining what each powers of their''s meant.


    "If all of this was explained here, why explain it on the way?" Belite eyed Blazing Fury suspiciously as he pondered his chances of escaping out of this room.


    "Small talk, kid." Blazing Fury replied plainly with a shrug. "Please hurry, you might be a free lad but I''m not as such."


    Belite nodded and read the document, inevitably heading towards the Essential Heart Manifestation paragraph.


    Everything was the same except as Blazing Fury explained, making Belite wonder if the middle-aged man sitting in front of him was reciting a script.


    But there were still some lines that were unsaid:


    "Essential Heart Manifestation could be said as a Seekers starting point of walking towards the path of their Fate. It doesn''t matter what Blessings they recieved, they will walk on their destined Fate of their Heart."


    "Heart Manifestation has three stages regardless of the Blessings."


    ''Three stages...''


    "A Seekers Mana Pool increases as he or she walks on the Path of Heart. Even though refusal is agreeable, denial isn''t."


    ''What do they mean? Aren''t they the same?''


    As Belite skimmed through the vow, his expression turned to that of horror in the end, but he didn''t show it outwardly.


    As at the end of the vow was:


    "A copy of the Divine Vow sent to the Peace Keepers by the Temple of Bright Night.


    This vow shall be signed between the participants under the watchful eye of Bright Night God as per the following terms."


    Frowning, Belite took the pen and signed it with no option. He thought of trying to find a way out and a way to barge out of here but his resistance was short lived after seeing the name ''Peace Keepers''.


    ''The name everyone in the continent regardless of their nation, knows.''


    Amidst his puzzlement as to why he wasn''t blowed to Smithereens due to his anomaly, Belite handed the vow over to Blazing Fury, who signed it and stamped it with a Peace Keepers stamp.


    "Alright, since you know your circumstances, you will enroll tomorrow."


    Even though Belite understood some of it after reading the vow, he asked. "Why though, why the Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy?"


    Blazing Fury sighed. "Even though in the public''s watchful eyes, the Temple and the Alliance cooperate with each other, it isn''t the same in the shadows."


    "They conspire against each other in the shadows..." Belite nodded, knowing how politics worked from his bitter life in the slums. "And the Royal Magic Academy, being the weakest party in the conflict with the greatest influence over all the Academies of the world ¡ª has been chosen as a stage for those of the Alliance and Temples to conqueror."


    "But not under the control of the Everlasting Alliance, the Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy completely refused...." He flashed a grin. "Until we pressured them so bad that they finally agreed to let an informant/ally, each of the Temple and Alliance inside."


    "Hmph, even though it was us getting the upper hand and negotiating, they let the Temple in as well... To keep it balanced."


    Blazing Fury sighed as he walked up to him and placed his hand right above his head in the air before frowning and retracting it, remembering the boy''s Blessings.


    "But since they are fond of this so-called balance... They have requested for a new Seeker who has just went through Essential Heart Manifestation and can blend in with other students. " He laughed. "We don''t know whether the Temple has one, but we surely do now."


    He pointed at Belite.


    "It''s on you, my dear friend. A loyal informant of Peacekeepers of the Everlasting Alliance."

 Technology

    Belite sighed lightly as he looked at the red and white majestic building and the vast grounds before it.


    In the past weeks after going through the Essential Heart Manifestation, Belite had gone through many tests and experiments done by Peace Keepers to determine how his Blessing, Cold Touch worked.


    Under his puzzlement on how he survived after signing the Divine Vow, he got to know more about his Blessing, Cold Touch.


    The more he learned about it, the more terrified the Peace Keepers became along with Miss Nanchoko''s awkward consolment and Blazing Fury''s horror. Belite had learned a few things about his Blessing.


    Firstly, as long as the thing he touched was an inanimate object, it was would be fine for a while depending on the material.


    Secondly, the affects on microscopic organisms varied. Many of them died but there were few that didn''t.


    Thirdly, there was the problem that he couldn''t touch anybody. This, along with his Blessing Cold Touch, was already informed to the Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy under Belite''s discontent, as it was a necessary protocol to inform them about Blessings harmful to other students or surroundings.


    Even though it was not like he couldn''t touch anyone, it was harmful if others touched his bare skin or if he touched their bare skin voluntarily. It was fine if the other party wore clothes or gloves.


    Later, it became clear that even Seekers of 8th Circle had to go through some harm to come into contact with him, much less the newly 9th Circle students of the Cvoilics Royal Academy.


    ''It''s not like I actually care, y''know.'' Under the watchful eyes of the staffs and the students, Belite walked on the grounds of the Academy with a personnel of the Everlasting Alliance and Peace Keepers as a small bag hung on his shoulders(which contained magical equipments).


    ''This Cold Touch is undoubtedly a Blessing of Past while the Wish is a Blessing of Future. So... I''ll have to walk on the Imaginary Circles of Fate until I fulfill this?''


    ''Fulfilling Wish... That does sound a bit...''


    He had already tried utilising his Blessing called Wish, but everytime he tried to, he was met with an interference until he gave up.


    "Looks like you''re going to be single for the rest of your life kid." The personnel sent to escort him said. "Unless... You manage to score one of those High Circles Seekers who aren''t affected by your Blessing." The personnel laughed.


    Belite just shrugged at his behaviour with a sigh. He didn''t know how to react to that honestly.


    ''I''m going to stand out even in the best Academy in the world... Alot, for unacademic reasons.''


    "But hey, don''t be too disheartened. You can still go on those e-dates, but don''t be scared if the other party turns out to be a..." The personnel said as he laughed while he tightened the tie on his suit. "I can never get used to these things... Being someone from the slums, it must be the same for you?"


    "Ofcourse. But adapting to new surroundings was my top priority when I went place to place for money."


    "You''re different from the ones I saw," The personnel whose height made him a head or two taller than Belite looked down at him. "They barely had food, having to go through hours of tedious work to get a dinner or two. But I''ve heard that you even possessed a small house?"


    "Prerogative of freedom," Belite chuckled softly. "Although I''ve had my fair shares of troubles." He then added. "It wasn''t a house but a bunker though, just to store the valuable essentials."


    The personnel just nodded as he led Belite to the glossy doors of the Academy.


    "As mentioned by Sir Blazing Fury before, don''t forget about your identity." He immediately became serious, his previous playfulness gone, replaced by ice cold chillness. "You''re bound to go to hell and back if you mess this up."


    "Okay."


    Seeing Belite''s carefree expression, the personnel reminded him. "You are staying here from now on, there will be no one from the Peace Keepers nor the BECRF(Bellowing Embers Captivity and Research Foundation) who will pity you or keep watch on you, so mind your actions."


    "If you find the behaviour of a student infuriating, don''t you dare use that Blessing of yours." He warned, his tone almost resembling a low growl.


    "Yes sir!" Belite nodded as he saluted, recieving weird glares from all around.


    ''What happened to that friendly behaviour before? You were even giving me dating tips.'' Belite''s eyebrows arched up.


    "Sigh, a Seeker with an Essential Blazing Fury Heart and a kill-on-contact Blessing, what could be worse than that?" The personnel said as he gave him some more instructions that almost looked like it was recited from a paper before he left.


    ''If he walked on the Circles of Fate and had another Blessing called Wish?'' Belite thought to himself in amusement as he let out a chuckle, pulling on the straps of his bag to adjust them as he entered the large hall.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was currently the 3rd of March, Monday. Year 84 of the Glorious Calender.


    The day Belite joined the Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy.


    ...


    Amidst the chattering noises of the students, Belite was led by a staff to sit in a special seat at the auditorium as he waited for the entrance ceremony to start.


    He looked around the special-needs area and noticed there were many other vacant seats to his side.


    ''Maybe I won''t stand out after all...'' He then looked around at the noisy hall and sighed.


    ''So noisy especially when all the students have a bunch of topics to talk about... And I doubt it''s gonna subside untill an instructor arrives and starts his boring speech.'' Belite rested his chin on his palm as he looked at his hands. ''It would''ve been better if touching myself would''ve killed me right?''


    After testing his Blessing on various animals, they had gotten to know how it worked.


    On the rats they had tested, their insides all frozen in an instant ¡ª later crumbling into pieces of ice.


    It was the same for larger animal, no matter if they were lions, tigers, or chimpanzees. Their insides froze in an instant within contact as they died.


    Due to this, the Academy insisted on his enrollment, asking for other members of the Peace Keepers instead. But under the constant pressure of the Peace Keepers and even the Everlasting Alliance, they finally let him in.


    "Hello." Amidst his thoughts, a voice rang out next to him, causing him to perk his head up and look at the owner of the voice.


    "Ah, I suppose I didn''t startle you?" The owner of the voice, a sixteen year old wearing a blue uniform same as Belite asked.


    "Not at all," Belite said as he eyed him suspiciously. "Isn''t this a special-needs Seeker seat? What''s your Blessing?"


    The sixteen year old boy who wanted to ask if he could grab a seat froze.


    "It''s a bit rude to ask about a Seekers Blessings, you know..." He said, his voice still friendly.


    "Does it matter?" Belite flashed a grin. "Our Blessings are going to be revealed anyway, due to how dangerous they are."


    Belite didn''t back down even if the boy in front of him looked like a honourable noble. As he was a citizen of the Alliance himself.


    "Oh is it?" The boy didn''t seem surprised by the fact as he grabbed a chair and sat down beside Belite. "What''s your Blessing then?"


    ''Smooth.''


    Belite chuckled. "Back in my days, we used to ask each other our names. But now... Sigh, we ask about these so-called Blessings."


    "Oh is it? You sound like my ninety-something year old grandpa."


    "Is he still kicking?"


    "Ofcourse. In fact he even goes out to hunt for monsters twice a week."


    Belite was slightly surprised at the words that lacked a hint of sarcasm. "Your grandfather is a Seeker? And Seekers..." He was at a slight loss of words. "Like... They don''t age in the normal way?"


    ''If they do, then how could he hunt?''


    "Not at all." The boy looked at him in slight surprise. "You didn''t know? Not a single Seeker of 8th Circle or above has died due to old age after the Last Embers war."


    "I see..." Belite subconsciously clenched his fists lightly as he later loosened them as the boy in front of him extended his hand forward.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Erenic Kofter, you can call me Eric." He said with a smile.


    ''Kofter? Sounds very familiar..''


    "Nice to meet you too, I''m Levester Bostorne." Belite said, without shaking his hand as they rested on his knees. "I am the only son of the Bostorne Family, which is a part of the Alliance."


    ''I heard the Alliance and the Nobles don''t get along well?'' Belite mused, hoping that this noble in front of him would get out of his face.


    But...


    "Oh? It has something to do with your Blessings I presume?" Eric asked, slightly intrigued.


    "Yes, my touch kills." Belite then whispered. "I''m pretty sure there are a few guards watching this area to make sure we don''t use our Blessings." His lips then curled up as he asked. "What''s your Blessing?"


    "That''s unfortunate," Eric said regrettably. "My Blessings isn''t as extreme as yours... It''s just that I subtly influence the minds of the one''s around me to my favour."


    He then added. "Passively."


    ''Now that''s an interesting and scary Blessing.'' Belite felt a chill down his spine just thinking about that power in his hands as he asked. "I believe it can make people your slaves if you actually utilise your mana?"


    Eric smiled, remaining silent as he didn''t say anything, causing Belite to frown slightly.


    But before he could say anything, a middle-aged man clad in white and red suit arrived at the centre of the stage as he coughed into the microphone.


    Soon after, a few students were led into the special-needs Seekers area as Eric engaged in conversations with every one of them while Belite remained silent.


    "I ask the students to remain silent, thank you." The middle-aged man on top of the stage said with a smile. "Welcome to Royal Magic Academy."


    "I assume that all of you have the basic knowledge on magical arts?" He smiled. "But even if you don''t, don''t worry. Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy will take care of it all. May it be the basics or the advanced arts."


    "From the various types of magics and spells to how you will be able to utilise them," He lifted an ordinary wooden stick up in the air as it''s tip glowed and a sharp light erupted, as it separated from the tip and froze in the air.


    "...and combine them." The tip of the ordinary magic stick once again glowed as a bead of light separated from it and struck the sharp light frozen in the air.


    Shiiing


    A sharp pain erupted as the two lights eventually formed into a sphere that landed in the man''s palm.


    "This is a mana sphere, something you might be able to achieve if you work hard diligently." The mana sphere rotated in his hands. "Throughout countless researches on the Essential Hearts and its ability to store and use mana, our predecessors'' have invented the spell called mana sphere."


    Everyone looked at the glowing and rotating sphere in awe as not a single sound except that of the middle-aged man''s on stage reached their ears.


    "We ¡ª mere humans who used to rely on technology, have come as far as developing our own mana storage and utilising it."


    "And it won''t be too long before everyone in the world would be able to use mana."


    The press and reporters in a corner suddenly started clamoring as chaos spread in their due. They flashed the flashlights of their cameras, informing the situation to their T.V channels.


    Amidst the speech, Belite heard a sigh next to him.


    "Since magic appeared, the advancement of technology has almost stopped." Belite heard Eric say to one of the students next to him. "Did you know that these cameras are only a slightly improved versions of what were used before Last Embers?"


    ''A technology fanatist.'' Belite remarked casually as he listened to the ongoing speech. ''Didn''t know they still existed.''


    Belite sighed as he remembered the civil war that happened between the scientists and Superhumans two decades ago, and also the war which prohibited the use of advanced technology and any further research on it.


    Even though it was short-lived and was quickly suppressed within days, the collateral damage was taken too far when half of Madilan was blown to smithereens, killing millions in the process.


    It was also the war which once again reminded the ordinary people that they weren''t living in their previous world''s anymore,


    That this was a world where a single Superhuman can destroy cities, countries,


    ...and even the whole world.

 The Oldest of the Stars are the Oldest Preys of Chaos

    The middle-aged man''s speech resumed as he looked at the press and flashed a subtle smile.


    "I, as the head director of Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy, ensure that by the end of graduation every student of ours will be proficient in forming mana spheres!"


    His confident tone, posture and smile received wide cheers from the crowd as applause resounded.


    ''No whistles and shouts defaming the head director?'' Belite chuckled. ''As expected of a Royal Academy filled with vip''s, high-class citizens and nobles, I suddenly feel out of place.''


    Amidst his thoughts, the head director continued. "The mana sphere we have invented is the first in the world with only a few trusted staff of the Academy being able to use it. But we are going to pass the torch to the next generation, to help it prosper." The head director spread his arms wide as he said, his tone full of confidence.


    "But I assure you, that I stake my reputation on this and that I will release the spell''s script to the Temples and the Great and Everlasting Alliance!" The crowd clamored once more.


    The head director laughed heart-fully as he heard the crowd''s clamour.


    "Imagine." His eyes shone with a sharp glint. "The mana Sphere''s resourcefulness is simply a lot. It could be used nation-wide and can also be used in case of emergencies. It can provide energy for magic cannons, magic guns and even HMV''s. And even in the cases of the unknown like..."


    The people surrounding Belite held their breaths as they listened to the head director''s speech.


    "If a full-scaled Continental War erupts due to the westerners'' past behaviour, I assure you that there''s no chance that we, easterners will be pushed back easily!"


    "It''s time to show those sly westerners that we easterners are not at all below them!"


    Belite''s expression froze due to the sudden change of topic, so did that of others.


    But the head director suddenly clapped, smiling. "But that''s a hypothetical scenario, the pathway to Western Continent isn''t built yet, and we have had very minimal contact with the westerners. Let''s switch the topic of conversation before we get a bit too heated shall we?" A small lapse of laughter of relief echoed. "As said by myself before, we ¡ª the directors and executives of the royal academy promise to send the spell inscriptions and scripts to those of the temples and the alliance, for the betterment of our Eastern Continent."


    "Mana spheres aren''t only useful in wars and battles of attrition, they can be used to build too." The middle-aged looking man smiled, his eyes sparkling with a bright glint. "With the Mana Sphere''s, we can increase the speed of the pathway being built between the Eastern and Western Continents, thus bringing about new bouts of trades between the two Continents and enriching our economy."


    "It will also be helpful to rebuild Madilan and bring back its past glory, and extend our invitations to smaller countries on the outer lands."


    ''This guy...'' Belite''s eyes twitched. ''Is he trying to unite the whole Eastern Continent and bring a full-scale Continental war?''


    Amidst his astonished gaze, the head director continued his speech. "The Mana Spheres can also help in things such as agriculture. Making the use of larger scale spells cost-efficient, making farming more profitable to the Superhumans."


    It felt like a sponsored advertisement as he watched.


    "With the invention of the Mana Sphere, I assure you that the Superhuman society will change for the better!" He said, concluding his speech with short praises for the alliance and temples as an executive took over.


    Feeling slightly troubled, Belite touched the left side of his chest with a blank look. The circle had Rotated further.


    ''The chaos... Has it already started?''


    "Good morning to all the students who have woken up early," The executive who looked like a thirty-something year old said as a few members of the press and reporters started packing their equipment. "We appreciate your cooperation and diligence and hope you can continue doing so for the rest of the year and years as well."


    The executive caressed his plump belly as he spoke in a kind tone. "I''m sure all of you are agitated by the head director''s speech but don''t get too ahead of yourselves. You are all just teenagers who don''t know much about the world."


    "So let me explain a few rules that must be followed with utmost caution if you don''t want severe actions taken against you..."


    The executive went about explaining the rules, timings of events, what they expect from the students and what the students should expect from the academy, the wellbeing of a student as well as their mental health and how they could ask for help from the mental health department within the Academy if the issue persists or is severe.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "And please, no relationship within the Academic hours. Sexual activities within the Academy or outside it is prohibited. If a student has been spotted or has been provided with evidence against them, they will immediately be banned from visiting the Academy for the rest of their lives and will serve a prison sentence that will by no means be short."


    The executive then mentioned the names of the special-needs students and their Blessings and issued stern warnings to the other students to treat them friendly but to be cautious.


    "Mister Erenic Kofter possesses the Blessings of influencing and manipulating others mind subtly without the other party''s knowledge and making them view him favourably. It is a passive ability and if mana is imbued, it makes the other party unable to resist his commands..."


    Belite''s complexion turned slightly pale as he listened to the executive talk about the various abilities of the special-needs students and how dangerous they were. There was also one student with an unknown Essential Heart, even after many experiments, the nature wasn''t known.


    ''I thought mine was dangerous enough...'' He took a glance at Eric Kofter next to him and sighed. ''He can collapse my mind and make me a brain dead zombie without my knowledge... Scary.''


    Although he doubted that would or could happen to him, he maintained his vigilance against the friendly boy nonetheless.


    "Further information would be sent to your student emails, thank you." The warnings, do''s and don''ts concluded as the students rose from their seats.


    Belite rose from his seat as he noticed the few reporters who waited until the finishing of the executive''s speech to provide their opinions also packed up as they talked amongst themselves.


    He also watched as Eric exchanged his student email and phone number with a few of the other students who sat in the same row as him and Belite, smiling and talking with them as he rose from his seat.


    He also noticed that the lights used in the hall were of very high quality and expensive ones, the stage itself was shrouded in lights on the ceilings that were covered with black curtains and veils which were being slowly shut down now.


    The speaker grills on the ceilings, the loud speakers in the corners, the wires of the microphones being connected to the speaker, the executive holding a button of the microphone for a second as he placed it back on the holder, a few people among the reporters searching for the children of influential people...


    Belite swept his eyes past everyone, observing smallest to the biggest details even though there was nothing to take note of and the place reeked of normalcy.


    ''A king from the slums is still a king from the slums.'' Belite thought as he observed.


    But his gaze, which had landed on a tall and slender girl suddenly froze, his heartbeat getting faster.


    The girl which his gaze had frozen upon had light-blue hair along with a slender figure and wore the normal uniform given to the students, her gaze was also fixed on Belite with furrowed brows.


    Amidst his rapid heartbeat, a voice appeared out of nowhere.


    "The oldest stars are the oldest prey of chaos."


    He felt a lump struck in his throat as unbeknownst to him, a cold black glint swirled in his eyes as he instantly looked away, fixing his expression instantly.


    ''Damn it, who is she?!'' He looked around, noticing Eric closing in on him with a smile. ''No, that voice... Is different from his.''


    Eric''s voice was gentle and kind, giving off a friendly vibe.


    ''But the voice that rang just now... Was voiceless.''


    He didn''t know how it sounded, but he knew that it resounded within his mind and had said those words that were slowly fading away from his mind.


    "Did something happen?"


    He ignored Eric and looked for that girl once again in the same place, but it was too late as her figure had already disappeared.


    He adjusted his expression as he wore a smile and spoke.


    "Nothing, I just thought that I saw a familiar face." He lied through his teeth at the smiling boy. "Why, anything the matter?"


    "The executive said ''Teamwork will be sternly taught.'' I like to take things to face value, so why don''t we exchange contacts if such a scenario does appear." Eric said with a smile as he held his phone in his hand.


    ''Teamwork...''


    Belite sighed as they both exchanged their student emails as Belite left the auditorium, his eyes scanning the crowd.


    But no matter what, among such a big crowd, unless he had a Blessing related to scouting and such, there was no way he could find a particular person.


    Sighing in defeat, Belite headed towards the dorm.


    ''I should stay away from trouble...'' He thought, opening the door of his dormitory.


    Inside was a medium-sized clean room with a pair of cupboards, a couch along with a study table and chair and a painting of an aesthetic art.


    There was a window for ventilation where the study table was situated and on the study table was a small imperial-year lamp that ran on electricity.


    He noticed that there was also an air conditioner hanging on the wall with a heater on one side.


    It was, overall, a good and compact room.


    He then went forward and opened one of the two doors in the room and arrived before a bathroom which only had a shower, mirror and a sink as he left with a sigh.


    Closing the door, he opened the last door as he arrived before a bedroom with a small bed, a safe and a small window.


    He noticed that the safe was very peculiar with a few strings of different colours connected inside a squarish hole.


    Ding!


    Before he could examine it, a noise resounded from his pocket as he took out his mobile phone.


    ¨C Administrator Nanchoko: Due to some changes in plan, the headquarters of the Alliance has personally intervened and sent a few transfer students from Twilight City itself.


    ¨C You will meet with them soon.


    She messaged again a few seconds later.


    ¨C Oh, check the email I sent you btw.


    ¨C Me: Okay.


    Opening his private email, he saw an email sent by Nanchoko appear with a file attached to it.


    ¨C Nanchoko: Here are a few students you need to keep a careful watch on and be vigilant of. Remind me if any of them acts suspicious.


    Belite opened the file as his eye immediately caught a familiar student as he chuckled.


    ¡ª No.2 Priority: Erenic M.H. Kofter, son of the ''Watchlight Passer'' and the heir of the Kofter Noble Family, regarded as one of the Sixteen Stars of Eastern Continent


    ''Sixteen Stars... I''ve heard of it. But Watchlight Passer''? Such a weird name. He''s the top 2 nonetheless.''


    He then lifted his gaze to look at the No.1 Priority as his gaze froze.


    ¡ª No.1 Priority: Kiana, background unknown, suspected to be a daughter of an influential person in the Bitter Cold War and Last Embers.


    ''It''s... Her. The one with the light-blue hair.''

 Confirmed Suspicions

    Looking at the screen in a daze, he looked at his chest as he thought. ''It''s not reacting now?'' A doubt rose in his heart as he remembered today''s morning. ''Did the reaction, pain and that voice resounded because I saw that girl or... Due to some other, unknown factor.''


    Sighing slightly, he clicked ''Read more''.


    ¨C Kiana, last name unknown. Currently a student of Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy.


    ¨C Her suspected father, suspected to be a 6-7th Circle Seeker, and an influential figure during the Last Embers and Bitter Cold War has currently gone missing.


    ¨C Blessings; Frostbite: Can freeze anything within 3-metres of distance.


    ¨C Essential Heart: Essential Frozen Hell Heart.


    Belite raised an eyebrow. ''Essential Frozen Hell Heart? The feeling I got at the auditorium... Maybe it was due to an unknown occurrence then, as it was related to "stars" which is totally unrelated to her.'' He closed his eyes as he exhaled. ''What do you think?''


    Silence.


    After perusing the rest of the list and memorising their faces, Belite placed his mobile phone carefully in his bag with magical equipment and hung the bag on his shoulder as he left his room, heading towards the classroom after checking that it was the appropriate time.


    It was a short walk which took less than two minutes to arrive at the classroom from the dormitory.


    Standing before the classroom, he opened the door as he casually walked in, his eyes instantly scanning for familiar figures.


    The classroom was a bit bigger than he had imagined with dozens of chairs placed inside and a teacher''s desk and chair near the white board which reminded him of the pre-Last Embers or Imperial Era classrooms which he had only heard and seen in history books that he had found with effort during his days in the slums.


    ''Those days in the slums...''


    The chairs however, were mostly vacant with only a few spots filled as many students that had arrived early at the classroom were either getting acquainted with each other or choosing the most favourable seats according to them.


    ''There...'' His gaze which had been wandering, landed on the light-blue haired girl from the auditorium at the entrance ceremony as his heartbeat quickened noticeably, as a searing bout of pain erupted across his heart.


    ''Damn... It''s much worse than before, probably because the distance is shorter?''


    Seemingly sensing his gaze, she turned over and returned his stare with furrowed brows. Her lips parted slightly as if to ask ''What?''


    Belite was slightly startled. ''She isn''t affected at all?''


    Belite shook his head and inhaled slowly as he chose the furthest seat from her and sat down to calm his rapidly beating heart.


    ''Afraid you can''t control yourself, Belite?''


    ''Isn''t heart a part of my body too? What happened to "I, and my body and mind only do what I will." Huh?''


    A light crease appeared in the middle of his brows as he slowly exhaled, waiting for the arrival of the teacher.


    "Hey, Levester!" But a kind and cheerful voice rang behind him as Belite, broken out of his reverie, turned his head around and looked at the expected Eric Kofter who had been idling around. "Why have you chosen the seat in the first row''s corner? It''s next to the door too."


    ''Small talk is what they call it, right?'' He thought as he waved at the boy, who turned the chair next to him and sat down with his front facing the backrest as his hands lay limp on the sides.


    "Better viewpoint." Belite answered plainly.


    "Huh? Then shouldn''t you sit in the middle of the first row where the visibility will be the best as it''s directly facing the white board and the teacher?" Eric questioned, finding the excuse of Belite''s a bit ridiculous.


    "True, but I will have all the attention of the instructor, teacher or whatever on me." Belite said expressionlessly as Eric chuckled with an amused expression on his face.


    "True," Eric agreed with a nod, then as if he had come upon a decision, he exhaled lightly as he asked "Um... I don''t know if it makes you uncomfortable or I''m being too presumptuous and close but I can''t help but notice..." He hesitated as he glanced at his back then at Levester. "Are you familiar with that light-blue haired classmate of ours?"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Not at all," Belite had already prepared an excuse beforehand for his abnormal behaviour as he nonchalantly probed. "Why?"


    ''These nobles... Always so observant.'' Belite lightly added in his heart.


    Eric hesitated once more as he answered in a low voice while looking around his surroundings. "Well, while I was looking for you to exchange contact information in the auditorium during our entrance ceremony, I accidentally noticed that you were staring at that classmate of ours, and even when you entered the classroom..."


    ''Isn''t he a bit too direct? Your father is a nobleman, a famous one at that,'' Belite thought, his lips curling up. ''But... I don''t have any family, or any sort of noble status that I have to care about.''


    His lips curled up slightly as he asked in a sly tone."Guess."


    "...What?" Eric asked, slightly dumbfounded and astonished as his gaze flickered.


    "I mean, guess. Guess why I did so." Belite said with a sly smile plastered across his face as he awaited Eric''s response, whose face was almost frozen at this instance.


    A few seconds passed as Eric had an expression of ''deep contemplation'' while his eyes wandered in a daze, landing on the floor tiles of the Academy, which were of high quality.


    Thud!


    But before he could answer, the door to the classroom opened as a tall, bespectacled figure revealed herself.


    Without saying a single word, the tall and bespectacled figure walked over to the teacher''s desk and directed her stern and solemn gaze towards the students.


    "Settle down, all of you." She said, her voice not allowing even a bit of lenience as her gaze landed on each and every one of them. "I''m Miss Mumbe Berknalz and I will be taking the first cycle of the day for the rest of the year and years." She then pushed her spectacles back with the edge of her index finger as she cast her gaze over to the attention-drawing Eric.


    "Mister Kofter, Where are your manners?"


    Eric''s expression froze as he flashed an apologetic smile at both Belite and Mumbe as he quickly straightened the chair next to Belite and returned to his favourable seat.


    Mumbe then nodded as she cast her gaze at the rest of the class and a few vacant seats, looking at her wrist-watch a few times.


    ''Isn''t that an antique analog watch?'' Belite couldn''t help but exclaim. ''It''s vintage stuff which can be sold for high prices!''


    Tap, tap.


    "Looks like a few students will be absent for the first day," Mumbe spoke as she tapped her feet on the ground. "And since the set-time is already up, we won''t wait for them."


    She spoke as her stern gaze made many students shudder. "My belated welcome to all of you to Cvoilics'' Royal Magic Academy. The Royal Academy situated in the Capital of Welleysworths Union, Cvoilics and also the Academy hailed as the best throughout the Continent."


    "I presume that many of you already know about Seekers, Blessings, Circles of Fate, Heart Manifestation and it''s three stages, how mana plays a part in Essential Heart, what''s Path of Heart and others?" Her gaze reeked of unhidden laziness as she said the above sentences, then as if she had been forced, she said. "But since the protocols mention that they are mandatory, I''ll explain them to you."


    "First, what is Essential Heart Manifestation and it''s three stages? ¡ªEssential Heart Manifestation is just like the name states, it''s ''Essential''. Various scientists are still pondering and experimenting it''s unknown origins."


    "And the three stages of Essential Heart Manifestation; The lot of you are in the beginners stage, the beginner stage doesn''t have a proper and certain name in the stages and isn''t included or classified as one of the three stages of manifestation." She then said sternly. "But remember this, a Seeker goes through Three Stages of Manifestation on the 7th Circle, 5th Circle and 3rd Circle respectively. These three Circles are also known as a Seeker''s most difficult hurdle and bottleneck."


    Just as she was about to continue, a plump and fair skinned girl raised her hands.


    "Yes?" Mumbe asked, her tone and gaze flickering with impatience.


    But the plump girl calmly stood up from the chair as if she didn''t sense nor face the impatient gaze of Mumbe as she slowly asked. "Do Essential Hearts include all types of names... And cover all the types?"


    Belite, who already knew the answer and had quite a bit of knowledge on Seekers due to the information written in the Divine Vow, leaned back into his chair.


    Unlike how everyone had expected for Mumbe to cut off the plump girl, Mumbe unexpectedly listened to her question patiently as she answered.


    "Yes, there are countless names and countless types of Essential Hearts; It is said that only a percent of Essential Hearts are known to humanity but I''m unsure of its eligibility."


    After seeing that no one was going to ask any questions, she continued.


    "Second, what are Powers of Heart? It is simple. These so-called Powers of Heart are just Essential Hearts and mana. Due to a leak in the powers of Superhumans a few years ago due to a certain organisation, normal people know Essential Heart and mana as Powers of Heart which most of the people imagine awakens from courage, boldness, honesty, and faith in yourself as well as others and good deeds."


    ''So this can actually be used to scold the children''s like: "If you don''t remain truthful and do good deeds, you''ll never become a Superhuman or,'' Belite silently chuckled. ''They can be used in novels to extend the plot by using: "He was courageous, brave and bold. Even truthful, so he received Powers of Heart and became a Superhuman."''


    At this time, another student with a thin and frail figure stood up with a raised hand as he asked. "Uh... It might be a bit out of topic but can we know the name of the organisation?"


    Mumbe glanced at the boy and gestured him to sit down as she said. "It was called Cold Hostility of Dwar. It was mostly made up of normal people and contained very few Superhumans." She then added. "And if you''re going to question me on whether or not it exists even now, then I don''t know."


    ''Teenagers... Interested in things totally unrelated to themselves.'' Belite quietly muttered to himself.


    Oblivious to his thoughts, Mumbe continued. "Third, Blessings and Circles of Fate." She paused for a second as she said. "Many speculate that Circles of Fate, also known as Circles of Essential Heart and Imaginary Circles of Fate, circle around our Essential Heart like a ring, similar to how the various planets in the Void used to circle around the Sun before the Last Embers in the Imperial Era."


    She then chuckled, her tone reeking of desolation and sorrow as she continued. "But it is just a mere speculation and rumour that has been around for many years among rookies and newbies."


    "But in fact, there are no Circles of Fate or Circles of Essential Heart."

 Explained Conjuctures

    Many students in the classroom didn''t react as their faces were expressionless, while a few students had looks of surprise and puzzlement in their gazes as they waited for Mumbe''s explanation to conclude.


    "What I mean is that, there are no such things as visible rings of fate, Circles of Essential Heart or Circles of Fate." Mumbe said, her expression slightly cloudy.


    "It is but a mere concept made by humans to comprehend what we couldn''t understand." She sighed, her gaze revealing a complex look. "That''s why, one of the names they have is Imaginary Circles of Fate, just like the imaginary divisional line that was said to classify our planet Earth into different parts in the Imperial Era."


    Shaking her head slightly, she took out a polished wooden stick with a sharp edge out from her pocket. It was neatly designed with a few carvings on it.


    "This," She waved the wooden stick a bit as its edge glowed with an almost ethereal glow. She then went forward and pressed the stick''s edge against the white board as the white board shone briefly with white light before revealing an image of a black and blue heart with nine circles surrounding it as each circle had a node, which was at the same point, place and direction for each circles respectively.


    "...Is an Essential Heart. Unlike Imaginary Circles of Fate, it has been proven as something that is physical but very complex and complicated, to the point that we, humans, after decades of research aren''t able to unravel all of its numerous secrets." The image on the white board changed, representing a vintage clock with only two hands. "Now, shifting to Imaginary Circle of Fate''s simplified explanation, let''s assume each Circle as a minute hand on a clock."


    The wooden stick she held pointed at the seconds'' hand. "The seconds'' hand slowly goes over each second as time passes, eventually completing a ''rotation''." She then pointed at the minute hand. "After a single rotation of the second hand, the minute hand moves, thus completing the Cycle, or Circle in your cases."


    Tick!


    Many students stared at her simplified and compressed explanation with astonished gazes, even Belite was one of them.


    ''Unlike the scattered, crudely and briefly explained Imaginary Circles of Fate written on the Divine Vow where you have to ponder for a few seconds to actually understand while reading twice or thrice, using a clock as an example to explain the Circles of Fate... Is really creative.''


    "Now, this rotation can be classified as itself, the Rotation. While the completed cycle can be classified as Circle, in simple words, Circles of Fate." Mumbe flashed a smile that looked forced at her students as she continued. "In Circles of Fate, these are the said Circles and Rotations."


    "The more you complete your Fate and draw nearer to it, the more the Rotation completes and after each Rotation, a Circle gets completed." Her lips curled up slightly. "Just like a minute is completed after the seconds'' hand goes through a full rotation in a clock."


    She then sighed. "Ofcourse there are limitations to it. Since Circles of Fate basically complete their Rotations and Circles dependent on the Seeker''s Blessings and Essential Heart, if they are lacking, the amount of Circles a Seeker could complete and reach are limited."


    ''Just like how even after I''ve completed my Fate and my Blessing of Future has a ''true meaning'', I''m still a 7th Circle Seeker.'' Mumbe sighed bitterly to herself.


    "In simple words, it''s like the seconds'' hand and the minute hand circling the clock to complete a rotation, but finding out half the clock is destroyed or that the battery has run out."


    "Currently, the Seekers'' Society has concluded 9 Imaginary Circles of Fate, all of you students are in the 9th Circle ¡ª After graduating you will be classified into different ranks." She heaved a deep long sigh as she muttered. "But don''t be too overconfident... One''s Fate is dependent on Fate itself, I''ve seen many outstanding students skyrocket in their growths and potentials, eventually reaching Circle 8-7 in a few years, but then reaching a bottleneck because their Blessing isn''t capable of going any further."


    The thin and frail boy who sat at the back row scratched his head awkwardly as he raised his hand in the air, his palm facing the front.


    "Uh, Miss Berknalz, can you explain them in simpler words please?"


    Mumbe snorted coldly, gesturing to the student to sit down as she concluded. "In short, there are Circles of Fate which are reliant on the Blessing of a Seeker. Blessing are also known as predetermined Fates or Fate Carriers, Fate Appropriates."


    "To explain this in simpler terms, I need to first explain what a Blessing is." Mumbe said sternly as her gaze swept past the students. "There are two types of Blessings, Blessings from Past or Blessings of Future."Stolen novel; please report.


    "Seekers who have Blessings from Past cannot walk on the Circles of Fate, because they have already completed their Fate, their only path of ascension being the Essential Heart''s mana pool also known as the Path of Heart."


    ''Blessings from Past are like going through the trouble of finding your mobile phone and finding it in your pocket the next moment, hence all your previous actions and time are wasted since you had already completed the goal and action of finding your mobile phone.'' Belite thought. ''...Maybe I''m wrong?''


    "Blessings are also known as one''s Fate and Seekers who have received Blessings from Past are mostly ostracized and lowly valued compared to the Seekers with Blessings of Future ¡ª But this in no means is a disencouragement to those with Blessings from Past, our academy treats everyone fairly." She pushed her glasses back with the knuckle of her index finger. "Because Seekers with Blessings of Future still have a Fate to be completed. They can walk on the path of ascension while coming across their pre-determined and unfulfilled Fate."


    "And the closer they draw to their unfinished Fate and complete it, the more the Rotation of a Circle completes. And after a full Rotation, you advance to the next Circle ¡ª in your cases, the 8th Circle."


    Seeing the complex and puzzled gazes of the few students, Mumbe snorted softly as she compressed and simplified it even further. "Why don''t we take an example to help all of you understand further? Let''s take Mister Kofter''s Blessings, Warm Influencer as an example." All the attention in the classroom and the students'' gazes were instantly focused on Eric as the latter chuckled awkwardly.


    "His Blessing, Warm Influencer is obviously a Blessing of Future." Mumbe hesitated a bit as she spoke. "Even through the name of the Blessing is said to carry a Seeker''s Fate, it''s difficult to know about their Fates just by knowing their names. As just the name ''Warm Influencer'' might contain a hidden and roundabout meaning with various paths that we would never be able to guess."


    "This applies to both, a Blessing''s Fate and it''s combat ability."


    "But let''s take it to face value, shan''t we?" Mumbe clapped. "Let''s say that the ''Warm Influencer'' Blessing actually means ''Warm Influencer'' and Mister Kofter influences many people warmly in the future." Mumbe smiled, seeing the curious expressions of the students. "Then Mister Kofter will experience a Rotation and Cycle depending on the scale."


    "If his Fate is meant to influence very little of Fate, then he will only advance to Circle 8th or maybe even only complete half a Rotation ¡ª please remember that it''s only a hypothetical explanation used for showing the classroom an example ¡ª but if he influences a Thread of Fate, then he''ll probably advance to Circle 5-7 after completing his fate. Possibly even higher."


    ''Is she ridiculing me ¡ª no, us, on purpose?'' Eric''s eyelids twitched.


    "Understood?" Mumbe smiled in satisfaction after seeing the brightened and understanding gazes of the students. ''Those so-called private tutors can never compare to us, the professionals.'' She swept her gaze past a rich nobleman''s son who had an understanding gaze as she nodded approvingly.


    "But since Blessings from Past means you have already completed your Fate and have no Fate to influence in the Future, that means you cannot advance through the Circles of Fate because the Circles represent your path towards the Fate that is yet to be fulfilled."


    ''Or It can probably be explained as such...'' A few students made guesses inwardly. ''Like trying to cause ripples in a well but finding out that it has already dried out?''


    At this moment, Belite raised his hand and stood up as he asked. "Miss Berknalz, if a Seeker possesses a Blessing of Future called... Let''s say Berserker, then is there a chance that the Fate can go unfulfilled? Or... Do every Seeker always fulfill their Fates before dying."


    A few students also stood up at his questions as they asked.


    "If a Seeker completes their fate, does that mean that they''ll instantly reach Circle 1?"


    "What if a Seeker doesn''t complete his Fate..."


    Mumbe gestured him to sit down as she nodded, her gaze undecipherable. "A stupid but important question, Mister Levester Bostorne." She said, "Stupid because if there was anything as such, then everyone fulfilling their given Fates... Is a bit ridiculous as we would not be humans. We would work on set-instructions with no free will. We will be like those Artificial Intelligence fake lives made a few years ago."


    "But it is important as well, because it leads to another question to solve it; What is fate, is it never changing?" Mumbe smiled as her complexion brightened softly. "Fate,"


    "Is something that we can''t understand." Mumbe said unexpectedly with a brightened expression. "It''s something that I doubt we would ever understand."


    ''Her expression... Is something wrong in her head?'' Belite commented as he sneered softly. ''Saying that you are possibly a...'' His thoughts here halted abruptly as his expression froze slightly.


    But she quickly shook her head as she sighed softly with a bitter smile. "As for the questions asked by Mister Berner and Mister Lmner, first, the Circle and Rotation a Seeker completes depends on how important and impactful their Blessing and Fate is on the Threads of Fate." She said. "If it''s miniscule, then even though it was an arduous fate, a Seeker may barely complete half a Rotation."


    Many students in the classroom had varying expressions, but the majority were unpleasant.


    "But in my twenty years of experience, I''ve very, very rarely seen those who had easy to accomplish Fates while receiving a huge leap to their progressive Imaginary Circles of Fate."


    ''Rarely,'' Belite noted the key word as he chuckled softly. ''So there are still those so-called prodigies even among the Superhumans. Those people who don''t lift a finger and reap all the gains with the bare minimum.''


    Mumbe smiled as she explained further. "I''m now going to reveal a piece of information that the majority of you might possibly not know... So listen closely."


    Mumbe, under the gazes of all the students, said slowly, as she enunciated each word. "After a Seeker with a Blessing of Future completes their Fate, they will receive a ''true meaning'' which changes the way they perceive the world."


    Belite''s eyes twitched as his eyes widened slightly, his gaze showing hints of surprise.


    ''This... Wasn''t mentioned in the Divine Vow at all?''

 Tale (One)

    Thud.


    The sound of bag dropping could be heard in the lonely room of the dormitory as Belite slouched on the couch in exhaustion.


    ''Today''s classes... No, my first time attending anything related to an academy... Or school.'' Belite spread his arms around the backrest of the crouch as he sat while looking like he was half-asleep. ''Was undoubtedly hectic.''


    A memory resurfaced from his mind, making him let out an exhausted smile. ''It is far too exhausting compared to when I decided to get part-time education to increase my knowledge a year or two ago.'' He massaged his temples. ''Not bad, not bad. Constant activity of mind makes it sharper, better and makes it more able to store information of all sorts.''


    Remembering that he still had an important thing to do, he let himself fall to the side in a playful manner as he propped himself.


    With his head resting on the armrest and his legs on the backrest in a sloppy manner, he unlocked his mobile phone as he browsed the internet.


    ''Hmm... What should I search for?'' Being a part of the Superhuman society of Seekers, he already had access to websites that ordinary people didn''t. It was provided by both, the Academy and BECRF. ''This.''


    Going into a website named ''Trusted Finds'', he went and clicked the ''Free Trade and Chat'' section and started typing in the bustling chat.


    ¨C Me: Hello. I''m new here.


    A few people immediately replied to his message as there were both positive and negative replies.


    Locking on to the positive replies, Belite typed.


    ¨C Dear Seniors of mine, does anyone know why an Essential Heart beats too fast sometimes?


    Displeased, he couldn''t type the exact issues to avoid suspicions. Even though he was actually using a guest account and typed as anonymous, he couldn''t be sure that his mobile phone wasn''t bugged by those at BECRF.


    ''I couldn''t trust them even more as it''s a rest place and place of work for the Peace Keepers of the Alliance, who have a very complicated and differential opinions from the public.''


    As the brightness of his mobile phone reflected on his face, he started typing which went on for dozens of minutes until he received a text.


    Ding!


    Ignoring the reply of an user who replied inappropriately to his messages indifferently, Belite opened the message he had just received.


    It was from Nanchoko, the kind Administrator of unit 302.


    ¨C Nanchoko: Are you free now?


    ¨C Me: Why?


    He cut directly to the chase, and didn''t bother with small talk.


    ¨C Nanchoko: The transfer students that the Alliance has sent from Twilight City have arrived. If you''re free, why not introduce themselves to you and your surroundings?At half past six, you choose the place.


    ''So fast?'' Belite raised an eyebrow. ''Wasn''t the entrance ceremony just this morning? And they are already here by the evening? From Twilight City that''s afar?''


    Belite pondered for a while before coming to a decision.


    ¨C Me: Sure. What about the cafe I used to visit at Lower Street District? Bright Days caf¨¦.


    The reply arrived after a few seconds, Belite guessed that she was probably communicating with the transfer students.


    Ding!


    ¨C Nanchoko: Okay! Half past six, Bright Days caf¨¦ at Lower Street District.


    After confirming a few details from Nanchoko, Belite stood up from the couch.


    ''I won''t get any information about the rapid beatings and the pain in my heart that surfaced today on internet. All I will get are unserious and playful replies... As expected.''


    Knowing how online websites and free chatting places worked, Belite decisively looked at the time and barged out of his room while shoving a yellow coloured piece of paper in his pocket.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Taking a short walk of 3 minutes, Belite opened the door to the library as the pleasant chimes of the ornaments hung on the side of the door rang in his ears.


    Belite looked at the ornaments in slight surprise, wondering why noisy ornaments were placed in a quiet place like a library. But looking around, he noticed that the whole library was empty except for a few spots which were occupied by students with solemn expressions on their faces.


    "Welcome, I presume you''ve bought your library pass with you?" A librarian stationed at the door to welcome students asked¡ªwearing the formal librarian clothes given by the academy¡ª with a pleasant smile on his face.


    Belite nodded and took out the yellow piece of paper from his pocket and waved it in front of the librarian.


    "Ah, a yellow pass. Please follow me."


    The librarian gestured at another librarian to take over his place at the door to welcome others as he led Belite politely to what seemed like the counters at the local shops.


    The librarian smiled and bowed slightly at the figure with plain features sitting in front of the counter-like table and chair.


    "A yellow library pass, Mister Orsent." The librarian gave another bow towards Belite and the figure as he left, making Belite shift his gaze from the librarian''s receding back to the librarian at the counter who wore more expensive clothes than the librarians who were the norm and were spread out throughout the empty library.


    The middle-aged man, who the librarian called Mister Orsent, looked at Belite and nodded slightly. "The pass."


    Belite passed the pass, the yellow piece of paper away to the middle-aged librarian, Mister Orsent, as he seemingly typed rapidly on the keyboard in front of him and stared intently at the screen.


    "Your yellow library pass is a twenty-four stars pass. Meaning it can be put in use for twenty four hours." Mister Orsent looked up from the screen. "You can either use it per minute or hours until all the twenty four hours are depleted. After which you''ll need to renew the pass."


    "Please remember that if you choose minutes, it should be above at least thirty..."


    He said in an almost recital manner as if he had repeated the same sentence over a thousand times.


    Belite glanced at the time from the lockscreen on his mobile phone and said thoughtfully. "An hour."


    Mister Orsent nodded as he stapled a star on the yellow library pass and handed it back to Belite.


    "Even if you don''t use the library, or if you have to go out of the library due to certain reasons, the one hour that has been used from your pass won''t change." He smiled suddenly. "If you want to renew your pass or extend the time even further, or for membership plans, please contact me."


    "Okay." Belite folded the library pass and placed it in his pocket as he left the counter-like place, his gaze wandering over the library.


    The library was quite clean. There were books neatly placed on the shelves with numericals and alphabets below them to make the rows easy to remember.


    The bookshelves even had narrow gaps that separated them from each other while providing space to move for the people.


    Belite wandered off for a minute before he found a librarian, then, after asking for directions and topics related to Essential Heart, he arrived at the section ''E-1''.


    Tiptoeing, he picked the book atop of the shelf that was two heads taller than him as he looked at the cover, which was quite familiar.


    "Tale of Last Embers, The Black Dragon''s Wrath: Part 7."


    Flipping through the book aimlessly ¡ª which wasn''t the one he originally wanted to find ¡ª he reminisced on the times when he used to pick up pages of the book found on streets and garbage bins and collect them, eventually sticking them with glue to make sure that they wouldn''t part and resembled a coverless book.


    ''It had taken me years to even come across a real book. Knowledge surely became more scarce after recent events even if it''s a fantasy book.''


    Belite chuckled and turned his head, looking for a quiet place to sit and read at, when suddenly his smile and expression froze.


    Thud!


    His heart, which had been calm and serene all the while showed abnormalities for the third time of the day.


    His heart, which had no issues for the past sixteen years of his long life, burst into short bouts of pain with each heartbeat as he slowly inhaled.


    His gaze ¡ª which had frozen upon a quiet table with a young and slender girl sitting on it, suddenly regained its liveliness as his pupils quivered slightly.


    ''That girl again...'' He sighed, his gaze fixated on the girl with light-blue hair which resembled the serene sky as he leaned slightly against the bookshelf.


    ''I haven''t found any answers on the internet about my abnormality. And I doubt I will find answers in this vast library too.'' He thought. ''Even though I can just ask the librarians, what if... It''s a mystery that shouldn''t be revealed just like that "friend of mine". It''s just unnecessary trouble.''


    ''But...'' His lips curled up slightly. ''Even though it''s a bit risky and is similar to confronting the eye of the storm directly...''


    ''Why not pluck the root at the source of its problem?''


    Humming a tone nonchalantly, he took short strides as the bouts of pain in his heart intensified at rapid succession, making him feel rather troubled at maintaining his composure.


    Even worse was, his breathings were affected the nearer he went towards the table lit up by a lamp.


    He needed to gasp more air as if he was performing an action that was burdening his body and needed more air to maintain his stability, even though even breathing became slightly painful.


    ''Is it even affecting my lungs?'' Belite forced a smile. ''Wow. I wonder if this is how a heart-attack feels like.'' As he neared 3-metres from the table, every heartbeat of his came with intensified pain that made him clench his teeth to not scream out loud.


    ''I even feel slight pain in my ribcage... Will my heart really jump out of my mouth or something?'' He chuckled hollowly.


    At this point, due to his sluggish moments and uneven steps, the girl with light-blue hair at the study table raised her head and stared at him incredulously.


    Belite, whose moments resembled a drunkard, nonchalantly flashed a forced smile as he returned her gaze.


    "Hi.


    Mind if I grab a seat?" He said through gritted teeth as he instantly shut his mouth after the words left his mouth, forcing his mouth shut.

 Tale (Two)

    The girl with light-blue hair named Kiana, looked at his pale countenance for a second before she shook her head.


    "No," She said, her voice calm and even. "I don''t."


    "Thank you." Belite managed to utter two forced words without making his voice tremble as he slightly lifted the chair in order to make decreased screeching sounds and pulled it gently, which was hard in and off itself due to the involuntary trembling of his arms.


    Sitting across her, Belite tried his best to ignore the voiceless voice''s, "The Oldest Stars are the oldest preys of Chaos" as he took a sneaky glance at her.


    The girl in front of him, unlike him ¡ª didn''t have a pale face nor did her movements as she turned the pages look forced or heavy. It was as if everything was normal and was even smooth.


    Belite frowned slightly.


    ''Is it only me?'' He gritted his teeth. He was barely able to maintain his composure with all the pain-resistance he had managed to accumulate during his days in slums. ''But... She''s able to stay calm even in this situation? Impossible?'' But he soon shook his head as he forcefully chuckled, as if finding the book cover he was staring at was funny.


    ''If anything, all these years in the slums has taught me one thing. To never underestimate humans.''


    Intending to test this himself, he flipped the book in front him as he tried to focus on the first page amidst the searing pain of his heartbeats, rib cage and breathing.


    ""Tale of Last Embers, The Black Dragon''s Wrath: Part 7 ¡ª Bloodborne.


    Author: Ryne Awkback, Owner: Bellowing Dusk.


    Year: Unknown, Last Embers War.


    Verholin, which faced the Eastern Coast of the Eastern Continent was engaged in the violent tribulation of war, its fate constantly upturned.


    The Black Dragon of the East fought vigorously with the oceanic orcs coming from the vast ocean as he alone held up the Sacred Line.


    His comrades, Inextinguishable Light and Browning Yellowstone of Sun fought against the desert orcs as they guffawed with serious injuries on their bodies.


    They held up the braziers of light from the Ancient Era as they withheld the Succession Ceremony on the spot and elected their Emperor. The first one to appear after centuries...""


    Reading the tale, he sneakily skipped several pages as he read the pages that depicted the end, unable to focus.


    ''I''m unable to understand even the Common Language of the Eastern Continent...''


    He sighed as he tried reading the second to last page.


    ""After unknown years of battles, humanity had finally pushed past the Green Head Region, arriving before the vast sea that had sunk upon vast continents as researchers brandished their equipment like swords and started spreading out towards every inch of the present Silent Pathway Region.


    After the Newly-Crowned-Emperor''s unfortunate death and humanity''s unquenching fury, humans, after seven years... Had finally found oil. (The first-time oil was found in the midst of Last Embers was said to be in the Silent Pathway Region according to Neolway Casyo and the Casyo brothers. But Belnheart of Dark Breath''s Theory states that it was actually found in Mount Nival. Currently both are unconfirmed.)


    The first type of oil found after the drastic change of regions and maps was thus came to be known as Diminishing Oils which is used for Diminishing Lamps and many other equipment currently. (Refer to page 96 for elaboration...)""


    Belite raised his head slightly in a robotic way as he directed his gaze towards the lamp placed on the study table, then at an image of a lamp with intricate design on the book.


    Even though he was unable to delve deeper into the design and compare it due to his current state and blurry eyes, he was rational enough to know that the lamp placed on the table and the one depicted in the book were of the same origins.


    ''Diminishing Lamps... To think that the famous and rich-people lamps are placed on mere study tables... As expected of Cvoilics Royal Academy.'' Belite calmed down his breathing and tried to even it as he shook his head slightly, trying to switch his attention from the pain through disrespectful remarks. ''Even though the light headed-ness is still present, the pain is slowly receding.''


    Taking a deep breath, Belite''s gaze shone with complex emotions as he lifted his head and directed his gaze at the girl in front of him.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Have we met before?" His low and soft voice rang in the desolate library along with a slight quiver. "I couldn''t help but get the feeling that you''re someone familiar."


    The girl in front of him slowly lifted her head and looked in his eyes, then sighed.


    "I don''t think so. I doubt I would''ve forgotten someone... As memorable as you."


    This time, it was Belite''s turn to stare at her incredulously.


    ''Me? Memorable?'' He recounted a memory from the past. ''Someone who met me a week or two ago didn''t have a single recollection of the meeting... So how could such an esteemed... Sigh...''


    ''...Forget it.''


    "Nevermind." Belite shook his head and refocused his gaze back on the book, frowning slightly.


    ''Huh?'' However, his vision, which had been blurry all this time, suddenly blacked out!


    Blink.


    As if it was blocked by black droplets of water out of nowhere.


    Belite touched his eyes then his face absentmindedly as he didn''t feel anything out of ordinary except for his increasing temperature.


    Then, Belite lifted his head and looked around as his brows furrowed even tighter.


    Everything and every object in his surroundings were becoming blurry. Even including those a metre away from him


    He wasn''t even able to see his own pair of hands.


    But amidst all that was blurry, the only point of vision that was clear was ¡ª The place where the slender girl in front of him sat.


    "The Oldest Stars are the oldest preys of Chaos..."


    In that instant, an indescribable tidal wave surged in his heart as he instantly averted his gaze and stood up while gasping for air violently.


    Then, without a care for his surroundings, or managing to maintain certain etiquette such as ''Excuse me'' or ''Sorry'' that Nanchoko and others had taught him, Belite barged out of the library.


    ...


    As he walked on the gardens of the Academy to return to his room as soon as possible, all Belite felt was pain.


    Walking in the opposite direction of the academy, he couldn''t help but break out into a sprint without a care for other people ¡ª May it be students or Instructors.


    He, who always kept a careful watch on his surroundings couldn''t help but feel anxiety surge in his heart at his blurry surroundings. Bringing about the memories of the past. But the pain that was brought upon his heart everytime it thumped made him forget about all the caution as he instinctively resisted the urge to return to the library.


    But thankfully, while clenching his teeth and with a demeanor resembling a flushed drunkard, Belite returned to his dormitory and instantly closed the door and pulled the curtains.


    Then, limping over to the bathroom in hurry, Belite immediately closed the door and turned on all the taps within his reach.


    Slushh.


    Water surged from the now open taps.


    Splash!


    Belite fell weakly on the ground as he let out a suppressed scream.


    "Ah... Ahhh..." ...Which later turned into a shrill shout as he desperately tried to clutch his throat to minimise the sound.


    ''Damn it, damn it, damn it!'' He clutched his head as he rolled on the floor, emitting splashing sounds as even the touch of water felt painful for his skin. "This damned thing... Ahh!"


    It was as if all the pain tolerance he had built up to date was a joke. He wanted to try his best to get out of this seething hell as soon as possible.


    He wanted to scream, rip his skin out, pull his hair and tendons out and rip his heart out for failing to...


    ...what?


    Splash, splash, splash!


    Belite clutched his chest in pain as he forcefully clenched his teeth so hard that they threatened to break.


    Then, with clenched fists that were balled up, he placed his knuckles forcefully against the floor as he stood up!


    "Huff... Huff... Huff." For a while, the only sounds in the bathroom were that of rapid breaths of Belite and the water that was flowing ceaselessly.


    Then suddenly, Belite erupted into a maniacal laughter as he slowly let go of his clutched chest.


    "Do you think this can stop me...?" He spoke in a low voice. "Really?"


    The corners of his mouth curled up.


    "I don''t think so."


    Then, with aching wrists and pain, he slowly reached out as he turned heads of the water taps and stopped the water flow, letting the water drain as he left the bathroom drenched with cold and dripping water.


    Drip, drip, drip.


    His dull gaze sharpened as he let out huffs of air and took in a deep breath. "I can still breathe... Wow. I can breathe!" He said in a low voice.


    "Whatever that was, was undoubtedly the worst... The worst of the worst pain I went through..." A cold shudder instinctively went down his spine as he involuntarily clenched his fists.


    He calmed down a little as he refocused on his body, feeling the pain slowly recede throughout all of his body as he rolled his aching shoulders and unfurled his fists.


    Recalling the pain which first occured from the heartbeats, then slowly receded but spread throughout his whole body, Belite couldn''t help but feel goosebumps all over his skin along with a bad taste that emerged in his mouth.


    ''Testing the waters...'' Belite inhaled. ''I''m done with that...''


    His gaze, which had been dim moments ago suddenly sharpened as a flood of information entered his brain!


    ''...What?'' His expression changed the next instant as his eyelids twitched in disbelief. ''Essential Chaos Heart?''


    He then looked around as if this was a joke and then clutched his heart and tried to get around this feeling of displeasure.


    ''Did my heart just... Evolve? Or devolve?'' His gaze remained frozen as he recalled the sudden surge of information, which mentioned the ''Essential Chaos Heart''. "Hey, hey! Did I gain another heart or did my Essential Heart evolve?"


    His thoughts a mess and in disbelief, he closed his eyes as he took a glance upon the information of the newly [Essential Chaos Heart].


    "What happened to the ''Eternal'' Chaos Heart? Is it lost for eternity?"


    He blurted out his thoughts by accident as he instantly shut his mouth. But after a prolonged period of silence, he shook his head and changed his clothes.


    ''Thankfully, my mobile phone was modified by BECRF. Or I would''ve lost quite a bit of... Proofs and information that are no longer valuable due to water damage. '' Belite chuckled bitterly as he cleaned and mopped the floor and wore a white shirt and black trousers.


    Then, after checking the time which was a minute away from six, Belite left the dormitory as he arrived before the academy''s enormous and well protected gate and went past it after showing the guards his id.


    Then, he booked a Civil Specialised Vehicle(CSV) through his mobile phone and waited a minute before a four-wheeler with intricate design that lacked colours stood before him.

 Old Juveno

    It was a normal day for old Juveno. He was turning sixty-one this year and his new pick-up job and drop-off Escort job he had recently decided to join with his own Civil Personalised Vehicle gave him increased pay with minimised work.


    Thank God he had listened to his son and had bought a vehicle instantly when the price lowered due to the so-called Blevoics versus Merxoics bullsh*t he was hearing recently.


    But he didn''t need to worry much about all the complicated issues as his grandson was a full-fledged Class Nine Superhero!


    With a sweep of his grandson''s hand, Juveno was sure that the whole of Blevoics and Merxoics would be upturned.


    Ding!


    But it wasn''t the time to reminisce about his family and old times yet. He was far away from being a cowardly and frail old man. He could do more than to sit on a chair and read newspapers while lecturing others about his harsh past.


    Looking at his smartwatch which was gifted to him by his son, Juveno noticed an emergency request that was paying a huge sum of 20 Crystals just to go to a cafe in Lower Street District!


    ''6 Crystals higher than the norm. Which rich kid do I have to bear?'' The old man chuckled mockingly as he accepted the request since it was of a fairly near distance as he drove off.


    The newly bought Civil Personalised Vehicle ran smoothly throughout the even and perfect roads of the Capital City as he headed towards the Central Grounds of Cvoilics where the famous Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy was situated.


    ''A student or an instructor? It''s likely to be a student because of how lavish the instructors'' lives are in the academy.'' Recalling the luxurious life that his grandson had always dreamt to acquire, Juveno clutched the steering wheel harder. ''If it''s an instructor... There''s only that Hencer Pence who loves moving around even if it''s the first day of the academy.''


    Juveno knew the names of alot of very important people inside and outside the academy thanks to his grandson.


    Even though his grandson was secretive about the powers of his, Juveno was satisfied enough to see his son''s family prosper.


    ''Oh Lenno... When are you coming home?'' Old Juveno looked at the enormous academy his son used to visit frequently as he waited for his customer to arrive.


    Ding!


    A notification arrived in his smartwatch as he unlocked the vehicle''s door, listening to the faint footsteps that rang in the backseat.


    Looking at the mirror hung on the ceiling, Juveno noticed that it was a student whose appearance was quite weird with droplets of water stuck on his hair along with his pale countenance.


    ''He looks like he just woke up and splashed water on his face.'' Juveno chuckled and welcomed his customers warmly. "Welcome, young man. To Lower Street District''s Bright Days caf¨¦ isn''t it?"


    But he clicked his tongue internally. ''When was there a Bright Days caf¨¦ in the Lower Street District? Probably a fake.''


    "Yes, let me tell you the directions."


    The young fellow replied in a slightly strange voice but Juveno paid it no heed as he just nodded and stepped on the accelerator.


    "Looks like you''re close to the owner?" Since Juveno hadn''t seen an Academy student board his vehicle for a year and since he wanted to know more about the lifestyle of his grandson, he decided to ask. "How does someone from the lavish Central Ground or Upper Street District know someone from the Lower Street District?"


    "The cafe there is not bad." His customer replied plainly and shortly without responding to the question, as if he wanted to cut the conversation short.


    ''Those that do not talk too much? Fine.'' Juveno had seen diverse amounts of people in the thirty years of his career and knew when to keep quiet.


    "Is this what people used to call a ''Taxi''?" Then after a while, the young man seated at the back suddenly asked.


    When Juveno looked at the mirror that hung on the ceiling of his vehicle, he saw the young man scrutinizing each and every part of his vehicle with a delighted gaze.


    Seeing this, Juveno couldn''t help but laugh and feel surprised.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Yes, they call it an Escort now. First time in one of these?"


    "I wouldn''t actually call it the first time but the other time I was in one of these machines, I was in too much of a hurry to praise its excellent craftwork."


    The teenager spoke smoothly, but Juveno, the cautious old man, didn''t forget the keywords.


    ''So... This is his second time in a pick-up CPV?'' His brain processed rapidly as he came to a conclusion. ''So this kid came from Lower Street District and doesn''t want to talk about his past because he''s shameful of it? No... then why is he going to a cafe in the Lower Street District? To repay the ones who were kind to him when he was in an all-time low? But how did he even enroll in the Royal Academy? I doubt every Superhuman enrolled there just like that...''Juveno suppressed his youthful curiosity to ask for more information and shook his head, remaining quiet.


    Then, out of habit, Juveno looked outside the window and noticed that there was quite the chaos that had descended on the streets.


    "What''s going on?" The teenager in the backseat asked, peering outside curiously. "Why are everyone in the streets so panicky?"


    Juveno silently rolled up the windows.


    "Must be one of those recent gang wars," Juveno''s eyes shone with an old glint as he said. "I heard forces of the Everlasting Alliance such as the PeaceKeepers and Watchful Owls are turning a blind eye to the gangs in exchange for dirty work from the latter."


    "It''s fine if it''s only those wretched Watchful Owls but if even the PeaceKeepers are turning a blind eye to it... What are we supposed to do? Rely on those Police Forces of Cvoilics or die a peaceful death willfully?"


    The old man heaved a long sigh.


    "My grandson told me these," He said with a faint smile. "Even though he usually asks me to not mention this to others, but as you already visit the Royal Magic Academy... I thought it''d be fine."


    "Oh really?"


    The old man chuckled. "Or maybe it''s just my instincts that are screaming at me to warn a youngling that''s on the verge of hatching to avoid destruction."


    "What Class is your grandson?" The teenager asked out-of-the-blue, ignoring the chaos unfolding outside.


    Thinking that the teenager was curious about his senior who was also his dearest grandson, the old man said with puffed chest. "Still a Class Nine. But it''s a great feat since he''s only twenty-two."


    "Oh, a full-fledged Class Nine at twenty-two... That''s rather good."


    ''Rather?'' A light crease appeared in-between Juveno''s brows, but he suppressed his displeasure as he drove the vehicle.


    Seemingly sensing Juveno''s displeasure, the teenager seated at the back remained quiet throughout the rest of the journey, making Juveno feel slightly at ease.


    After dozens of minutes, the vehicle came to a halt.


    "We''ve arrived," Old man Juveno announced in an old-fashioned way, "To Lower Street District''s... Bright Days caf¨¦"


    The teenager with droplets struck on his hair which were now dry, chuckled as he exited the vehicle.


    "I owe you 20 Crystals right?"


    Old Juveno flashed a grin. "19 Crystals..." He dragged his words deliberately."Nothing less but one more."


    Juveno''s gaze slightly dimmed as he looked at the indifferent expression of the teenager who didn''t seem concerned about the discount of a single Crystal Juveno had offered for a moment.


    ''Rich people... Not caring about money at all. They are like rain to my old and sick bones, always ruining my mood.'' Juveno took the polished and shining White Crystal from the teenager as he drove off into the distance, playing a familiar song of his favorite artist named Kelvono Herne on the radio.


    ''Phew... It always feels unpleasant to turn off radios to not displease customers...'' He shook his head slightly. ''Forget it, those teenagers will never¡ª''


    Boom!


    But just as he was mocking the customer who he had just dropped off to the designated place ¡ª and had paid the full fare, an explosion suddenly rang out in the distance as Juveno stopped the vehicle safely before turning back and looking behind at the trail of black smoke rising in the air.


    ''My God... Isn''t that where I just dropped that kid off to? Don''t tell me he''s a troublemaker or a criminal with a unique camouflage Blessings of some sorts.'' He then looked at his vehicle''s clean interior. ''Let''s quickly get out of here and return to the Upper Street District where the PeaceKeepers and the secretive Watchful Owls patrol.''


    Looking at the black smoke rising into the air in the distance, he sighed. ''May you get stronger after you face a dark night, kid.''


    But just when he was about to step on the accelerator, a ghastly figure suddenly appeared on his windshield!


    In panic and shock, Juveno forcefully stepped on the accelerator with full force as the vehicle instantly accelerated and rammed against a nearby wall.


    Ding, ding, ding, ding...


    Various noises rang throughout the vehicle as various safety measures and protocols such as enhanced seating protection, air bag and shift control were instantly activated, saving Old Juveno''s frail life at the nick of the moment before his head hit the steering wheel.


    ''Ah...'' Old Juveno''s eyes widened as he looked at the ghastly figure on his windshield and called out a name from the depths of his heart. "Lenno!"


    He shouted at the top of his lungs. The name of his only grandson.


    "Ha! I knew you weren''t dead! How could my mature and reliable son get his own son killed?!" But at the ramblings of the injured old man, the ghastly figure remained still and struck to the windshield as he looked at Juveno with wide eyes.


    "My son... Oscar is a Superhuman! A real Superhero! I knew he wouldn''t let his son get killed by mere gangs on the streets and do nothing about it. I knew that he was secretly nurturing you to become a full-fledged Superhuman in secret to give me a surprise while making sure you were a full-fledged Class Nine Superhuman before you became twenty years of age so you could get all the girls¡ª" Juveno gasped for breath violently after saying the words in continuous succession.


    "But he probably didn''t bring you back home because you weren''t able to become a Class Nine Superhuman before the age of twenty and were unable to find a wife right?!"


    Seeing his ever-still grandson, Juveno''s mind jolted awake as he instantly tore the air bag and normalised the safety features as he got out of the vehicle and neared the windshield when his pupils immediately contracted!


    "Ahhh!"

 Boom! (One)

    Cvoilics Royal Academy was said to be the best Academy in the world by the easterners.


    It was located in the capital city of the Welleysworths Union¡ª which consisted of the Everlasting Alliance, many temples and churches and various small countries ¡ª Cvoilics.


    Cvoilics, the city with the largest population was divided into three districts. The Lower Street District, Central Grounds, and Upper Street District.


    Lower Street District usually consisted of slums, poor nobles drowning in debt, gamblers, gangs, dealers... It barely had any Superhumans protecting it but there was a decent amount of Cvoilics Police Force stationed in Lower Street District, though most of them turned a blind eye to the things happening in the background and accepted bribes.


    Upper Street District meanwhile, consisted of various low-level nobles and high-class citizens and had a rich defence system along with patrols patrolling the district 24/7.


    But the Central Grounds was said to be the area that was very heavily protected throughout the Welleysworths Union. People said that it was placed under protection that was ten times harder than Upper Street District to breach. They said that it had countless countermeasures for countless scenarios and that it had one of the best safety measures throughout the world.


    Even those of the Sixteen Star Families, also regarded as the Noble Stars of the Eastern Continent, resided here due to its safety measures.


    But today, on 3rd March of the Year 84, the Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy which was situated at the centre of the Central Grounds and was built with Pristine Beach Crystal ¡ª one of the most beautiful and strongest crystals in the world ¡ª encountered a disaster.


    Boom!


    The Pristine Beach Crystal which reflected the serene sky suddenly cracked.


    Its width and length went overboard as the dome-shaped academy suddenly fell from its obvious structure.


    The green garden that it was built upon suddenly sunk, bringing forth with it a part of the academy as the residents and inhabitants screamed, may it be the teachers or the students.


    As the ground sank, the various chemicals and magic items, artifacts and relics kept inside them caused a combination reaction as another explosion resounded.


    Boom!


    ...It was as if this part of the academy was deliberately aimed.


    This brought upon a faint starlight as water gushed like a fountain from the academy''s grounds and turned the surroundings into a mess, scattering the mud and dirt on the ground as it made anyone who still survived difficult to move due to the sticky and wet mud.


    The shattered glasses fell as they made a soft sound drowned by the already nerve-wracking chaos and explosions.


    Various defensive measures failed to activate. The whole of the academy grounds shone as a faint white circle appeared in thin air before it abruptly faded into thin air, bringing along with it wisps of smoke.


    Just at this instant, a very large "structure" rose from the ground, its shape unknown as it tried to "swallow" the academy whole, but it apparently failed halfway as if it suddenly had a bone stuck in its "mouth".


    As the structure failed too, a bright red glow erupted from the underground as it sparkled, its glow bright until it faded away; turning into mere firecrackers that spread distress signals to the surroundings.


    Swoosh, Cackle!


    But the sound didn''t bring any help.


    "Damn it!," A teacher named Filza Abrehend cursed in front of the students, unable to hold himself back as he barely supported the classroom with his magic spell. "Quick, jump over and shout as loud as you can. It doesn''t matter if you''re a noble or whatnot bullshit! Shout."


    "Those who know any type of spell may it be divination; combat; defence; utility or elemental, help me in keeping the classroom straight!" Filza looked at the window, as his pupils shook, gazing outside at the rapidly nearing ground as he shouted. "We are falling sideways! Brace for impact!"


    Even though his spell could temporarily make the students have a firm foot and avoid the laws of gravitation, he was sure that upon impact, the survivability of the students were low.


    In another classroom.


    "F*ck!," A young noble cursed. "If it weren''t for these extra classes, I would be sitting in my room..."


    "Shut it!" The teacher, Alfen Benide, shouted in a shrill voice as he tried to calm down the panicking students. "Do. Not. Panic! I repeat, do not panic!"


    "The academy has countless countermeasures and distress signals that will directly alert the Everlasting Alliance and the Temples themselves, so persevere!"


    "Argh!" Just as Alfen concluded his shout, a loud scream rang from a corner of his classroom.


    Alfen turned with a scowl as he noticed that a student had suddenly disappeared, then, with a grim expression, he looked at the uniformly breaking floor.


    "Ah! What are those?!" In another classroom, a student panicked and shouted as it attracted the attention of another pair of students. "G-ghosts! N-no! S-spirits! Evil spirits!"


    The teacher, Mumbe Berknalz shouted as she looked at the ghastly figures emerging from the floors, rooftops and windows. "Impossible! There are hundreds of Diminishing Lamps placed all over the academy!" However, in the seemingly impossible situation that went against all rationality, she threw her personal Diminishing Lamp towards the Evil Spirit that had suddenly appeared and was nearing the student.


    Whoosh! Thump!


    The thrown Diminishing Lamp bumped into the ceilings and fell nearby a student''s feet as the student jumped in fright.


    Mumbe looked at this and frowned. ''A bait... To make sure I dropped my Diminishing Lamp?'' She then looked around as her ears perked up, the sounds of calm footsteps resounding were heard as her expression grew tense.


    Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap...


    But just at the critical moment where everyone thought that hope was lost, a sharp glimmer shone as it blinded everyone, soaring at the sky.


    Bang!


    The starlight-like light seemingly hit "something" invisible in the air as the "something" instantly turned opaque and receded, shrinking back underground.


    The three teachers taking special classes had pale expressions on their faces upon seeing the receding "something" as they shouted in unison.


    "The Crude Bottle Spell!"


    ...


    A few minutes before disaster struck.


    Belite paid the amount of 20 Crystals that were the size of his fingertips to the Escort driver as he looked at the receding vehicle and sighed heavily.


    ''When did I even think... That I would be able to sit in one of those.''


    Shaking his head lightly, he turned as he looked at the cafe in front of him which was painted in orange and white colours that had almost faded and had a huge sign board that had bright light shining on it which depicted along with a familiar and rough font with "Bright Days caf¨¦" written in a crude language that was similar to common language.


    The words were just similar because the alphabets were written crudely and Belite was only able to know what it was because he knew the name beforehand.


    Walking in large strides, Belite opened the door of the cafe with slight effort, as no pleasant chimes of the ornaments rang unlike the library. Instead, what rang was a creak sound along with the sound of books falling inside.


    "We-welcome!" A dry and hoarse voice rang before Belite set a foot in. "What would you like to order in Bright Days caf¨¦ to enlighten the brightness of your day? All we have are...Let me see, broken utensils!"


    "Broken utensils like your broken heart? No.5 with extra meat please." Belite said as he entered the cafe, the door stuck half-way. "Along with some chocolate ice cream served in a small sized cup like tea."


    Belite then chuckled as he looked at the stunned cafe owner, who was a twenty-seven years old young-man wearing a brown shirt and trousers along with a dirty apron to boot.


    "Bell!" The twenty-seven year old man shouted in surprise at Belite. "Where have you been, old friend? I haven''t heard from you for three weeks!"


    Belite smirked. "I presume ''Those that maintain Law'' haven''t knocked on your door?"


    "Exactly! Not a single time!" The cafe owner exclaimed as he rubbed a broken utensil with a towel to dry it. "I first thought you were sent to prison, but I instantly sensed that something was off."


    He started rambling as he placed the utensil aside and rubbed his chin.


    "Because if you were sent to a prison, I wouldn''t be safe either as I would be deemed as an accomplice of the criminal for protecting you from allegations various times and would have Law Enforcers knocking on my door the next day, asking me to pay a fine of exorbit amount or walk into the prison."


    The cafe owner shook his head. "That''s when I thought that you died in a ditch or something as I hadn''t gotten the news of your death yet. But this wasn''t ideal either. Because if you were found dead, then as someone who was suspicious to be in contact with you frequently, I would be called over for questioning by the local Police Forces."


    "Smart," Belite nodded his head slightly. "Then what about your conclusion, Kesiar?"


    The twenty-nine year old man and cafe owner known as Kesiar flashed a smile. "Thus, the conclusion I arrived to was that you were probably kidnapped by the local gangs in Cvoilics, either Blevoics, Mercoixs... or Bald Harbingers. This sounds more plausible as Law Enforcers wouldn''t care if a troublemaker named ''Unwanted Hand'' Belite was to get kidnapped by the gangs. It would only be helping them in their work." He continued. "Or you were blasted to death in that huge explosion three weeks ago that occured in Lower Street District and brought unprecedented chaos."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ''Large explosion?'' Belite raised an eyebrow. ''Wasn''t what exploded just a truck? Did this happen after I was abducted by BECRF? For Kesiar to regard it as "large", I doubt it was just that...''


    Intending to confirm his suspicions, Belite raised his hand to the front with his palm extending at the front as he signalled Kesiar to stop.


    "Kesiar, what do you mean by large explosion? It was just a busted truck of the Blevoics wasn''t it?"


    "It was?" Kesiar tilted his head slightly to the side. "I doubt that. The explosion almost destroyed a part of the big Lower Street District and the casualties were in the ten thousands. It was a huge deal that a noble attendant of the Sixteen Star Noble Families has claimed himself accountable."


    ''I haven''t heard of it. Shouldn''t the PeaceKeepers be up-to-date with the information at hand? Did they think that it was unnecessary to mention it to me, who will not visit the Lower Street District or stay in it? '' Belite''s mind worked rapidly as he asked a question. "When did the explosion occur? Give me the exact date."


    "It happened on the exact same day you went missing after heading outside to watch the sudden snowfall." Kesiar paused slightly to remember the date. "It happened on... 10th of February, Monday?"


    He then scratched his head and let out an embarrassed smile. "I don''t remember but you should know the date as it was the same day as you went missing."


    Belite nodded slightly as he then asked. "Then what about a Blevoics'' truck getting into an accident..." His tone became lower as uncertainty shone in his voice. "...And getting seized by the Law Enforcement and Superhumans?"


    Kesiar''s gaze showed puzzlement as he slightly widened his eyes.


    "Did that actually happen? I haven''t heard of it at all." He then asked after a bit of thought. "Were you the only one who saw the... Uh, accident or were there others... Wait, was that incident the reason you went missing? Seeing something you shouldn''t have seen? Then why are you out¡ª"


    "No, there were plenty of civilians from the Lower Street District surrounding the truck in the wreck." Belite interrupted Kesiar hurriedly as he asked. "How do you not know about it? The truck bore the symbol of Blevoics'' Blessings to boot. It is a huge matter for Superhumans or anything related to Superhumans to appear in the Lower Street District..."


    This time, Kesiar frowned. ''Blevoics'' Blessings... The only superhuman in Blevoics...''


    "What?" He blurted out instinctively, feeling that something was off. "If there were many people just like you mentioned and they were from the Lower Street District and I don''t know anything from what had happened, then that could only mean..."


    "That the information is very important and the Alliance, Temples or the Sixteen Stars have personally intervened to shut off the people by bribing or threatening them or..."


    Belite continued the next half of Kesiar''s sentence with a grave expression.


    "Or they have all been killed."


    Kesiar gulped.


    "Killed them all..." Kesiar muttered the sentence Belite had just said as a light crease appeared between his brows. "This..."


    Belite gave a slight nod. "Even though it has a low probability of happening, it can undoubtedly happen."


    "I think that it''s more probable for the Alliance to do something like this. But if the Everlasting Alliance didn''t care about mere sacrifices even during Remnant Embers which was a very small scaled war, I doubt the nobles ¡ª who have grand ambitions of overthrowing the Everlasting Alliance and the Temples ¡ª wouldn''t kill a few dozen low-class citizens and beggars from Lower Street District." Belite thought for a moment. "You said that a noble from Upper Street District has claimed himself accountable, right?"


    Seeing Kesiar nod, Belite asked. "His name and details?"


    "He''s Barley Whitetwin. He''s twenty-four years old, his parents are deceased but he still has a wife and a newborn child who was born a year ago." Kesiar answered with a ruminating gaze.


    Belite nodded slightly. "He''s just twenty-four... So young but he has the status of a noble? Then it''s probably the case of his father''s sudden death which made him accept this position at a young age, or maybe it was him who orchestrated his fathers death to gain control over all his properties?"


    "I doubt it." Kesiar interrupted him. "He could be a mere scapegoat used for controversial situations such as the current one."


    Belite nodded. "He probably is, but we should try to probe him, gather his deceased parents and spouse''s information and try viewing his attitude towards Lower Street District while earning some profit."


    Hearing this, Kesiar''s lips couldn''t help but curl up. "How could I forget the latter? With thou ''Esteemed One''s'' teachings, I have managed to gather up a total of 1800 Crystals over the past three weeks!"


    Belite''s eyes perked up.


    "As I had mentioned a month ago, I had started to gather every beggar on the streets ¡ª those with and without families. And I gathered them and sent the beggars to various parts of Lower Street District to beg and gather money while also informing them to give me crucial information. In return, I provided them with ''protection''"


    ''"Protection" from thugs sent by yourself?'' Belite chuckled noiselessly hearing Kesiar''s words.


    Oblivious to his thoughts, Kesiar continued. "After providing them protection from local thugs and goons at just the price of two percentage of their total earning of the day ¡ª which was further reduced depending on the information they bought, they happily agreed and I started making them run small errands while providing them small amounts of money for information that surpassed two percentage''s worth of money." Kesiar''s lips curled up. "Just like I did for the past three weeks."


    Belite assessed the plan and praised it in his heart. ''Very good, by giving them small benefits on gathering crucial information, they would try their very best at doing so. It is even more better since Kesiar is providing them extra money for information surpassing its worth.''


    "I presume the beggars were very enthusiastic and full of life these past three weeks?" Belite asked with a low chuckle.


    "Heh, ofcourse." Kesiar sneered. "Why wouldn''t they be?"


    "Out of the 1,800 Crystalline White Crystals all of them have earned, ninety-eight percent of the total was provided to them!"


    ''So Kesiar got about 36 Crystals right? Then that''s not even worth a single ride from Central Grounds to Lower Street District in a heavily protected and luxurious vehicle.'' Belite thought amusedly as he looked at Kesiar''s regretful expression. ''I used to scramble every single Crystal I could find. Now I''m wasting them on escorts...''


    ''It''s the same for Kesiar.'' Belite reminisced about the past. ''I doubt he would''ve given 1,763 Crystals in exchange of information in the past while only feeling regretful.''


    But he didn''t linger over the past memories in a daze any longer as his eyes shone lightly.


    "So, what was that noble''s behaviour towards all of this?" Belite finally asked, cutting the chase.


    Kesiar nodded as his eyes shone brightly with greed overflowing within it. "Barley Whitetwin went live on various platforms and attracted various social media and television stations including reporters and almost everyone who held a camera."


    "To my delight, after finding out that it was live broadcast with a lot of platforms and organisations belonging to the opposing party ¡ª the Everlasting Alliance, I sent some of my own beggars too."


    "That''s a great risk this Barley took." Belite chuckled. "Imagine you''re doing a community service for maintaining your status but you throw everything in the midst of it."


    "Exactly," Kesiar laughed. "How could anyone refuse when the microphones the media held were more dangerous than modern weapons?"


    "So when the beggars I sent ¡ª ranging from old to young stormed Barley and his party that consisted of attention seeking media and reporters ¡ª who were all against him, poor guy had no choice but to force a smile and say that he will donate to every one of them later after he had already donated upto 700 Crystals."


    "But under the constant pressure of the media, how could he?" Belite smiled. "Under the sobbing stories of the young and old who had sadly lost their families in the incident three weeks ago that he was responsible for, how could he?!"


    Belite burst out laughing. "I-In front of the media sent by their opponents, how could he and the group of nobles behind him refuse?" He imagined the scenario as he stumbled on his words.


    Kesiar''s laughter halted in a short while as he sighed amidst Belite''s laughter. "He probably had to pay damage funds out of his own pockets at the worst case scenario, and had to face the Everlasting Alliance''s probes and demands with little help from his peers, the nobles of the Upper Street District. I heard he had almost fainted while doing that so-called campaign of his yesterday."


    "He supposedly has a great amount of help from his peers then," Belite, who knew more about political scenarios and the strengths of the Everlasting Alliance better than Kesiar due to Nanchoko replied. "Managing to survive and maintain that campaign of his for three whole weeks under constant pressure from the Everlasting Alliance is no joke."


    "Is that so..."


    Belite nodded. "You aren''t sending your people anymore?"


    Kesiar sighed once again as he shook his head in deep regret. "I obviously wanted to send everyone I could to beg for money in front of Barley by claiming him responsible for the deaths of their family members. No one would check the beggars'' histories and verify if their families died in the incident two weeks ago anyway since the Temples and Alliance don''t hold I''d or records of beggars and their families from Lower Street District."


    Seeing Belite''s gesture to continue, he said. "But when everything was going well, that damned noble Barley turned the tables." He went next to the counter as he picked up a neat utensil and wiped it as Belite closely monitored his actions. "Bell, that noble Barley said that the money donated to him by the Upper Street District''s nobles, his own peers, and those of the Everlasting Alliance and Temples... And even that of the high-class citizens would be used to reconstruct Lower Street District." He sighed. "And this put us in a bad position as he already promised to give benefits to the people and ensure the reconstruction of the Lower Street District after gathering funds in front of people and media in a large scale manner."


    "If my people went to beg for money, then that would be said as a cheap trick to gain sympathy when Barley said that he would invest everything into rebuilding Lower Street District and..."


    He gulped. "Renovating it."


    Belite''s eyebrows twitched. "Renovating it?"


    "Yes, renovating it and making employment actually possible." Kesiar sighed. "Who would care about the Lower Street District which was recently destroyed if employment is possible? This is a game changer! Something that could shift Lower Street District''s position and probably make it a rich... Middle Street District or something!"


    Belite said through furrowed brows. "Even if Lower Street District does become a ''Middle Street District'', what difference would It have from Upper Street District? There will be even more divisions of people, there will be more organisations, crazed maniacs and many who will try to rise against the norm and break out of their thresholds while various conflicts arise over similar interests." Belite sighed. "As long as we''re at the top of the food chain, we will continue to fight amongst ourselves."


    "That''s what others say, atleast." Kesiar ignored Belite''s words and shrugged as he continued. "So the intense uproar that lasted a day has finally quietened down as the nobles and those of the Everlasting Alliance are in a dilemma. They have to help, they don''t have any other way out if they don''t want to face the pressure of the media. That was a brilliant move, Bell."


    "I presume even the high-class citizens are angry with this?" Belite asked, turning a blind eye to Kesiar''s ignorance.


    "They truly are," Kesiar sighed again. "But this isn''t even the worst thing, Bell." He wiped a neat coffee cup with no visible stains. "The worst thing is that this has caused the gangs in the Lower Street District great unrest. Those bastards have went from working together with nobles discreetly to openly declaring them as their enemies and trying to conspire with the citizens of Everlasting Alliance against the nobles."


    Belite nodded slightly as he averted his gaze and stared at Kesiar''s hands. "You''ve changed the signs and gestures?"


    Kesiar''s expression changed slightly before he nodded indifferently, as if it wasn''t a big matter.


    "Ofcourse," He said with an awkward smile. "Your disappearance causes me great unrest. Especially after the incident of the Twin Sisters two years ago."


    Belite nodded slightly.


    "It was rook''s head for ''hold'', knight''s movements for assassination, bishop''s conversation for emergency. And various others..." Belite paused slightly. "What about now?"


    Kesiar, who was wiping the bottom of the coffee cup in a round manner with a crude and torn towel coughed slightly.


    The corners of Belite''s mouth curled up.


    "It looks like it''s more focused on the motion of how you wipe the utensils instead of hand and voice gestures? Incredible!" Belite praised. "This makes the gestures and signals more discreet and normal, and makes people ignore the threat of you, a cafe owner who''s just wiping utensils."


    "Right, Kes?"


    Kesiar''s expression finally changed.


    "Don''t call me that!" He yelled with furrowed brows. "And don''t think that I don''t know why you made the emergency and distress signals less discreet while it could''ve been well hidden and less exposed."


    The atmosphere in the cafe turned odd for a second as Kesiar took a few breaths to calm himself down and put the cup he was wiping with ''passion'' down and sighed as thuds were heard in unison at this motion of his.


    Slightly stunned, Belite directed his gaze at the creaking and wooden ceiling up above before lowering it to look at Kesiar.


    Seeing the ever-smiling Belite who barely reached the height of his tall shoulders, Kesiar coughed.


    "What about you anyway?" Kesiar raised an eyebrow. "What have you been doing for the past three weeks?"


    "Ahem," Belite extended his hand upwards towards his mouth as he let out a fake cough before taking his hand away and revealing a bright smile. "In the past three weeks..."


    Under Kesiar''s anticipating gaze, Belite revealed a cheeky grin as he enunciated his words slowly.


    "...I have become a God."

 Boom! (Two)

    "A God?" Kesiar stared at Belite in amusement as his brain processed rapidly. "What do you mean by God? Did you get your hands on a magical item, relic or an artifact?" His face beamed with surprise, anticipation and enthusiasm as he asked his question. "What is it?"


    Belite''s lips curled up slightly. "Guess."


    But after a prolonged period of silence, Belite finally sighed while staring at Kesiar''s unamusing state. "You''ve always been like this, haven''t you? Never the one to crack jokes or take part in guessing games. No wonder you don''t get along that well with your subordinates."


    "Just get to the point, Bell."


    Under Kesiar''s stern gaze, Belite lowered his head and kept it straight, staring at Kesiar''s shoulders.


    "To be honest," Belite went about in a roundabout manner as he lifted his head again. "I''ve become rich."


    Kesiar scoffed as his brows furrowed slightly.


    "I''ve gotten adopted by a twenty something year old woman who is still single and is a high-class citizen of the Everlasting Alliance, and I have been admitted to an academy for getting basic education." Belite smiled. "Life''s been great for the past three weeks."


    Kesiar raised an eyebrow. "How did it happen?" He sized Belite up. "The only ones who get adopted in Lower Street District by nobles or high-class citizens are young girls and females, and their Fates after getting adopted aren''t well either. They''d most likely be a slave or... Get used for inappropriate works."


    "As for us males..."


    His gaze slightly changed as he didn''t continue the sentence.


    "As far as I know you... I doubt you have anything worth that could get you a luxurious life as you''ve mentioned." He rubbed his chin. "Unless you''re playing with me."


    "No,no,no. It''s not a joke!" Belite retorted "enthusiastically". "I''ve actually been accepted as an apprentice in an academy, although they make me run around and do some labour here and there." Under Kesiar''s puzzled gaze, Belite lied through his teeth as he rolled his eyes. "They obviously won''t accept a lowly crook like me for free."


    "So, what did you sell?" Kesiar asked, his fingers twitching slightly. "A noble lady''s phone number? Or did you return a kind Noble or high-class citizen''s wallet?"


    "I doubt the latter could make you come across such an opportunity as most of those nobles and high-class citizens are opportunists and I doubt you would return their wallets either. They only occasionally visit Lower Street District to amass votes or support, they are a rare opportunity and a huge gamble, which you don''t know whether you''ll succeed or not."


    "Even though they appear rarely, if we manage to gain their favours then our lives are settled. But if we make a mistake and get on their bad sides..." He left the sentence hanging.


    Kesiar''s gaze sharpened again as he spoke slowly. "Anyway, you used to run around Lower Street District, scamming tourists and students who came here to write essays and theories on this place. The tourists who came to sight-seeing were scammed into handing money over for you for nothing ¡ª You''d ask half a Crystal or a full Crystal as an advanced fee and then run off in the familiar streets while screaming ''Thief'' or something with angry tourists in trial."


    "Is this how you managed to impress a noble lady or something? Due to your..?" Kesiar''s eyes had a strange light in them, making Belite frown slightly. "Or was this from a month ago when a protester from Upper Street District asked for servants and people en-masse to serve as his supporters and voters in his cause?"


    Kesiar paused slightly.


    "Did any of these make those high-class citizens or nobles suspicious of you?" Kesiar put on a ruminating gaze. "The only scenario where I can see a beautiful¡ª"


    "Stop!" Belite raised his hand and pointed his palm towards the front at Kesiar as he tried to put an end to his over-speculation. "Don''t jump to conclusions! Which d*mned high-class citizen would offer me luxurious stuff for scamming others? Are you out of your mind?"


    Kesiar simply shook his head. "No, if it was Sel, she would''ve¡ª"


    He was cut off and interrupted by an "angry" Belite. "Stop as well. Bad topic to start a conversation on."


    Belite waved his hands.


    "Stop testing your conversation skills on me, go and talk to a random stranger instead."


    Kesiar scratched his head and revealed an awkward smile as he asked, impatient. "Then what happened? Over the past three weeks?" Sizing up Belite, who wore a normal pair of shirt and trousers of unknown brand, he couldn''t help but sigh. ''Am I getting tricked into some prank again? Aren''t his clothes too ordinary?''


    But he shook off these thoughts and waited patiently, deciding to put some trust on his old friend.


    But the next moment, Belite laughed in a mischievous manner, making Kesiar''s expression turn stern.


    "You..."


    But before he could continue, Belite coughed lightly as he interrupted him. "Alright, alright. I''ll stop now. Listen well, maybe you''ll learn a thing or two!"


    Kesiar''s ears slightly perked up.


    "Three weeks ago to the current day of 3rd of March, Year 84 of the Glorious Calendar, things have been nothing less than interesting and... Chaos."


    "I touched luxurious things and even alive meat, even getting an opportunity to roast it myself!"


    ''I basically killed rats by touching them and other mindless poor beings, freezing them to death with my Cold Touch Blessing.''


    "But over the past two weeks, I haven''t touched a single human being ¡ª except myself, ofcourse."


    ''Obviously I couldn''t do so because of this Cold Touch. Though it would''ve been better if it worked on myself.''


    "I was very close to touching a human but the luxurious and high-class citizen named Nanchoko who "adopted" me refused, sternly saying: ''Oh, they are too filthy for you. You shouldn''t touch them because you are a very high-class young gentleman.''"


    ''My Blessing Cold Touch was going to be used on humans to get more information, but was stopped by Nanchoko who said I was just a kid and that I shouldn''t kill other people as it would set a bad example on me and would make me think that killing is fine, even though I''m sixteen.''


    The latter really did work, as people were already afraid of Belite having a Essential Blazing Fury Heart which was known for the Seeker''s bad temperance due to furious events, along with a kill-on-contact Blessing.


    Under Kesiar''s dumbfounded and puzzled gaze, Belite made exaggerated gestures in the air and had exaggerated emotions on his face as he explained.


    "I ate many things that were very cool and hot, and I did enjoy the luxury quite a lot."


    ''It''s indeed true. I did eat a lot of stuff that I dreamt to eat in the slums of Lower Street District.''


    "I saw slaves who weren''t actually from the Lower Street District and..."


    ''I saw slaves, slaves of fate...''


    ¡°And I learned magic, Kesiar!¡±


    But before he could continue, he was cut off by Kesiar''s stern and loud voice.


    "Bell, what the heck are you saying?" He stared straight into his eyes, making Belite want to take a few steps back subconsciously. "Are you mad or out of your mind?!"


    "None! These are all true, actually." Belite yelled, his voice was full of dissatisfaction. "Why can''t you get it? Maybe I''m special! They see something in me that no one does and they''re high-class'' citizens too."


    Under Kesiar''s incredulous gaze, Belite continued with a sincere expression. "To be honest, even I don''t know why this high-class citizen named Nanchoko decided to adopt me."


    "You haven''t asked the reason?" Kesiar asked in a puzzle tone.


    Belite sighed. "I did, but she always answered in a roundabout manner and avoided the question. What can I, a youngster from Lower Street District do? Force a high-class citizen?" Belite clenched his fists slightly. "If it were those noble ladies, I doubt I would''ve gotten such gentle care under the constant barrage of my annoying questions."


    Kesiar nodded slightly, knowing how annoying Belite could get if he wanted to get things done.


    "So, you just accepted your fate?" Kesiar scoffed with complex emotions. "You ¡ª Who tried his best to get out of the Lower Street District, resignedly let your fate be controlled by others without even knowing anything and be adopted by a high-class citizen?"


    Belite couldn''t help but sigh from the bottom of his heart at this question.


    "You do know how the gangs in the Lower Street District are getting... I presume the circumstances are even worse now?"


    Kesiar nodded. "The circumstances are very worse. The gangs tried their best to fiercely retort and overthrow the nobles and their influence in Lower Street District, but when they found out that they couldn''t shake the nobles, they have gone quiet."


    "This has caused quite the commotion in the Black Markets and the illegal businesses done underground. Currently, nothing and no one in Lower Street District are trustworthy without the supervision of the gangs ¡ª The gangs used to maintain a level of hierarchy and even with their oppressive demeanor, they avoided battles and too much commotions, but now, with many medium and large-sized gangs having gone into hiding, there are many people who want to exploit this change and try to shift the balance in Lower Street District."


    "Surprisingly, they are led by the third major gang in Lower Street District, the Bald Harbingers who were previously trying to overthrow Blevoics and Mercoixs."


    Belite raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t the Bald Harbingers go into hiding after messing with the Three Southern Wings? They did tamper with their material trade a bit and attracted the hostility of three Countries, having no choice but to hide even while living in the area governed by the Everlasting Alliance, Sixteen Star Nobles and the Temples ¡ª Welleysworths Union"


    "Even their lackeys weren''t around!"


    "Yes, we all thought they were dead and that the gang was done for," Kesiar nodded slightly. "But suddenly, after the incident three weeks ago and after the disappearance of the two major gangs Blevoics and Mercoixs... As well as yours, they have emerged again and have gained control over half of Lower Street District just in the span of two-three weeks."


    Belite furrowed his brows slightly. "This... Half of Lower Street District? Looks like it has been meticulously planned beforehand, doesn''t it?"


    Kesiar nodded. "It surely is," But before he could continue, the creaking sound of the door resounded, followed by an annoyed voice.


    Creek, thud!


    "What''s wrong with this place? Why would that Levester something guy bring us to this cramped and broken cafe from the Lower Street District?"


    As Belite and Kesiar turned their gazes over, they saw teenagers of the same age group as Belite near the entrance, looking at the place with curious, disdainful, indifferent and shallow gazes.


    The one with the disdainful gaze, the boy who was half a head taller than Belite and wore a jacket with white t-shirt along with black trousers, looked at Belite in great displeasure.


    "You look young... You are Levester... Bostorne?" He asked, waving his hand around his face to fend off the dust while stealing glances at the tall Kesiar.


    "Yes, I am." Belite replied with a friendly smile as he said. "You can also call me Belite or whatever you want," He then pointed at the puzzled Kesiar ¡ª who immediately schooled his expression and introduced in a loud voice so those outside could hear him. "This is my acquaintance and old friend, Kesiar."


    Then, Belite looked at the three figures who had emerged from beyond the entrance as he scrutinized them with great interest.


    ''So these... Are the transfer students sent by the headquarters of the Everlasting Alliance themselves from Twilight City?''


    Kesiar crossed his arms upon seeing them as his expression turned a bit solemn.


    Belite couldn''t help but chuckle seeing this as Kesiar looked like he was the personal guard of Belite or something.


    But he didn''t linger with these odd thoughts and redirected his focus at the entrance.


    "Hello, Mister Levester. As mentioned before..." A young boy who had a curious gaze as he looked around, looked at Belite hesitantly and paused with an odd expression.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Understanding his concern, Belite smiled. "It''s not a problem," Pointing at Kesiar, he continued. "He''s a trustworthy acquaintance and an old friend of mine, except for very important matters, others could be discussed in front of him."


    ''Trustworthy acquaintance?'' Kesiar scoffed, his expression cold. ''Since when was I trustworthy?''


    But ignoring Kesiar, Belite welcomed the four guests into the cafe with extended arms in show of respect, just like how an owner personally invites a vip.


    "Welcome, welcome dear friends of the great and mighty Alliance!" Receiving weird looks from the four people, Belite smiled warmly as he pointed at the crude and dust-filled chairs and sat on them without caring to tidy them. "Make yourselves at home."


    Silence.


    Silence filled the cafe as Belite nonchalantly ignored Kesiar''s complex gaze on him upon hearing the name of the Everlasting Alliance.


    Pat, pat.


    "Cough, cough! What the hell is this?" The one who had entered first with a disdainful gaze asked with an unpleasant expression. "No one keeps a cafe this unmaintained unless it''s done on purpose."


    "Correct," Kesiar adjusted his expression and said with a cold expression. "It''s unmaintained purposefully."


    "Um... I''m sorry for his rude manners," The boy who had curiosity flashing in his eyes occasionally "made himself home" as he sat down on the dusty chair across Belite without patting the seat and said. "He has a bad past."


    "Hey, who has a bad past?" The boy with stylish hair and jacket, retorted while he tried to find something to clean the chair. "Just look at how much dust this so-called cafe has, even middle-class citizens or low-class citizens won''t visit this!"


    Belite sized up the boy who had sat in front of him and was looking at him with curious eyes.


    He wore a black and checkered t-shirt with a unique design within and expensive black trousers as he had a white suit ¡ª which was now hung on the backrest of the chair as he spoke with a friendly tone.


    "So..." The boy in front of him paused and shot a glance at the other two acquaintances of his who were still scrutinizing the place as he smiled. "I assume that Mister Bostorne here has a reason for inviting us to... Such a peculiar place?"


    Belite looked at his friendly and gentlemanly demeanor as he smiled himself.


    "Isn''t it common courtesy to introduce oneself?" He spoke, twisting the words of the common language and making it appear rich and enriched, fitting that of nobles.


    The one seated at the front of him, the friendly boy, first furrowed his brows before he suddenly laughed.


    "Haha, true, true." He repeated. "I''m supposed to be the son of a rich noble family after all, I can''t just go around asking questions to people I just met."


    Belite''s eyes furrowed a little as the boy introduced himself.


    "Hello, I''m Estize Skien from the Skien Noble Family of the Central Grounds, pleased to meet you."


    ''Central Grounds... Skien?''


    Belite''s eyes immediately narrowed. "Skien Family... The one that controls the Police Force of Cvoilics? And the one with one of the largest influences in the Lower Street District?"


    "Yes!" Estize responded enthusiastically as he nodded. "That''s one of the reasons I''m a Skien."


    Estize nonchalantly changed the topic amidst Belite''s curious gaze.


    He then pointed at the boy wearing a stylish jacket as he introduced. "He is Arlecco Baptiano from the Baptiano Family. Although he is an illegitimate child of the family," He instantly got an unpleasant gaze from Arlecco, even though it seemed more forceful now. "He is still a high-class citizen."


    "So I hope he doesn''t forget the proper etiquette." He said, directing this sentence towards both. Belite and Arlecco.


    Belite instantly smiled upon hearing this. "Are these your real names and backgrounds or...?"


    Estize shrugged casually. "You can think however you want, Mister Bostorne. I doubt it would affect the conversation and co-operation we are about to have."


    Kesiar furrowed his brows at the side. ''These kids...''


    Estize was as casual as ever as he introduced the other two.


    "This is Benchike Bleromo, a middle-class citizen of the Everlasting Alliance who was chosen by the Cvoilics Royal Academy itself due to how well-versed he was in his studies." He pointed at a slightly chubby and young boy with a plump belly who was fanning himself with his hands.


    Kesiar looked at the chubby boy in front of him.


    The chubby boy wore clothes that were obviously large but ordinary. A black shirt and loose trousers.


    He sat next to Estize and scrutinized Belite with deep interest as he nodded slightly.


    Belite returned the nod as he pointed at a woman who was still looking around the cafe at a moderate pace and had a pale face.


    "And that is?"


    Estize smiled as he saw Arlecco sit down on the chair next to Benchike and said slowly while turning towards the woman. "That is Beatrice, someone from the Lower Street District as well." He then turned towards Belite and asked. "Maybe you know her? Lower Street District is your home turf after all."


    Belite slowly shook his head. "A pebble doesn''t know the name of its peers, nor does it care." Belite smiled. "How can I know the name of each and every person in Lower Street District while its population is counted in thousands upon thousands?"


    Estize nodded and gestured for Beatrice to sit next to Belite as the chairs on their side were already full.


    Then, Belite watched as Beatrice pulled a chair out shallowly and sat next to him with a decent gap in between.


    Belite made a gesture to Kesiar, who nodded plainly.


    "Alright then, since introductions are over, let''s get straight into business," Estize said, taking out a spherical and blue coloured gem from his pocket, which had a peculiar design. "And business is supposed to be confidential."


    Before Belite could even react, Estize recited a single worded chant and clenched his fists, a small and crisp sound emitting from his closed palms.


    Crack!


    Even though the gem appeared thick on the outside, when Estize unfurled his fists, it was broken and was slowly turning into white-dust particles which resembled sugar.


    But Belite, who was vigilant to his surroundings and was observing the obvious, felt the audible noises of the faint barkings of dogs, sounds of kids playing around and various other sounds getting cut off.


    He looked to his left and found Kesiar shouting something as his hand was extended ¡ª he had thrown something, which was obviously useless as he gesticulated fervently.


    Belite sighed without any hint of panic. "Wow, how magical." He said. "But please inform me before doing something so magical in the future."


    "Sure," Estize''s tone switched a little as he coughed, trying to adjust his voice and shrugged. "Believe it or not, being a noble is just as hard as understanding the principles of outer-medium magic and Inner-medium magic... Or even harder."


    Belite smiled slightly as he recalled the afternoon classes of today, but he soon shook his head slightly and got back on the track.


    "So... What''s the ''business''? I thought we''d just have a meet and greet and we would exchange some basic information before we set another meeting again to talk about the real deal." Belite folded the index finger of his right hand slightly as he curled his thumb, making it visible for Kesiar who was waiting in the distance cautiously. This gesture was visible to the other four as well.


    Kesiar calmed down after seeing the gesture and nodded towards the group.


    Estize didn''t immediately answer his question as he asked. "Looks like you were well prepared as well? With this old friend of yours."


    Belite flashed a nonchalant smile. "Oh no, not at all. This cafe costs lesser than the others, and these gestures... They are just a normal thing."


    "Normal?" Benchike, the chubby boy, asked in amusement. "Makes me feel like I''m in the middle of some secret spy mission."


    "Maybe you just play a lot of games," Arlecco shot in with a snort, which wasn''t very noble-like. "Fatty."


    Benchike furrowed his brows slightly before laughing and patting Arlecco''s shoulder. "Why, don''t have enough money for food?" He smiled. "Skin and Bones."


    Arlecco, who''s upper body was covered by a thick jacket, prepared to retort but was instantly interrupted by Estize.


    "Alright, that''s enough." Estize said with a sigh. "Really, these guys are more than a handful." He then placed his elbows on the table in front of them. "The guys, ofcourse."


    Belite shot a glance at Beatrice who was sitting next to him, discreetly as he nodded at Estize.


    "Please continue on the ''business''." He pointed outside the broken window. "It''s getting dark, my bedtime is a sharp nine''o clock."


    "That''s plenty early," Estize said with a smile. "I suppose you wake up early as well?"


    "Depends," Belite shrugged and continued on with this absurd out-of-topic conversation. "My messed-up bedtime and hectic schedule during my days in the slums of the Lower Street District is affecting my life. Heck, I even have trouble sleeping on the soft bed and have to sleep on the hard floor."


    "Looks like your days in the slums were harder than mentioned in the reports?" Arlecco asked, crossing his arms across his chest. "You didn''t even have a bed?"


    "That was an unnecessary cost, and I didn''t want to waste money on such things." Belite sighed. "Also, my life-time earnings can barely compare to that of a middle-class young man."


    Benchike nodded. "So what did you eat?"


    "Bread made from leftover wheat, or rye bread which had moles and rat bites in it?" Belite chuckled. "Or black-bean noodles along with pork and chopped vegetables? Why don''t you take a guess..."


    Benchike made a guess. "The former?"


    "Both." Belite said, chuckling to himself. Benchike looked at him in amusement. "The former used to be the first half of my life while the latter the second half."


    "Oh? I suppose you''ve even drank wine or any alcoholic beverages?" Estize asked "curiously".


    But Belite merely shook his head with a smile. ''They''re probing me?'' He thought. ''Afterall, even with the Everlasting Alliance''s prowess and influence, it is hard to have a tab and keep records on the Lower Street District which has a population comparable to both the Upper Street District and Central Grounds.''


    Belite thought, thinking that the Everlasting Alliance still didn''t find him trustworthy enough for this spy mission of theirs. Which served to pressure the nobles and the Royal Academy as well.


    Especially while the headquarters specially intervened and sent four transfer students, what use does Belite of unknown origin with untrustworthy background have?


    ''But they should definitely have Seekers specialized in this field to search my origin, right? I doubt there aren''t any Seekers with an Essential Heart or Blessing to know someone''s past or something in the whole of the Everlasting Alliance.''


    ''Why the cheap probes through this Estize Skien Instead of utilising those Seekers with unique Blessings or Essential Heart? Maybe they don''t care enough about me? That may be it.''


    After shaking his head, Belite replied. "I have always been a lawful citizen, even if I lived in the Lower Street District." Belite spread his hands. "As you can see, I can read, write and speak the common language properly."


    "Do you even know the national languages of other small countries? What about pkien?"


    "I don''t," Belite shook his head. "I only learned what was necessary and was beneficial in the future."


    "Focusing on the future benefits huh?" Benchike grinned, his sparkling teeth visible. "That''s a very smart choice."


    "It indeed is," Belite nodded. "Learning common language has made many things possible currently afterall."


    "But where did you even study? I doubt there are proper Academies and Schools in the Lower Street District?" Estize asked, puzzled. "Most of them are built for nobles who have lost their lands and authorities and have gone broke."


    "And they aren''t that well either." Arlecco chimed in. "Believe me, I know that they suck. They don''t even have a single book! It''s only for show, for the fallen nobles to say something like ''Hoh, look. Even if I have fallen and am no longer a noble, my son will continue my legacy and become a noble by studying in royal blah blah school of Lower Street District!''"


    He emphasized the word ''know''.


    The young girl who was sitting next to him and was silent all the time, Beatrice, chuckled seeing the impression of nobles done by Arlecco.


    Belite raised an eyebrow as he asked.


    "Oh? Looks like you have personal experience."


    "I indeed do," Arlecco snorted. "They had me go around and visit Academies and Schools in Lower Street District because of a ''disciplinary session'' and also due to something called ''I wasn''t grateful enough for my luxurious life'' or that I wasn''t interested enough in studies."


    "Ah, so much wasted practical experience." Benchike chuckled. "You''re still a hotheaded brat."


    "Hey, who are you calling a brat?" Arlecco rolled his sleeves. "We are of the same age!"


    Belite ignored the fact that Arlecco had basically admitted that he was a hot-head as he said. "Enough about me and the Lower Street District. Why don''t we talk about something interesting..."


    Opposite of him, Estize immediately furrowed his brows.


    "...For example, politics and who''s the major powerhouse in the Eastern Continent currently."


    Belite blew a puff of hot air on his palms and rubbed them together even if it was not cold at all as he observed their reactions.


    Their reactions were practically the same with no ripples.


    Estize chuckled. "Well, Upper Street District is just Upper Street District while Central Grounds is just the Central Grounds." He leaned against his chair. "Haven''t you heard that quote? ''That if a revolutionary storm does sweep up, it''s at the sewers and the slums?''"


    "A stable country is built from ruins after all," Benchike added. "Those who have witnessed and went through various changes in their lives are better than those pampered noble brats."


    "It depends on the person," Beatrice added from the side as Belite slightly nodded, expressing his opinion of affirmation. "There were people in the history who were born with golden spoons but died like rotten shells, bringing about revolutionary ideas."


    "Situations and scenarios are what make a person." Belite chimed. "Just like what made the Temples, Everlasting Alliance and the noble families who want a royal family amongst themselves, to emerge."


    Estize smiled slightly as he nodded. "All of them were established eighty or so years ago after the Last Embers ended and the ''truth'' was revealed to us,"


    "The ''Three Great Contenders of the Eastern Throne'', is what those of the higher status call the Temples, Alliance and the noble families." He smiled. "A lengthy title isn''t it?"


    Estize gestured for Benchike who was about to interrupt to be quiet as he continued. "Many people from the smaller countries and commoners mostly think that the Everlasting Alliance has the greatest influence over the Eastern Continent since it''s supported by two of the World''s Leisures..."


    "But the Alliance isn''t the major Powerhouse of the Eastern Continent." Estize said with a sigh. "It never was."


    Belite nodded slightly, gesturing Estize to continue.


    "As for the answer to your question, about the major powerhouse of the Eastern Continent..." The corner of Estize''s mouth curled up. "Why don''t you try guessing? I''m interested in listening to the perspective of someone who was formerly from the Lower Street District."


    Belite nodded as he exhaled. "I don''t bother myself much into politics, it''s always a hassle and honestly speaking, it''s almost useless to know about such things for the ''citizens'' of the Lower Street District."


    "That''s why you are unique among the countless people. Because you are well-versed in politics." Estize said with a pleasant smile.


    "But because it was so complicated, it made me stick my nose into it. I always had a habit to solve the unsolvable you see," Belite continued, ignoring Estize''s remark. "I started from the beginning with the most pure and unbiased perspective and tried unraveling it."


    A hint of melancholy rushed into his voice.


    "Why do the Three Great Contenders fight each other for various resources instead of listening to each other''s wishes? Why must their wishes override the others and be different? Why can''t they work for the benefit of the world..."


    "And I must say..." All eyes were gathered on Belite.


    The atmosphere turned tense until Belite muttered his next sentence.


    "I don''t understand bullsh*t."


    Belite''s laughter broke the tense atmosphere, making the other four people exhale loudly.


    "Hahaha, what do you think? A random ass kid from the Lower Street District will understand politics, internal conflicts and all that complicated stuff after grinding his head for mere three weeks?" Belite''s laughter continued. "I-it''s too funny that Administrator Nanchoko and ''that person'' with Essential Knowledge Keeper Heart tried their best to get me upto date with the current politics only for it to fail in the end due to the experiments and time limit."


    Belite stopped laughing as he grinned, revealing his pearl white teeth.


    "I''m sorry, your expectant reactions were too funny." Belite smile slowly disappeared. "But politics is too complicated for me to understand, really. I''d consider the fact that I know a few basic things about it a big feat honestly."


    Estize nodded, not minding Belite''s rude laughter. "It''s completely normal. Even I ¡ª who has been trained to deal with various political situations pale in comparison to those cunning nobles and upper-class citizens." He then smiled. "I believe Administrator Nanchoko has barely taught you the basics?"


    Belite nodded. "Yes. She was supposed to explain various topics to me but she didn''t have enough time, and the Seeker with Essential Knowledge Keeper Heart took over as the ''Knowledge Seeker'' was busy. But that person only managed to teach me for an hour, which was more beneficial than anything taught to me by Administrator Nanchoko. He was the one who taught me all the spells as well, not letting me sleep even for a damned minute.¡±


    "And just like that, the rest of the two- three weeks went by with the PeaceKeepers running experiments on my Blessings, the only political classes and the proper ones were only for a few hours and due to Administrator Nanchoko being a horrible teacher..." Belite spread his hands in the air, leaving his sentence hanging.


    "She''ll be sad if she hears this," Beatrice added from the side. "She tries her best to do things."


    Belite shrugged and didn''t reply.


    "So... Who is the major force in the whole Eastern Continent?"


    Estize opened his mouth to speak but his mouth instantly froze mid air as his expression changed.


    Belite noticed this change as he immediately looked around!


    He noticed Kesiar who was rushing towards the exit of the cafe while muttering something, then at the ashen Estize.


    Snap!


    Estize snapped his fingers with a grave expression as he took out a transparent square-shaped container and pulled at a string attached to its back.


    Belite noticed that the transparent container became more and more opaque as time passed by ¡ª at the same time, the noises in his chaotic surroundings slowly started to increase and reached his ears.


    Swoosh...


    The sound of unusual fast winds appeared in Belite''s ears as he instantly frowned and looked around.


    Boom!


    Just at this moment, an explosion resounded outside as the whole cafe shook!

 Bright Night

    ''An explosion?'' Kesiar immediately furrowed his brows upon hearing the loud explosion. He then looked towards the group of five chatting inside a barrier of some sorts then at the door.


    He was still in a state of confusion until his cafe''s door creaked and another explosion echoed along with the surprised cries from the children outside


    Then, without hesitating again, Kesiar sprinted towards the cafe''s door while his mind was a mess.


    ''What''s it this time, dammit?'' He lamented sourly. ''The whole of Lower Street District was turned upside down due to a small scaled explosion of a Blevoics'' truck before. But compared to this, the past incident pales in comparison...''


    Opening the creaking door as it slammed into the wall due to the great force it was pulled with, Kesiar immediately covered his eyes due to the blow of hot wind that blew straight on his face!


    "Cough, cough!"


    He heard numerous coughs In his vicinity mixed along with his as he waved his hands vigorously in front of his face, trying to get rid of the dust that was making him cough.


    Then, opening his eyes, he looked around as he was immediately startled!


    The Lower Street District''s Blanco Sector was considered to be well off in terms of the citizens of the Lower Street District.


    Because of the cafe called ''Bright Days Caf¨¦'' that was situated here, along with the fact that there weren''t that many wastes and that the street was rather ''clean'' (even though it was by no means clean by Kesiar''s standards).


    But right now, Kesiar frowned tightly as he saw the street he was accustomed with covered in yellow and thick dust.


    The dust was thick as if the whole place was barren and placed near a desert where heavy winds often carried with them sands that hit the walls of the houses, making them dirty on a regular basis.


    But as far as Kesiar knew, those deserts only existed in stories and fairy tales and Lower Street District was by no means situated near a desert.


    He looked around as he saw a "friendly" neighbour of his complaining on how much sand had entered the interior of their house due to a gap in the walls and another complaining about their clothes hung on a thick thread which were now covered in yellow sand, bringing about new terms of "fashion".


    But that wasn''t all, many glass windows of the houses were obscured by yellow and thick dust which almost resemble sand.


    A small stall placed near Kesiar''s cafe ¡ª so Kesiar''s cafe could provide the stall and the stall owner some light at night ¡ª was long since blown off as Kesiar saw the familiar stall owner panicking, collecting all the stuff that was scattered all around the ground.


    Then, looking back, he noticed that his own cafe looked dilapidated too.


    Withdrawing his gaze back from the scared children, Kesiar turned to look towards the centre of the explosion.


    There ¡ª far into the distance was a pitch black "thing" that shot from the sky.


    If someone were to ask Kesiar how it looked, then Kesiar would immediately answer: "It looked as if some giant from the sky was spitting their phlegm on the earth."


    But contrary to his expectations, the "phlegm" like thing got covered by the buildings of the Lower Street District, now obscured by his sight.


    ''Another explosion?''


    Kesiar waited expectantly but nothing happened, not even the signs of an explosion happening in the distance.


    "...A distraction for the authorities?" Kesiar muttered to himself while calculating many possibilities, at the end, sighing to himself. ''Gotta clean up the cafe...''


    But just at this moment!


    Crack!


    ''Wha¡ª!''


    Kesiar turned to his surprise and faced his cafe which was now covered in yellow dust as he furrowed his brows tighter.


    The windows were broken with unaligned cracks!


    "Do not move," But before he could even take a step forward, Kesiar felt a cold metallic sensation towards his neck as he didn''t dare to even gulp.


    The cold voice said coldly: "If you value your life."


    Inside the cafe.


    As the "barrier" placed by Estize was retracted, Belite got up to his feet and asked, "What happened?" But before getting a reply, his feet had already moved towards the wide open exit.


    But his feet soon came to a halt.


    Crack...


    "Damn..."


    Belite clenched his teeth as he looked down at a thick arm wrapped around his neck and its muscles that were still visible while being covered in white bandages. He immediately tried moving his arms and legs as a thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Whoever it is, they are well prepared. They even took precautions against my Blessing.'' Belite found unsurprisingly that his arms were tied behind his back while his waist and legs had limited maneuverability. He also noticed the bandages wrapped around the person''s arms and legs as a precaution to his Blessing.'' As expected, being a special needs student in the famous Cvoilics Royal Academy and having your Blessing broadcasted live on television is no good thing...''


    He tried to make do with what he had and tried to wrap his legs around the calves of the person behind him but he stopped after he heard a stern voice.


    "It''s useless," The voice echoed directly in his ears. "Even if you manage to escape from me, the reinforcements are gonna arrive soon."


    All of this happened in a few seconds. The four transfer students from the headquarters of the Everlasting Alliance had already drawn upon their artifact, relics or magic items ¡ª Belite didn''t know much about them nor did he recognise them. But even with all the resources they had on their hands, they had grave expressions on their faces.


    Belite soon got to know why.


    "...But that''s if you escape from me." The stern voice echoed in his ears once again as he felt that the head belonging to the voice slowly retracted from his ears. "''Unwanted Hand'' Belite."


    ''This nickname...'' Belite felt a headache. ''The last time it was mentioned, chaos befell...''


    Belite swept his gaze past the four grave transfer students as he tried to make minimal movements lest his neck gets snapped the next instant.


    "What are you all waiting for? Help, guys! Help!" Belite said, his voice reverberating on the dilapidated walls as a lone lizard stared at him with its vertical pupils. He suddenly felt that the lizard was enjoying the drama.


    But despite his words, the four transfer students ¡ª Estize, Benchike, Arlecco and Beatrice remained frozen on their spot, not making a move.


    "Good kids," Belite heard the stern but familiar voice echo in his ears once again. "If even one of you makes a move, then this kid gets it. The one outside too."


    The four transfer students of the Everlasting Alliance had grave expressions as they watched the man who gripped Belite''s neck in his arms smile.


    "But o'' citizens of the Alliance, don''t think that your selfish acts to attack me just because you don''t care about this one''s life will go unpunished." The man grinned. "If I''m forced to kill this kid, then you all will join him."


    Listening to the crude and street-like common language coming out from the man''s mouth, the four transfer students looked at each other in unison and nodded, as if coming to a decision.


    Under Belite''s surprised gaze, all of them dropped their weapons to the ground as he then heard Beatrice, who was the most quiet among all of them, say.


    "Why are you here?" Beatrice had a scowl on her face as her next words surprised Belite to the core.


    "...Leader of Blevoics ¡ª ''Mountain'' Armado."


    ''Shi...'' Belite almost cursed, realising how bad his predicament was. ''The ''Mountain'' Armado? Even the ''Bald'' Kennedy is better than him!''


    Belite was frozen on the spot until he heard the sound of glasses cracking and the door opening.


    Creak~


    Belite heard as the door creaked once again as two pairs of footsteps rang in the cafe.


    ''Kesiar...'' Belite clicked his tongue before he forced out a smile.


    "Uncle Armado¡ª" He tried lifting his head to speak, and buy time. "It''s been a while¡ª"


    His words died in his throat as he felt the grip around his neck tighten, rendering his ability to speak useless as he felt the oxygen reaching his lungs reduce.


    "Looks like you can still speak," The ''Mountain'' Armado snorted loudly. "Little Bell." He then turned his head to look at the door. "Looks like Kesiar is with you as well."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He sneered. "Well look at this... Both the ''Unwanted'' brats meet their wanted fate."


    Belite smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth to the four transfer students even though he was unsure whether Armado could see him.


    "Why such unpleasant and drastic measures after all these years? Why don''t we sit and have a nice and peaceful chat?" Belite pleaded. "After all, ''No one is irreconcilable in the Lower Street District.''"


    "Hmph, those are for the weak." Armado snorted as the smile of a ghost appeared on his face. He then declared. "We of the Lower Street District will no longer be the weak."


    ''Will no longer be weak...'' Belite shuddered.


    Belite immediately saw Estize shudder at a distance.


    Armado''s eyes shone with an extremely hostile glare as he stared at Belite.


    "...And you owe me a blood debt as well. I should have killed you the moment I saw you entering this caf¨¦."


    Belite''s expression froze as he instinctively gulped.


    "''We of the Lower Street District?'' When has the Lower Street District been so united?" Benchike asked with beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, completely ignoring Armado''s seemingly complicated relationship with Belite. "C''mon now, don''t tell me..."


    Belite felt the grip around his neck relax slightly as Armado sneered.


    "You have tested our limits for long enough, nobles and citizens of the Everlasting Alliance," Armado said coldly. "It''s time we test yours."


    "Let''s see if the great and mighty Alliance, the Temples, and the sixteen star noble families remain unchanged after this."


    ''A plan that affects the whole Eastern Peninsula?'' Belite was stunned. ''What has the Lower Street District of Cvoilics ¡ª the biggest district in the capital city of the Welleysworths Union planned?'' Belite tried his best to piece the puzzles together but he lacked enough information to guess the accurate information.


    "It''s hilarious, Mister Armado." Estize said with a grave expression. "You know that you can''t escape from what you have done." Belite noticed that Estize might have realised something as he looked at the young boy curiously.


    "All of this for what?" Estize sighed. "Just because some no-named nobles threatened your authority for a short amount of time?"


    Belite looked at Estize and heard Armado laughing beside his ears while he felt the grip on his neck tighten as he lamented.


    ''Gods, what am I now? A vending machine?!''


    "Kid... Kids, you have no idea what we have gone through." Armado shot a glance at Belite coldly. "Even this unwanted trash only knows bits and pieces."


    Belite felt the grip slowly tighten around his neck as he was barely able to breathe.


    "Mi-Mister Amado..." Belite squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, and smiled. "Maybe... Maybe it''s better to not kill a hostage ''unwantedly'' and ''accidentally?''"


    Armado''s face turned cold and rigid as he heard Belite''s words. He then exerted force into his hands, seeing Belite''s despicable smile.


    But all that talking around wasn''t in vain, though, as spell light shone brilliantly in Belite''s hand.


    Armado''s eyes suddenly widened as he backed away, grunting in pain as his wrist had a seering red colour etched on it, the bandages he wore now burnt, exposing his bare skin.


    "Burning Hands!"


    ¡­


    On seeing my actions, the transfer four students sent by the alliance''s headquarters ¡ª Estize, Benchike, Arlecco and Beatrice ¡ª who''s goals had partially changed for now, grabbed their weapons once again.


    As I felt the exhaust the spell had on my mana pool, I backed away further, distancing myself from Armado.


    I knew the man. Far better than many, and knew for instance, that he wouldn''t come alone.


    Just like a mountain contains various animals, this mountain, too, contained a fierce animal.


    Plants burst forth and demolished what remained of the fine wooden building, another familiar face coming into my view as I used Red Block to shield myself, forming a spherical shield on my forearm.


    "...Bell, it has been a while," The "Plant Walker," Gellard greeted me. He looked older, much older than he had been when I had previously seen him.


    "Oh, you have white hairs on your temples, old man." I said, to provoke him as various members of Blevoics'' burst forth from behind us.


    The transfer students of the alliance remained useful in dealing with the mass of gang members. They would hopefully finish that quickly and help me¡­ hopefully.


    Gellard laughed hearing my words, and his short laughter soon came to an end, "Things have happened, Bell¡­ Armado has gone crazy ever since you left, and I had to deal with the shit you piled up. We were once weaker than we had ever been, and¡­ we still hadn''t found you."


    "Now you have," I smiled. Since my Circle''s Rotation was initially completed, the mana I could draw forth was increased, though by a little bit.


    I chanted quietly, using Red Block as I ran, unwilling to meet my foe.


    But plants quickly converged wherever I went, blocking my path.


    "Where will you hide¡­ where will you run¡­ Why must you run?" I heard the voice I dreaded the most at the moment, noticing Armado closing in on me from behind, like a madman.


    Then, the scenery around me suddenly changed.


    Armado''s charge halted, the plants growing in the surroundings suddenly receded, and everything just became dark.


    Then, amidst the receding plants, I saw a horse on fire, in its literal freaking sense!


    The horse ran, its movements making wisps of flame detach from its body and catch the plants nearby.


    As the plants burned, a man that seemed half-southern and half northern appeared, his hands engulfed in pitch-black and opaque darkness.


    I soon recognised him, as I shouted in delight, "Mr. Orsent!"


    It was the librarian! Surely, he would have noticed the abnormality of me storming out of the library or something else. But was it worth following me all the way here?


    As the question rang in my head, I took the opportunity while the others stumbled and quickly ran towards Armado.


    He was in the midst of regaining his steps and quickly did so when I came into his view.


    He grinned, maniacally, when he saw me.


    "Come!" He billowed, coming to almost embrace me.


    I took a step back, pushing my arms in front to grab his arms, and he didn''t resist, instead, he fell forward, grabbing my shoulders.


    Ouch, this won''t work.


    I kicked myself off the rumbling ground and raised my feets to kick him while he supported me, but the momentum worked against me as he threw me onto the ground, almost falling upon me.


    But I rolled, managing to avoid getting squashed, but I had a cut across my right cheek as it blinded my vision.


    Bastard had a knife, damn. How old style!


    Gritting my teeth, I widened the distance between us, tearing a piece of my shirt and casting Enhance on it to throw at him.


    It did slow him down but not by much. As the spell Enhance at the Third Dimensional merely made the object used more durable and harder, it didn''t increase its speed much.


    But since the shirt turned rigid, without flipping around, it was still fast enough to slow him down.


    As the plants still somehow obstructed my path, I maneuvered around them, meeting Armado.


    I was somewhat confident though, that I could defeat the man again since I had already done so, even if that was quite a different "defeat."


    I stepped back as he lunged at me to grab my face, Burning Hands evocated, I moved my hands to reach for the area that was burnt, hoping to finish the fight soon.


    But Armado backed away just as fast as he''d lunged, his moments monstrous.


    But he was nearing his fifties now, I could definitely see through his ruse. Good job concealing the laboured breaths, old man.


    I didn''t care as the fiery red on my hands faded, a red shield forming on my forearm.


    I waited and went near Armado, slamming the shield against him.


    He held, surprisingly.


    With red blood flowing between the gaps of his teeth, he muttered loudly enough that only I could hear him.


    "Despicable Blessings for a despicable man," he then threw me off, my vision instantly shifting as I noticed the plants above me were rapidly burning away.


    It didn''t matter if I won the fight anymore, I thought. Since the librarian had brought many staff of the academy here, they were easily overpowering Gellard. Armado would be no big deal, then.


    But trying to survive till then, I got up..just then though, the area surrounding me and the plants rapidly decayed, the forces of the academy halting.


    In the silence, I saw that most of Blevoics'' gang was dead, the transfer students prevailing with the help of some magical artifacts.


    Just then, I noticed a grin on their faces, as if all else had been settled.


    Boom!


    A brilliant bright light burst forth, removing all the plant havoc covering my view and path, forming a circular hole that was connected to the outside, revealing the Lower Street District beyond it.


    ¡­and from the forcibly torn circular hole, people covered in grey and black armors burst forth, a few of them having spherical shields of force on them, a symbol of crescent moon shining visible on their shoulders.


    The personal superhero forces of Barley Whitetwin, the noble who had claimed in-charge!


    Just as I wondered how chaotic the situation could get, I witnessed the personnel bearing the symbol of the academy turn back, stabbing members of their own rank, firing spells too.


    Various spell lights suddenly overwhelmed my view as I witnessed chaos within the ranks of the academy personnel, the spell lights slowly dying down as what remained of the academy''s side lunged at the noble''s forces.


    Shocked by the sudden change of events, I saw a flaming horse head towards me, spotting the librarian, Mr.Orsent behind it.


    "Enough games, I suppose. We will help you once, Armado. He is yours,"


    Armado, who had been thrown off due to the brilliant light, took the bone halberd handed by the librarian and came after me.


    This time, though, he wasn''t grinning.


    As I casted Red Block and saw Orsent preparing a spell through my peripheral view, I noticed that Armado had misstepped, his arm extended, with the halberd he held crashing into the ground in front of me.


    Taking the opportunity, I raised my foot and stamped the halberd, putting all my strength as I slammed Red Block against his face.


    He crashed a feet or two away, hitting the ground. I took a moment to realise, and saw that the librarian had suddenly frozen, with what seemed like a sea of bugs pouring in from the circular hole created by the brilliant light.


    "What chaos you bring on your first day at the academy, Mister Levester Bostorne!"


    I heard a familiar voice and saw Eric standing on the mass of insects and bugs.


    "I knew from the moment I sensed two souls inside you that you were trouble," Eric jumped, landing in front of me, "But¡­ Looks like you were a hired rat," he said pointing to the transfer students who were staring at us.


    "You can sense souls?" And you can sense Him? Just how damn strong is your Blessings, dude?!


    Wincing due to the cut on my cheek, I saw Armado fighting off against the insect horde of Eric, while the bugs and beetles went off to fight against Orsent.


    "That''s the difference between an Essential Heart and wizardry. Damned southerners," Eric said looking at Orsent, directing a few of his beetles to fight towards Orsent.


    He wiped the blood flowing from his nostrils and grinned, looking at me. "C''mon, now. Just a bit of blood, and that''s all. Still something that wizard can''t get past,"


    With a moment of respite to think, I did that much, my eyes looking at the circular hole that was formed.


    Why did the librarian betray the academy, why in the first place, was he able to gather such huge manpower of the academy?


    Looking at Orsent, he merely used spells to fight the horde of insects, not using any Blessings or the authority of Essential Heart.


    Just as I was wondering, beads of light started rising around me, one from me, another from Eric, and then another from Orsent and so on¡­


    Then, as I felt my thoughts feeling sluggish, I saw the points of light turn slightly black as they formed a spherical circle.


    Then, rays of light from the spherical circle converged inside its area, forming a brilliant light.


    I cursed, pushing myself out of the way as another one of those massive light beams was fired, destroying foes and allies alike as it stopped for none.


    Then, as it receded, I spotted the lifeless husk of Gellard falling from a high point on his Plant Paradise, crashing into the ground.


    Armado, as if alarmed, roared, and as things seemed to be reaching its conclusion, I ran towards the exit ¡ª the circular hole torn open by the light, with Eric on my side.


    My sluggish thoughts became normal, eventually becoming sharp as my brain processed at an unnatural speed.


    Why did Orsent betray us? And moreover, what was a southerner doing in the north''s best magic academy?


    Moreover, how could the Lower Street District organize such manpower? I doubted Orsent was from the Lower Street District, but the amount of funds needed to organize such a setup would cost a small state''s finances.


    Just then, things started clicking.


    Whether because it was due to my increasingly rapid thoughts, the conclusion I came up with sounded plausible.


    The Bald Harbingers! The Bald Harbingers and its leader who was arrested in the Three Southern Wings!


    It was definitely possible that a plan had manifested from there, but without much clues, I couldn''t be sure.


    As I ran towards the exit with Armado on my tail, I noticed a fantasy. Why had I gained an Essential Heart just as the academy had started?


    Just as the question clicked in my head, I realised I had stepped out of the Bright Days Cafe, escaping safely from the chaos¡­ Or so I thought.


    Another one of the questions I had in my life was answered today, though.


    Why was the number of superheroes among the Blevoics'' ranks always confused? Why was Blevoics'' able to stand and recover even after Armado had gone mad? Why¡­ did Blevoics'' remain as the number one gang in the Lower Street District?


    Everything was answered, as I looked at the bright red light that shone on my face, its radiance mixing with the absurd setting sun beyond the horizon¡­

 Sel Armado

    Year 81 of the Glorious Calendar, September in the midst of a blizzard.


    Achoo!


    A boy wearing a sickly expression wiped his nose with the sleeves of his shirt as he frowned.


    Slurrppp¡ª


    Drinking the water mixed with God-knows how many harmful substances, he quenched his thirst as he looked ahead.


    Ahead was the same old Lower Street District, where women were the cheapest source of warmth, worse than even wood.


    Due to the world going through various wars, trees had become scarce, so did oxygen and wood, thus spiking in prices.


    A single piece of wood cost 7 Black Crystals!


    7! Seven!!


    He could buy the whole menu of the Bright Days Caf¨¦ with that much money!


    ''Heck, I heard that there were some types of wood that get sold for Mana Crystals... Why can''t I get a bumper harvest such as those?''


    He sighed as he looked at the dried-up and short branches he''d had used to get a temporary source of heat as he clicked his tongue.


    ''I don''t even have a single White Crystal to buy anything... I have to "work" the whole day tomorrow if I need to buy food, much less wood...''


    He didn''t rely on begging much. Although sometimes, it was the major source of his income.


    But ''sometimes'', that is.


    It was like gambling at the casino, but the thing he waged was his life.


    If lucky, he''d encounter someone who would give him half-a-Black Crystal or one White Crystal.


    But if unlucky, though... Then getting a single crystal itself was a huge problem in and off itself.


    Not to mention those tall kids who claim even the smallest pieces of land as their own.


    ...and those poor people who would shoo them away if they begged in the same place for too long, grumbling about something like, "You have arms and legs, why don''t you work..."


    But what work! In this damned Lower Street District where prostitutes were considered to be high class!


    What can he, a mere kid do?!


    Nothing!


    Except die from malnutrition, with not a single organ in his body working properly!


    ''Exactly...''


    He looked around his ''tent'', which merely consisted of bedsheets, clothes and veils mixed together and which could barely fit 2-3 people.


    ''I need to pack the tent up, the blizzard might get worse anytime.''


    ''Damned Last Embers! What Glorious Era! The disparity between the Low and High classes keeps on increasing! The Imperial Era was far better even though the witnesses of that era didn''t have any superpowers or magic until the very end...''


    Packing his tent up while grumbling, the nameless boy finally finished packing his tent up and headed to the centre of the Lower Street District.


    Prriii!


    A loud whistle blew, halting the boy in his tracks.


    In front of him stood a bulky man who had his arms crossed, wearing a bandana that had the symbol of a slashed ''B'' inside a circle.


    The recently rising underdogs, Blevoics.


    "One White Crystal for one night, 7 Blacks for a week and..." The tough man stopped mid-sentence. "Never mind, you won''t have anything else."


    "Just pay up fast and leave."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Gritting his teeth and anxious while shivering, the boy paid a White Crystal to the bulky man in front of him as a clumsy metal gate with spikes protruding on top opened slightly before closing in again after he had walked in.


    Inside the gate, he noticed a large bunker on the ground. A bunker said to be made by escapees underground during the Last Embers war but recently dug out by various forces.


    It was the only light for those in the past, and it was the same for those in the present.


    For the whole of the Lower Street District, it was the only bunker which could protect them from the inconsistent weather of the so-called Glorious Era.


    Heading inside the bunker, the boy heard many gossips, most of them about the recently thriving ''Master of Thieves'' Kesiar, and about how good his looks and skills were, and how he managed to dispatch fifteen enemies in one night!


    But paying no heed to them, he headed towards the Central Room of the bunker and peeked inside through the window, which was left unprotected as if they couldn''t care less about being watched on.


    ''How confident... It''s undoubtedly due to that superhuman, Gellard!''


    ...


    Achoo!


    "Sniff... I am getting too old..." Armado wiped his snot on his long collar as he looked at the game of Black Jack in front of him. "Hit!"


    The man who was sitting opposite of him, Gellard, immediately grinned as he snatched all the crystals placed on the side of the long-table.


    "Bah, too bad! You lost!" Gellard immediately twisted the cards in his hand as Armado counted the total number and snorted softly before extending his hand.


    "What?" Gellard asked, exasperated.


    "You fool, the total comes up to twenty-one, you have long since lost!"


    "What? Twenty-one? This is seventeen! Belite told me that this card was only worth..."


    Thud!


    But before he could continue his sentence, the side-door of their small yet compact room was opened with a loud voice as Gellard immediately chuckled.


    "Speak of the devil..." But his voice trailed off when he saw Belite ¡ª who was covered in ice and was shivering, but was holding his hand and pressing it against his left cheek.


    "Uh-oh, looks like someone got slapped right in the face." Amidst Gellard''s laughter, Armado sneakily stole the crystals of Gellard, which Gellard immediately noticed as a fight broke out.


    "You... Who''s crystals do you think those are?"


    "It''s mine ofcourse! Just do the math dammit!"


    "Who do you mean ''mine''? Why don''t we ask Belite since he''s already here?"


    "Hmph, can''t you see? He''s on the verge of tears and speaking to someone who is crying will make them mental!"


    "Who said you that..."


    But before the absurd "fight" escalated any further, a stern and cold voice rang.


    "Father!" From behind the door, a girl of thirteen-years of age who wore a normal t-shirt and jeans emerged with a stack of books held to her bosom. "Belite has been sneaking around in the Upper Street District''s libraries!"


    "Again!"


    The "fighting" came to a stop as both Armado and Gellard coughed, casting stern gazes at the teary-eyed Belite who suddenly winked at them.


    Armado''s brows twitched. ''This brat...''


    "Kuhum, is that true?"


    "Yes... Father." Replied the teary eyed Belite.


    This time, it was Gellard who''s brows twitched as he poked at Armado''s side.


    "Don''t get led into this brat''s traps. He switches between brain-dead Armado and Father faster than the weather after the Last Embers."


    Armado nodded as he plastered his broken fa?ade and coughed once again, gesturing at Sel to bring the books over.


    Armado looked at the stack of books and picked one of them up in disdain before he threw it on the table, feeling a headache.


    "What is this? Sorcery?"


    Belite, who was holding his cheek that had the red imprint of a palm on it, sniffed as he spoke.


    "W-well... It''s science."


    "Science?" Armado had a curious expression on his face but it quickly vanished under the stern and cold gaze of his daughter ¡ª Sel. Instead he asked. "What use does this bullshit science have to do with our lives?"


    Belite''s expression immediately brightened as he rubbed his swollen cheek.


    "Plenty, many! The book I was reading was called "Prevention, Symptoms and Causes of Mental Disorders" written by Dr. Rick, who is... Is also a scientist who runs experiments on the brain."


    Struggling to emphasize the complex term and words, Belite stuttered for a moment before his expression immediately brightened after finding the right words.


    "It mentions that if a person is imprisoned and doesn''t experience the expected change that he is supposed to experience in a while ¡ª the person might start showing signs of madness."


    "Oh?"


    "Yes, indeed. If a person is locked within a room or confined in darkness or let''s simply say ¡ª same or unchanged room or surroundings, then that person will slowly go mad. The symptoms ranging from merely talking to oneself to desired hallucinations, hallucinations of past incidents, and self-deprecating incidents."


    Gellard''s expression immediately changed. "Uh... Then that means those prisoners we had thrown in the bunker..."


    ''Crap...'' Armado muttered in his heart as he looked at Belite, who winked slyly once again.


    "See? Better get them out of there before they get mad! Wasn''t this useful?"


    "Logically speaking..." Armado''s voice trailed off once again but he immediately gestured at Gellard to do something about the prisoners in the bunker as he continued his sentence under the gaze of his daughter. "Belite has done us a favour, once again."


    The sobbing expression on Belite''s face immediately disappeared as he turned to the young girl named Sel and grinned.


    "See? You owe me one ¡ª Oww I didn''t mean another slap!"


    "Father!" Sel, who was now twisting Belite''s ear, spoke. "This is the third time you have sided with him! The third time! In a single month!"


    "Do you know how dangerous it is to go outside in this blizzard? Even I almost froze to death!"


    "You did more harm to me than the blizzard... Ow!" ¡ª A Belite in anguish.


    Armado watched the two children fight as a smile had unknowingly plastered itself across his face.


    He closed his eyes as he exhaled deeply, focusing his gaze on the book named: "Three-Hundred and Five Mental Disorders You Need To Be Cautious Of."


    "Sel..." Armado muttered, his surroundings dark as his torso was tied with chains, his tone quivering and old. "Maybe... I should have sided with you since then..."


    "If I did so... Maybe you would still be alive, instead of those wretched monsters...!!"

 Vol2Ch1: Coarse Start

    It was a rather uneventful day, with darkness surrounding all over.


    There were screams all around, of one thing but pain.


    It was an odd situation too, how could the honourable and reputed Order of the Black Pits do this?


    How could they kidnap an innocent man of common-birth and stash him in a basement like a dirty rag?


    What about their reputation? Were they all fake? Were they merely wearing a fa?ade?


    Ruiki opened his red eyes in the all-too familiar darkness. It had been six meals since he had been confined in this place.


    If he was right, then the meals provided everyday were just the dinner and breakfast.


    It signified the routine of the captives ¡ª Meal after slumber and meal before slumber.


    Although the food wasn''t of good quality and merely of the hunted animals in the vicinity, it was meat that was cooked thoroughly so as to not make it chewy, making Ruiki somewhat surprised of the generosity.


    Yet again, it was the Noble Order of Black Pits, as worthy of the name.


    There wasn''t much Ruiki had done after being confined besides counting his days as an inmate.


    The captors rarely let the inmates get out of their cells to get a decent walk ¡ª although it was a habitual routine for older and special inmates as he had noted.


    Most of these special inmates though, he doubted they were humans. Ruiki could bet that he saw their ruby-like eyes glisten even in this laborious darkness.


    Special inmates aside, the captors themselves were diligent in their work.


    Although they wore the custom-made robe of the Order of Black Pits that he had fawned over when he was a child, they wore at least studded leather armours underneath, lest there was an emergency prison break.


    Some even went as far as to wear full plate-mail armours ¡ª Ruiki wondered if he''d even be able to stand in those heavy-weighted armours. They looked enchanted on top of that.


    This made him doubt if they were mages though, probably hired mercenaries.


    It was a surprising thought however, that the Order of Black Pits ¡ª whose members were proud to be Wizards raised in their own grounds, also recruited paid mercenaries.


    It looked as if the Order of Black Pits was launching a massive operation of some sorts, which he still had to figure out, if he were left alive.


    Shifting about on the cold ground, Ruiki heard whooshing sounds near him ¡ª those of the tides of the river surging.


    And it was probably raining, for the river to gush so loudly that it was audible inside the cave he was in.


    Ruiki and many prisoners had already deduced that they were near a river. Perhaps River Strenzo which bore the ''mark of the Undead'' as Ruiki heard the prisoners say.


    Although the inmates usually chatted at night and played many verbal games, Ruiki was mostly out of it.


    In fact, he bet that many inmates thought that he was probably dead if not for the food being slid into his prison cell.


    They had tried to commune with him the first and the second day, then, after learning that he was just some seventeen-year old child of common-birth, they had ignored him due to lost interest.


    Though Ruiki heard the noises of the games they played at night ¡ª which included rock paper scissors and something they played with a chipped rock ¡ª he didn''t part-take in any.


    Although it was a great source of information for him as he heard all sort of rumours and information from the inmates at night, though the inmates didn''t particularly talk about insidious or important information ¡ª either they didn''t know anything about the Order or they were just cautious that the captors were eavesdropping, Ruiki didn''t know.


    But he had heard all sorts of things from his fellow inmates ¡ª to occasional womanising to talks about beers and ale, learning about the various varieties of alcohol present in his surroundings.


    He''d also realised that he had paid less attention to his surroundings, for there was a covert inn nearly twenty to thirty metres from his house.


    And yes, he did have a family and he had a good relationship with his siblings as well.


    Only if he''d had bunked the school on that fateful day, he''d probably be eating supper at home currently...Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Kuhum... Realising he had day dreamed enough ¡ª far more than someone his age should ¡ª he sat up straight, gathering his apprentice robe that he had used as a pillow and patting it, to get rid of the dust.


    And yes, he was also an apprentice Wizard of the Iron Wire School, although he was not even barely qualified to be called as a ''Wizard''.


    Well, I still have a thesis to prepare. Would''ve been half-done if I wasn''t in this wretched and foul smelling place.


    Somehow, his fears of failing to prepare a thesis far overtook his fears of not making out alive, perhaps due to how ''harmonious'' the atmosphere was in the prison.


    Perhaps because he was still a teenager or because Ruiki had been an inmate for less amount of time than the others, he wasn''t subjected to what the other prisoners were.


    He was neither taken off to a place for interrogation or experimentation, nor had he been barred from his meals for not answering the guards'' questions.


    All in all, except for the two meals a day and the lingering boredom, it wasn''t so bad.


    Ofcourse, he was still worried that his family would be worried about him.


    And judging that his captors were the ''honourable'' Order of the Black Pits, he doubted he would be released in ransom either.


    Not that his family could afford a decent ransom, at the very least.


    Even though Ruiki''s family were considered as middle-class in terms of wealth due to his mother, he doubted they had much money due to the recently increasing taxes.


    Atleast not enough to pay for the wealthy Order of Black Pits which even rivaled the Royal Family in terms of wealth and manpower.


    What a messed up situation this is. Waking up in the morning only to be greeted by some rabbit or deer meat thrown at your face. Even the water is salty and filled with suspicious minerals... Ruiki recounted, having started exercising to make sure the food didn''t mess him up before he himself messed himself up, atleast.


    Thankfully, the meat that was cheaply provided were enough for him to sustain mild exercise and yet be somewhat energetic throughout the day ¡ª although with power naps in between.


    He was getting skinnier though, he knew.


    The food provided were somehow getting worse and worse by each day, their quality diminishing and deteriorating.


    The same was for the water which was barely drinkable now due to the black particles filling them.


    The last time they had provided him with water, he''d had to take off his shirt to filter and keep the minerals aside.


    How laborious... Is this really the Order of Black Pits? What happened to the hospitality you provided for the first three meals?


    Well, atleast the meat was thoroughly cooked until it was tinder and easily chewable. He didn''t know how long that''d last, though.


    Might as well add spices to it. What about some peas and rice alongside? Might as well send me to a buffet if you will...


    Not that the order was incapable of doing so. They could probably feed an entire town for months, lest a lone prisoner or prisoners.


    Having had vented his frustration enough, Ruiki wore back his apprentice'' robe, rubbing his eyes that had turned red due to some affliction.


    Going near the horizontally barred gate, he slowly stood and watched over.


    Since it was early morning, prisoners were first taken away for questioning, and depending on the prisoners actions and answers did they get their breakfast.


    Ruiki watched on, the lamp the guards'' held increasing his visibility.


    "Come fast," the guard chided, dragging a sickly pale man alongside him. "We don''t have all day. It''s either this or no meals till death."


    The guard who held the sickly pale and skinny man by his shoulder and supported him looked at his companion, who brought another batch of prisoners before nodding and proceeding onwards.


    As Ruiki watched and waited, the guards soon arrived from the opposite side, their lamps illuminating their surroundings and casting shadows.


    Ruiki saw that despite their fears, the prisoners started cursing and mocking the guards, throwing some black stones they had somehow gotten at them.


    But the guards continued on nonchalantly, their armours protecting them from the weak barrage.


    Resigned, Ruiki saw that the inmates soon gave up as the captors reached out of their view.


    The prison was a long passage with prison cells on the sides. So the visibility was limited, counting on the darkness.


    "Hey," One of the prisoners called out to his friends. "I think old man Barley is going to die. He hasn''t eaten anything for days,"


    "Tsk," another one clicked their tongue,"I''d say It''s well deserved. If he wasn''t so stubborn and yielded, he wouldn''t have gotten himself in trouble."


    Ruiki opened his mouth, feeling it was dry.


    "What was he imprisoned for?" He asked, surprising a few inmates.


    "Ah, the ghost-child finally talks," The inmate who was captured in the cell in front of Ruiki said. "We had thought you were dead, you know. If It weren''t for I, Arviese, in front of you, we would''ve very well thought that you were."


    After a few seconds, the voice sounded in front of him again while the others grew silent.


    "Old man Barley was imprisoned for illegal use of magic," the voice came in front of him. The voice contained a trace of anger though it sounded calm.


    "Barley was a street vendor who had somehow learned spells even without visiting any magic schools," the voice began. "Although it is illegal, it isn''t a crime that''s worth imprisoning someone and... Torturing them."


    The sounds of muffled breath sounded, the inmates next to him weren''t happy either.


    "Hmph," One of them harrumphed, Ruiki guessed it was his neighbour, placed in the prison cell beside him. "How ridiculous, I used to watch the parades of the Black Pits Order of ''the highest Nobility'' with my son, who knew they were so rotten deep inside."


    "Going as far as slave trade to other regions..."


    Ruiki gripped the prison bars, his breathing hoarse as he asked, "They declared themselves as politically neutral, right?"


    "Everyone does that these days kid," The inmate in front of him named Arviese said. "Magic schools who aspire to only research magic and nothing else, yet they find themselves in the midst of a political brawl the other day."


    "Such are the days we live in."


    His voice resounded across the grim prison, the inmates'' expressions contorting fiercely.


    But before they could say anything more, they heard a bang, sound in the distance.


    "Ah, ahhh!"


    Ruiki looked around and recognised the voice as Arviese''s, but soon similar screams died out his voice.


    What''s happening? Ruiki soon found out the reason, for his right foot suddenly sunk in the ground, aligning with another bang sound.


    Ruiki''s pupils dilated, unable to see anything in the darkness, as all he could assume was that the ground had split open.


    Damn it!


    He tried to grab something and jump off, but that was in vain as he realised the ceiling itself was collapsing.


    Going against the flow would be suicide... Resolving himself, he jumped as high as he could and stomped down with all his might.


    In the end, he didn''t know if it helped or not but he was somewhat glad that his footing disappeared wholly and he felt himself free fall into the unknown depths.

 The Deep Depths

    Witches in ditches...


    Ruiki let out a groan as he pushed the rubble aside, taking a moment to breathe before examining himself.


    Since he''d already worn the apprentice robe, the damage was minimised although the robe was now in tatters, so was his body beneath it.


    Collecting his breath slowly, Ruiki looked around. It was dark once again with a bit of light seeping in from the sides, probably from lanterns... He thought after judging their low intensity.


    Then, he carefully sat straight, bumping his head along the way as he then proceeded to crawl out disgracefully.


    After crawling over from where the light was seeping in, he closed his eyes briefly before opening them in pain.


    The light was killing his eyes but he soon adjusted as he looked around.


    Surrounding him were mottled black walls which had colourful engravings on them.


    Few of the engravings shone in red, others emitted a black light while most of them shone in a white golden lustre.


    Blinking, he turned back as he realised how lucky he was that he survived.


    Hah... A disbelieving laugh escaped his lips, seeing that two sharpened rocks that had fallen from above had acted as pillars, blocking a rock on the top from falling forward, saving himself from being squashed into a potato.


    He soon felt chills though, realising if he had bumped his head any harder, not only would the pillar have fallen, so would have the rock above.


    Scary... He heaved a sigh of relief at the turn of events, thanking the Goddess of Fate as he shifted his attention back to the situation.


    In his vicinity, there were ruins of fallen rock all around along with dead butchered animals hanging down from the top, ropes, water satchels and, Dead bodies.


    Coming closer to the dead bodies with small splashing sounds due to the blood below soaking his boots, Ruiki came to a pause.


    Ahead of him lay a headless corpse, it''s head separated as it lay a few feet ahead with lifeless eyes.


    The head though, was split in half with brain matter and blood leaking out still anew, the tongue falling in the middle with eyes rolled back.


    Looking at the scene, Ruiki suppressed the nauseous feeling he was feeling in his stomach, quickly bringing his hand near his mouth as all the thoughts he had of taking the studded-leather armour for himself vanishing as he looked away quickly.


    But that didn''t help at all, as there were dead bodies crushed brutally surrounding him, all wearing the elite robes of the Order of the Black Pits.


    Ruiki took a step back.


    But he soon had second thoughts, as his robe was ripped everywhere with his white shirt being dyed red, offering him no protection whatsoever lest something attacked him in the depths.


    I heard four-eyed Fagosins lurked in ''the river of Undead''... Recalling one of his textbooks, he steeled his resolve as he searched for a human corpse that was in better condition and soon found one,


    For it was right next to the place where he had fallen.


    Coming closer, he noticed that the corpse was of a man in his early thirties with sharp facial features, whose legs were crushed beneath the same chunks of rocks that had protected him.


    Ruiki realised he hadn''t looked properly in haste as he knelt down, forcing the brewing emotions down his chest as he proceeded to undo the man''s leather robe before he looked at the armour below.


    Damn, a full-fledged steel armour. It probably weighs fifty kilos! The man was a mercenary, Ruiki realised.


    Just as he was about to stand up to search for a light weighted armour, he saw the corpse twitch before it instantly grabbed at Ruiki''s legs.


    Ruiki''s heart skipped a beat and he almost fell down but managed to balance himself as he ruthlessly thrashed his leg around, freeing himself from the grasp.


    "H-help me..."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Breathing heavily, Ruiki frowned as he noticed that the so-called ''corpse'' was still alive and breathing, Well... Barely alive.


    His composure still lost, he looked at the deathly pale man who was currently looking above Ruiki, his face instantly paling further.


    Surprised, Ruiki cautiously looked up only to see insurmountable darkness as he refocused his gaze back on the man.


    "There''s no danger to your life, you aren''t bleeding," Ruiki said, trying to calm both himself and the man. "I will bring you some water."


    Amidst the man''s weak cries Ruiki quickly distanced himself from him and gathered his breath, looking around at the shimmering engravings to calm down.


    What are those... Inscriptions? Ruiki neared the "inscriptions" as he had presumed, and observed them for a few seconds before not understanding anything and turning around.


    But he still made use of their shimmering light to quickly search for water puddles, which were probably from the stored water cans they kept above in the prison.


    He used to hear many inmates talking about it, complaining that the pure water from the water cans weren''t available for the inmates but only the guards.


    But now that the water was dirty, Ruiki grabbed a nearby satchel and thoroughly wet it in water before he carefully held the satchel and neared the man who was struck beneath the stone.


    "Open your mouth," he said as he knelt down slowly, making sure the man couldn''t grab at him.


    After the man had done so, Ruiki held the ends of the satchel and twisted them, the water dripping frequently in the man''s mouth.


    After doing this for two to three times until the man had finally regained his ability to speak, Ruiki questioned him.


    "What happened above?"


    "I... I d-don''t know." The man replied, stuttering and gathering his breath. Clearly traumatized by either pain or fear. "I am just a hired mercenary..."


    "One of the Wizards of the Order, he... He suddenly shouted something and cast spells, before all the Wizards were alerted and started hurling spells at something..."


    "T-that was the last thing I saw before I knew the entire thing was falling apart and that I was here."


    Ruiki nodded. "Your legs," he asked. "Can you feel them?"


    "I don''t know..." The man replied with uncertainty before shaking his head. "No."


    Regaining a bit of his composure after realising he wasn''t in immediate danger, the man asked, "You are a prisoner?"


    "I was a prisoner, yes." Ruiki emphasized, though he doubted his current situation was any different from before. His life was in danger even more now, afterall.


    Seeing the man nod, Ruiki questioned him further.


    "Where was the prison located? River Strenzo?"


    "Yes, ''the river of Undead'' near Black Weed mountains." The man confirmed, but suddenly grunted.


    His movements came to a halt as he looked at Ruiki with a change in expression.


    "My legs... I can feel them!" The man said, unmoving, yet with renewed vigor. "Can you try moving the rock?"


    Ruiki nodded dryly, "I''ll try," but he didn''t move from his spot but merely stared at the man.


    Seeing Ruiki''s expression, he quickly said. "I won''t attack you, besides, I don''t even have any weapons on me."


    Ruiki nodded once again. "So true,"


    The man in his early thirties grit his teeth as he quickly came to a decision, his expression hardening.


    "There''s a dagger in the pouch tied near my shin, take it. But please..."


    Ruiki nodded, taking the dagger and checking the man''s torso and pockets before he even tried to move the rock.


    It wasn''t that difficult though, all he had to do was push the rock on the top so it wouldn''t hurt the man, and pull at the rock crushing the man''s feet with all his might.


    He heard a bone-piercing scream from the man after the rock moved, the scream soon dying down as the man had no energy.


    "T-thank you..." The man in full-fledged armour said weakly, that Ruiki barely heard it.


    Ruiki''s expression contorted slightly as he saw that the man''s legs were a mess.


    ...


    It had been around half an hour or more since Ruiki had arrived in this weird cavern.


    He and the man were currently sitting near a campfire made with joint efforts, talking.


    "...and then it was like bang, one stone fell after another, one ceiling after another."


    Ruiki nodded, glancing at the man''s legs.


    One of his legs was thoroughly crushed up to the thighs while the other remained somewhat unscathed though it was bandaged, and the man remained enthusiastic for someone who had only recently lost his leg.


    A wooden stick lay beside him as the man continued on, "Damned bastards, brought this upon themselves after conducting weird experiments."


    "Weren''t you working for them?" Ruiki stated, the man laughing at his words.


    "I... We work for whoever pays the best, good or bad, king or peasant. It doesn''t matter,"


    Ruiki nodded, having learned quite a bit about the man after talking to him.


    He was a part of the group of mercenaries hired by the Order of the Black Pits.


    Though his companions fate lay unknown, the mercenary in front of him, James Hardwick, was quite happy that he survived.


    "Ofcourse, we prioritize our safety first and research thoroughly before signing a contract." James Hardwick said with a laugh, his shoulder leaning against the wall. "Good thing we found some food, although it''s deformed."


    Ruiki nodded, biting into a jerky found on one of the bodies of the members of the Order.


    It wasn''t seasoned or anything, but it could fill an empty stomach nonetheless, and for that, both of them were happy.


    "We should conserve our supplies, who knows how long we''ll be trapped in this damned place." James said, looking at the campfire and placing his hands above the fire, rubbing them together.


    "Otherwise, we will die of starvation before the things down here kill us."


    His voice echoed, Ruiki staying still.


    Indeed, unknown caverns or in particular, underground areas like this one were pretty dangerous.


    Although the various Wizards of the Order and adventurers had explored the underground and slain the things beneath, such areas still weren''t safe.


    Especially areas where experiments were conducted.


    Ruiki''s expression hardened as he stood up.


    "Where are you going?" James Hardwick asked, biting and splitting the jerky. "Blergh, the jerky''s got a weird taste down here."


    "To search more bodies," Ruiki replied. "Stay here, I will be back soon."


    "Eh, don''t you noble boys detest touching corpses?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Ruiki merely glanced at him, heading back to where he came from as he clenched the black dagger tightly in his palms.

 Baron and Party

    Ruiki walked over to the corpses littered over the ground, his eyes darting around as he looked at a corpse that was a bit less gruesome.


    It didn''t help much though, most of the corpses were injured and butchered in one way or another.


    Sighing, Ruiki walked over to a corpse of a man that was somewhat identical to himself in height and size.


    He then crouched down, the man''s face catching his attention.


    One of his eyes was completely white without the pupil, wide open with his mouth agape.


    He had three gashes, probably from some creature''s claws, extending from his left to the forehead to the right side of the chin.


    What type of creature was this?


    There were many types of creatures with claws that were as sharp if not even sharper.


    Doubt it''s the fagosins, they''re freaking spiders,


    Although he doubted it were the Fagosins, for they were too weak, Ruiki removed the Wizard''s Robe from the man and then the leather armour.


    Thankfully, the leather armour was left intact, maybe he had died in one blow to the head... Ruiki thought, confused on what to feel.


    After measuring the leather armour''s weight and thinking it was wearable, he removed his Apprentice Robe and wore it atop his white shirt before hastily wearing the dead man''s Wizard''s Robe on top and buttoning it.


    He felt that before any creature down below killed him, the heat would do the deed faster.


    Ruiki rummaged in the robe''s inner pocket, finding it heavy, as he took out a locket and opened it with a click, sound.


    John D. Barner... He read the man''s name that was carved in the locket aloud, before placing the locket back on the man''s corpse.


    Ruiki then proceeded to loot the man''s body as he found multiple darts and a small dagger that was of better quality than the mercenary''s dagger.


    He also found a leather strap that he could attach to his legs as he took that as well and placed the dagger in it.


    He then proceeded to search the other corpses laid about, finding expensive and invaluable items that he reluctantly put down.


    He looked at the front, where something akin to a pink gem lay.


    Gregon''s Pupils, Ruiki thought, tightening the gloves he had stolen. A pity they are too eye-catching and would attract the nearby creatures if there are any,


    If it weren''t for that, he would have undoubtedly taken that as well and sold it for a fortune at Wind Flower City.


    There were also various things that he had left behind, unable to carry more although he had found an enchanted magic pouch, which already had a lot of items inside.


    A few gems along with two scrolls of Fireballs and one Chain Lightning should suffice. That was all the magic pouch could carry.


    He crouched down, searching the last of the corpses with tired hands. Searching so many corpses had already been a burden on his mind, and he didn''t want to stress it further.


    Checking the pockets, he found a wrinkled paper, its edges stained with blood.


    Ruiki read its contents as he stood: "To the honorable Dragonslayer,


    Your demands are too unreasonable; we have no choice but to refuse."


    "Dragonslayer?" Ruiki thought aloud, having read about them in textbooks.


    There were many such "dragonslayers" roaming about, killing cattles and pigs.


    "Wizard!" An excited and tired voice sounded from behind, startling him. "You''re still alive!"


    Ruiki took a deep breath and looked back, prepared, spotting a not-very-tall plump man wearing extravagant clothes. Along with him was a woman in her mid or late twenties wearing mercenary clothes.


    Ruiki fixed his gaze on the man with a plump stomach, who laughed looking at him.


    "Glad I found you, Wizard. Otherwise I might''ve been in deep trouble today," the plump man said, pointing at Ruiki. "Though you seem... Quite young for a Wizard?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ruiki shook his head, saying. "I am not a Wizard," the man''s face froze slightly as he paused, "But I am an apprentice currently studying in Iron Wire High at Wind Flower City."


    "Oh, is that so..." The plump man nodded, asking, "You can cast spells?"


    "Basic recovery spells," Ruiki nodded. "And a few first dimensional ones."


    "Can you demonstrate?" The man asked, but he quickly shook his head and laughed, "Haha, we shouldn''t waste your magic, nevermind." He extended his hand.


    "I am Baron Barlet Ployer of Wind Flower City, pleased to meet you."


    Ruiki, who had already somewhat guessed his name, nodded as he shook his hand.


    "I''m Ruiki Imara," Ruiki said, looking behind the man. "That is?"


    Ruiki, huh?


    "A mercenary that I found along the way," Ployer chuckled, "since she was from Wind Flower City, I thought to help her."


    "Indeed, our Baron is very kind." The woman with red braided hair and pitch-black pupils said with a smile, standing beside the Baron.


    Ruiki merely nodded, asking the Baron. "What happened above?"


    "You are an apprentice Wizard, aren''t you?" Ployer asked but Ruiki didn''t reply. "I guess that thing up there didn''t hurt you because you weren''t a threat to it."


    "Though you should be grateful for that, hahaha..."


    Ruiki nodded. "Let''s rest first, I have a make-shift campfire ahead."


    The Baron nodded as Ruiki led the way.


    ...


    "Oh, Rose. You''re alive!" Hardwick exclaimed, genuinely surprised seeing his companion return, "Thought our whole group was dead except me."


    "Looks like you aren''t unscathed either," the mercenary woman standing behind Ployer said, a smile on her face.


    Ruiki sat down, asking Hardwick. "Your legs are fine?"


    Hardwick nodded. "Somewhat. After you bandaged them and healed them with magic, they should be."


    Ployer laughed. "What a good man you are, lad."


    "Need some food, old man?" Hardwick looked at Ployer and asked, as if they were old friends,


    But Ployer shook his head, denying. "People so old as me shouldn''t eat much."


    After a bit of small talk, Ployer suddenly asked looking at Ruiki, "You were imprisoned above?"


    Ruiki nodded. "Yes, by the Order of the Black Pits." He then took a deep breath as he asked, "Do you know anything about them?"


    Ployer smiled faintly saying, "All I know is that they were repairing the pits'' once again, came to look at them and check their progress, but boom, here we are." He spread his hands, gesturing to their surroundings.


    Ruiki nodded, not buying it. "What was that thing up there?"


    Ployer''s smile ceased. "It''s better if you don''t know. It''s contagious."


    Well, no use knowing it anyway... Although he was curious, Ruiki nodded.


    "What to do now? Are there any exits here?"


    "There is one," Surprisingly, the one who spoke wasn''t the Baron, but the mercenary beside him. She fiddled with her hair as he said, "I saw the Wizards talking about mining their way through the "underground bunker", though the mining was completed, there is a hole in here that connects us to the surface."


    Ployer suddenly grinned, Hardwick heaving a sigh of relief.


    "But..."


    "But?" Ruiki urged.


    "Since the mining had made a lot of noise, a group of Fagosins and Brirrads had gathered near the entrance," Mercenary Rose said, "We''d be lucky if they were crushed beneath the rocks, or else..."


    At this, Hardwick frowned and scratched his chin.


    "It''s fine if there aren''t more of them. My enchanted greatsword should be here, somewhere."


    "I have gathered two intact Scrolls of Fireball spells from the corpses, third-dimensional." Ruiki skipped. "We might be able to make it safely above, if there aren''t many creatures laying about."


    "Excellent lads and ladies I have around me. Make sure to come to Wind Flower City once, I''ll reward you handsomely." Ployer said with a smile, "If we make it out, ofcourse."


    "Alright, since you know the way Rose, you can lead us." Hardwick said, everyone nodding.


    "Okay," Rose agreed with a nod.


    ...


    After a short discussion, the Baron and group decided to first explore the area nearby before heading for the exit.


    This was mainly the Baron''s idea as he insisted they searched, lest they found some Wizards alive.


    After searching the area they had fallen, which was some kind of prison, the group headed towards the numerous passages.


    Although the area didn''t seem big at first, the party was a bit surprised after exploring a bit.


    At the northwest room of the cavern, a small but intact room lay bare, an indecipherable painting hanging on the wall.


    But most importantly, in one of its corners next to a door, a stone golem lay dead, its body strangely unscathed.


    "This room is still well," Rose said, stretching her hand towards the painting. "So the golem probably died before the collapse."


    Rose removed the painting from its place as a hollow place revealed itself, inside of which was a dagger.


    Rose weighed the dagger in her hand, looking a bit surprised.


    "An enchanted dagger," she stated, "It''s a named weapon then." She then proceeded to give the dagger to Ruiki, and asked him to read the name written on its blade.


    Ruiki squinted before shaking his head.


    It was in an ancient language that he couldn''t read, in fact, he doubted even Wizards could read it properly.


    Rose stored the dagger away in disappointment but she wasn''t too disheartened since it was still free anyway.


    After seeing this, the party rummaged through various stuff for hidden compartments but found nothing except for a small barrel hidden underneath a table, which was discovered by Ruiki.


    "Oh," the Baron exclaimed, peering inside the barrel. "An enchanted armour."


    Ruiki nodded as he shifted the armour with some difficulty, trying to find the name of the armour and see if he could decipher it.


    Ruiki soon found the name, which was written in the inner-lining of the armour.


    "Starstreak of Valquin," Ruiki read.


    Although people could know the uses of enchanted items by merely reading their names, there were still a few enchanted items that were complex enough that their uses couldn''t be known by reading their names.


    "Valquin, you say," Ployer said, standing beside Ruiki, amused. "If I remember correctly, there''s a family of a Viscount in the Kingdom, named as Valquin."


    The party soon decided to give the armour to Rose, whose armour wasn''t in a good shape and also because she was the only one capable in the group to defend them, and also since Ruiki, as a Wizard, couldn''t wear heavy armor.


    Going next to the door the stone golem had died, Hardwick, with the help of Ruiki, tried to pull it open but failed, apparently it was barred from the other side.


    Stowing away their fortune, the Baron''s Party proceeded into the southeast passage unperturbed.

 Choices (One)

    In the southeast passage that was short yet illuminated by the inscriptions written on the walls, the party took a right turn before they heard some noises.


    Sizzle, sizzle!


    Rose stretched her arm out, stopping the rest.


    "Stay here, I''ll go check it out."


    Getting a nod from the Baron, she proceeded onward, before signalling the group to follow behind.


    Normally, Rose stayed with the Baron in the front while Ruiki and James stayed at the back, Ruiki supporting James and helping him walk while maintaining caution.


    But this time, the Baron gracefully asked them to go forward.


    And the both of them did so, with James and Ruiki at the front and the Baron a little far behind.


    "If we''re gonna die, everyone''s gonna die," Hardwick grumbled, not liking the Baron''s demeanor.


    The Baron didn''t reply, his eyes forward.


    Soon, they reached some sort of a device.


    Its front was made with glass as it occupied the small hall they had entered at the centre. Inside its glass though, there were buzzes of blue energy that ran back and forth, with numerous levers attached to the device''s back and below.


    "That is?" Ruiki questioned, noticing that Rose was somewhat surprised seeing the device.


    "Something I used to hear in stories, " Rose said, chuckling. "Let''s proceed onward.


    Everyone nodded, looking ahead.


    There was only one entry-point to the area forward, through a passage.


    After walking for a minute or two, they arrived at a rather "chilling" place.


    In the centre of the area was a red spire which was encased in frost, its tip almost reaching the ceiling, while on the sides were four different types of pools with frog-like reptiles living underneath.


    Touching the frozen spire, Ruiki felt his fingertips freeze, retracting his hand and seeing that half of his palm was frozen.


    "How cold, yet worse for summer vacations," James said, laughing as he saw Rose carrying back his enchanted greatsword.


    "You can keep it," James said, turning away. "I''m in no condition to use it, obviously."


    "Okay," Rose nodded as she adjusted the greatsword on her back, quite content with its weight.


    "How did your greatsword end up here?" Ployer questioned nearby, trying to get a look at the frog-like creatures in the lake.


    "Probably some creature carried it," James dismissed, "There are plenty of them who do. Or probably that one right there,"


    James pointed ahead where the ceiling had collapsed, falling upon a creature with only its green feet visible, but none of the members of the party went close to it, wary.


    "The timing doesn''t match¡ª but never mind, let''s continue, shall we?" The Baron urged.


    Coincidentally, the part the rubble had covered was the doorway to beyond, but there was little problem to the party as they climbed over the rubble and reached another long passage.


    Walking through the passages, they arrived at a spruce door with a round golden handle attached in the centre,


    The members of the party took turns in prying it open to no avail.


    Rose lifted the round door-handle, finding a keyhole beneath.


    "Let''s search for a key... Or something resembling it,"


    Receiving nods of approval, the party headed forward with Rose in lead, finding another small passageway in the west as they followed.


    Scrunch.


    Their almost imperceptible footsteps ceased immediately at the sound of paper coming from ahead, the party stopped dead in tracks.


    "Uh-oh, we''ve got trouble!" James whispered, being supported by Ruiki.


    "Quiet!" The Baron said from behind, stepping forward to look at what it was.


    But unfortunately, the flame chandeliers in front of them had extinguished, and there was no light.


    Drip.


    Ruiki looked at his forearm, where a drop of water had fallen as he looked up cautiously, but the ceiling was merely obscured by darkness.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Mi swordh!"


    A childish voice said from the front as Rose immediately got on-guard and pulled out the greatsword, Ruiki pulling out the Chain Lightning Scroll.


    Since unlike Chain Lightning, Fireball was a wide area-of-effect spell, in this congested space, there was a chance that it would bring everyone''s doom. Being considerate of that, Ruiki pulled out the Chain Lightning Scroll.


    "Careful! Underground creatures usually have infravision," Rose shouted, no longer concealing her voice as footsteps resounded from the front.


    Hardwick leaned on the wall, his eyes scanning the surroundings.


    "Kraaa!"


    In Ruiki''s vision, something green yet small charged forward, hitting Rose''s greatsword.


    But Rose merely stepped back two steps before gathering enough momentum to push the creature back.


    The creature went back whirling in the air as it landed on all fours, its pitch-black eyes scanning the group with nothing but unintelligible hostility.


    "A Green Goblin!" Hardwick said from the side, his face slightly pale.


    "These slick bastards," Hardwick cursed. "Stealing my greatsword..."


    Ruiki cast a glance at Hardwick, his eyes fixated on the green goblin.


    But fortunately or not, the green goblin merely growled, saying indecipherable words before scurrying away into the darkness.


    "We should be on guard," Rose warned, "Since one of these managed to survive, there will definitely be more."


    Ruiki nodded as the Baron rubbed his forehead, regretting his decision to "explore" the area.


    ...


    The party continued amidst the small trouble, eventually heading further west and coming across a room filled to the brim with test tubes.


    "What in the world..." The Baron said, slightly shaken.


    Ruiki went closer, his expression derisive as he peered inside the test tubes.


    Half-polymorphed humans...


    "Apprentice?"


    Ruiki turned back. Seeing that the Baron was asking him what these were, he said. "Half-polymorphed humans, probably"half" polymorphed because the spell ended in failure."


    Or... The spells were intended to be used as such?


    He peered in, looking at the half scaled and frog-like hands of the half-human in front of him, their gender unknown as they lay dormant in the yellowish liquid.


    Just as Ruiki was watching, the dormant human suddenly opened their eyes as they moved forward, a big palm along with countless tiny fingers upon fingers filling his vision.


    Stepping back in horror, Ruiki froze as the half-human inside reached their hands forward desperately.


    "Help..." The half-human called out as Ruiki froze in surprise and horror.


    "Surface dwellers!"


    "Oh, hoh! It''s the creatures that walk the land, just like my companion here!"


    "The land? What a myth. Does that even exist as of now?"


    Various voices resounded as if triggered by a stimulus, the party members looking around with wary gazes.


    "Hey, tell me... Can you remove this surface dweller from my skin? He bothers me alot. Y''all with those magic tricks shall know to do so, right?"


    Amidst the buzzing noises, Ruiki merely frowned, not answering their questions as he looked at the half-human in front of him.


    "Can you talk?"


    He asked. But seeing no response, he said aloud.


    "Can you talk? If you can, then what are these and where are we?"


    The half-polymorphed human in front of him opened his eyes, struggling to do so as if in a great peril.


    "Imprudent... mages," bubbles flew as the half-human''s mouth opened. "Take the sconce to the altar and free the poor souls..."


    "Altar? There''s an altar here?" Hardwick asked, amused. "What altar is it?"


    "Altar of the ancient death..." The grotesque creature said, its face twisting further as red patches appeared beneath its skin. "It''s... on the second floor..."


    "Take the sconce and please," the red patches spread, going further down its neck. "Free us."


    As if burning in agony, the being''s skin crawled, the redness inside coming into view as the pale skin faded away.


    It writhed in agony, curling its body as it went silent.


    The Baron glanced at the sconce where a black and unlit candle laid, not sparing it another glance as the voices in the room quieted down.


    Ployer eventually asked, "What do you make of its request?"


    "The sconce," Rose pointed at it. "It doesn''t look enchanted nor dangerous. We could take it with us if we want to,"


    "These test tubes, whoever made them..." Hardwick trailed off, only to cough once before continuing. "A bit... of an irony coming from me but, whoever made this needs to be judged by death."


    Ruiki nodded, glancing around and looking at the test tubes which were now silent.


    "This one''s probably the power source, or some sort of stimulus that springs others awake," Ruiki concluded, "Although there aren''t any enchantments on them, I think some of... technology is involved here."


    "A mad scientist?" Ployer asked, disdain evident on his face. "There are none in our Kingdom that does such things, they are probably from the north,"


    Well, that''s what I had thought, until I got imprisoned by the Order of the Black Pits. Ruiki''s eyes twitched at the thought, Is this underground cavern a part of the order where they conducted experiments?


    Gathering his thoughts, he asked Rose a question. "What is this place?"


    Rose looked at him and smiled, answering, "Something you wouldn''t want to know about,"


    "Part of the Noble Order?"


    Rose shook her head, her smile a bit bitter. "If that was the case, then the lands we lived in wouldn''t be called anything near peaceful,"


    "My Wind Flower City is peaceful at the very least," Ployer interjected, ending the conversation, "Let''s go forward, please."


    "You are in a hurry?" Hardwick asked, placing his arm on Ruiki''s shoulder for support.


    "In such a place, who wouldn''t be?"


    ...


    The sconce with the black candle was taken by Ruiki and stuffed in his Wizard''s Robe''s inner pocket.


    While he had the thought of keeping it in the magic pouch he''d had gotten, he realised that pulling out something so eye-catching would cause severe consequences especially with Ployer here, so kept the sconce in his robe''s pocket, which was fortunately big enough.


    After about three to four minutes of walking and stumbling about, the group, with no other options, returned to the ice-encased area.


    Most of the passages in this cavern had wooden and spruce doors that were locked behind traps and snares, it would be suicide to open them without their respective keys.


    Ployer sighed, sitting down on the rubble that covered the doorway as he gestured at Ruiki to come closer.


    Ruiki obliged, sitting beside the Baron.


    After a quiet moment of silence, Ployer asked.


    "How''s Gina?"


    Ruiki frowned. "My mother''s fine, as I had told you before."


    Ployer chuckled. "She could''ve been finer, better, richer," He then sighed. "If not for your father,"


    "What do you want?" Ruiki frowned as he looked at Ployer, annoyed.


    But Ployer merely ignored him, continuing on. "If not for her choices, then you would be in a palace right now, one that would invoke jealousy and envy even from the dukes and counts,"


    "But a pity," Ployer shook his head, as if greatly troubled. "Her choices led to her current state."


    "But I hope you could do better, Ruiki." His voice suddenly became cold, his gaze sharper as he stared, "And not trudge down the path and mistakes that your mother did,"